I understand the desire to protect and help these students, and I would love to explore the possibilities of what we could do, however, I’m not sure what- aside from making resources we already have in place available to them- would be feasible.

This has to be a multi-part answer, because so many things are already being done!

First, from my attendance at School Board meetings, it is my understanding that we are already preparing for the fiscal impact the closure of the Department of Education will have on us next year. I say next year, because the federal funding we receive was already in the process of being distributed this year when the Department of Education was closed, and at this point, New Mexico has received most of its funding, which is issued to us through the PED. Ms. Traczyk- our Chief Financial Officer- is an incredible asset to our district, and has been preparing for the loss of federal funding since the closure of the Department of Education.

In researching how our public schools are funded in New Mexico, I have learned that the majority of our operating budget comes from the SEG fund, which is solely funded by New Mexicans. This will not change because it is outlined in our state constitution, and will not affect things like our teachers’ salaries, or whether or not the lights stay on. What will be affected is our state’s Title I funding, which allows us to better support the needs of our poverty-stricken community. Our state government has already made adjustments for the loss of these funds. In the recent special session of our state legislature, a bi-partisan agreement was signed into law to compensate for these funds, and while we may not receive the full amount of what we’re used to getting, the impact will not be as large because of this. Additionally, our state legislature chose to protect our Medicaid program, so students who receive therapy services through our school system will not lose access to those important resources. 

Finally, should we have to make further adjustments to our budget than those already in place, I would propose that we look at expenses that can reasonably be cut temporarily, and immediately begin the search for funding to not only reinstate those expenses that have been cut, but to further support the district. Coming from a background in non-profit work, I know there are many different types of grants available to meet a multitude of funding needs.

To my knowledge- because I haven’t researched this- our state recently held a Special Session of our congress where a bi-partisan bill was voted into law that protects funding for these programs with state funding. I have reached out to one of our state senators asking for a conversation in order to better understand this legislation and how it will help bridge the gap the loss of federal funding will cause.

I would definitely be in support of this! However, as a habitual Apple user, I’m not sure it would be possible for this to happen, simply because of the way the operating system works. What may be more feasible is to work with our tech department to find a way to customize each child’s iPad settings with parents’ requests, so long as they do not conflict with the settings our school district needs them to have.

I agree that these issues need to be addressed with the students on these campuses, and I have a few ideas on what- and how- this can be done. However, I was out of town for a family funeral when these incidents occurred and am still in the process of gathering information before I bring these proposals forward. I want to make sure that what I propose would not only be feasible, but would set us up to continue moving forward in a productive way.