Rural superintendents tell lawmakers shortages, housing and mental-health gaps hamper student support

At a Legislative Education Study Committee meeting in Raton, a panel of rural superintendents told lawmakers that teacher shortages, lack of housing and rising student behavioral and mental-health needs are the main obstacles to improving outcomes in small districts.

Krista Medina, superintendent in Raton, said the superintendency “is about people and relationships,” and urged stronger support for coaching and residency-style pathways to grow local educators. Medina described implementation support as a common shortfall after program launches.

The panel, which also included Tracy Alcon (superintendent, Springer), Roble (superintendent), and Cody Sumter (superintendent, Des Moines), front‑loaded recommendations for state investment. Sumter said the state should prioritize career and technical education (CTE) and internships, and called Ed Fellows “a very good investment” for growing the teacher pipeline. “It helped kids learn a lot of the soft skills,” Sumter said of local internship programs.

Superintendent Roble highlighted housing as a recruitment tool, noting Maxwell has built teacherages and that boards are using three-year rental prioritization to encourage teachers to become community members. Roble said the district originally requested four teacherages from PSCOC but reduced the request to two and now sees the shortage as acute.

Panelists described how sparse local labor markets and long travel distances complicate staffing and program delivery. Alcon said RECs (regional education cooperatives) are vital to pool fractional specialists such as therapists; Roble added that her region’s REC director is retiring and recruiting a replacement has been difficult.

On student supports, the superintendents reported greater levels of dysregulation and suicide risk than in prior years and said districts lack enough counselors and mental-health providers. “We don’t have a lot of mental-health professionals statewide, and we certainly don’t have very many up in this area,” Roble said, calling for creative, regionally shared solutions and more adult supports for staff.

Lawmakers pressed panelists on how state funds are being used. Representative Baca said the legislature has increased education funding substantially but asked why money sometimes does not reach classrooms. Medina and others said funds are often absorbed by capital needs, contracted special-education services (including transport and lodging), and added staffing to provide planning and enrichment. Medina said her district’s cash carryover is about 12 percent to cover contingencies.

Members and superintendents discussed licensure flexibility for rural districts, dual-credit access through community colleges, and distance-learning workarounds for highly specialized courses. Panelists urged legislative attention to alternative licensing pathways, regional CTE collaboration and sustainable funding for RECs and after‑school supports.

The committee closed the panel and moved to a separate presentation on artificial intelligence in K6 education later in the session.

The hearing continues in subsequent committee business and the committee scheduled a reception and logistics for its next meeting in Taos.