Public schools would train teachers in biliteracy through a three-year pilot

The Public Education Department would run a three-year pilot that trains teachers in biliteracy instruction and professional development. The project would focus on teachers and at-risk public school students, including economically disadvantaged students, English language learners, Native American students, and students with disabilities. Training would cover instruction in languages other than English, second-language literacy, biliteracy, and communication across languages and other formats. The department could use a qualified private provider with specified bilingual education experience and connections to schools or multilingual communities. The department would select 125 teachers in the first year, 250 in the second year, and 500 in the third year, while prioritizing certain bilingual education settings and experience. The department would develop training standards, participation rules, and effectiveness measures with a New Mexico nonprofit organization. The pilot would run for three years, with teacher selections set for the first, second, and third years.

The proposal would set aside $6.645 million for the Public Education Department to administer the pilot. The money would support the biliteracy development and training project described in the proposal. The money would come from the general fund. Any money left at the end of fiscal year 2029 would return to the general fund. The funding would be available during fiscal years 2027 through 2029.