The family objected to the way Houston and BCSO investigators have publicly revealed details of the confession – presenting them as fact and as evidence that the teen had planned to go on a killing spree after slaying his parents.

“As far as we know, that whole narrative that he was going on this grandiose shootout was based on a scared 15-year-old in the middle of the night, in the sheriff’s department, no parent, no adult, no lawyer, saying ‘I’m going to do this,’ ” Eric Griego said. “Should he have said it? Of course not. If any of us would have been there, we would have just told him to shut up.”

The U.S. Department of Education says the state has failed to meet “maintenance of effort” requirements that bar states from reducing the amount they spend on programs that receive federal funding. The requirements aim to ensure that the federal money is used to supplement state funding, rather than replace it.

The state Public Education Department acknowledges New Mexico said it had sought a waiver from the requirements for fiscal years 2010 and 2011, but it recently learned it might not receive that waiver.

But in fiscal years 2010 and 2011, New Mexico spent too little on special education. What’s more, the amount of underfunding is in dispute. While PED claims that the spending was off by a total of $43.5 million, USDE claims it’s more like $93.4 million, according to a memo by the Legislative Education Study Committee. (In total, New Mexico’s special education programs cost approximately $838 million for 2010 and 2011.)

Still, state officials downplayed the test difference and said the graduation gains in 2012 were genuine. Public Education Department spokesman Larry Behrens said 70 percent of the class of 2013 statewide already has passed the exit exam, which bodes well for next year’s graduation rate.

Behrens also said students from the class of 2012 had expected to be the first class to take a more difficult exit exam and studied accordingly. Many schools offered after-school tutoring and test preparation when those in the class of 2012 were juniors, before the bill passed and gave them the reprieve.

Speaking to the state Legislature, Lujan said: “Despite what some have suggested, New Mexicans are not takers. New Mexicans are not lazy or selfish. New Mexicans are hard-working and generous, proud and tough. We are giving in spirit, diligent in work ethic, and committed to our families and our communities."

When Republican Pearce spoke to the Legislature earlier this month, he said good jobs in southern New Mexico were going unfilled because potential workers could not pass drug tests or did not want to get off government assistance.

The state earned an overall grade of “C,” or poor, from Sunshine Review, an Alexandria, Va.-based nonprofit that ranks states, cities, counties and school districts on how much and what type of information they make available on their websites.

If Dora schools take the steps to arm their faculty and staff, it would be in line with the actions of a rural school district in East Texas that will allow some teachers and administrators with training to carry concealed weapons, making it at least the second school system in Texas to implement such a policy, according to the Associated Press.

The total cost of all work was listed by Sandoval as $635,000, but he recommended eliminating solar-thermal augmentation and/or substitution, which would bring the total down to $514,000. The full cost, factoring in the reduction in maintenance expense, would be recovered in 9.9 years.

Minter asked if the solar-thermal should be added later. "We recommend never do that," Sandoval replied, based on cost and benefit.