New Mexico education officials push statewide student information system to cut costs and speed transfers

Assistant Secretary Greg Frosted told the Legislative Education Study Committee that the Public Education Department has recommended EduPoint's Synergy as the statewide student information system (SIS) after more than a year of outreach and vendor review. "Data is key to the work that schools are doing," Frosted said, framing the proposal as a tool for teachers, families and policymakers.

Why it matters: Frosted said the state now supports seven different SIS platforms and that consolidating to a statewide contract can reduce the vendor cost per student from an average "more than $70" in some LEAs to under $15 per student, producing substantial vendor-cost savings. He said the rollout is voluntary, organized in three-year cohorts (year 1: data migration; year 2: special-education modules; year 3: teaching-and-learning modules), and that about 80 of roughly 200 local education agencies had signed up when he spoke.

The procurement and implementation: Frosted described multiple stakeholder steps that led to the recommendation: 58 in-person feedback sessions, internal PED working groups, a NOVA-coordinator technical group of district data specialists, and an external advisory group that included LESC and LFC staff. After two rounds of vendor presentations the advisory groups made a unanimous recommendation to Secretary Padilla to pursue EduPoint. Frosted said the state is executing a statewide price agreement through Cooperative Educational Services (CES) rather than a traditional four-year RFP to avoid forcing districts to change vendors regularly.

Security and data access questions: Committee members repeatedly pressed EduPoint and PED officials on security and access. An EduPoint presenter said the company maintains SOC 2 certification, uses Amazon Web Services with redundant data centers, employs multi-factor authentication for support access, does not store student data on local mobile devices, and runs routine phishing tests. Frosted said federal reporting requirements remain unchanged and that federal agencies would not gain "direct access" to the statewide SIS beyond normal reporting channels. A committee member raised concerns about tribal sovereignty and whether federal law enforcement could obtain data; Frosted said the project would not change routine federal reporting and that PED would continue to follow applicable law.

Costs, sign-ups and timing: Frosted said EduPoint waived implementation fees for two cohorts (a two-year waiver) and that PED is asking for $8.5 million in recurring funding for FY27, down from a $12 million appropriation this year; he said that recurring funding would make it easier for districts to commit. Frosted estimated the current 80 LEAs signed up represent about 35% of statewide student enrollment and said Albuquerque Public Schools' participation would substantially increase that share.

Remaining issues raised by the committee: Legislators asked whether families without home internet or computer access, grandparents acting as caregivers, highly mobile students and military families would benefit. EduPoint pointed to in-lobby enrollment kiosks and mobile apps; Frosted said a single statewide system would reduce the number of different interfaces families must learn. Senators and representatives also asked detailed procurement questions about contract caps, clauses for cost increases, and the decision to use a statewide price agreement rather than an RFP; Frosted said the per-pupil contract and CES path aim to provide stability and avoid repeated system changes.

What happens next: Frosted said PED is still finalizing contract terms, working through the Project Certification Committee with the state IT office (DUIT) and moving toward a CES statewide price agreement. He urged the committee to consider recurring funding to make the transition affordable for more LEAs. The department will continue cohort sign-ups and data-migration activities ahead of implementation.