PED outlines $30M New Mexico Literacy Center near UNM and plans for a statewide STEM center

LEDE: The Public Education Department told the LESC that the state has appropriated $30 million to plan, design and construct a New Mexico Literacy Center near the University of New Mexico and is requesting an additional $5 million for FY27 to support planning and initial operations. The department also described an emerging STEM center plan backed by $20 million in capital appropriation and a planning timeline extending into 2028.

NUT GRAF: Secretary Padilla presented architectural plans, a curriculum and programming vision, and a construction schedule that targets substantial completion of the literacy center by Nov. 30, 2026. Committee members questioned how the facility—designed to serve students, families and educators statewide—will ensure accessibility for rural communities, fund ongoing operations, and avoid the perception that it belongs to a single institution because of its Albuquerque site near UNM.

BODY: Padilla said the literacy center will function as a statewide hub for student programming, intervention, professional learning and research. Key design facts included a roughly 31,000-square-foot building with indoor and outdoor flexible learning spaces, an observation capability, and the capacity to serve up to about 500 learners and educators across indoor and outdoor spaces.

She told the committee the legislature has appropriated $30,000,000 for construction and planning and the department is requesting $5,000,000 for FY27 to support further planning, stakeholder engagement, contracting and the development of program and staffing capacity. Padilla described a planning process that will include an RFP to identify an operator or contractor partner and said the general services department will handle long-term maintenance and security for the state-owned site.

Padilla summarized the national landscape of literacy centers, citing models at Kansas (Center for Reading at Pittsburg State), Mississippi (Barksdale Reading Institute), Florida State and Pennsylvania’s AIM Institute, and said New Mexico intends the center to be a free, statewide resource that can be deployed through local partner sites and summer programs rather than requiring families to travel to Albuquerque.

Committee members raised immediate concerns: Representative Garrett asked about parking and whether the design includes distance-learning infrastructure beyond Zoom-style sessions; Padilla said on-site parking is included and the building will be designed with distance-learning technology embedded. Several lawmakers pressed how the facility will serve rural New Mexico and whether the proximity to UNM would make it appear to be a UNM project; Padilla and Higher Education Secretary Rodriguez said the property is now state-owned, that the center is intended to be a state facility serving all institutions and that the architects have worked with UNM on design and safety plans.

The STEM center is at earlier planning stages, Padilla said. The legislature provided $20,000,000 for STEM center development; PAD expects design RFPs and a construction timeline that would lead to completion around 2028. Padilla said the STEM effort will emphasize math and partner with New Mexico State University and national laboratories to expand statewide STEM programming.

ENDING: The department will continue planning, issue RFPs for both planning and programming partners, and engage stakeholders statewide over the coming year. The LESC signaled strong interest in ensuring operational funding is secured so the centers do not sit idle once built.