Lawmakers discuss possible cuts to Las Cruces School District

Las Cruces educators are up in Santa Fe, watching the legislative session closely.

And now, some fear more cuts could be coming to the Las Cruces Public School District.

Superintendent Dr. Gregory Ewing spoke with ABC-7 over the phone, from the state legislature Wednesday. He said while talks are still underway, the district is being asked to give $3.5 million back to the state from their $7 million reserve fund.

“I think we can weather the storm if we only give up the $3.5 million,” he said. “It’s going to make it extremely tight. We are continuing to give our voice to our legislators, to our senators to say, this money is for children.”

Ewing says he does not want teachers to pay the price.

“We have no intentions of making any recommendations to the board to lay off any teachers,” Ewing said. “We have no intentions of making any recommendations for furlough days. We will simply look at the budget, tighten our belt and do what we have to do to get through the rest of the school year.”

Governor Susana Martinez told ABC-7 she won’t make cuts inside the classroom.

“My plan includes 0,” Martinez said “We will not cut. I want to protect classroom spending.”

Ewing said they may see some results in the coming days. ABC-7 will update this story once we learn more.