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New Mexico lawmakers seek donations to bolster autonomous tribal education programs – Winnipeg Free Press

Posted on by Neons

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers would create at least $50 million in unique education funds to help Native American communities build their own student programs, including efforts to teach and preserve Native languages, under a proposal the state approved Thursday. . Home.

A bill by Democratic lawmakers with ties to tribal communities, including the Navajo Nation and small Native American pueblos, won unanimous approval in the House on a 68-0 vote and was sent to the state Senate for consideration. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham recently expressed support for the initiative.

Sponsors say the fund will help undo the legacy of forced assimilation of Native American children, including the legacy of U.S.-backed boarding schools, and fulfill the state's commitment to Native American students following a landmark state court ruling.

State Representative Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, New Mexico, will introduce a bill on February 8, 2024 in Santa Fe, NM, to create a unique education fund of at least $50 million to help Native American communities build their own students. programs include efforts to teach and preserve indigenous languages. The initiative by Democratic lawmakers with ties to tribal communities won a unanimous 68-0 vote in the House and was sent to the state Senate for consideration. Bill sponsors say the fund will help eliminate the vestiges of forced assimilation and fulfill the state's commitment to American students following a landmark state court decision. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
State Representative Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, New Mexico, will introduce a bill on February 8, 2024 in Santa Fe, NM, to create a unique education fund of at least $50 million to help Native American communities build their own students. programs include efforts to teach and preserve indigenous languages. The initiative by Democratic lawmakers with ties to tribal communities won a unanimous 68-0 vote in the House and was sent to the state Senate for consideration. Bill sponsors say the fund will help eliminate the vestiges of forced assimilation and fulfill the state's commitment to American students following a landmark state court decision. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)

“It's going against more than 200 years of federal policies that have tried to remove Native Americans from this nation and say, 'We know how to school, to educate our children better,'” said Derrick Lente. , Sandia Pueblo resident and tribal member, and lead supporter of the initiative. “They know that language is important.”

There are 22 federally recognized tribal communities in New Mexico, and the Oklahoma-based Fort Sill Apache Tribe has lands near Deming in southern New Mexico. The US Census shows that Native Americans make up about 11% of the state's population, both on and off reservations.

Appropriations from the state general fund allow tribal communities to establish a “tribal education trust fund” of approximately 5% of the annual distribution fund corpus – approximately $2.5 million, leaving $50 million.