Grants‑Cibola board preliminarily approves 2026–27 budget, OKs Mesa View furniture and summer STEAM camp

The Grants‑Cibola County Schools Board gave preliminary approval to the district’s 2026–27 budget, approved a furniture purchase for the new Mesa View school and authorized funding for a summer Think STEAM Camp, while board members pressed for clearer links between spending and student outcomes.

Mr. Jones presented the budget as a preliminary draft the district must submit to the Public Education Department for compliance purposes. He told members the district will return for final approval after the upcoming audit and further work sessions. “This is the draft approval… it’s getting us to where we are being compliant with the PED,” Jones said.

During public comment, district teacher Zachariah Hawkins asked the board to seek clarity from administration on how a proposed increase in the teacher workday from 7.5 to 8 hours will be compensated and how the proposed pay schedules reflect that extra time. Hawkins said a $1,000 proposed raise plus the state 1% could leave many teachers with only modest net increases after accounting for added work time. “Before the board approves the 2026–27 budget, I respectfully ask that the board request the superintendent to provide clarity on the exact mechanism by which the 0.5 hour daily increase will be compensated,” Hawkins said.

Board members echoed those concerns during the budget discussion, asking administrators to better connect line items to measurable student outcomes and to provide follow‑up at the June 2 work session. After discussion, a motion to give preliminary approval to the 2026–27 budget was made and carried; one board member recorded opposition during roll call.

On facilities procurement, the board approved an RFP award to Virco for Mesa View furniture. Jones said the project is a cost‑sharing arrangement with the New Mexico Public School Facilities Authority (PSFA), with the district’s share calculated at $166,387.32 (26% of the total). He described Virco as a manufacturer and said the procurement followed an evaluation that included vendor set‑ups for staff to inspect and test products. The board approved the RFP.

The board also approved a $79,800 sole‑source contract to bring Think STEAM Camp to the district for a 10‑day program that serves grades 1–8, provides lunch, and aims to give hands‑on summer learning opportunities. Jones explained the camp provider is treated as a sole‑source vendor under procurement rules because of the specialized program.

Separately, the board approved a slate of policy second reads on transportation, student records and personnel matters and accepted the consent agenda including the April bills and BAR 08800025260014.

Next steps: administrators will present the audit and carryover funds and return to the board with final budget language and additional clarifications about teacher compensation and program funding prior to final budget adoption.