Navajo leaders press state for stronger support of Diné students

Crystalyne Curley and Richelle Montoya took the Navajo Nation’s case directly to state officials in Albuquerque, pressing for changes that would reach Diné students in McKinley County classrooms, not just in future budgets and planning sessions. At the New Mexico Government-to-Government Indian Education Summit, the Navajo Nation Council said tribal leaders were demanding stronger support for schools, educators, and culturally grounded programs across the Navajo Nation.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham joined state officials, educators, and students at the summit, where the discussion centered on how New Mexico can improve academic outcomes for Native students while expanding culturally relevant curriculum and carrying out policy changes from the most recent legislative session. Students also described barriers they had faced and the programs that helped them keep going, a reminder that the stakes go beyond symbolism for families balancing language, identity, and college or career preparation.

For Gallup, Zuni, and nearby communities, the outcome matters because Gallup-McKinley County Schools, tribal schools, and Navajo institutions are closely connected. The priorities raised at the summit included long-term funding, broadband access, student support services, infrastructure, and language revitalization. Those are the kinds of changes that can affect whether a school has reliable internet, whether a student can get tutoring or counseling, and whether Diné language instruction is sustained year after year.

The push also builds on an earlier Navajo Nation Council call for a student-count-based funding formula. In October 2024, Curley and Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty pressed for that approach after state officials noted there were more than 26,000 Navajo students in New Mexico, compared with more than 10,000 students from all other tribes combined. Crotty also called for consultation with the New Mexico Public Education Department on the annual state accountability plan and Every Student Succeeds Act priorities, along with issues tied to literacy, special education, and the Indian Education Act.

The summit has also become a place where other education fights surface. In 2025, tribal leaders and state officials discussed Senate Bill 163, which affirmed students’ rights to wear tribal regalia at public school events. And in February 2026, the council advanced a proposal to raise the Diné Higher Education Grant Fund from $12.4 million to $30 million, with equal distribution among Diné College, Navajo Technical University, and the Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Assistance. Together, those moves show a broad push to strengthen the full education pipeline from K-12 classrooms to college.