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Survey shows campus safety, health and wellness as top priorities; finance presents second-quarter financials
Summary
The district reported 2,321 responses to the FY26 budget survey—student participation increased to 1,674—and second-quarter financial statements were presented showing operational cash and year-to-date revenue and expenditures.
Las Cruces Public Schools staff presented FY26 budget survey results and the district’s second-quarter financial statements at the Feb. 27 Finance Subcommittee meeting.
Nicole Kane, finance subject-matter staff, presented the second-quarter financial statements. Kane said the Public Education Department approved the reports on Feb. 17, 2025, and read the district cash and activity figures for the quarter ending Dec. 31: operational cash balances ($40,900,000.0 reported) and an operational cash position figure ($44,400,000.0 reported). Kane reported total cash across all funds of $160,900,000.0 for the quarter and year-to-date totals reported in the packet. For operational revenue and expenditures, Kane presented quarter-to-date and year-to-date revenue and spending totals as recorded in the financial statements.
Alex Saenz and budget survey staff presented the FY26 budget survey results. The district reported 2,321 total survey responses, up about 75% from the prior year, with 1,674 responses coming from students. The budget survey committee—composed of parent representatives, classified and certified partners and facilitators—identified the highest-priority themes for respondents as campus safety (81% favorability), health and wellness (80%) and instructional resources (67%). Staff used ThoughtExchange AI tools to summarize open-ended responses; the tool surfaced recurring words and a common-ground/differences analysis that showed some respondents favoring armed security while others opposed it, and broad common-ground interest in improved camera coverage and monitored systems.
Board members asked for additional breakdowns and for future reports to separate student responses from other stakeholder groups and to quantify how many respondents fell on each side of polarized questions; staff said they would explore those requests and present more detailed analysis at the next budget town hall. District staff reminded the committee that a second budget town hall is scheduled for March 26 and that a final town hall is set for March 7 before budget adoption timelines.
No formal action was taken on the survey results at the subcommittee level; staff said the survey will inform FY26 budget priorities and that the budget survey committee will analyze qualitative responses in more depth for the March town hall.
