New Mexico judge puts hold on rule to extend school year amid intense opposition

A New Mexico judge has put a hold on a mandate requiring school districts to adopt calendars that consist of at least 180 days. School districts are challenging the change.

In granting the school districts' request for a preliminary injunction, Judge Dustin Hunter said the rule undermines the Legislature's intent when it adopted legislation in 2023 that called for extending the number of hours children spend in the classroom and the time teachers have for professional development.

"If the Legislature had intended to expand the number of days with all the accompanying costs — such as transportation and food and specialty providers such as special education and everything else — it necessarily would have provided the funding or given clear guidance as to why it was unable to," Hunter said.