Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Tribal Education Community Institute in September 2023 to update and refine the Tribal Remedy Framework (TRF) proposals for 2024. The report and recommendations of the Community Institute are now available on our website.

The Community Institute’s recommendations have informed this year’s TRF bills. The TRF is the collective tribal response to the 2018 Yazzie/Martinez court order, developed jointly by tribal leaders, educators, and Indigenous education experts. It has been endorsed by New Mexico’s 23 Nations, Tribes, and Pueblos.

Tribal educators’ feedback has been clear: despite an increase in state education funding, the need for targeted investments in tribal education remains as pressing as ever. Here’s an overview of their recommendations for state policymakers:

1. Strengthen Tribal Education Capacity

• Establish a Tribal Education Trust Fund to secure stable, consistent, and self-determined funding for tribal education departments.
• Invest in the construction and renovation of tribal libraries.

2. Strengthen Tribal Education Sovereignty

• Enact a State-Tribal Education Compact to allow tribally controlled, state-funded schools.

3. Ensure School District Accountability

• Ensure that school districts implement Native student needs assessments, as required by the NM Indian Education Act.

4. Implement a Linguistically and Culturally Relevant Education

• Fund Native-led higher education programs and Tribal Colleges to train Native teachers, educational leaders, social services and health professionals.

5. Ensure Stable and Sufficient State Funding for Tribes

• Amend New Mexico’s Indian Education Act of 2003 to reform its funding process and ensure efficient, effective, and timely distributions to Tribes.

6. Enact State Education Policy Responsive to Native Students’ Needs

• Fund and implement the Tribal Remedy Framework.