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Pilot cash transfers for students experiencing homelessness linked to large graduation gains in small New Mexico trials
Summary
New Mexico Appleseed and district partners described the 'GPA Plus' conditional cash-transfer pilot for McKinney-Vento students — $500/month conditioned on attendance, tutoring and check-ins — reporting high completion rates in pilot sites and a 93% graduation rate for participants in Cuba, prompting legislative interest in expanding and funding the program.
New Mexico Appleseed presented results from a conditional cash-transfer pilot aimed at students experiencing homelessness, telling the Legislative Education Study committee the intervention produced strong attendance and graduation gains in several demonstration sites.
Program design: The pilot, branded GPA Plus (Guaranteed Payments for Attendance plus Services), provided cash stipends alongside supports. Appleseed described the model as a conditional cash transfer plus services: $500 per month for participating students conditioned on at least 90% attendance, participation in tutoring, weekly social-emotional check-ins and completion of schoolwork. The design also included a small set of "compassionate exceptions" for severe family emergencies or injuries.
Pilot sites and outcomes: Appleseed and district partners tested the model in Albuquerque Public Schools, Las Cruces Public Schools, West Las Vegas and Cuba Independent School District. Reported completion rates were high (39 of 40 participants finished in one Albuquerque cohort; 24 of 25 finished in Las Cruces), and presenters said Cuba’s pilot cohort achieved a 93% graduation rate among participants compared with a statewide McKinney-Vento graduation rate near 51% during the same period.
Qualitative feedback: Families and students interviewed after the intervention said stipends helped meet basic needs, avoid eviction and increase students’ ability to focus on school. Panelists credited tutoring and social-emotional supports in combination with cash aid for boosting engagement: "100% of the students we surveyed and their families said [the program] was helpful in paying bills, helping with school supplies, and even keeping them motivated," Appleseed reported.
Legislative reaction and implementation questions: Committee members expressed strong interest and discussed options to scale the program. Appleseed said it envisions a grant model administered by PED (districts opt in). Legislators asked about reach (Appleseed proposed an initial target of 1,500 students while noting state counts of identified McKinney-Vento students of roughly 9,835), local staffing and capacity for McKinney-Vento liaisons, coordination with philanthropic partners (for example LANL Foundation), and legal issues such as the state’s anti-donation clause — legislators requested legal review of that point.
Operational considerations: Panelists and district liaisons stressed the need to fund liaison capacity at the state and local level so smaller or rural districts can implement and track participation, and they described practical local solutions (hotel discounts, landlord relationships, community networks) used during pilots to stabilize families and maintain attendance.
Next steps: Legislators in the hearing signaled intent to draft legislation in the next session, and Appleseed encouraged a grant-based, opt-in rollout with PED support and additional funding for local McKinney-Vento staffing and coordination. No formal legislative action occurred at the hearing; committee members asked staff to help draft and legal-review potential statutory language.
