Bureau of Indian Education / Tribally Controlled Schools

In 2023, New Mexico House Bill (HB) 198 marked a significant turning point for Indian Education in New Mexico. This legislative appropriation amended NMSA 22-1-12, which established the NextGen CTE pilot program – a seven-year pilot program designed to fund high-quality Career Technical Education (CTE) programs and monitor their impact on student outcomes – to allow Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and Tribally Controlled Schools (TCS) to apply for and receive state funds for the first time.

Impact

The College & Career Readiness Bureau (CCRB) initiated a program using NextGen state funds to provide funding to seven BIE schools, aiming to kickstart their career and technical education (CTE) programs. For the 2023-2024 school year, $ 1.5 million was dedicated explicitly to BIE schools. In 2024-2025, these schools received both state (NextGen, $1,400,000) and federal funding (Perkins, $105,000) through the CCRB.

In the 2025–2026 academic year, eight BIE/TCS schools participated in the Perkins and NextGen programs, serving a total of 485 students. Each school was allocated $15,000 under the Perkins and $200,000 through the NextGen grant.

Focus on Cultural Relevance and Community Engagement

CCRB and BIE are working to strengthen our relationships with Tribal Nations by providing technical assistance to schools and hosting monthly communities of practice meetings to help them deliver a high-quality education that reflects the unique cultures and communities of their students. This partnership emphasizes the importance of a culturally relevant curriculum. The vision is that Native American students are “at the heart of the school,” with learning beginning at home with a positive self-concept and progressing to high expectations driven by data for academic achievement.

This collaborative effort seeks to achieve several outcomes:

• Short-term Community Outcomes: Fostering collaboration, networking, school advocacy, and building partnerships with the State and community.
• Intermediate Community Outcomes: Establishing relationships with BIE/TCS and local businesses and gaining guidance and understanding from BIE/TCS.
• Long-term Community Outcomes: Building healthy communities, achieving “Hozho-Success” (a concept of success derived from the Navajo language), tribal sovereignty, and fostering community academic growth.
• Curriculum Integration: Incorporating Tribal language and culture, customs, traditions, history, and traditional parenting roles into the educational plan.

For more information contact Denise Ojeda at Victoria.Ojeda@ped.nm.gov or 505-490-2160