Rep. Gabe Vasquez Pushes for Equal Benefits for Tribal Educators During Laguna Pueblo Visit

LAGUNA PUEBLO, N.M. – On Tuesday, September 3, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (N.M.-02) joined Tribal educators and leaders at Laguna Elementary School to discuss his leadership of the bipartisan Parity for Tribal Educators Act that aims to address the ongoing teacher shortage in Indian Country. The bill provides teachers and staff at Tribally-controlled schools with the same federal retirement benefits as their counterparts at Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools. 

“Our educators in Tribal schools work tirelessly to shape the future of their communities,” said Vasquez. “My bill ensures Tribal educators receive the retirement benefits they deserve, fulfilling our trust responsibility to Tribal Nations and helping to retain the dedicated teachers our students need. I’m committed to working with Laguna and all Tribal communities to pass this bill into law and ensure that every Tribal school has the resources they need to nurture successful students.”

Educators from Laguna, Acoma, Ramah Navajo Chapter, To'Hajiillee Navajo Chapter and the Dine Bi Olta School Board Association joined Vasquez. During the discussion, Vasquez emphasized the importance of dialogue and action. Last year, after hearing from the Ramah Navajo School Board and other New Mexico Pueblos about how lack of retirement benefits made it hard to recruit teachers at Tribally-operated schools, Vasquez introduced this bill to fix it. 

Vasquez also shared an important update on the bill. Recently, language from the Parity for Tribal Educators Act was included in the annual government funding bill to direct the Bureau of Indian Affairs to study the process of implementation, a critical step towards the bill becoming a law. The bill is co-lead by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD). 

Laguna Elementary is a Tribally-controlled school whose teachers and staff would be eligible for federal retirement benefits including the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) system should the Parity for Tribal Educators Act become law. Teachers and staff at BIE-operated schools are already eligible for these programs. 

In addition to Laguna, New Mexico’s second district is home to the Haak'u Community Academy at Acoma Pueblo, the Pine Hill School at Ramah Navajo Chapter and the Mescalero Apache School, which are all Tribally-controlled schools. 

Similar to his Parity for Tribal Educators Act, Vasquez is also leading the bipartisan Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act. This bill aims to improve the recruitment and retention of Tribal law enforcement officers by granting them the same federal benefits as other federal officers.

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