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Superintendent warns district must plan for likely federal funding cuts; exact amount unclear
Summary
Superintendent Mike Hyatt told the Gallup-McKinley County Schools board that federal Title II, III and IV funds that support mentorship, ELL and training may be reduced and the district is planning adjustments; the precise dollar amount stated in the meeting transcript was inconsistent.
Superintendent Mike Hyatt told the Gallup-McKinley County Schools Board of Education on a regularly scheduled meeting that the district is preparing for reductions in federal funding that support mentorship programs, English-language learner services and staff training. Hyatt said the cuts involve Title II, Title III and Title IV funds and that district planners are working now to limit harm to student services.
Hyatt said the reductions were “close to 2,000,000. $22,000,000,” language that appears in the meeting transcript; the board did not resolve the discrepancy during the meeting. The superintendent said district staff are in planning and adjustment phases and that the board would be briefed again at a future meeting with more detail.
The superintendent told board members the affected federal sources pay for mentorship programs and training and that those programs are required by the state; the district intends to preserve required cultural-sensitivity and mentorship training even if federal dollars decline. Hyatt said those particular federal cuts do not affect construction or facilities projects.
Board members asked follow-up questions about how the cuts would affect specific programs. A board member identified in the transcript as Sarah asked for an estimated amount; the superintendent repeated the numeric formulations in the transcript. Board member Kevin Mitchell asked whether the cultural-sensitivity training includes a curriculum; Hyatt said it is a presentation used in staff mentoring and professional development that highlights culturally and religiously sensitive issues for staff working in the district.
Hyatt told the board that the district will return to the board, probably at the next meeting, with more specifics about how it will adjust budgets to preserve necessary services for students. No formal budget action was taken at the meeting.
The board received the report without further action; board members otherwise used the meeting to approve routine items on the agenda.
