State lawmaker argues federal tax credit would shift public education funding away from student need and toward private decision-making

State Rep. Raymundo Lara, D-Chamberino

Over the last several years, New Mexico has made a clear and necessary choice — to invest in a public education system that serves all of our students. Opting into President Trump’s federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program would move us in the opposite direction, and it is a path we should continue to reject.

Supporters describe this as expanding choice and opportunity, but that framing obscures the real impact: a fragmented system where funding is driven by individual preference rather than student need.

The tax credit would route school funding through private organizations known as Scholarship Granting Organizations. These entities would decide which students receive scholarships and how funds are used. That means public resources would no longer be guided by student needs or transparent formulas, but by private decision-making. This is not expanding opportunity — it is avoiding accountability.

In New Mexico, we have worked deliberately to build a funding system that prioritizes fairness. Through the State Equalization Guarantee, we allocate resources based on real student needs, including poverty, bilingual education, special education and the realities of rural communities. That system exists because we know not all students start from the same place, and our responsibility is to meet them where they are.

This federal tax credit program abandons that principle. It has no requirement that funding follow need, no guarantee of access for rural families and no accountability comparable to what we expect of our public schools. For a state like ours, where many students are English learners, live in rural areas or require additional support, this is not a solution. It is a step backward.

We should also be honest about what this program does. New Mexicans already have the ability to support their local schools through donations. Communities do it every day. This proposal does not simply encourage generosity — it allows individuals to redirect their tax dollars through a credit, effectively directing public funding to private spending. That shift moves decision-making away from a system designed to serve all students and toward one shaped by individual preference.

This would be a potentially disastrous move at a moment when New Mexico is making real progress in public education. We are investing in the science of reading and strengthening math instruction through high-quality, evidence-based materials. These initiatives depend on consistency, alignment and sustained commitment across our public schools. This federal tax credit risks weakening the very reforms that are beginning to make a difference in literacy and numeracy.

Our public schools serve every child who walks through their doors. They do not select students. They do not turn families away. And they are accountable to the communities they serve. That is a system worth strengthening, not undermining.

“Education freedom” should not mean freedom from accountability, fairness or public responsibility. In New Mexico, we understand that true opportunity comes from investing in a system that works for everyone. We should stay focused on serving all students by strengthening that system.

Raymundo Lara is the state representative for New Mexico House District 34 in southern Doña Ana County. He serves as Caucus Chair for the New Mexico House Majority.