The New Mexico Public Education Department told the Legislative Education Study Committee it will assemble specialized contractors and a statewide stakeholder process to develop the compliance plan required by Judge David H. Urias Wilson’s April 29 ruling in the consolidated Martinez‑Yazzie education lawsuits.

"Judge Wilson was clear about wanting to support us and moving us to a place where we have agreement," the NMPED secretary said, adding that the department would hire contractors by the July 1 deadline and expects to produce a draft compliance plan by Oct. 1 to address the court’s findings.

What the department will do
The secretary described a multi-pronged approach: hire experts in law, research and stakeholder engagement; conduct broad outreach to educators, parents, tribal leaders and existing advisory councils; review statutory gaps and policy options; and produce a compliance plan that includes cost estimates, timelines and measurable outcomes as the judge specified. The department said it would request proposals of interest from potential contractors and coordinate with Legislative Education Study Committee staff on experts to include.

Why it matters: The Martinez and Yazzie lawsuits allege systemic deficiencies in K–12 public education for historically underserved students and seek remedies the court has ordered the state to propose and implement. The court’s timeline is aggressive and will require coordination among agencies, higher education, tribes, districts and the legislature.

Legislative and stakeholder engagement
Members of the committee urged immediate, broad inclusion of existing subject-matter experts and community groups that have worked on these issues for years. Representative Roybal Caballero urged the department to draw on existing community advisory councils and established coalitions and to treat the plaintiffs’ previously developed component recommendations as a starting point for drafting.

Department officials said they do not plan to start from scratch and will leverage existing plans, research and stakeholder work already in circulation, but emphasized the need for a coordinated, staffed effort to meet the court’s timetable. The secretary said the department may return to the legislature to request additional resources to execute the work within the required schedule.

Next steps and timelines
The department plans to finalize a scope of work for contractor teams, open a request for interest, and begin dedicated stakeholder engagement and research immediately. Officials said the draft compliance plan will be ready by Oct. 1, with further steps on implementation to follow subject to statutory processes and appropriations.

Lawmakers and advocates retained a continued oversight role. The department invited legislative involvement and offered to include LESC and other advisory groups in the stakeholder process; several committee members said they plan to contribute names of experts and community organizations for inclusion.