State educators say they are on hold waiting to see how federal DEI demands will impact NM students
Local school districts say they are waiting for direction from the New Mexico Public Education Department concerning federal diversity, equity and inclusion demands. (Photo courtesy Santa Fe Public Schools)
New Mexico educators say federal demands to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs or lose funding are 'frustrating' and it's unclear how they might ultimately impact students.
The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to state education leaders last week ordering them to certify their compliance with federal requirements banning diversity, equity and inclusion practices in order to continue receiving federal assistance.
States were given 10 days to respond to the letter, but a spokesperson for the federal education department told Source NM that the deadline was extended to April 24.
Michael Chavez, superintendent of Hatch Valley Public Schools, told Source NM that he feels districts are in a 'wait and see' situation and that he hasn't received any specific directive from the New Mexico Public Education Department about how the state will respond.
'I guess the first question I have is: 'What does that mean for us?'' he said. 'I don't know what that means because we're all about providing equity…Are we talking equality or we talking equity, because that's two different things.'
Hatch Valley Public Schools consists of five schools from elementary to high school, and serves fewer than 2,000 students. A majority of children come from families living below the poverty line and many are English Language Learners, Chavez said.
Chavez told Source that about 15 to 20% of the Hatch Valley district's budget is made up of federal funds. He pointed out that Title I and Title II funds are particularly important to the Hatch Valley district as they provide federal financial assistance for at-risk students as well as professional development for teachers serving these students.
'We'll roll with the punches and do whatever we have to do, but we're not going to compromise on providing equitable services for kids,' Chavez said. He added that a majority of his district's budget comes from the state and described the federal money as 'extra' for expanding programs even further.
He noted that the spring budget conference for all public schools in the state is this week — during which districts develop their budgets for the next year — and said he hopes the state will 'share with us any information that they have.'
Janelle Taylor Garcia, a spokesperson for the state education department, said in a written statement to Source NM that the department 'is working closely with the New Mexico Department of Justice and the Governor's Office on addressing these directives. NMPED will continue to monitor communications from the U.S. Department of Education and remains focused on supporting districts and charters in serving all our student populations in the state.'
Stan Rounds, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders, told Source that he is working with Education Secretary Mariana Padilla as much as possible to develop a strategy for dealing with the Trump administration's demands. He said he is also working with the American Association of School Administrators, his organization's federal counterpart.
'Our hope is to be able to retain programs and funds that have been in play, so it's navigation as much as anything that we're having to do,' Rounds told Source.
Whitney Holland, president of the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico chapter, told Source that from the perspective of teachers in the state, 'our students are being used as political pawns.' She said she is concerned for the 'unique populations' of students who require additional assistance federal money pays for, as well as school social workers and occupational therapists.
'And that is super, super frustrating because we've hit this really good stride where every year we're chipping away at the narrative of 51st in education and school funding and all of that. And then to have this come, this blow come from the federal level, it feels like a huge step backwards,' Holland said.
She added that if the certification letter does not work to satisfy federal demands, she anticipates the Trump administration will 'continue to put the pressure on.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Department Of Labor To Roll Back Biden Era ESG Rule In Spring 2026
The ability of fund managers to consider environmental, social, and governance factors when making investment decisions has become a partisan political topic. Under President Biden, the U.S. Department of Labor created a rule that allowed ESG as a consideration. The Trump Administration indicated they want to reverse that rule. According to court documents, that process should begin in the spring 2026. The regulation of ESG by the DOL may seem like an odd fit. When Congress passed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act in 1974, they delegated the authority to regulate standards for pension plans to the DOL. Under ERISA, the DOL manages what factors fund managers can consider when investing your retirement savings. The primary factor has been, and continues to be, profit. In 2020, under Trump, the DOL issued a rule that said investments should be made based on 'pecuniary factors' only. In 2022, under Biden, the DOL issued a new rule saying that investments can consider ESG as a tiebreaker. The 2022 rule allows for the consideration of ESG factors, if, and only if, they are going to make the investment more profitable. In 2023, the House of Representatives, through a majority vote, overrode the 2022 rule. However, Biden vetoed the override and the rule became the standard. The rule was also met with legal challenge in Utah v. Chavez-DeRemer. The case is currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The change of administration brought a change in priorities. The Trump Administration is seeking to reverse the 2022 Rule. However, any action created through rulemaking can only be reversed through the same rulemaking process. The Securities and Exchange Commission is facing a similar issue with their climate risk reporting rule. The change in administration also brought a change in litigation strategy. As the U.S. government, through the appropriate agency, is the defendant in the case, they cannot simply end the case. The government must stay involved in the process, but as was also done in the SEC case, will give notice of their intent to change the rule, making the matter moot. On April 25, Daniel Winik, Senior Counsel at the Department of Justice's Appellate Division, gave notice to the Court of the DOL's intent to reverse the rule. The Court wanted clarification, asking the DOL to state "what specific actions the Department will take, if any, as a result of its reconsideration of the challenged rule—either to maintain the rule or to rescind it.' On May 28, the DOL filed a response, stating 'The Department has determined that it will engage in a new rulemaking on the subject of the challenged rule. This rulemaking will appear on the Department's Spring Regulatory Agenda, and the Department intends to move through the rulemaking process as expeditiously as possible.' The posting of regulatory agenda is the first step to the rulemaking process, providing official notice to the public that an agency intends on creating, editing, or rescinding a rule. The DOL will release the 2026 Spring Regulatory Agenda in July. The choice of language in the new environmental, social, and governance rule will be worth watching. Some fund managers took issue with the 2020 pecuniary factors standard, claiming it was unclear. The new Department of Labor ESG rule may take a different approach. Expect the comment period to open in mid 2026.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Progress takes time, and New Mexico children can't afford to wait
New Mexico ranked last for child well-being in the 2025 edition of the annual national KIDS COUNT report. (Photo by Gino Gutierrez for Source NM) New Mexicans are a people of strength, resilience, and deep-rooted pride—shaped by our commitment to community and our dedication to the well-being of families. That's why it's painful to reconcile our values with the news in this week's release of state rankings on child well-being from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual KIDS COUNT® Data Book. Once again, New Mexico is ranked 50th. Two things are true: progress takes time—and our children can't afford to wait. This year's data reflects conditions from 2023—before the full impact of many recent policy changes has had time to take hold. These include expanded child care assistance, increased Pre-K funding, and expanded health care access. These efforts matter, and in time, they will move the needle. But today, too many children are still waiting for the resources they need. We can't expect our ranking to change if we don't develop a comprehensive set of bold, targeted policies to uplift the children in our state. This legislative session, NM Voices for Children and our partners fought hard for such policies. We championed Paid Family and Medical Leave, a strong family-first safety net, but it died in the Legislature. We advocated for a fairer tax system so that families struggling to meet basic needs would be supported, but it was vetoed. We stood with Native leaders to support Indigenous-led education, and preserve Native sovereignty, languages, and cultures within the education system, but it was left unsigned. This must change. Despite these setbacks, we have made real and measurable progress. New Mexico is a national leader in free child care for most families and free school meals for all students. We also made historic investments in early childhood education, a state Child Tax Credit to help working families meet basic needs, and expanded health care access for more New Mexican families. Many of these gains have been hard won over the past seven years, thanks to the leadership of our current governor and legislators. We must also recognize that meaningful progress spanned across multiple administrations, such as the 2013 Medicaid expansion, which expanded vital health care to thousands more New Mexicans. Let's remember the lessons of past transitions. For instance, previous administrations have made decisions that disrupted critical services, such as behavioral health care. As we approach an election year and a new governor sets their agenda, we must remain focused, loud, and strong in advocating to put children first. Too many children and families face unaffordable housing and limited access to employment opportunities with benefits and a living wage. Looming federal proposals threaten to make the situation worse. Deep cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and education programs would hurt millions of New Mexicans. Here, three in four children rely on Medicaid, and more than one-third of SNAP recipients are children. For immigrant families, the fear of deportation continues to block access to vital services. But there is reason for hope. New Mexico has the tools, the vision, and the collective will to lead. Just as we have made progress on early childhood education, tax fairness, and expanding Medicaid, we must do the same in housing, K–12 education, economic mobility, and protection of mixed-status families to ensure that all children can thrive. We need our state's leaders to make housing affordable, raise the minimum wage, pass paid family and medical leave, and advance culturally relevant education. Once these laws are passed and the budget is signed, we need swift and effective implementation, so our kids don't have to wait. New Mexico's future depends on how we care for our children and families today. This means building a state where every child has a real shot at a bright, healthy, and secure future—regardless of their zip code, race, or immigration status. We must not lose sight of the fact that our work is about the lives of children.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Michigan ranks 33rd for child well-being in annual report with education among the nation's worst
Maskot/Getty Images Michigan ranked 33rd for overall child well-being in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual Kids Count Data Book, lagging in education and economic well-being, amongst other areas. This is the 36th year the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization examining children's welfare, has released its Kids Count Data Book which ranks states' care for youth through education, health, family and community, and economic wellbeing. Historically, Michigan has particularly dragged in its education ranking, with the 2025 ranking sitting at 44th in the nation. Michigan worsened in the number of children ages 3 and 4 not attending school than in previous years. When it came to benchmark testing, the data book found that the number of eighth graders not testing proficient in math and fourth graders not testing proficient in reading worsened than in previous years as well. 'Education has consistently been our lowest ranking domain among the four key domains that the Annie E. Casey Foundation evaluates, pointing to the continued, urgent need for our state leaders to do more to support Michigan students,' said Monique Stanton, President and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy in a news release Monday. Pushing for a school funding solution in Michigan continues to be a top priority for the league, which acts as the state's member organization of the Kids Count network, Stanton said. Michigan has worked to improve school access and outcomes, notably through securing universal school meals and investments in school mental health resources. But with federal threats on education looming, namely the Trump administration's interest in gutting the U.S. Department of Education, Stanton said it's important to point out the federal decisions that would harm students and advocate for policies that set kids up for educational success. Aecf-2025kidscountdatabook 'Speaking out against federal threats to education is also vital to ensuring our schools stay strong and are able to meet the needs of every student that walks through their doors,' Stanton said. 'Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education would remove protections for thousands of students in Michigan, especially those from low-income households and those receiving special education services.' The state's best ranking has historically been in health, ranking this year at 22nd. Michigan's health ranking, the only sector where Michigan placed in the top half of states, is largely attributed to the large portion of the state's children who have access to health insurance, the league's news release said. But just as stakeholders have raised concerns with President Donald Trump's plans for education, alarm bells are sounding off for a federal spending plan that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid. More than 1 in 4 Michiganders is covered by Medicaid each month, including more than 1 million children, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. While there are areas where Michigan has made improvements, there continue to be sectors of children's well-being that demand attention and resources, Stanton said. These needs would be best addressed with the collaboration of state and federal policymakers to ensure Michigan's kids have opportunities to grow up healthy and prepared for their futures. 'We know what kids need to grow up healthy and connected so they can thrive as adults: Stable homes, strong schools, nutritious food, meaningful relationships and opportunities to learn, play and grow. Programs that meet these needs are smart investments, fostering long-term gains like employment and economic growth,' Stanton said. 'We encourage Michigan leaders and lawmakers alike to use both the national KIDS COUNT data and the state data we will be releasing later this year in informing smart policy and budget decisions that prioritize the well-being and futures of our state's youngest residents.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
