Senate committee hears $1.2M appropriation proposal to ensure transportation for foster students in APS; debate rolls bill over

Senate Bill 234, a directed appropriation of $1,200,000 to Albuquerque Public Schools to provide transportation to and from school for students in foster care, was presented and discussed at the Senate Education committee but rolled to the next meeting for further consideration.

Sponsor testimony emphasized federal ESEA duties to transport children in foster care to their schools of origin and argued the appropriation would provide a consistent funding source administered through PED for APS to ensure continuity. Expert witness Evan Cena, a former CYFD permanency planning caseworker, described operational failures after the termination of a transportation contract and provided specific examples of children missing school and caseworkers having to arrange or provide transport themselves: “I personally had to arrange last minute rides for my children on my caseload and more often not ended up transporting them myself.”

Supporters included APS, Marilyn Beck of the New Mexico Child First Network, and acting CYFD Cabinet Secretary Valerie Sandoval. Sandoval told the committee, “CYFD, we spent about 1,500,000.0 last year out of our budget transporting kids,” and said shifting specified funds to APS would relieve CYFD of an administrative and fiscal burden.

Committee members questioned why the appropriation is limited to APS instead of being available statewide, whether $1.2 million is sufficient, and whether PED’s emergency transportation fund should be used. Witnesses and advocates said APS is the largest district and that canceled contracts created a unique strain on transportation for foster youth in Bernalillo County; sponsor and witnesses said the appropriation is meant to be a targeted, earmarked remedy for that burden. Several senators expressed unease about providing funding to one district while others face similar transportation shortfalls.

With time running out the chair rolled SB 234 to the committee’s Wednesday agenda for further review and possible amendment.

Ending: SB 234 was not acted on finaly in this session meeting; the committee postponed further action to allow follow‑up on statewide equity, sufficiency of the appropriation and implementation mechanics.