New Mexico State Funding
State Funding
New Mexico supports school safety through capital outlay funding, school security improvement appropriations, safe school planning requirements, and statewide emergency preparedness guidance.
HB 450: School Security, Career-Technical Education, and Facility Improvements
House Bill 450, enacted in 2025, includes a $50 million appropriation from the Public School Capital Outlay Fund to the Public School Facilities Authority.
The funding is intended for distribution to school districts in FY2026 and may be used for:
- school security improvements;
- career-technical education facilities;
- maintenance or repair of public school buildings.
For school safety purposes, this funding may be relevant when a district’s proposed project involves eligible security infrastructure, emergency communication, access control, surveillance, or other building-related safety improvements. Districts should confirm allowable uses, application requirements, distribution details, and project approval procedures with the Public School Facilities Authority or the appropriate state agency before planning expenditures.
New Mexico Safe Schools Program
The New Mexico Public Education Department requires public and charter schools to maintain a Safe School Plan. The Safe School Plan functions as the school’s emergency operations plan and is part of the state’s School Wellness Policy.
Each plan must support coordinated emergency planning, response, mitigation, protection, and recovery. Schools are required to review their plans annually with their school safety team and complete the required rubric as part of the review and approval process.
Safe School Plans are organized around key emergency-management areas, including:
- prevention;
- protection and mitigation;
- response planning;
- recovery.
The plan should address important emergency procedures and responsibilities such as incident command, reunification, parent and guardian emergency communication, evacuation and relocation, medical emergencies, active shooter procedures, lockdown procedures, missing-student response, continuity of operations, drills, staff training, and coordination with local first responders.
The purpose of the Safe School Plan is to help schools prepare staff, clarify roles, improve communication, and ensure that emergency procedures reflect the needs, facilities, and response partners of each school community.
Supporting New Mexico Safe School Plan Requirements
School safety technology can help New Mexico schools strengthen the emergency procedures required under the New Mexico Public Education Department’s Safe Schools Program.
A well-integrated safety system may support districts by:
- improving incident command and emergency coordination;
- making it easier for staff to request help during medical emergencies;
- supporting faster and more organized lockdown procedures;
- sharing missing-student information during a student elopement;
- helping schools activate and manage active-shooter response procedures;
- providing key information needed for reunification planning;
- centralizing safety-related communication, response steps, and emergency data.
New Mexico schools and districts may be able to use eligible funds from the Public School Capital Outlay Act when safety technology is part of an approved school security, emergency communication, facility improvement, or emergency preparedness project.
The New Mexico Public Education Department’s Safe Schools resources include incident command tools, reunification resources, active-shooter training references, and Safe School Plan materials. HB 450 includes FY2026 funding to the Public School Facilities Authority for school security improvements, career-technical education facilities, and maintenance or repair of public school buildings.
The funding information and links provided on this page are based on publicly available information at the time of publication. While we make every effort to keep this resource current and relevant, funding programs, eligibility requirements, deadlines, and website links may change over time. If you discover outdated information, inaccurate content, or a broken link, please let us know by emailing info@carehawk.com.