Aztec High School bike program gets state outdoor equity funding

Aztec High School is getting another boost for a program that mixes shop work with time on the trail. The Aztec Municipal School District received a $26,000 Outdoor Equity Fund award for fiscal year 2026 to expand bike tech instruction, giving students hands-on repair and building skills before taking the bikes out for rides.

The grant is aimed at helping San Juan County youth spend more time outdoors while learning workforce skills. At Aztec High School, that means students work through bicycle repair, maintenance and building, then use the bikes in outdoor rides meant to build movement and confidence. The state’s New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division highlighted the program as part of its latest round of outdoor equity funding.

New Mexico says the Outdoor Equity Fund was created in 2020, building on a broader outdoor equity grant structure created by a 2019 state law. State officials say the fund has since sent millions of dollars to hundreds of organizations and reached tens of thousands of young people, part of a push to expand access to the outdoors for students in low-income and Tribal communities.

Aztec’s bike program has been growing for years. Project Bike Tech held a ribbon-cutting for its classroom at Aztec High School on Nov. 16, 2022, after the program had been in development for about two years. Local reporting at the time said the effort was in its first year and had roughly 20 students enrolled. Aztec schools also reported that a $60,000 donation supplied tools, supplies, standards-aligned curriculum and student credentialing for the bike maintenance coursework.

The district later built on that foundation with a Bike Design & Engineering capstone tied to local outdoor economic development, including custom powder-coated bicycle frames. The school also received used bikes from the Farmington Police Department, which had gotten them from Walmart and Target, giving students more material to repair and return to service.

Aztec High School’s staff page lists John Welch as the Bike Tech and Public Service teacher. With the new state money, the classroom that opened in 2022 now has a clearer public mission: teach students concrete skills, keep them active outdoors and connect classroom work to jobs and recreation in San Juan County.