Governor signs four education bills – SB 37 builds upon years of progress in literacy instruction  

SANTA FE – Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham today signed four education bills, putting years of investment and measurable student gains into permanent state law.

The legislation — covering literacy instruction, math teacher preparation, special education services and school employee insurance — passed both chambers of the legislature with near-unanimous or unanimous bipartisan support.

“Today marks another milestone in changing the trajectory of public education in New Mexico,” said Governor Lujan Grisham. “Reading proficiency is up 10 percentage points since 2022. Teacher pay is 30% higher than when I took office. We moved that needle substantially, and we’re not done. Thank you to every lawmaker who invested in New Mexico’s students this session.”

SB 37 — High Quality Literacy Instruction Act
Sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, Rep. Joy Garratt and Rep. Catherine Cullen, and passed unanimously in both chambers, SB 37 makes evidence-based structured literacy instruction state law. The bill requires K-3 reading assessments, mandates that parents be notified when a child is struggling and assigns literacy coaches to schools statewide to support classroom teachers.

The legislation builds on $60.4 million in state literacy investment since 2019, including training more than 10,000 educators in evidence-based reading instruction. Reading proficiency across grades 3-8 has climbed 10 percentage points since 2022. Students who have historically been underserved are leading those gains: Native American students posted 13-point improvements, economically disadvantaged students gained 12 points, Hispanic students gained 10 and English learners improved by 8 points.

Nearly half of New Mexico elementary and middle school students now read at grade level, up from about one-third three years ago.

The state is also investing $30 million in capital outlay for a new literacy institute — modeled on successful programs in Kansas, Florida and Pennsylvania — to be completed by end of 2026 and capable of serving 500 students at a time.

SB 29 — Math improvement
Sponsored by Sen. William Soules, Rep. Debra Sariñana and Rep. Catherine Cullen, and passed unanimously in both chambers, SB 29 raises math coursework requirements for all teacher licensure levels and directs the New Mexico Public Education Department to develop a Mathematics Instructional Leadership Framework, which outlines math instruction for teachers. Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, the bill requires early math screening in grades K-3, with parent-notified support plans and interventions for at-risk students.

SB 64 — Office of Special Education
Sponsored by Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, Rep. Joy Garratt and Sen. Cindy Nava, SB 64 formally embeds the Office of Special Education within the Public Education Department in state statute. The bill creates clear lines of authority for the delivery of special education services for about 61,000 New Mexico students. SB 64 passed 62-1 in the House and 38-1 in the Senate.

HB 47 — School employee insurance
HB 47 replaces a tiered employer insurance contribution structure — which varied from 60 to 80% depending on salary — with a flat minimum of 80% for every school district and charter school employee, regardless of salary. The bill is backed by $73.15 million in new appropriations to the public school fund for FY2027. Sponsored by Rep. Raymundo Lara, Sen. Natalie Figueroa, Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, Rep. Tanya Mirabal Moya and Rep. Brian Baca, HB 47 passed unanimously in both chambers.

A seven-year record
Today’s signings reflect a sustained, two-term investment in New Mexico public education. Teacher starting salaries in New Mexico are 30% higher than when Governor Lujan Grisham took office. A $30 million summer reading intervention program enrolled more than 16,000 students over two years, producing an 11% increase in reading proficiency among participants.