A New Mexico judge has ordered the state Public Education Department to address gaps in its plan to improve education for underserved students, giving the department until March 26, 2027, to submit additional information in the long-running Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit.

In a Nov. 2 order, District Judge Matthew J. Wilson found that the department’s nearly 200-page remedial action plan did not fully address all the requirements stemming from the case. The order allows the department to supplement its existing plan rather than requiring it to start over.

The lawsuit centers on the state’s constitutional obligation to provide an adequate education to Native American students, English learners, students with disabilities and students from low-income families. Those groups account for nearly 70% of New Mexico’s public school students, according to the department’s 2025 remedial action plan.

The judge identified areas where the department’s plan needed additional detail, including smaller class sizes, summer school and other efforts to prevent learning loss, teacher evaluations and textbook funding.

A review of the ruling by New Mexico In Depth found that the department fully addressed seven of 15 issues identified in the court’s 2018 ruling, partially addressed five and did not address three. For four injunctions issued in 2019, the department fully addressed two and partially addressed two.

Wilson did not require the department to rewrite the entire plan. Instead, he found that the existing document included general goals, metrics and benchmarks extending through 2028, but needed more specific information in certain areas.

The judge also declined to dictate detailed spending or funding decisions, citing separation-of-powers concerns. He found that the department had met the requirement to involve stakeholders in developing the plan.

The department must submit its supplemental plan and additional progress measures by March 26, 2027. The plaintiffs will have until April 23 to file objections, according to the order. The judge also warned that the department could face sanctions if it does not comply.

Melissa Candelaria, an attorney with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty representing plaintiffs in the case, discussed the ruling with the Albuquerque Journal.

Loretta Trujillo of Transform Education New Mexico also criticized the pace of progress. In comments reported by Organ Mountain News, Trujillo said: “Eight years have passed, and thousands of New Mexico students have continued moving through our public schools without seeing the changes and resources they were promised.”

The Public Education Department responded to the ruling in a Nov. 6 statement, describing it as a “valuable roadmap” and saying it remained committed to delivering an excellent education to New Mexico students. The department said it was confident it could complete the supplemental work, according to New Mexico In Depth.

Background on the lawsuit

The Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit was filed in 2014 by families and organizations representing students from the four groups. In 2018, a judge found that New Mexico had failed to meet its constitutional responsibility to provide those students with an adequate education. A final judgment followed in 2019.

In May 2025, Wilson ordered the department to develop a plan addressing the court’s findings. The department submitted its remedial action plan on Nov. 3, 2025.

The case has continued as plaintiffs challenged whether the department’s plan adequately addressed the court’s requirements. The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty has published filings related to the plaintiffs’ objections and requests for further relief.

What happens next

The department’s supplemental filing is due March 26, 2027, with plaintiffs’ objections due April 23. The deadline will fall during Gov.-elect Deb Haaland’s administration, which is scheduled to begin in January.

The department, rather than the governor personally, is responsible for submitting the supplemental plan.