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Commissioners weigh summer internship funding as state budget uncertainty persists
Summary
Doña Ana County administration told commissioners the state’s summer internship line in HB2 remains unsigned, creating a timing risk for 2025 SEIP programming and prompting discussion of local options to support students.
Doña Ana County administration briefed commissioners on the Summer Enrichment Internship Program (SEIP), explaining the program’s budget uncertainty at the state level and seeking guidance on next steps to support school-district participation if state funds do not materialize.
Stephen Lopez, Assistant County Manager, said the program had been funded previously with ARPA money and was in HB2 as a $10,000,000 statewide line item; as of the work session the bill had not been signed and the line-item risked being delayed until the statutory July 1 start of the fiscal year. "The challenges are a, it is specific to summer internship, and b, the state budget doesn't fund until July 1. And at that point in time, we are almost done with summer break for Las Cruces public schools," Lopez said, noting that the late timing would leave only a few weeks of practical summer programming for some school calendars.
Lopez and Jonathan Macias described efforts to secure local partners. County staff said Las Cruces Public Schools, Gadsden Independent School District and Hatch Valley Public Schools submitted a joint letter expressing support and offering to identify eligible students; the letter was signed by Travis Dempsey, Michael Chavez, and Ignacio Ruiz. Lopez said the county can act as a fiscal sponsor for the program and recommended discussing models in which school districts take on program delivery while the county handles funding flows if state reimbursements follow.
Commissioners raised implementation questions. Commissioner Cabanos emphasized transportation and the special challenges for rural districts; staff noted that school-district buses can legally be used for school activities if districts are fiscal partners, which may ease rural access constraints. Commissioners discussed alternative models—county-funded pilots paid from reserves, targeted after-school or year-round work opportunities, or coordinating with workforce entities to provide wraparound services and supports for students with financial need.
Lopez cautioned against conflating the internship program with violent-crime prevention narratives. He said the program "has never been tied to crime reduction" and that recent violent incidents discussed elsewhere in the county were not linked to program participants. He recommended clarifying the program’s goals (workforce readiness, household income support, career exposure) and securing partner commitments before committing county funds.
Ending: Administration asked commissioners whether they want a formal agenda item to consider using county reserves to seed a program if state funds remain unavailable; commissioners expressed general support for working with school districts and partners to develop models, and staff said they would return with options for possible board action.
