Rio Rancho, Bernalillo school leaders supportive of Yazzie-Martinez meetings

SANDOVAL COUNTY — Families with Rio Rancho and Bernalillo schools have been invited by the New Mexico Public Education Department to attend a series of meetings next month for them to help shape a court-ordered plan connected to the landmark Yazzie-Martinez case.

The PED will host the meetings between Aug. 5 and 26, with one event in Albuquerque taking place Aug. 20 — the only meeting in the Metro. The other meeting dates and locations include Farmington, Española, Las Cruces (Aug. 5); Raton (Aug. 6); Santa Fe, Mescalero, Clovis (Aug. 7); as well as Silver City, Zuni and Carlsbad (Aug. 14). A virtual meeting is scheduled for Aug. 26. PED did not immediately provide details on meeting times and locations.

PED announced the gatherings in a recent news release, billing it as a “historic moment” in response to a state judge’s May ruling to craft a plan that will “provide a uniform and sufficient education for all students.”

The meetings take on local significance, since Rio Rancho Public Schools was one of the original litigants in the lawsuit and is still involved in the case, according to RRPS Superintendent Sue Cleveland. Bernalillo Public Schools is not listed as a litigant, although the district was subpoenaed, court records show.

Owing to RRPS’s role in the lawsuit, Rio Rancho Public Schools Superintendent Sue Cleveland was cautious when asked by the Observer Thursday if she would encourage district families to attend the meetings.

“If (families) feel like there’s room for improvement in schools, that’s an opportunity for them to voice those concerns — and I know parents voice their concerns to us all the time about things,” she said. “(The meetings) give them an opportunity to be heard.”

Bernalillo Public Schools Superintendent Matt Montaño — a former PED employee — said in an interview that it is essential for the agency to “give voice to the community” for them to provide input in crafting a plan.

The Yazzie-Martinez case gets its name from Wilhelmina Yazzie, the parent of a student at Gallup-McKinley County Schools, and Louise Martinez, the parent of an Albuquerque Public Schools student, who sued the state in 2014, arguing their children were not receiving an equitable education.

In 2018, then-Judge Sarah Singleton, now deceased, issued a ruling agreeing with the parents that the state had not met its goals under the New Mexico Constitution to educate students, particularly those who identified as minorities or low-income. The ruling set the stage for multiple appeals.

On May 20, Judge Matthew Wilson found PED had still not met its obligation to students and ordered the agency to craft an action plan with the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation, the Legislative Education Study Committee and WestEd, a national educational policy and research organization. While the former will focus on the plan’s development, LANL will focus on engaging with meeting stakeholders, court documents said.

“I do think that having a plan is a good thing,” Cleveland said. “Then, everybody does know exactly where the state’s going.”

Montaño, however, believes a plan doesn’t guarantee great student outcomes.

“The outcomes are going to be the tell-all,” he said.

In a prepared statement, PED Secretary of Education Mariana Padilla encouraged stakeholders to join the meetings.

“We’re reaching out to families, educators, students, tribal leaders, and community members like you to ensure this plan reflects the real voices and lived experiences of those most impacted,” Padilla said. “Let’s work together to ensure every child in New Mexico has the opportunity to thrive. We hope to see you there.”