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Las Cruces and neighboring districts press legislature for recurring support for CTE, bilingual programs and 80/20 health care
Summary
Three superintendents told the Legislative Finance Committee students are showing gains — but rising costs, expiring federal money and declining enrollment threaten career, bilingual and mental‑health programs unless the Legislature considers recurring support.
Superintendents from Las Cruces Public Schools, Hatch Valley Public Schools and Gadsden Independent School District told the Legislative Finance Committee on Sept. 10 in Las Cruces that recent academic gains are threatened by expiring federal funds, rising costs and declining enrollment. Superintendent Nathan Ruiz of Las Cruces Public Schools said the district has achieved national recognition for procurement and budgeting and used savings to improve staff health benefits. He described investments in literacy, math, mental health and community school expansion but warned that expiring federal grants put programs at risk.
Hatch Valley superintendent Pat Chavez highlighted agricultural CTE investments including a freight‑farm container and a campus veterinary clinic; he said the district’s CTE and bilingual pathways are helping reengage students but declining enrollment (about 172 students since 2020) is creating long‑term budget pressure. He asked the committee to consider how dual‑language programs are funded, saying current seat‑time rules undercount the cost of full‑day dual‑language models.
Gadsden superintendent Travis Dempsey described three years of record graduation rates and planned sixth‑grade STEM academies across middle schools, but said statewide cash balances have fallen and the district is pursuing right‑sizing steps including school consolidations. All three superintendents urged the Legislature to make CTE and vital supports—work‑experience programs, mental‑health staff and health‑benefit relief—more sustainable by converting some nonrecurring appropriations to recurring funding or otherwise providing multi‑year commitments.
The superintendents noted success in employer partnerships and the summer youth work program but asked for flexibility to adapt work‑experience models to small, rural communities. They also urged attention to transportation and ancillary services funding that grows as special‑education counts rise. Lawmakers on the committee pressed for data: representatives said Las Cruces has evidence that CTE “completers” graduate at higher rates and asked districts to share similar analyses so the Legislature can consider making portions of CTE support recurring.
