Rio Rancho, Bernalillo school districts react to Trump's Education Department order

Representatives with Rio Rancho and Bernalillo public schools are unsure what repercussions President Donald Trump’s executive order to close the U.S. Department of Education will have on their districts.

Trump, who had made closure of the department a pledge during the 2024 presidential campaign, signed an order directing closure of the agency, founded in 1979. Closing it, however, can only be accomplished by Congress — something educational activists were quick to pounce on and used as a legal basis to file a lawsuit against the administration this week.

Rio Rancho Public Schools Superintendent Sue Cleveland said in an interview on Monday that with support for the president in both houses of Congress, it is “very likely” the education department could close.

“I’m worried about it,” she said. “(Federal funding) is not a huge part of our budget, but if enough of it were gone, we’d really feel it.”

Matt Montaño, superintendent of Bernalillo Public Schools, said in an interview on Friday that he is not willing to jump to conclusions on the ramifications of Trump’s order, but he said that without a U.S. Department of Education, it could be “challenging to adequately provide the services that we’re already struggling to provide.”

That said, he was not willing to assume that Congress would act on Trump’s order to shutter the department.

“I actually think there’s a lot for us to determine with time,” Montaño said.

RRPS responseIn an interview, Cleveland said the education department has been “veering off of its main mission for a long time,” but said the agency has brought some positive programming and support.

Her chief concern is how the education department could be closed while protecting “the needs of our students and staff.”

Cleveland said she worries about the district’s “most vulnerable students” and how they might be impacted, since one of the biggest sources of money from the department is Title I funding, designed to provide support for low-income students.

Cleveland estimates close to 250 of the district’s employees are funded federally and without the education department, RRPS would have “a hard time” finding other sources of revenue to make up those salaries.

During Monday’s RRPS Board of Education meeting, Cleveland said the district would like to know what functions of the department might be returned to the states and whether New Mexico could handle them.

“They struggle right now to keep the ship afloat,” Cleveland said.

In a statement prior to Trump signing the order, Secretary of New Mexico Public Education Mariana Padilla said the state “remains committed to ensuring our students, educators, and schools have the resources they need to succeed, regardless of changes at the federal level.”

BPS responseMontaño, a former PED employee, said his biggest question for the Trump administration regarding the executive order is, if the department ceases to exist, how will officials ensure those funds reach the states and schools in an effective and efficient manner?

Montaño also questioned whether members of the state’s congressional delegation, who have opposed Trump’s order, are committed to providing funds to support public education.

“Those public school systems have children, parents and voters, and those senators and representatives that are in Congress are going to have to contemplate that as they go home,” Montaño said.

He said Bernalillo Public Schools uses federal funding for after-school tutoring, support for certain teachers and staff and their training, as well as indigenous programming. Montaño said his leadership team always plans to budget less every school year since they don’t always know what Congress’ budget will be.

While Montaño believes there is much uncertainty regarding the Trump administration’s moves, he also wonders what positive impacts might come out of returning education decisions to the states.

“The red tape ... might disappear if the funding came through the states,” he said.