Magdalena schools restore free‑admission program after contract delays; funding now prorated

Magdalena Municipal Schools has reinstated free admission for home athletic events after a paperwork delay temporarily halted the county-funded ticket program earlier this school year. District officials say the issue has now been resolved, though the reimbursement the school receives will be prorated because some ticket revenue had already been collected.

The free‑admission program, funded through the Outdoor Recreation Coordinator (ORC) initiative under Socorro County, allows residents to attend school sporting events at no cost. While Socorro and Alamo Navajo schools continued offering free entry, Magdalena fans were still being charged at the gate, prompting questions from the community.

Superintendent Kim Ortiz said she began receiving concerns shortly after arriving in the district.

“When I arrived in Magdalena, I had fans approach me and ask me why Socorro and Alamo didn’t have to pay, but we did,” Ortiz said. “As I had no idea, I reached out to the County Manager.”

Ortiz said county officials explained that because volleyball season was nearly over, the free‑admission agreement would begin with basketball. To calculate the district’s reimbursement, the county required three years of historical ticket‑sale data. Magdalena submitted the agreement for board approval, and it was signed on Nov. 17.

However, a change in personnel at both the school district and the county slowed the process. The contract still listed former superintendent Dr. Bickert, and revisions were required before the county could forward the agreement to ORC. Winter break added further delays.

Athletic Director Jory Maribal said the district had been aware of the issue but emphasized that the superintendent was the point of contact working directly with the county.

“She’s been working with the county manager to get that situation ironed out,” Maribal said. “There was a discrepancy with some paperwork… but the agreement between the county manager and Magdalena schools was made to rectify whatever issues there were.”

Interim County Manager Joe Gonzales confirmed that the matter has since been resolved.

“The last I heard, everything was good,” Gonzales said. He noted that the issue stemmed from the transition in Magdalena’s administration and that the county and district had worked together to finalize the agreement.

Because Magdalena had already collected ticket revenue for volleyball and the first half of the basketball season, the county can only reimburse the district for the portion of the season in which fans were still paying. Ortiz said the district stopped charging admission on Feb. 1 and submitted updated revenue totals for the last three years, covering February through the end of basketball season.

“As we had always taken in ticket sales, they could only fund us for what we hadn’t already collected, prorated,” Ortiz said. “This average is what they are paying us… which no longer includes volleyball receipts nor basketball from the beginning of the season through January 31.”

The prorated reimbursement will cover the remainder of the 2025–26 basketball season, and fans will not be charged at the gate moving forward.

Ortiz said she is relieved the issue is resolved and hopes the restored program will encourage more families to attend games.