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Charters and parents urge emergency hold‑harmless funding after HB63 cuts
Summary
Dozens of charter leaders, parents and teachers urged LESC to restore HB63 'hold harmless' funding for schools hit by formula changes. Speakers cited large cuts (Explore Academy ~ $1.09M; Cottonwood ~ $817k) and asked for a phased appropriation — commonly $12.8M emergency this year and $8.6M next year.
A long public‑comment docket focused on the unintended consequences of House Bill 63’s changes to at‑risk funding and asked the Legislative Education Study Committee to include a three‑year phased "hold harmless" appropriation in its budget recommendation.
Leaders from several charter schools told the committee HB63’s formula changes produced sudden, large budget gaps. Jake Quelen of Explore Academy said the charter suffered roughly a $1,090,000 cut and received only $737 in hold‑harmless funding. "Our budget was cut by about $1,090,000 ... the hold harmless disbursement that was given back to the school was $737," he said, and asked the committee to support an emergency appropriation of $12,800,000 for impacted schools.
Speakers from Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School, New Mexico International School and the Academy for Technology and the Classics, plus parents and teachers, described staff reductions, lost intervention programs and declines in services that they said would harm at‑risk students. Multiple speakers asked for a phased appropriation: $12.8 million emergency for FY26, $8.6 million for FY27, with a step‑down in subsequent years. Parents and teachers argued that the cuts would force reductions in counselors, librarians, intervention teachers and health staff — positions they said are essential for students with IEPs and other needs.
Officials and advocates framed the request as a budget fix to preserve school stability while the Legislature studies the formula’s effects. Several speakers pointed to cost‑efficiency claims (for example, that some charters outperform district peers while operating on materially lower per‑pupil funding) and urged a measured, phased solution rather than immediate program cuts.
Committee response and next steps: Committee members heard the comments but did not take immediate action. Several legislators and staff acknowledged the seriousness of the claims and signaled the issue would be part of upcoming budget discussions; no appropriation vote was recorded in the transcript.
Representative and public demands summarized: The public requested an emergency supplemental appropriation of $12,800,000 for the current school year and a special appropriation of $8,600,000 for the next school year to phase in adjustments and give schools time to plan.
