Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

U.S. SENATOR Jeff Bingaman

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Contact Senator Bingaman's Office:

Jude McCartin
Maria Najera
703 Hart Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5521

N.M. Senators: New Mexico to Receive $28.5 Million to Turn Around Low-Performing Schools

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today announced that New Mexico has been awarded $28.5 million to help improve low-performing schools.

The U.S. Department of Education made the award to the New Mexico Public Education Department with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Schools from around the state are eligible to apply for funding.

"It's important to identify which schools are doing a good job, and which need to improve.  But we obviously cannot stop there.  We must also help low-performing schools get better by giving them the resources they need to set higher goals and achieve them," Bingaman said.  "This grant is a tremendous investment in New Mexico's school children."

"Supporting the schools in New Mexico that need the most help will enable them to make improvements and set higher standards," Udall said.  "This is a great example of recovery act dollars being utilized to support education and help turn around the schools that need it most."

In order for a school district to apply for these funds, it must have a state-identified "persistently lowest achieving."  Tier III schools -- a school that has failed to meet annual yearly progress for two years but is not identified as a persistently lowest achieving school – can also apply for grant funds once all of the state's lowest-achieving schools have received funding.