Board approves unified federal grant application after staff outlines steep cuts to some programs

The Deming Public Schools Board on Thursday approved the district’s unified application for federal programs for the 2025–26 school year, a new statewide format the district says will consolidate federal grants and reduce repetitive pre‑approval paperwork.

District staff said the statewide “unified application” pilot from the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) will group Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV and other federal streams under one submission and is intended to lower administrative burden. At the same time, staff warned the new allocations show substantial declines in several grants, and they described steps the district will take to protect services to students.

“We wanted to make sure that we have this down,” said Mister Chavez, a district staff member who led the application work. “This is going to help us to bog down some of that paperwork.” He told the board the unified process should eliminate many routine pre‑approval requests that previously were submitted to PED for individual purchases.

Chavez and colleagues explained that some federal awards decreased sharply in the new allocation. He said the district’s Title I allocations shifted (the presenter contrasted prior multi‑million dollar figures with the current award), the migrant grant fell by about 60 percent compared with previous cycles, and the McKinney‑Vento allocation that supports homeless students was not awarded to the district in this cycle. “We have over 338 students who fall under the McKinney‑Vento umbrella,” Chavez said, and the district reallocated Title I funds to continue supporting those students.

Chavez told the board the district used a multi‑week needs assessment and input from principals, program leads and PED to shape the submission, and that several staff members worked weekly for months to complete the pilot application. He said some federal streams did increase for the district while others decreased, and the district is adjusting internal budgets to maintain school‑level services.

Board members asked how the district would make up lost grant funds for students who had previously benefited from those programs. Chavez said some central‑office positions are funded from federal dollars but that those staff “work 100% with kids at the student level.” He added that the district will prioritize school allocations and shift other discretionary Title I funds as needed.

The board voted unanimously to approve the unified application. Motion to approve was made and seconded on the record; board members recorded “yes” votes during roll call in open session.

The board packet included an itemized list of planned expenditures by grant line; staff said that final award letters from PED will allow the district to finalize exact allocations and program staffing for next year. Board members commended the staff who prepared the application and noted the heavy workload required to adapt to the new PED pilot.

Staff will bring back finalized award totals and any recommended program adjustments after PED issues final awards this summer.