A new gymnasium is in the works, along with the construction of a community school, as a result of Department of the Interior funding secured for two projects located in New Mexico.
That funding amounts to $24 million, which will target the replacement of a gym at the Pine Hill School in Pine Hill, and the complete rebuilding of a combined elementary and middle school in Bloomfield.
In a statement, New Mexico Senator Tom Udall, as part of the full New Mexico Congressional delegation which helped to get the Interior Department funding, said the completion of the projects will “help make sure Native students in New Mexico have a safe, welcoming environment to learn.”
Representative Xochitl Torres Small said the funding will be applied directly to “making long overdue improvements to Pine Hill School and the Dzilth-Na-O-Dith Hle Community Grant School, helping to increase the quality of education and the quality of the educational experiences at both.”
Of the $24 million, $9 million will go for the Pine Hill School gymnasium work, while just over $15 million targets the rebuilding of the Dzilth-Na-O-Dith Hle Community School.
The Pine Hill School is located in the Ramah Navajo Indian reservation on the western side of the state. With more than 300 students it, has been the subject of previous Interior Department investigations regarding its condition.
The Dzilth-Na-Dith-Hle school, with an enrollment of around 250 students, is located on the Navajo Nation reservation in northwest New Mexico.
By Garry Boulard
