A First Judicial District judge has found that New Mexico's nearly 200-page plan to fix the state's chronically underfunded public schools still falls short of what courts have demanded for years, ordering the state's Public Education Department to go back and patch holes in its approach to class sizes, summer learning programs and teacher evaluations.
Judge Matthew Wilson determined that PED's remedial action plan, submitted in November 2025, is not comprehensive and does not comply with the court's prior orders, according to the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. The group, which represents plaintiffs in the long-running Yazzie/Martinez case, said the judge identified specific gaps including the department's failure to adequately address smaller class sizes, programs to prevent learning loss over school breaks, the teacher evaluation system and funding for textbooks.
Source New Mexico reported that Wilson ordered PED to file a supplement addressing those shortcomings. The outlet reported the deadline as March 26, 2027, as did the Albuquerque Journal.
What the Supplement Must Show
Per the Albuquerque Journal, the supplement must explicitly connect PED's corrective actions to prior court decisions and provide clear methods for measuring compliance. The court set April 23, 2027, as the deadline for plaintiffs to file objections to PED's supplement and overview, the Center on Law and Poverty reported.
Wilson stopped short of ordering a full rewrite. The plan's content does not need to be discarded, but rather can be supplemented, the judge wrote, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. The court also did not require PED to work with plaintiffs' education experts or meaningfully involve students, families, school districts, Tribes and communities in preparing the supplement, per the Center on Law and Poverty.
A court-prepared chart found the plan addressed seven of 15 issues identified in the original 2018 ruling, partially addressed five and failed to address three at all, according to New Mexico In Depth. A second chart in the same report found the plan fully addressed two of four injunctions issued in 2019 and only partly addressed the other two.
A Case Years in the Making
The ruling is the latest turn in the Yazzie/Martinez case, in which a district court determined in 2018 that New Mexico violated its constitutional duty to provide students a sufficient education — a finding that particularly affected Native American and low-income students, English language learners and students with disabilities. In May 2025, the court found the state was still not meeting those obligations and directed PED to develop a comprehensive plan, the Center on Law and Poverty noted.
PED submitted that plan in November 2025, and the Yazzie and Martinez plaintiffs filed objections earlier in 2026 seeking a rewrite.
Advocates and PED React
PED spokesperson Janelle Taylor García said the department welcomes the order, which she said upholds the department's action plan and confirms the state is on the right path to meet its obligations to students. The department described the order as a valuable roadmap providing greater clarity and said it is committed to delivering an excellent education for every New Mexico student, especially those the original case sought to serve, Taylor García added, saying the court is confident PED can complete the supplement and that the department shares that confidence.
Plaintiffs' attorneys see it differently. Alisa Diehl said PED's plan still does not fully address what courts require and falls short of connecting solutions with actual steps toward the education system children are entitled to. She added that she remains concerned an agency-produced version, made without necessary expertise and input, will not produce the needed changes.
Eyes on the Incoming Administration
The extended timeline lands just as New Mexico prepares for a change in leadership, with Deb Haaland expected to take office the following year. Regis Pecos said the extended supplement timeline creates an opportunity for collaboration with new PED leadership under Haaland, adding that her campaigning comments — in which she said she would bring plaintiffs and Tribes to the table — made him hopeful.
Loretta Trujillo said the next administration should partner with advocates who offer scholarship, analysis and lived experience as the state works to close the gaps Wilson identified. With the April 2027 objection deadline now set, the case's next chapter will test whether that collaboration materializes before the courts weigh in again.
