State Rep. Rebecca Dow said that funding for districts is often unrestricted and lacks accountability, especially for dollars generated by students from underserved backgrounds, and proposed creating a district-level dashboard to track how funds are spent and measure their impact on student performance. Dow was a guest on a recent episode of the Tipping Point New Mexico podcast.
"Currently, funding allocated to districts is largely unrestricted, and there is no clear accountability for how those funds are spent," said Dow on the Tipping Point New Mexico podcast. “For example, dollars generated by students who are English language learners or come from low-income or homeless backgrounds often enter the district without tracking. Once these funds are received, they are generally not required to be accounted for.”
“The proposal suggests creating a dashboard at the district level to provide transparency on how funds are spent,” said Dow. “Additionally, it calls for adding an element to track the outcomes of these expenditures, enabling schools to show measurable progress in student performance and ensuring greater transparency in student outcomes.”
This edition of the podcast features Representative Rebecca Dow discussing key legislation at the 2025 New Mexico legislative session, including paid family leave and education reforms. She addresses challenges related to school choice, transparency, and the influence of special interest groups.
Dow represents Grant, Hidalgo, and Sierra counties as a Republican politician. She previously served as a state representative before reclaiming her seat in House District 38 in 2024. She has a background in education, having founded AppleTree Educational Center in Sierra County, which provides early childhood education, PreK, a private K-12 school, service learning, college and career preparation, and family support. She has worked to ensure schools receive funding based on their specific needs and has introduced bills to improve the understanding of how school funding is used.
Tipping Point New Mexico is a podcast hosted by Paul Gessing and Wally Drangmeister of the Rio Grande Foundation, focusing on public policy issues in New Mexico. The podcast is a project of the Rio Grande Foundation.
This full episode is available on the Tipping Point New Mexico website and YouTube.
