At least two dozen school districts across New Mexico are in for a tough lesson in legislative math as they add up possible program cuts, subtract classroom money and factor in teacher layoffs. From Chama to Gadsden, 24 school districts have requested emergency financial help from the state but there isn’t enough money in the bank and there’s worry some districts won’t have enough money to make it until fall.

The school districts asked the state for $16.3 million dollars in emergency money to pay the bills until June, but the state only has about $15 million dollars to cover those requests. And that’s the good news.

As part of cuts already handed down by the Legislature, each school district in the state will get $70 dollars less per student this year. The requests sent in to Santa Fe we made before the anyone knew how much that per student cut would be. So now, the state Department of Education fully expects new school districts to come forward looking for money and those who already asked will ask for more. The Education Department says they expect some districts that ask for help will be turned down.

“What happens if you have a school district go belly up?” asked Rep. Karen E. Giannini, D-Albuquerque. “That concerns me and that could happen this year.”

Pointing to declining enrollment and a decrease “in unit value” (i.e. less money per student) school districts were counting on emergency funding to stay afloat this year. It’s a financial double whammy.

Districts looked at their 2009-2010 school year budget and made plans to receive emergency money from Santa Fe.  But only two districts are getting the full amount they requested. Combine that with the per student cut and some districts will have to fight to stay solvent.

“It could be devastating,” said Rep. Jimmie Hall, R-Albuquerque. Some districts use that money to pay utility bills.”

School districts will have to balance their budgets somehow and lawmakers say the biggest expenses are in salaries and benefits, which means teacher cuts and combined classrooms are a possibility.

There are 89 school districts in New Mexico, and as of now, 24 of them have requested the emergency funding to balance their books.

The state initially budgeted just over $12 million dollars to cover all the requests for emergency funding  but added another $3 million to help offset the expected drop in what the state paid per child.

Solutions to the issue being discussed are the same ones being talked about to gap other state budget holes. Tax increases are one possibility since there is less political will to cut education further.