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Students and teachers press lawmakers to restore eCademy blended campuses and expand PSAT junior-year access for scholarships
Summary
Multiple students and teachers testified that the closure of eCademy’s in-person blended program harmed vulnerable learners and urged restoration; a group of Valley High students urged lawmakers to allow PSAT junior-year retakes so they can compete for National Merit and corporate scholarships.
During the meeting’s public-comment period, students and staff delivered brief statements focusing on two separate but related issues: the sudden closure of eCademy’s blended, in-person program and a student-led push to access scholarship opportunities tied to PSAT timing.
E Academy/Bested program closure: teachers and students from the alternative high school described an abrupt summer reorganization that closed blended campuses and moved teachers into remote cubicle work. Shiloh Carroll, a science teacher with two decades of experience, said administrators closed in-person blended operations without adequate explanation and that the change was not fully reversed. “We no longer have an in person program at either campus,” Carroll said, urging the committee to consider the loss to students who used the blended option for credit recovery, career and technical education access, and social reengagement.
Students, including Daniel Lehi and Alejandro Abeyta, described how blended programming restored socialization and hands-on learning after pandemic isolation: “Blended helped me get it back,” one student said, describing gains in confidence and community involvement. Teachers and students described project-based units, community partnerships, and daily collaborative planning that they said cannot be replicated by shifting teachers to cubicles.
PSAT and scholarship access: a group of Valley High students asked lawmakers to help remove a timing barrier to scholarship eligibility. Walter Bradford and peers said many New Mexico schools currently administer the PSAT to sophomores, which prevents juniors from qualifying for some scholarship-awarding programs that require a junior-year PSAT. Their team said 7,580 awards worth a combined $33 million will be available in 2026 and asked the legislature to support a policy change that would let students retake or take the PSAT in junior year to qualify.
What the committee heard and will do: the committee accepted the public comments; members suggested students consider local news outreach to raise public attention to eCademy closures and asked staff to note the testimony. No formal actions were taken, but several lawmakers encouraged follow-up with district leaders and recommended the students coordinate with PED and their legislators on the PSAT request.
