Payments made to consultants chosen for PED's remedial plan revealed
In a continued effort to address the quality of education provided to underserved students, the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) has taken significant strides in the development of a remedial plan. This plan, ordered by a court following the landmark Yazzie-Martinez case in 2014, aims to ensure all students, particularly those affected by socioeconomic status, language barriers, disability, or tribal affiliation, receive a uniform and sufficient education.
The Yazzie-Martinez case was initially brought by parents Wilhelmina Yazzie and Louise Martinez, along with others, against the state. Following a Request for Interest process, the PED has coordinated a partnership with two consultants: the LANL Foundation and WestEd.
The LANL Foundation, with a focus on stakeholder engagement, is facilitating the involvement of community members, educators, tribal representatives, and other stakeholders. This inclusive approach ensures the plan reflects diverse voices from across the state, including 18 Native American Pueblos, Tribes, and Nations in northern New Mexico counties.
WestEd, a Phoenix-based nonprofit, brings expertise as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization specializing in research, evaluation, professional learning, technical assistance, and policy guidance. Their role is to focus on the development and drafting of the remedial action plan itself.
The first step of the remedial plan was completed by PED on July 1, with the selection of outside consultants LANL Foundation and WestEd. The PED is responsible for submitting a draft of the plan by October 1, 2025, and the final version by November 3, 2025.
To gather public input, PED will host meetings in various cities across the state, including Farmington, Española, Las Cruces, Raton, Santa Fe, Mescalero, Clovis, Silver City, Zuni, Carlsbad, Albuquerque, and a virtual meeting on Aug 26.
While PED is tasked with creating the remedial plan, the Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) is also involved in the process. However, Ernest Herrera, western regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, has expressed hope that the remedial plan would address the issues but also reiterated the plaintiffs' request for LESC to handle the plan instead of PED.
The PED is spending $403,500 on contracts with the two consultants for the Yazzie-Martinez remedial plan. The LANL Foundation is receiving $203,500, while WestEd is receiving $200,000.
Notably, Gwen Perea Warniment, president and CEO of LANL Foundation, previously served as the LESC director and PED deputy secretary.
The court-ordered remedial plan comes after a Santa Fe judge ruled in April that the PED had not done enough to improve the state's education system since the 2018 landmark ruling in the Yazzie-Martinez case. The judge determined that the state agency must form a remedial plan to fix issues related to the quality of education provided to underserved students.
As the remedial plan progresses, the public is encouraged to participate in the meetings and provide their valuable input to ensure the plan effectively addresses the needs of all New Mexico students.
- The court-ordered remedial plan, aimed at addressing the quality of education for underserved students in New Mexico, has involved partnerships with two consultants: the LANL Foundation and WestEd.
- The LANL Foundation, focusing on stakeholder engagement, is working to ensure diverse voices from across the state, including 18 Native American Pueblos, Tribes, and Nations, are considered in the development of the remedial plan.
- WestEd, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with expertise in education research and policy guidance, is responsible for the development and drafting of the remedial action plan for education and self-development in New Mexico.
