Here’s a quick summary of what took place at the August 8, 2023, School Board Meeting:
During the Work Session, there was a discussion on changing the graduation date for Farmington High School from May 16 to May 13, 2024. The change was made to avoid possible conflicts with state playoffs, due to recent changes in the NMAA schedule. You can find the updated calendar here.
2023 Chief Manuelito Scholars
The Board of Education celebrated 17 FMS students that received the 2023 Chief Manuelito Scholarship. The students received a certificate and a bag of college supplies. The scholarship awards students $7,000 per academic year to support their education expenses. Read more about the scholarship here.
The following students are this year’s Chief Manuelito Scholars:
From Farmington High School, we have Hunter Hastings (attending San Juan College), Bradley Leon Moses (Northern Arizona University), Jessi Anyse Curry (Tyler Junior College), Asher Erwin Harrison (San Juan College), Sariah Ashli Valentine (Fort Lewis College), Tommy Roger Denny Martins (University of New Mexico), Morgan C. Deale (Stanford University), and Yazzmine Lee (University of New Mexico).
From Piedra Vista High School, we have Tyson Charles (attending Northern Arizona University), Aubrey R. Jones (University of Southern California), Emily Beyale (Northern Arizona University), Jayden A. Lamb (Texas Tech University), and Makenzie Yazzie (University of Nevada – Las Vegas).
From San Juan College High School, we have Jayden G. Hogue (attending NM Institute of Mining & Technology), Krystal Lapahie (University of New Mexico), Isaiah T. Smiley (NM Institute of Mining & Technology), and Erin S. Henry (University of Arizona).
Healthy School Meals for All
Our Student Nutrition Department presented on the topic of implementation of SB4 or Healthy School Meals for All. Our Student Nutrition Program Coordinator Marie Johnson explained that some of the benefits to the district are that all our students will eat free, there will be no unpaid meal debt, and there will be increases in meal participation.
Operationally there will be no change and the district will continue with a combined Community Eligibility Provision or CEP for 12 schools (reimbursed at a 93% free rate and 7% paid rate), and with the Standard Option School or SOP at 8 schools (reimbursed per free, reduced and paid rates requiring applications). This combination should help the district maintain a fiscally sound program.
The CEP schools are Animas, Apache, Bluffview, Esperanza, Preschool Academy East and West, McCormick, McKinley, Northeast, Mesa View, Tibbetts, and Rocinante.
The SOP schools are Country Club, Ladera, Mesa Verde, Heights, Hermosa, Farmington High, Piedra Vista, and San Juan College High.
NM Public Education Department's School Designations
Another topic included a review of the NM Public Education Department's School Designations, which are based on 2021-22 data.
The School Designations are based upon:
- Proficiency (Reading, Math, Science): Percentage of students who are performing at the expected level, or higher, for the student's grade.
- Improvement (Reading, Math): Whether students are learning less than, about the same as, or more than other students who are academically similar to them in reading and math.
- English Learning Progress: Percent of English learners who are on track toward achieving English proficiency within five years.
- Regular Attendance: 90% or more.
According to the school ratings from NMPED, Country Club and SJCHS are in the top tier known as the “Spotlight” category, which means they scored better than 75% of other schools. Along the same lines, Animas, Apache, Esperanza, Farmington High School, Hermosa, Ladera, McCormick, McKinley, Northeast, Piedra Vista, and Tibbetts are considered “Traditional Support Schools,” indicating that they scored above the level needed for improvement.
Bluffview, Heights, McKinley, and Mesa View are placed in the “Additional Targeted Support and Improvement” category. This is for Title I Public Schools where one or more groups of students are performing as poorly as the bottom 5% of Title I schools identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement.
Rocinante High School falls into the “Comprehensive Support and Improvement Student Group” category, which includes Title I schools like it that were previously getting extra help for improvement but didn't meet the state's criteria to exit that status within the specified number of years.
NMSBA Fall Region I Meeting
Finally, there was a discussion on hosting the NMSBA Fall Region I Meeting on October 4, 2023. This meeting will bring together school districts from Aztec, Bloomfield, Central, Dulce, Farmington, Gallup, and Zuni. We'll announce the meeting location soon.
The next School Board meeting will be on September 12, 2023.