Panel: Gaps in funding, data and transportation hinder education for foster‑care and homeless students

Natasha (presenter) opened a Legislative Education Study briefing saying she and colleagues would present research on students in foster care and students experiencing homelessness and policy recommendations. She described the topic as personal and framed the briefing around an LFC/LEFC research brief that compiled state data and best practices.

Tara Mangoni, a fourth‑grade teacher who participated in the research, said statutory definitions for “foster care” are inconsistent across New Mexico law and agency rules, creating confusion about eligibility and service coordination. Citing an LFC report, she said 872 youth entered foster care in fiscal year 2024 while 542 exited, and that more than 2,100 students remained under CYFD care as of July 2024. She noted a sharp graduation gap: “the overall state graduation rate in 2023 was approximately 77 percent, while that of students in foster care was around 45 percent.”

Presenters described a fragmented identification and tracking system. Natasha said districts primarily learn of foster placements through school registration or CYFD communication, but delays and failures to notify schools “pose a safety risk,” and many districts lack a standardized process or reliable indicators in student information systems. Simone Van of the Public Education Department (PED) said PED and CYFD created an ESSA team to improve notification letters and coordination.

Crystal Wilson, director and McKinney‑Vento liaison for Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), described a centralized case‑management model that includes a family‑resource warehouse, transportation clerks, data clerks, social workers, resource teachers and an online referral system. She said APS identified more than 1,700 students experiencing homelessness this school year and about 426 students in foster care within the district; 50 students were “dual identified” (both in foster care and eligible for McKinney‑Vento services).

Panelists highlighted services that exist—immediate enrollment without documentation, tutoring, clothing and hygiene supplies, hotel vouchers, and targeted transition planning (CYFD’s Fostering Connections). But they stressed uneven access across districts and rising costs. Wilson said APS is increasingly using vetted, alternative transportation services to keep students in their school of origin but warned: “the cost of that service is extensive. It is quickly eating into the funds that we are able to utilize for direct services to students.” She gave an example that Rio Rancho spent $85,000 on transportation in one year, far exceeding a $30,000 McKinney‑Vento award.

Funding shortfalls were a recurring theme. Simone Van said the state’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY/McKinney‑Vento) allocation this year was about $756,000 and that PED distributed roughly $765,000 to 15 districts and one regional consortium on a three‑year cycle; an earlier American Rescue Plan (ARP HCY) fund had expanded coverage but expired Sept. 30. Van said that while ARP HCY provided about $3.6 million in recent years, to “adequately supply it to our districts and cover our students, we would need about $5,000,000 to flow through directly to our districts.”

Panelists recommended concrete steps: a statewide definition and foster‑care indicator in student information systems; foster‑care and McKinney‑Vento points of contact in every district; mandatory training for staff (PED plans virtual trainings); improved cross‑agency data sharing between PED and CYFD; technical assistance clarifying how districts can use at‑risk (SEG) funding for these students; and targeted state flow‑through grants to cover gaps left by expiring federal funds.

Committee members pressed presenters on rural capacity and identification. Senator Soltz asked how districts with no local services could be helped; Van and Wilson recommended identifying point‑of‑contact staff, sharing APS practices with small districts, and using family resource centers and community partnerships to extend supports. On special education, PED and APS staff said more than 25 percent of students served by McKinney‑Vento in their data receive special education services and emphasized expedited evaluations are required under federal guidance.

The panel closed with presenters asking for better data systems and sustained state funding to reduce service gaps and transportation burdens; the committee thanked the presenters and moved to the next agenda item.