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Ed Fellows and SLO program participants tell Las Cruces board cuts left staff without warning
Summary
Two public commenters who identified as Ed Fellows and as district employees said they were notified at the end of the school year that their fellowships/stipends were cut; they asked the board to reconsider program changes they said hurt participants and the teacher pipeline.
Two speakers in the public comment portion of the June 3 Las Cruces Public Schools board work session described abrupt program cuts that they said directly affected their income and career plans.
Norma Cervantes, who identified herself as an Ed Fellow and a single mother who had worked eight years in the district, said the district had "let us go not because there were no funds to pay us, but because of missing stipend structure." Cervantes said many participants found out one day before their contracts ended, did not receive meeting links or warnings and were left without income. "This is not how a family treats its own," she said, describing her reliance on the job for stability and asking the board to "please reconsider the program change."
Gianna Guerin, a New Mexico State University student and Ed Fellow at Link Community Middle School, said she received an email with one day left in the school year notifying her she had been cut. Guerin said the Ed Fellow program gave students real classroom experience and helped the district build a teacher pipeline amid statewide shortages. "This program was not only preparing me for the classroom in a real way, it also allowed me to be a full time student and bring in an income," she told the board.
Board President Court thanked the speakers and the public comment period concluded. There was no formal board action taken during public comment on the matters raised; the board moved to the superintendent's report after comment.
