Minutes August 22, 2023 Regular Meeting

Posted on 09/13/2023

LOS LUNAS SCHOOLS BOARD OF EDUCATION
REGULAR MEETING
AUGUST 22, 2023

1. CALL TO ORDER

Ms. Garcia called the Los Lunas Schools Board of Education meeting to order at 6:10 pm and welcomed those who were participating in the board meeting in person and those who were watching the board meeting via livestream on YouTube. She asked that anyone addressing the Board to use the microphone at the podium and to be sure to identify themselves for the record. Ms. Garcia added that, as a reminder, the link to the meeting was on the District’s webpage, under the Board of Education page. She stated that the streaming would run through the end of the meeting. In the event there was a disruption in the audio portion, she would pause the meeting until it was reestablished.

LLS BOE Members Present:
Tina Garcia, President
P. David Vickers, Vice President
Bruce Bennett, Secretary
Bryan C. Smith, Member
Eloy Giron, Member

Administrators Present:
Dr. Ryan Kettler, Superintendent
Brian Baca, Deputy Superintendent
Susan Chavez, Chief Student Services Officer
Dr. Deborah Elder, Chief Academic Officer
Andrew Saiz, Chief Personnel Officer
Sandy Traczyk, Chief Finance Officer
Suzy Chavez, Dir. of Professional Learning Innovations
Karla Dow, Dir. of Assessment Innovations & Accountability
Desi Garcia, Dir. of Safety and Security
Katherine House, Dir. of Elementary Learning Innovations
Jacqueline Kelly-Romero, Dir. of Special Projects
Mary McGowan, Dir. of Special Services
Michelle Romero, Dir. of Purchasing
Elena Trodden, Dir. of Language Learning Innovations
Tiffany McMinn, Construction Supervisor
 
1. CALL TO ORDER (Continued)

Administrators Present:
Clair Toledo, Principal, Century High School
Eric Tiger, Principal, Principal, Los Lunas High School
Albert Aragon, Principal, Valencia High School
Dr. Nimrah Marquez, Principal, Los Lunas Middle School
Joann Carter, Principal, Valencia Middle School
Diedra Martinez, Principal, Desert View Elementary
Teri Gough, Principal, Katherine Gallegos Elementary
Matthew Pendrak, Principal Los Lunas Elementary
Amy Viramontes, Principal, Peralta Elementary
Catherine Campbell, Principal, Raymond Gabaldon Elementary
Venessa Tregembo, Principal, Sundance Elementary
Paul Carter, Asst. Principal, Valencia High School
Jennifer Otero, Asst. Principal, Valencia High School
Chelsey Servantes, Asst. Principal, Valencia High School
Melissa Dyea, Asst. Principal, Los Lunas Middle School
Regina Lucero, Asst. Principal, Ann Parish Elementary
Adam Hulskamp, Asst. Principal, Bosque Farms Elementary
Sara Graf, Asst. Principal, Desert View Elementary
Jacqueline Farrell, Asst. Principal, Tomé Elementary
Sheresa Jaramillo, Asst. Principal, Valencia Elementary

Others Present:
Roxie De Santiago, Esq. Walsh Gallegos
Ailene O’Byrne, ARC, Inc.
Approximately 40 additional individuals were in attendance.
A range of 20 - 44 individuals watched via live streaming.

2. ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETING

Ms. Garcia asked Dr. Kettler to announce the meeting. Dr. Kettler reported the meeting had been announced in accordance with the LLS Open Meetings Resolution, and, was a legally constituted meeting of the Los Lunas Schools Board of Education.

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Katalina Ibarra, a student at Desert View Elementary, led the audience in the Pledge.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Ms. Garcia announced that took them to Item #4. She asked Dr. Kettler if there were any changes or deletions to the agenda.
Dr. Kettler stated that he would like to recommend one change and that being a change in the order of agenda items to be discussed. He recommended that Item #16. DISCUSSION ITEM: Procedure for due care in responding to requests for reimbursement of legal fees by Board Member Bryan C. Smith and Board Member Eloy G. Giron (Removed from August 8, 2023 Board Meeting Agenda), be discussed following Item #9 ACTION AS NEEDED REGARDING THE DISCUSSION HELD IN CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION, with the agenda numeration to remain the same for clarity.
Ms. Garcia stated that they had a recommendation by Dr. Kettler to move the order of the discussion of Item #16 to follow after Item #9 and then called for a motion.
Mr. Bennett said he had a motion - he would actually like to remove Item #16 from the agenda – that was moved after Item #9.

Ms. Garcia stated that she had a request to move Item # 16 up on the agenda, and a motion to remove it from agenda, but had a motion to remove it from the agenda. She then confirmed with Mr. Bennett that his motion was to remove Item #16 from the agenda, and then called for a second.
Mr. Vickers seconded the motion.
Ms. Garcia asked if there was any discussion.

Mr. Smith told Ms. Garcia he would like to know why it was being asked to be removed. Ms. Garcia stated she would let Mr. Bennett answer. Mr. Bennett responded that it was because he would like to see it become an action item instead of just a discussion item.

Mr. Smith stated he thought that was a question for legal counsel.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA (Continued)

Ms. Garcia stated that there was a motion and a second. The reason given was for it to become an action item, which, if they removed it from the agenda, they were not going to add it as an action immediately after, unless that's another motion coming down the road. She added that she’d like to move on, with the vote to take it off the agenda.

Mr. Smith said that he would like to ask legal counsel for advice. It wasn’t an action item for the Board at any point. Was it not?

Ms. Garcia told Mr. Smith he was correct. It was not an item that could be voted on by the Board, so, by asking them to have it as an action item to vote on, was not the process. She said she was disappointed that was where the Board wanted to take it, because it's not possible, but she would refer to their legal counsel to guide them on it.

Mr. Vickers said he didn’t think they were looking to make it an action item that night because it needed to be advertised as an action item, and, then, it could be discussed and action could be taken. Ms. Garcia thanked him, and said she would turn it over to counsel.
Ms. De Santiago told the board members that if they wanted to turn it into an action item, she would recommend that they still left it on the agenda, so they could hear what she had to say, what the law provided about the specific item, and, then, later, decide whether or not it should be an action item after the law had been reviewed. She told Mr. Bennett, that she understood, she believed, where he and Member Vickers were coming from. She did think that before they took the decision to remove it entirely, it at least merited hearing the legal analysis that was made thus far.
Mr. Vickers stated there was a motion and a second and they could certainly discuss that then. He hated to do that with all the parents and other staff there, but there was a motion and a second. They could have the discussion and hear from legal counsel regarding the ins and outs of it, and, they could vote after they heard the discussion.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA (Continued)

Ms. De Santiago stated that it was not an action item, and the vote was limited to whether or not it should remain on the agenda. The discussion on the item itself was not appropriate there because the motion on the table was only whether the item remained on the agenda. Discussion of the item itself could only occur if the item remained on the agenda.
Mr. Vickers and Mr. Smith led discussion as to whether they could have discussion regarding the issue, including, whether discussion would involve discussing why it should be removed.
President Garcia responded that Mr. Bennett had already explained why he’d asked for its removal from the agenda. If there was more discussion on that, they could always have that, she guessed, if it was re-added as an action item. What she was hearing right then was that she had gotten a motion by Mr. Bennett to remove it completely from the agenda, and she’d gotten a second by Mr. Vickers.
Ms. Garcia then asked Ms. De Santiago, as a point of order, how many members would be voting on that – three or five. Ms. De Santiago responded there would be three.

Mr. Smith asked why, as it was only the approval of the agenda; they were not actually discussing the item, and plus, it was not an action item to begin with. Ms. De Santiago responded that under the Governmental Conduct Act, Board Members were prohibited from voting on items in which they could benefit personally.

Mr. Smith stated that he wanted to thank her (Ms. Garcia) for accommodating whoever needed his name on the agenda, and he appreciated that she did that, because that was the only difference in the agenda item from before, and it was that his name was stated clearly, and, he guessed, that was the intent.

Ms. Garcia confirmed that was the request. e, correct. She said that she was hearing that three board members would vote on whether or not to remove the item from the agenda, Item # 16.
She added that there’d been no motion on the request by staff, so, she would called for vote on the motion.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA (Continued)


Ms. Garcia called for a vote with the following results: Bruce Bennett – ves; P. David Vickers – yes; and Tina Garcia – no. The motion to approve the agenda with the removal of Item #16 passed: 2/1.
(Note: As stated by legal counsel, only three board members voted on the topic – kw)

Ms. Garcia asked if they had moved on, or was there a question that needed to be asked on it?

Mr. Smith stated he had a question, and Ms. Garcia stated she would allow it.

Mr. Smith stated that it was a ruling from the New Mexico Attorney General's Office, so, he didn’t understand why – what they were trying to do. It clearly stated that the decision would be made by someone unbiased, which the Board was not, which the District was not, which he was not, which Mr. Giron was not, and anybody else that's sitting up there, was not an unbiased individual. It was a procedure that was approved by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office.
He (Mr. Smith) said he was not understanding why they were not pressing forward with that, but what he would recommend, was, that he set up a meeting with the Board President and legal counsel to find out why it couldn’t come back.

Ms. De Santiago stated that it was not appropriate to engage in further discussion as the item had been removed from the agenda.
Ms. Garcia stated that Item #16 had been removed from the agenda.
She asked if there any other motions concerning the agenda?
There being none she said that took them to Item #5. Report on the CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION.
5. REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION: Held prior to the start of the Board Meeting on August 22, 2023 for discussion of the following: Attorney/Client Privilege Regarding updates pertaining to threatened and/or pending litigation: specifically, discussion with legal counsel regarding the status of pending litigation in which the public body is a participant and which may include personally identifiable information regarding a student [Pursuant to Section 10-15-1(H(4)and (7) of the NM Open Meetings Act] (Quorum in Attendance)


Ms. Garcia stated that, as, announced and posted in accordance with the NM Open Meetings Act and the LLS Board of Education’s Open Meetings Resolution, a quorum of the Los Lunas Schools Board of Education, had participated in a Closed Executive Session held August 22, 2023 at 5:00 pm. The Closed Executive Session was for discussion of Attorney/Client Privilege Matters regarding updates pertaining to threatened and/or pending litigation: specifically, discussion with legal counsel regarding the status of pending litigation in which the public body is a participant and which may include personally identifiable information regarding a student [Pursuant to Section 10-15-1(H(4)and (7) of the NM Open Meetings Act] (Quorum in Attendance)

Ms. Garcia affirmed that no other topics were discussed, nor was any action taken while in the Closed Executive Session.

6. PUBLIC COMMENT (In Accordance with Board Policy B-2150 Public Address to the Board)
Ms. Garcia asked if there were any requests for public comment.

Dr. Kettler responded that they had received two requests for public comment.

Ms. Garcia stated that before she moved to the public comment, she’d like to remind the audience of the Board's procedures for handling public comment, which were found in Board Policy B-2150, BEDH. Public comment was limited to 5 minutes per person. However, the Board President may further restrict or waive these time limits based on the number of speakers.
Based off of there being two speakers, Ms. Garcia stated she would allow them five minutes each.
6. PUBLIC COMMENT (In Accordance with Board Policy B-2150 Public Address to the Board) (Continued)
Ms. Garcia stated that the Board welcomed public input. The Board did not prohibit public criticism or comment upon personnel matters, but did discourage personal attacks on board members, on staff, on personnel, or other persons. Presenters were cautioned that statements concerning others that may convey an unjustified, unfavorable impression may subject the presenter to a civil action. Any persons making public comments would be solely responsible for the content of his or her comments. The Board neither adopted, nor assumed responsibility for, any comments made by individuals during the public comment section of the board meeting.
Ms. Garcia stated that they had two speakers, and the first one she would call up would be Mrs. Sonya C’ Moya. She asked her to come forward, to identify herself, and to use the podium.

Ms. Sonya C’Moya identified herself and said she was there to provide her public comment in regards to the discussion item listed in the News Bulletin; specifically, in question was Item #16, which was just removed from the agenda – that being the request for reimbursement for legal fees for Board Members Bryan Smith and Eloy Giron.
She said that one could only assume the legal fees being referred to were for the personal defense of Mr. Smith and Mr. Giron when they chose to hire the services of an attorney to represent them regarding the PED’s suspension of them when they were on the prior Board.

Ms. C’Moya said she was referencing the May 26th 2021 Notice of Suspension Letter from the Public Education Secretary, Ryan Stewart, at the time, who sent it to all board members, including Mr. Smith and Mr. Giron, both to their personal and to their Los Lunas Schools e-mail addresses. Page one, paragraph three, sentence two stated that any legal representation of members of the suspended board could not be charged to, and could not be reimbursed for, any legal representation of members of the suspended Board, and could not be charged to, and could not be paid by the District. She repeated ... Any legal representation of the members of the suspended board could not be charged to, and could not be paid by the District. She said she was unsure as to what was unclear about that statement.

6. PUBLIC COMMENT (In Accordance with Board Policy B-2150 Public Address to the Board)
(Continued)

Ms. C’Moya stated that the Board had been suspended by the Public Education Department for just cause. The Notice of Suspension listed almost three pages of information and evidence of improper conduct. The suspended board members were given the right to represent themselves in a hearing. Mr. Smith and Mr. Giron elected the services of an attorney to represent them. The suspension was originally upheld, and a subsequent appeal filing by the attorney for Mr. Smith and Mr. Giron resulted in the reinstatement of them to the Board. That night, Mr. Smith and Mr. Giron were requesting to take a different approach.

The District and the taxpayers had already significantly paid under the financial oversight of the members of that suspended Board that included Mr. Smith and Mr. Giron. There'd been a $600,000 wrongful termination settlement of a prior superintendent - $200,000 of that directly came from the district and out of operational funds, $45,000 for a forensic audit that yielded no illegal activity regarding employees of the district targeted by the former Board, and $20,000 in legal fees for a board-designated attorney in regard to said audit. Those funds, again, came directly out of the operational funds. Those were dollars that were directed right towards the students within our district.
Ms. C’Moya stated that a school board member was an elected official and not an employee of the District. They (the Board) had the right to sue and the right to be sued. As the PED was the entity that brought forth their suspension, perhaps, they should approach them with a request for reimbursement of their legal fees. To ask the District and the taxpayers to foot the bill for their legal fees was unconscionable.
Ms. C’Moya told Mr. Smith and Mr. Giron that they were advised from the onset in the Notice of Suspension that their legal fees could not be charged to, or paid by, the District. She stated that she’d often heard Mr. Smith, and Mr. Giron, louder, talk about what’s best for the students of this district. She asked if it was really of the best interest for the students in this District to use their funding to pay for their legal fees?
6. PUBLIC COMMENT (In Accordance with Board Policy B-2150 Public Address to the Board)
(Continued)

Ms. C’Moya stated that she would submit a copy of the PED letter, Notice of Immediate Suspension, for the public record. She then thanked the Board for allowing her to address them.
Ms. Garcia thanked Ms. C’Moya and stated that next, she would call up call up Ms. Dana Sanders to the podium. Ms. Sanders thanked her. Ms. Garcia stated that her time could begin.
Ms. Sanders stated that she was there to discuss Item # 16 on their agenda that night, which was the discussion of procedures for due care for reimbursement of legal fees by Bryan Smith and Eloy Giron. She said that she wanted to preface her entire public comment by saying all information was based on personal experience, research, and her own humble, humble, humble opinion.
Ms. Sanders said there were several inherent reasons that had already been clearly established, of an individual board member's legal fees as an inappropriate use of public funds. It was clearly an item that should be openly and transparently discussed, followed by a vote of Board. State Regulation, Attorney General Decisions, and a letter from a former PED Secretary, all pointed to the entire situation being a moot point. Tough decisions were part of the responsibility of a board member. Leadership was not always easy, but with leadership also came responsibility.

Ms. Sanders stated that for those that didn't know what NMAC was, she said it was the New Mexico Administrative Code, and it said that no district funds shall be used for payment of personal legal fees, that included, but was not limited to, the legal fees expended in obtaining or retaining an elected position. She stated that seemed pretty straightforward to her. Additionally, there were two, not one, but two, Attorney General’s opinions / letters that addressed that very question.
One of those opinions was for that very situation - where board members were asking the Board to pay back their legal fees. The opinion concluded that the payment of attorney's fees should not be allowed. The second one, and she thought that was what was being referred to there, cited five criteria that must be met. There were two of those five that had not been determined as of that day. That same opinion concluded that if all five were not met, the issue should not be brought forward.
6. PUBLIC COMMENT (In Accordance with Board Policy B-2150 Public Address to the Board)
(Continued)

Ms. Sanders stated that also, the Secretary of Education, gave that directive to the board members, that they could not go out as private citizens and ask for this District to pay for their legal fees. The argument of whether there's wrongdoing by more than one board member was in question. That could easily be answered by looking at one, four-page document written by a former, acting superintendent, and several other documents gathered by a former superintendent, for the purpose of sending the information to former PED Secretary, Ryan Stewart. The documents clearly outlined the concerns Mr. Gibson had while serving as the Acting Superintendent and included information related to three board members. Ms. Sanders stated that, additionally, if they followed the documentation and communication between them that occurred in April and May of 2021, they would find that Dr. Romero also expressed concerns that were similar to Walt Gibson's.
Because the PED hearing was not a criminal trial, Ms. Sanders stated that she was quite sure that there was probably a lot of evidence that wasn't presented. The proceedings to decide whether the PED followed the process to suspend the School Board was still in the courts. The argument regarding what the judge said when Mr. Smith and Mr. Giron were allowed back on the Board wasn’t necessarily an indication of whether there was wrongdoing or not, and added that there were two other minority-voting board members that weren't discussed at all.
According to current law, Boards of Education worked as entities, not as individuals. To fully understand what process the PED had to follow would have to be overly simplified, because she only had one minute and 30 seconds left at that point. In a nutshell, they had to suspend all five or leave them all in office. The full depth and breadth of any wrongdoing by individual board members was not presented, nor was it necessary, since the law did not allow for the removal of individual board members for individual wrongdoing. Commonsense said that if the law said that individual board members could not be removed from the Board, then why could individual board members still be reinstated? She was assuming that, that question was the core of the case that was still in the Court of Appeals.
At the end of the comments, Ms. Garcia thanked Ms. Sanders.
7. APPROVAL OF CONSENT ITEMS (*Items for Consideration for Consent)

Ms. Garcia stated that the next item on the agenda was going to be Item #7. APPROVAL OF CONSENT ITEMS. They had each previously reviewed and filled out the consent sheet. She then called for a motion.

Mr. Giron moved, and Mr. Bennett seconded, to approve all of the action items on the consent agenda as presented. There being no discussion, Ms. Garcia called for a vote regarding the consent items with the following results: Eloy Giron – yes; Bruce Bennett – yes; P. David Vickers – yes; Bryan C. Smith - yes; and Tina Garcia – yes. Motion regarding the consent items passed: 5/0.


8. APPROVAL OF MINUTES*

A. August 8, 2023 Closed Executive Session (Approved by Consent)
B. August 8, 2023 Regular Board Meeting (Approved by Consent)


9. PUBLIC ACTION AS NEEDED REGARDING DISCUSSION HELD IN CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Ms. Garcia stated that no action was needed or warranted regarding the discussion that was held in Closed Executive Session
10. PRESENTATION OF PROJECT PRIORITIES FOR 2023 BOND SALE:
Sandy Traczyk, CFO

Ms. Traczyk gave a PowerPoint Presentation during which she reviewed the project priorities for the 2023 bond sale. She gave a recap of the presentation of the 2023 GO bond and the 2 Mill levy facility, maintenance and improvement projects that they were looking at doing. They said they’d reviewed what projects were proposed and completed and the status of projects for the 2019 bond projects.
10. PRESENTATION OF PROJECT PRIORITIES FOR 2023 BOND SALE:
Sandy Traczyk, CFO (Continued)

Ms. Traczyk gave a comprehensive PowerPoint Presentation during which she provided information in in the following areas:

2019 Bond Project Recap
• 99 proposed projects total for school sites
• 86 were completed
• 13 were ongoing either in planning states, in progress, so soon to be in progress
• 66 Additional projects completed

What’s Proposed
• Four-year, $24 million General Obligation Bond and a $2 million 2 Mill, which would qualify us to receive an additional $1 million State Match
• The district goes to voters to renew existing property tax bonds, which allows LLS to build, renovate, and maintain school sites
• There will be NO TAX INCREASE! The current Go Bonds maintain current tax levies.

What’s the Plan

Identify maintenance and construction improvement projects by utilizing the following:
• LLS 5 Year Facility Master Plan
• PSFA Facility Assessment Database (FAD)
• PSFA FMAR
• LLS Work Order System

10. PRESENTATION OF PROJECT PRIORITIES FOR 2023 BOND SALE:
Sandy Traczyk, CFO (Continued)


Every school to receive facility improvements focusing on the following categories:

• Safety & Security
• Maintenance/ Preventative Maintenance
• HVAC Improvements
• Site Concrete Repairs
• Playground Maintenance
• Parking Lot Improvements


Who benefits
• Students attending Los Lunas Schools – 8,200 Students
• Employees of Los Lunas Schools – 1,200 Employees
• Our Community that utilize the facilities across the district


The GO Bond & 2 Mill provide LLS with the means to repair, rebuild and maintain its facilities
• 23 District Facilities - 10 Elementary Schools, 2 Middle Schools, 3 High Schools, & 8 Support Sites

• Total Building Area (GSF) 1,740,293
• Total Acreage 419
• Average Building Age 42 years

10. PRESENTATION OF PROJECT PRIORITIES FOR 2023 BOND SALE:
Sandy Traczyk, CFO (Continued)

Los Lunas Schools strives to ensure that:
• Facilities will be safe from hazards, properly constructed, equipped, lighted, ventilated, repaired and maintained, and aesthetically suited to promote optimal learning.
• Facilities will be made available to non-school persons and organizations for activities which foster the educational, cultural, recreational, civic, moral, or social development of the community, subject to availability and reasonable conditions.
• Create effective energy practices throughout the district

Ms. Traczyk was thanked for her concise and informative presentation. Discussion ensued regarding the upcoming election that included the need for advertising, and informing the public of the importance of the bond being passed. Further discussion ensued regarding the fact that what the District had consistently been good stewards of the funds they had received and done what they said would be done with the bond money.

11. PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF DISTRICT FACILITY MASTER PLAN:
Tiffany McMinn, Const. Sup.

Tiffany McMinn and Ailene O’Byrne, ARC, Inc. gave a PowerPoint Presentation during which they recapped the information presented at the work session. They explained that the Facility Master Plan was a road map for the District’s facilities. It was a living document and was not cast in stone. Rather it was designed to help answer the following questions:

Where do we want to be?
• Goals
• Progress since last FMP

11. PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF DISTRICT FACILITY MASTER PLAN:
Tiffany McMinn, Const. Supervisor (Continued)

Where are we now?
• Site and facility conditions
• Adequacy capacity and utilization

Where are we going?
• Student enrollment
• Program changes
• Classroom needs
• Financial Resources

How do we get there?
• Gap between existing and desired future state
• Strategy for meeting needs
• Develop prioritized list of Capital improvements

They then gave the following overview of current and projected demographics of Valencia County and the Los Lunas School District, projections, as well as, the current utilization and capacity of the sites.

Demographics and Projections
• The Village of Los Lunas and the surrounding communities that contribute to the enrollment of the Los Lunas Schools experienced slight decrease in population of 0.3% over the past 11-years from 2010 to 2021.
• Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the Los Lunas area has begun to see an increase in in-migration from out-of-state residents relocating to the area, with many purchasing homes in the various new housing developments started around Los Lunas.
• A push for new infrastructure projects in Valencia County and the Village of Los Lunas has resulted in new businesses relocating to the community such as Facebook and the Walmart Distribution Center, as well as several new housing developments to supply housing options for residents.
• In 2021, families with children made up 26.9% of the total households in the LLS attendance boundary. The percentage of households with children under the age of 18 slightly decreases to 24.6% when looking at all of Valencia County.
11. PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF DISTRICT FACILITY MASTER PLAN:
Tiffany McMinn, Const. Supervisor (Continued)

• 10 active or soon to be active housing developments within the Los Lunas area will have a direct impact on the enrollment at several Los Lunas Schools.
• This will potentially generate 275 elementary students, 122 middle school students, and 147 high school students, or 393 total students. approximately 45% of these students will be students already living within the LLS District.
• With a tight housing market families that “move up” or “upgrade” to new homes will provide housing opportunities for families that may be looking for lower cost housing options.
Ms. McMinn and Ms. O’Byrne then discussed what Architectural Research Consultants had evaluated and their assessments as follows:

What ARC Evaluated
• Looked at 21 Facilities
o Los Lunas HS for FAD Updates only
o Did NOT look at Peralta ES, and Ann Parish ES as they are undergoing replacement or major renovations
• Over 1.6 million GSF of facilities
• 385+ acres of land
• 10th largest school district in the state
• Average building age 42 years

Assessments
• Site assessments typically took:
o Half-a-day to five days, depending on the size of the building and site
• They documented their visit with field notes and photographs
• The evaluators set their own pace, and required time in each space to adequately document what was there and the condition. At times, they were accompanied by maintenance staff, when possible.
• Evaluation process included lots of conversations about existing and future district standards (e.g. technology, energy)

11. PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF DISTRICT FACILITY MASTER PLAN:
Tiffany McMinn, Const. Supervisor (Continued)
They then discussed in detail the scores they gave each site in terms of the site , physical plant, adequacy and ARC % scores in terms of needs, and associated costs for each site.
Ms. McMinn and Ms. O’Byrne discussed available funding for the projects as follows:
• SB9 - $3.6 million Annually, includes state match - Also funds general maintenance

• GO Bonds - about $6 million Annually (next bond election Nov 2023)

• District Match: 40% District / 60% State

• PSCOC (as of 2023) funds top 175 schools for standard awards, i.e. replacement schools

• PSCOC (as of 2023) funds top 350 schools for systems based awards, i.e. roofs
• PSCOC (as of 2023) funds top 175 schools for standard awards, i.e. replacement schools

• PSCOC (as of 2023) funds top 350 schools for systems based awards, i.e. roofs


They next discussed the PSFA rankings, the order of sites on the list, as well as, factors that could affect the rankings, and the probability of funding. Ms. McMinn and Ms. O’Bryne then gave an overview of the District’s Priorities and Plans for Next 5 Years as follows:

• The district plans to fund as many projects as possible identified as Priority 1 and Priority 2. Priority projects the district is targeting include, but were not limited to:
• Life/Health/Safety/Security and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.
• Replacement of Ann Parish ES, Peralta ES, Ray Gabaldon ES, and Century HS/ Opportunity Schools.
• District-wide technology upgrades.
• District-wide upgrades to systems.
• Audio enhancements.
• Continue the door and window replacement at Valencia MS.
• Los Lunas HS Stadium improvements.


11. PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF DISTRICT FACILITY MASTER PLAN:
Tiffany McMinn, Const. Supervisor (Continued)

It was noted that partial and full PSCOC waivers of district funding would be needed to replace the schools listed above.

Discussion ensued regarding the upcoming election, and the importance of them passing. It was explained that it would be devastating to the students, staff, district, and ultimately, the community if the bonds did not pass, as they would not be to have the funding needed to complete the needed projects.

Mr. Giron asked how it would work if changes were needed to the Master Plan. They reiterated that it was a living document and could be changed if the need arose, and then discussed the steps that would need to be taken.

Further discussion ensued regarding the importance of the bonds passing, and steps being taken to educate parents and the community on the importance of the passage of the bonds in November.

Ms. McMinn and Ms. O’Byrne were thanked for their presentation.

Ms. Garcia called for a motion regarding the District’s Five-Year Facility Master Plan.


Mr. Smith moved, and Mr. Bennett seconded, to approve Item #11 APPROVAL OF DISTRICT FACILITY MASTER PLAN as presented. There being no discussion, Ms. Garcia called for a vote regarding Item #11 with the following results: Eloy Giron – yes; Bruce Bennett – yes; P. David Vickers – yes; Bryan C. Smith - yes; and Tina Garcia – yes. Motion regarding the consent items passed: 5/0.
Note: A Copy of the Facility Master Plan will be available for review in the Finance Dept. and Superintendent’s Office, and will be uploaded to the District Web page when available. - kw
12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT


A. Student Representative Report: Jonny Ray Manuel Ayala, Century High School
Dr. Kettler welcomed the CHS Student Representative, Jonny Ray Manuel Ayala. He told the Board that CHS had selected him to represent their school because he displayed the true spirit of a Centurion. He was determined, hardworking, respectful, focused on his goals, and a leader on campus. Jonny Ray had been training racehorses for the last five years and was currently training 15 horses. Two of the horses he trains were listed for All American in Ruidoso, the others ran stakes and there were a lot more coming. Jonny Ray got up at 5am every morning before school and spent his time after school working with the horses. His dream was to win the Kentucky derby one day. Dr. Kettler then invited Jonny to give his report.

Jonny told the Board and Dr. Kettler that he appreciated the opportunity to speak with them about Century High School. He then gave the following report:

This year there had been an increase in students and staff at Century High School, and everyone had been busy planning for the new year. They had started planning homecoming activities and were hoping to so some interesting things.

They had a lot of students who came to summer school and made-up credits. They had an entrepreneurship class, In that class, they were starting a business where they could sell merchandise like cups, shirts, jackets - anything with a custom graphic, really. They also had new courses like anatomy and fitness that would allow them to learn about the human body and get fit. They also had a new sensory room. Basically, it had a lot of tools to help them cope with distractions and stress. They also had a new librarian. She had reorganized the library and it looked a lot better.

Jonny said that he had been at Century High School since last year. One thing he really liked about this school was that every teacher treated every kid with respect and he liked they were family. Teachers made time for students. He also liked that all the students treated each other with respect. Everyone came there for an opportunity.

12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

A. Student Representative Report: Jonny Ray Manuel Ayala, Century High School
(Continued)

They were all trying to get a diploma by taking their own road. It also made him work harder because he saw how hard everyone else was working. Jonny thanked the board members and Dr. Kettler again for the opportunity to speak with them.
Discussion ensued regarding aspects of his report, including the store that they were starting. He was asked to let the board members know when it was up and running so they could advertise it. Further discussion ensued regarding the incredible job he had of working with race horses and his strong work ethic. The board members individually commended Jonny for his report and wished him the best in his future.

B. School Report: Diedra Martinez , Principal, Desert View Elementary

Ms. Martinez thanked the board members and Dr. Kettler for the opportunity to speak to them about the Desert View Elementary. She introduced her Assistant Principal, Sara Graf, and recognized the DVE family of staff, parents, and scholars.
She and Ms. Graf then gave a PowerPoint Presentation during which they discussed in depth the following areas:

Every student deserves access to a robust, rigorous, and complete curriculum at their grade level.

• Lessons aligned with rigor framework and winning recipe.
• Teachers collaborate on lesson plans
• Walkthroughs and face to face feedback sessions
• Amira (AI) for all scholars - piloted the program this year. Their scholars interact with artificial intelligence in real-time, and it adjusted their instruction to them as they went – teachers got a lot of feedback on where students were with their reading.

12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

B. School Report: Diedra Martinez , Principal, Desert View Elementary (Cont.)

Every student is capable of engaging with grade-level standards and rigorous content and deserves world class instruction and materials to support them.
• Math: begin lessons with rigorous, relevant word problems – changed the order to beginning instead of end to help scholars’ critical thinking and to motivate and challenge them
• ELA: effective grade level instruction with multi-layered instruction to challenge and support all scholars
• Technology: Collaborative content centered learning with Teaching 21 century ISTE aligned skills
Every student deserves to use technology as a tool for learning AND a tool to express their learning in creative ways.

• Celebrated Apple Distinguished Schools award

• Differentiated learning accessibility features and online curriculum components

• Showcase classrooms with “News on Location”

• Hosted first Botball competition last March!


Every student deserves to have the opportunity to learn in multiple languages, just as their global peers.

• Curriculums are available in Spanish, Amira (AI)
• Pledge of Allegiance recited in both English and Spanish
• Remind allows families to automatically translate messages
• Bilingual Parent Liaison to translate during meetings and correspondence.
• Most of office staff are fluent in Spanish to assist all needs.

12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

B. School Report: Diedra Martinez , Principal, Desert View Elementary (Cont.)

Outcomes Data
• Guiding Coalition Team analyzed growth towards proficiency data.

• ELA - proactive approach to learning, scholars gauge comprehension of the designated learning targets.

• Math - begin daily math instruction with challenging relevant word problems to encourage advanced cognitive reasoning.

• Effective Layer 1 instruction in all classrooms
Every student deserves to connect the relevance of learning as they explore future career opportunities.
• Beable to explore potential career paths
• Questions regarding career opportunities during morning announcements
• Career Day
• Guest speakers share what they do in their choice of profession

Every student deserves a classroom experience that acknowledges their integrated cognitive, social, and emotional development.
• Sensory room for scholars and staff
• School wide SEL projects each school year
• Buddy program
• NMPED At Risk team on site September 13th

12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

B. School Report: Diedra Martinez , Principal, Desert View Elementary (Cont.)

Every employee deserves to be supported in staying current in the most effective practices in their field, implementing new initiatives, and perfecting their ability to improve student learning.

• Culture at DVE is “grow our own”.
• First grade team participating in Open Sci Ed offered by NM PED
• Mentor/mentee partnerships to assist our new teachers
• Staff were empowered, encouraged and supported to grow, and felt safe to ask questions

Family Engagement
• Partnership with VHS scholars to facilitate family nights
• Literacy event, VHS football team reading with our scholars
• Remind announcements, school and teacher newsletters home
• PTC working together with CEL team

Safety and Security
• Safety Team meets on a monthly basis
• SRO and Administrator walk the campus monthly
• Safety videos, discussions, reflections as part of professional development
• Counselor and SRO safety monthly lessons
Discussion ensued regarding the presentation, including the AI pilot program. Botball, their strong community engagement, and school involvement with VHS, the increased results in testing data, the bilingual aspect utilized in their school to ensure that everyone was able to participate fully, as well as, the welcoming, family atmosphere that DVE provided for their scholars, staff, and community. Ms. Martinez, Ms. Graf, along with their staff, students, and parents were commended for all they did.
12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

C. Department Report: Transportation, Mark Garcia, Dir. of Transportation

Dr. Kettler invited Mark Garcia, the Director of Transportation to give a report on his department. Mr. Garcia thanked the board members and Dr. Kettler and was proud to represent the transportation department and employees. He then gave a PowerPoint Presentation and discussed the following areas:

STAFF
• 53 Bus drivers on contract
• 13 Bus assistants on contract
• 5 Activity bus drivers
• 7 Office staff members
• 2 Bus mechanics

They had approximately 90 employees at Transportation. They had 53 bus drivers on contract, 13 bus assistants on contract, they had 5 activity bus drivers on contract, and they have 7 office staff members, along with 2 bus mechanics. He said that, as they may be aware, districts across the country were hurting for bus drivers. They started off this year fully staffed, staffing all of the bus routes that they had in place. Since the start of the school year, they’ve had to add five bus routes. They also had the manpower to staff those as well. They would continue to evaluate the ridership and make sure that they had enough employees moving forward. He added that they were always looking for new employees, so if anybody was looking for a job, please, come talk to him. They’d hook them up. They currently had four new hires in training to become bus drivers and, hopefully, within the next couple of months, they would have them ready to go.

FLEET AND FACILITIES
• 61 Daily bus routes
• 10 Special needs bus routes
• 81 buses in our fleet
• 6 activity buses – one more coming in October
• 2 bus compounds: East and West

12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

C. Department Report: Transportation, Mark Garcia, Dir. of Transportation (Cont.)

Mr. Garcia reported that they had 81 total buses in their fleet. That included route buses, activity buses, wheelchair lift buses, and spares. They had 61 daily bus routes. 10 of those were special needs bus routes. They had six activity buses currently, with one more coming in October. They currently acquired a new 24-passenger activity bus for transporting smaller groups, the golf team, cheer team, dance, those types of groups, and they were looking forward to getting that bus in service as well. Hopefully, their next bus was coming sometime in October.

They also ran eight propane-powered school buses. Those were part of the alternative fuels program with the New Mexico Public Education Department. They received funding for a new propane fueling station and hoped to have that online sometime next year.

Mr. Garcia stated that during the 22/23 school year, they transported 3,981 students on the 120th day. That's the day that they reported to the state, and that's how many students they transported on that particular day. They’d also traveled 4898-miles on that particular day, according to the 120th day report. If they did the math, times the amount of days that the students were in school, it came up to over 881,000 miles for the school year. That's a lot of miles. If they looked at the total number of students that were enrolled on the 120th day for last school year, it was 8,057 students, so that meant they transported approximately half the students that go to school here on a bus.
ADDITIONAL TRIPS

• 892 Athletic trips - 22/23
• 458 School field trips – 22/23
• Extended Learning Time (ELT) – provided transportation for 8 schools

12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

C. Department Report: Transportation, Mark Garcia, Dir. of Transportation (Cont.)

In addition to their daily bus routes, 892 athletic trips was what they’d provided transportation for last school year. That included all sports, middle school and high school, dance, cheer, band, all transported locally and throughout the state. They’d also transported 458 school field trips last school year, and that included trips to the Air Force base, the zoo, Hispanic Cultural Center, many other places, including the legislature. In addition to that, they also provided transportation for the extended learning time program, for eight different schools. Again, 881,000 plus miles, and that did not include all three of those other things that he’d listed.

Mr. Garcia discussed the number of buses for each school site.

# OF BUSSES AT EACH SCHOOL

• LLHS 11
• VHS 13
• LLMS 14
• VMS 14
• APE 8
• BFE 6
• DVE 5
• KGE 5
• PE 3
• LLE 4
• RGE 5
• SE 4
• TE 7
• VE 5

Mr. Garcia stated that, as the Board had shared many times, education was a collaboration of efforts that involved students, teachers, staff, families, and the community. They were all in this together.

12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

C. Department Report: Transportation, Mark Garcia, Dir. of Transportation (Cont.)

They all played an important role, and the transportation department employees were no exception. They prided themselves on keeping our students safe and driving safely under very difficult conditions sometimes.

It was not an easy job. The drivers and assistants that work with them worked on buses that were very hot, and they're very cold, when it's dark, when it's windy, when it's snowing, when it's raining, under all kinds of different conditions. They had to deal with traffic congestion, road closures, road collapses, construction, other drivers, even an occasional road closure due to a presidential motorcade.

Mr. Garcia stated that most drivers didn't want to be behind a school bus, because they knew that they're going to stop, so what they were faced with was a lot of drivers who liked to cut them off. He asked that people not get upset when a bus was late, consider that there were many factors on the roads that were out of their control when it came to transporting students.
He said that to look around at our roads and, maybe, that would help to better understand it.

Mr. Garcia stated that their first daily bus route left the compound at about 4:50 in the morning with our last bus arriving back at the compound about 6:00 p.m. That's Monday through Friday with some activity buses coming back on Saturdays and Friday nights and Saturdays at 1:00 and 2:00 in the morning. There was always something going on. The truth was, all transportation department employees are great at what they do. They took pride in what they do, and they took pride in the positive impact that they had on students and the community.
Mr. Garcia said he was truly blessed to work with the transportation department, and this district was blessed to have such wonderful employees working for them. The drivers and assistants and all the people he got to work with every day were loyal and hard-working. They loved their job and working with students and, most importantly, they understood that they transported the most precious cargo that there was.

12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

C. Department Report: Transportation, Mark Garcia, Dir. of Transportation (Cont.)

He said they were not perfect, but they worked hard every day to get students to where they needed to be, and they made every effort to do that safely. As they’d just heard, every student had their own road and, well, they helped with that. Their financial specialist, safety trainers, route specialist, secretaries, and their dispatcher, as well as their two mechanics, all worked very hard to support our drivers and assistants, and they were the reason why the transportation department worked. They allowed him to show up and help out on occasion.
Discussion ensued regard the report during which it was confirmed that assistants didn’t drive, they were fully staffed and also had subs who were on contract, and that a bus route was a round-trip.


Mr. Smith said that he had shared with Dr. Kettler when they had their meeting, how incredibly important the job that the transportation department did, and not only, the actual function that they perform, but they got to be the first person to meet these kids in the morning, and their responsibility was to get them to a school full of employees that cared deeply about them, and to him, that was one of the most amazing jobs in the world. He said he couldn't do it, but opening the door and seeing those young kids, probably scared on the first day of school and, maybe, not so scared on the way home, because they were taken well care of, he thought was one of the most tremendous jobs. He added that he went to their beginning of the year meeting one time and, he wasn’t well-received there, because they thought he was a substitute driver, so, he didn't return. He told them he would never be driving a school bus, but he appreciated the work they did. It was tough, figuring out those routes and he knew that overall, the people appreciated, and I, for one, did, and his staff amazing, all of them, and that Mr. Garcia had done a terrific job.

12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

C. Department Report: Transportation, Mark Garcia, Dir. of Transportation (Cont.)

Mr. Bennett told Mr. Garcia that they did a wonderful job. They were the first people the kids saw in the morning, and that started their whole day in the right, positive way. They were nonstop over there and they did a wonderful job. He asked if he was comfortable with just two mechanics, or did they need more? Mr. Garcia confirmed that they had two vacancies, and were in the process of interviewing to fill those positions.
Mr. Vickers stated that he felt transportation was one of the departments that got overlooked a lot of times, all the people that take care of the kids, and they appreciated his work and supervision. He noted that they had two compounds and having two mechanics, sounded like a monumental task, to keep those buses in good repair. He asked if they ever had to, farm out the repairs to others, to a shop somewhere or something? Mr. Garcia confirmed that they did take buses to Albuquerque when they were covered by the warranty, and they were fortunate enough right now to have quite a few of the buses in our fleet covered by a warranty. That warranty's only good for five years, so they wanted to make sure they took care of those things. He added that they hadn’t been with two mechanics for very long. They’d had a retirement in July which dropped them down to the two, but they were aggressively looking fill those positions, to make sure that we can maintain these buses as appropriate.
Mr. Giron stated that he really appreciated all that they did.

Ms. Garcia also commended Mr. Garcia for ensuring that all our kids got to school on the first day, and they're up and ready to go and that allowed teachers to do their job, and then once the day was over, they took them home again.
Mr. Garcia and his staff were commended for all they did.
12. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT (Continued)

D. Other Comments

Dr. Kettler reported that the past week was his first week, and it was an extremely busy week. He said he enjoyed all aspects of it, but the things that he enjoyed most were spending time on Wednesday in communities of practice with our principals at Los Lunas Elementary School and, more than that, getting into classrooms.
He said he’d spent some time in first and fourth grade classrooms, and what he saw from the teachers in those classrooms was amazing. The work that the kids were doing, was at a high level, it was rigorous, and the kids were engaged. Friday night, he attended his first Los Lunas football game and, again, seeing the kids in action and their hard work pay off, as well as, the coaches who have prepared those kids was also rewarding and, one of the reasons that he was in education.
That day, he spent two hours at Century High School, and was extremely impressed with the administration, Ms. Toledo, and her teachers at Century High School. Those students there were all engaged in the classrooms. He’d met one young lady, who proudly expressed how much credit she had made-up since going to Century and the path that she's on to graduation. He wanted to give kudos to Ms. Toledo and her staff at Century High School.
Dr. Kettler stated that he’d seen a lot in six days already, in classrooms, and he looked forward to visiting more classrooms as we move forward.

Ms. Garcia stated the reports were for informational purposes only; no action was needed or warranted at that time.


Ms. Garcia stated that took them to Item # 11 and the presentation of Superintendent Kettler’s 100-day entry plan.
13. PRESENTATION OF 100-DAY ENTRY PLAN: Dr. Ryan Kettler, Superintendent


Dr. Kettler reported that as he had previously stated, a superintendent's first 90 days are critical for moving forward the important work of educating Los Lunas Schools students, and he’d vowed from his very first day as superintendent that he would work tirelessly and ensure the priorities of Los Lunas Schools were student-centered and focused on student growth. He hoped, through his presentation and through his first hundred days, he accomplished that, as they began to build for the future.
The vision, mission, and motto, which were improved in board policy A000 were strong back-boned and guidelines for the work that they were doing. A superintendent's job was to bring together the school community under a common district vision, and mission and, as strategic leaders, superintendents had the duty to thoughtfully consider and address the diverse needs of the many stakeholders, including the school board, our staff, students, and the families in our community.

Also in board policy, were our foundational assumptions, which are a strong baseline or a strong foundation for the work that they did, and so, he wanted to make sure that he pointed those as he talked about his hundred-day plan.

Then, they had the LLS board priorities and, he was going to connect his hundred-day plan to the board's priorities for Los Lunas Schools this year. Since before he was hired as superintendent, he had three priorities:

Priority # 1: to authentically engage Los Lunas Schools stakeholders, to develop relationships, gain deeper knowledge, and begin a collaborative process.

Priority #2: to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data, to obtain a full picture of the district's performance, trends, and strategic direction.

Priority #3: to provide a safe and secure learning environment, resulting in focus on academic achievement, maintain high standards, and foster positive relationships between Los Lunas Schools’ stakeholders.
13. PRESENTATION OF 100-DAY ENTRY PLAN: Dr. Ryan Kettler, Superintendent (Cont.)

Dr. Kettler then listed his four goals and how he planned to meet them. They would be continuum of superintendent priorities, superintendent goals and board of education priorities:

Goal #1 Establish a relationship of trust and collaboration with the school board, cabinet members, administrative departments, schools and community stakeholders.

How he would meet Goal #1
• Meetings and surveys conducted with LLS Stakeholders to include:
○ LLS Board of Education
○ Cabinet Members, Central Office Staff, and other Departments
○ Schools (Faculty and Staff, Principals, Assistant Principals)
○ Community (Students, Parents, Community Religious, Civic, and Business Leaders, Media)

Goal #2 Be visible throughout the district, visiting schools and classrooms, engaging in learning walks, and meeting with building level administrators.

How he would meet Goal #2
• Visiting each school in LLS
• Visiting classrooms within each school in LLS
• Attend a staff meeting at each school in LLS when possible
• Attend open houses at each school in LLS when possible
• Attend sports, fine arts, and community events when possible
• Visit all LLS Administrative Departments

Goal #3 Learn the current instructional focus to identify areas I can support and assist in providing students the opportunity to maximize their academic potential.

How he would meet Goal #3
• Meet with the Chief Academic Officer to:
○ Review and discuss Curriculum and Instruction
○ Review and discuss student performance data
○ Review and discuss Academic Programs and offerings for students


13. PRESENTATION OF 100-DAY ENTRY PLAN: Dr. Ryan Kettler, Superintendent (Cont.)

How he would meet Goal #3

• Meet with the Chief Student Services Officer to:

○ Review and discuss Special Programs
○ Review and discuss Support Services
○ Review and discuss technology

Goal #4 Learn and analyze the systems and structures in place for organizational accountability including the district budget and financial standing.
How he would meet Goal #4
• Review and assess current accountability measures of LLS operations
• Meet with the Chief Personnel Officer to review staff recruitment and retention, employee relations, benefits and compensation, and staff evaluation
• Meet with the Chief Finance Officer to review current budget and budget trends, financial projections, grants, audit protocols, and associated processes
• Visit all LLS Administrative Departments to better understand LLS operations

Goal #5 Maintain safety and security for students and staff.

How he would meet Goal #5
• Meet with the Deputy Superintendent to review and discuss LLS safety and security plans, protocols, and procedures

• Meet with the Chief Student Services Officer to review and discuss LLS counseling services, nursing services, and outside resource partnerships.


13. PRESENTATION OF 100-DAY ENTRY PLAN: Dr. Ryan Kettler, Superintendent (Cont.)

Dr. Kettler then presented his timeline to accomplish the 100-day plan:

August 14 - 18, 2023
First day on contract. During week 1, meet with all Board of Education members and begin meeting with Cabinet members.
Length of time: 1 Week


August 21 – October 20, 2023
Meet with remaining cabinet members, conduct first round of school site visits, meet with Central Office staff, and begin meeting with community stakeholders.

Length of time: 9 Weeks


October 23 – December 22, 2023
Conduct second round of school site visits, continue meeting with community stakeholders, and begin gathering historical data on student performance.

Length of time: 9 Weeks


January 2 – January 19, 2024

Analyze data from questionnaires, observations, and quantitative measures. Prepare report on 100-day plan for the Board of Education to be presented on January 23, 2024.

Length of time: 3 Weeks

Mr. Smith said he wanted to thank Dr. Elder for filling in. She had done a terrific job. As he’d stated throughout the interview process, he was very, impressed with all of the candidates they’d had. When they sat down after Dr. Kettler was hired as the superintendent and they started to discuss what it was he wanted to do with this school district, he (Mr. Smith) had some concerns as far as staff members and students.

13. PRESENTATION OF 100-DAY ENTRY PLAN: Dr. Ryan Kettler, Superintendent (Cont.)

Dr. Kettler covered pretty much everything in the board goals, and he (Mr. Smith) realized that, sitting in the superintendent's seat, they had the right person for this job. He added that was very, very important, probably not only to him, but he would speak for himself, that the staff and the students knew that they were going to move this district forward, and Dr. Kettler was the one for it.
Mr. Smith stated that he hadn’t been that excited in a very, very long time. He thanked Dr. Kettler for being there, and he knew that they made the right choice. His plan was amazing, he loved that the he had included the Board, and he reminded him that he would be held accountable for it.

Mr. Bennett stated that he loved Dr. Kettler’s plan. He felt they needed to work some time in to have a work session regarding his evaluation. He added that he felt Dr. Kettler had some great things in place, and it's obvious from the discussions he’d had with the board members, had been put into his plan

Mr. Vickers stated that he too looked forward to that meeting in January. Dr. Kettler had done all the legwork and, he felt it would give them a better view of the district as a whole.
Mr. Giron told Dr. Kettler that he really liked his five goals and, not only did he mention the goal, he’d mentioned how he was going to get there, and that's important, and the community gets to see that. Thank you.

Ms. Garcia said she just wanted to add what everybody else had said too, that what she appreciated the most was that, now that they had their board priorities in line, they had their goals set, they knew what their facility master plan was, and, hopefully, the bond and everything was going to go well. He had a clear, not so much a clear slate, but he had a plan that they could always go back to. He had mentioned evaluations, and they were going to be able to guide and benchmark and show everything that he’d accomplished. She said she appreciated the way he had laid it out, and thanked him again
14. DISCUSSION ITEM: School Safety and Security: Requested by Board Member Eloy G. Giron
Mr. Giron stated that the reason he had asked for the item was that he got to see, a couple weeks ago, an article in the newspaper, an award that the department received. He didn’t know if anybody could update for the award they received, but he thought they needed to be recognized. He didn’t know if that would be the superintendent doing that.

Dr. Kettler invited Deputy Superintendent, Brian Baca, to the podium to introduce his team. Mr. Baca stated that as they knew, the District had made a huge commitment to safety. The security team were the individuals that protected our most important resource, our kids. This District and Board had made a huge commitment, to support and fund our staff, and thanked them for the support they had given the department. Mr. Baca stated that he had been honored to be part of this, and noted that there was not a greater group of individuals who were there to protect all of them. He added that the work, the award and recognition needed to first to our Director of Safety and Security, Desi Garcia and asked him to give his presentation.
Mr. Garcia stated that he didn’t think they knew why they were there other than to listen to a briefing that he was supposed to conduct, but he wanted to take this opportunity to recognize the officers from the Los Lunas Schools Resource Department. Last month, they were recognized by the National School Officers Association as being a model agency. This was a very prestigious award that was only handed down to four other departments in the country. Mr. Garcia stated that he was very proud to present them each with their certificate and their award. Mr. Garcia then called the officers up individually to receive their award:
• Adam Barela
• Alfred Torrez
• Carl Padilla
• Devon Sparkman
• Douglas Walton
• Eduardo Taylor
• Erika Selisky
• Gilbert Garcia
• Horacio Deanda

14. DISCUSSION ITEM: School Safety and Security: Requested by Board Member Eloy G.
Giron
• Jarrod Smith
• Joe Griego
• Kevin Harvey
• Michael Sprunk
• Miguel Amaro
• Richard Guzman
• Ruben Barreras
• Vince Chapa
• Robert Carrejo
• Lead Patrick Guerrrera
• Lead Robert Ferreyra

Mr. Garcia said he wanted to do a quick briefing on safety and security for the first 30 days. He then gave a PowerPoint Presentation during which he went for the over areas:

Incidents:
Mr. Garcia stated he was very pleased with the numbers of incidents. They were down significantly this year in all areas including possession and fights.
Site Safety Plans and first month Procedures

• Site Safety Plans were mandated by the Department of Education.
o All plans have been updated for all schools.

• Sites were required to conduct four emergency plans, two fire drill, one evacuation, and one lockdown or, shelter in place drill.
o They would be completed by the end of the first four weeks.
• Safety committees had all either met or were scheduled to meet, and that should be completed also by the end of the first four weeks.
14. DISCUSSION ITEM: School Safety and Security: Requested by Board Member Eloy G. Giron (Continued)

SRO Training
• Day qualification were up to date
• 40 hours of Biennium training would be completed within cycle, by December
• 40 additional hours advanced training.
o Just completed ALERRT training – counts toward 24 hours of training
o Spread over the course of two days and covered several areas including shooting and moving, concepts and principles of team movement, room entry techniques, approaching as well as, breaching crisis sites
Mr. Garcia said that again, he wanted to thank the SROs for standing up for about an hour and a half and being there. He reiterated how much he appreciated all the work they did. They were recognized not only here in this room, but throughout the community. He said that he often said that, when he saw a kid at a Walmart or an off-site and I ask them who their SR was, in most cases, they knew who he or she was.
Mr. Giron said that first of all, he wanted to thank them for this. He didn't know they’d be recognizing each one of them, so, thank you for doing that. I mean, the hard work, you guys were still standing, they had been standing since 6:00 o'clock this morning, so, thank you for the hard work that you guys put in. About six weeks ago, he guessed it would be a question for Assistant Superintendent Baca. About six weeks ago, they had a presentation, on the possibility of metal detectors. He asked if he could tell them where they were with that.
Mr. Baca stated that he had been working on looking at the evolve and there were two school districts that were currently using it, but none of those school districts actually had fully implemented it. Speaking to both of their security directors and the superintendent of Clovis, the school had only used their device for big events, graduations and likewise. They were planning to use it more often. The other one, as of Monday was going to be their first, really, implementation of this. He then discussed the challenges which included was the number of employees to man the sites, the cost of those employees, what the other sites were using the program for, and discussed the cost.

14. DISCUSSION ITEM: School Safety and Security: Requested by Board Member Eloy G. Giron (Continued)

Mr. Giron referenced a presentation that he said Mr. Baca had given six weeks ago, but Mr. Baca stated that he actually didn’t give the presentation – he wasn’t there for that one. Mr. Giron led discussion as to whether they were looking to introduce in their Facilities Master Plan, or were they still. He also asked if the vestibules were completed.
Mr. Baca turned it over to Tiffany McMinn to answer that question. Ms. McMinn stated that most of the vestibules were completed. However, they were pending some paperwork through PSFA to complete the vestibule at Century High School. They did have the doors in place in that second entrance. They were waiting for them to issue POs for the access control portion of that and, as well as, for Valencia High School, and the other item that they were waiting on was for Ann Parish Elementary. There, they would be adding the intercom button for the outside of the school, like the rest of the schools. They did not proceed with a full renovation of a replacement vestibule due to the fact that they did receive the PSCOC award to renovate that school, so they thought it was more prudent to incorporate a complete rebuild, but they would be having access to lock the outside door, with the intercom button to the secretary.
So, now, all they were waiting on was for PSFA to complete those projects. She confirmed for him they were just missing those three schools.
Mr. Baca stated that he’d suggest they continue to explore it to make sure that it's going to fit Los Lunas Schools. That would involve some site visits actually to Cleveland High School where those were in action. The other things he would like to do was to have Evolve do a study for them. They would look at our campuses, they would walk through, they will recommend how many units they needed, traffic patterns, access points, everything, um, to make sure that their equipment is successful for our schools and, then, at that same time, probably, schedule, possibly, a presentation during a work session with evolve, so that all board members can see evolve, they have some nice videos, could hear from the company themselves.
14. DISCUSSION ITEM: School Safety and Security: Requested by Board Member Eloy G. Giron (Continued)

Mr. Vickers stated there were other opinions about those kinds of systems and he would certainly like to see a presentation regarding this, so they could hear their side of the story and their opinion of it, since they are their insurer. He thought they should be definitely be part of it. It could be part of a workshop or whatever.
Mr. Bennett said he just wanted to thank the SROs for being out there. He added that he lived on the east side, and not putting down the county or the state, but, sometimes, they didn't get there. The fact that they got a rover out there, it was so much nicer, to know every school's covered and there's a person who was a rover and highly qualified to take care of anything in any situation that occurred he was thankful for that

Mr. Smith stated that he had talked to Mr. Garcia a couple days ago, and the guys had no idea why they were going to be here and that you all had to be here in uniform, standing in the back of the room, and they were probably wondering what kind of a board meeting it was going to be, where they all had to be here? But, he thought that he relayed to each and every one of them, every single time he saw them, how much the district appreciated what they did and what they did for the students and staff. Obviously, when he saw the high-fives and everything, their principals and their staff, they love them, and they did a tremendous job there.
As far as Evolve, he agreed, there needed to be a study, and it could be done at a work session or something, but he said there's other aspects of this that they needed to look at, because having those types of devices in a school setting changed the atmosphere for the students when they were walking into a school now that they're being bonded, for lack of a better word, and even though he know it's not very invasive, at least from the pictures he’d seen. He said he hadn’t seen one live, but he thought it would interesting to see how another district was doing it, how that affected the students, how they felt about that – did they still feel safe, did they feel safer, did it intimidate them, or just some of that aspect on how it actually affected those kids, emotionally.
14. DISCUSSION ITEM: School Safety and Security: Requested by Board Member Eloy G. Giron (Continued)

One other aspect that, maybe, they could ask people that were doing it or the Evolve people, if they'd done some studies, which he was sure they had, but, was definitely worth having a work session on and seeing, where it was they needed to go and if those guys could minimize what they’d gotten and what they needed to get, then they could talk about how they wanted to proceed forward with personnel costs and equipment costs and everything else that they'd have to do. He reiterated that he appreciated them keeping us safe every single day.

Ms. Garcia stated that they were a very impressive group. She thanked them all and thanked Mr. Garcia for the presentation. He told him she thought they maybe he could dismiss them, unless they really wanted to watch the rest of the meeting.
15. DISCUSSION ITEM: Overview of Pre-K Program: Requested by Board Member Eloy G. Giron (Continued)

Ms. Garcia stated that that took them to Item 15 on the agenda which had also been requested by Mr. Giron. This was for an overview of the District’s Pre-K Program.

Dr. Kettler invited Ms. Susan Chavez, the District’s Chief Special Services Officer, to come to the podium. Ms. Chavez thanked the Board for the opportunity to speak about their preschool programs.
Ms. Chavez stated that before she started she wanted to recognize Officer Torres. He was their officer, and she remember him coming in the DARE van, and that he’d made a big impact on her life and all of her friends' lives. She remembered him with the DARE bear and really talking about drug abuse and resistance education and, so, she did want to give a special recognition to him, because he was one of the for lack of better term, original OGs, and she did appreciate that he's still giving his dedication, service, and time to Los Lunas Schools.
15. DISCUSSION ITEM: Overview of Pre-K Program: Requested by Board Member Eloy G. Giron (Continued)

Ms. Chavez then gave a PowerPoint Presentation during which she discussed the following areas:

New Mexico PreK
• All elementary schools had at least one extended day program for 4-year-olds
• Katherine Gallegos Elementary and Sundance Elementary had two classrooms each
• Los Lunas Elementary had the district’s first ever extended day early childhood program for 3-year-olds
• There were twelve extended day programs for 4-year-olds and one extended day program for 3-year-olds total district-wide

Developmentally Delayed PreK Programs
• One program at Bosque Farms Elementary that served students from Bosque Farms Elementary, Valencia Elementary, and Peralta Elementary

• One program at Tomé Elementary that served students from Tomé Elementary and Desert View Elementary

• Two programs at Los Lunas Elementary that served students from Los Lunas Elementary, Katherine Gallegos Elementary, Sundance Elementary, Raymond Gabaldon Elementary, and Ann Parish Elementary

Funding
• New Mexico PreK was funded through a grant offered in the spring semester.

• Developmentally Delayed preschool was funded through IDEA-B.


Current Enrollment
• 20 students total in the Developmentally Delayed classrooms
• 225 students in the NM PreK classrooms
o 11 in the 3Y classroom
o 214 in the 4Y classrooms
15. DISCUSSION ITEM: Overview of Pre-K Program: Requested by Board Member Eloy G. Giron (Continued)

East Side PreK Center
• Will be located at the new Peralta Elementary School
• Will host all Jaguar Nation feeder schools
• Special Services was involved in the PreK Center design

Discussion ensued regarding the programs, the incredible work that was done each and every day, the number of students served, the future of the programs, space and staff.
Ms. Chavez was thanked for the presentation and commended for the job she, her staff, and for the success of the program.
15. DISCUSSION ITEM: Procedure for due care in responding to requests for reimbursement of legal fees by Board Member Bryan C. Smith and Board Member Eloy G. Giron (Removed from August 8, 2023 Board Meeting Agenda)

This item was removed from the agenda until Item #4 APPROVAL OF AGENDA - kw


Ms. Garcia stated that they were have some technological difficulties and called for a short break.
BREAK

Ms. Garcia called for a break at 8:25 pm.


REGULAR SESSION

The meeting was called back in to Regular Session at 8:32 pm.

16. AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT: Sandy Traczyk, CFO

Ms. Traczyk reported that they’d had an audit committee meeting the past Tuesday. There was not much to report, but. The auditors always picked three accounts to look at and had picked Title I, IDEA B and ESSER funds.
Mr. Vickers, Audit Committee Chair, stated that she had summed it up well. They would continue to report monthly after audit committee meetings.

17. APPROVAL OF OPEN MEETINGS RESOLUTION: 23-004* (Approved by Consent)


18. FINANCE COMMITTEE ITEMS* (Meeting held August 15, 2023)

A. Reports for July 2023
i. Schedule of Checks Written (Approved by Consent)
ii. Cash on Hand (Approved by Consent)
iii. Investments on Hand (Approved by Consent)
iv. Monthly Budget Reports (Approved by Consent)
v. Revenue (Approved by Consent)

B. Approval of Budget Adjustment Requests (BARs)
i. 24346 IDEA/ARP Increase Per Allocation (Approved by Consent)
ii. 24349 IDEA/ARP Pre-K Transfer (Approved by Consent)

C. Approval of Budget Adjustment Requests (BARs Not Requiring PED Approval)
i. 24346 IDEA/ARP Maintenance BAR (Approved by Consent)
ii. 24346 IDEA/ARP Maintenance BAR (Approved by Consent)

D. Approval of Purchase: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., Learning Innovations Structured Literacy 11000 Operational (Approved by Consent)

E. Approval of Construction Contracts
i. Nieto Custom Builders LLHS Auxiliary Gym Repair 31200 SB212 (Approved by Consent)

ii. Nieto Custom Builders SE Parent Drop-off/Pick-up 31200 SB212 (Approved by Consent)


19. FINANCE COMMITTEE ITEMS* (Meeting held August 15, 2023) (Continued)

F. Approval of Memorandum of Understandings (MOU)
i. MOU Between Public School Capital Outlay Council (PSCOC), Public School Facilities Authority (PSFA) and Los Lunas School District for Measurement & Verification Project (Approved by Consent)

ii. MOU Between Los Lunas Schools and Early Childhood Providers
a. Auntie Nikki’s (Approved by Consent)
b. Building Dreams (Approved by Consent)
c. Happy Hearts (Approved by Consent)
d. Kids Korner (Approved by Consent)
e. La Vida Felicidad (Approved by Consent)
f. Little Learners (Approved by Consent)
g. Peralta’s Playhouse (Approved by Consent)
h. Peralta’s Playhouse II (Approved by Consent)
i. Safe Site (Approved by Consent)
j. Sow N Seed (Approved by Consent)
k. Sunshine Kids (Approved by Consent)

20. NEW BUSINESS: Board Member Requests for Topics for Upcoming Board Work Sessions and/or Board Meetings

Ms. Garcia noted that this item was for items board members would like to see on upcoming meetings or work sessions. She asked the board members if they had anything they’d like to be added. There being none, Ms. Garcia told the board members to let her know if they had other topics as soon as possible.

21. ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETINGS
Ms. Garcia stated that took them to Item # 21 ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEETINGS. She added that, as allowed by the NM Open Meetings Act and the District’s Open Meetings Resolution, on occasion, a quorum of the board members would attend the same function, including those held at school sites, as well as, sports functions, conferences, workshops, and trainings, including site activities and ceremonies. Board members would refrain from discussing and/or acting on LLS Board issues in those settings. In addition, only official meetings were published, and if other meetings were scheduled, they would be announced in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. Ms. Garcia then announced the following meetings:
• September 12, 2023 Closed Executive Session CO Conference Room 5:00 pm Attorney/Client Privilege Regarding updates pertaining to threatened and/or pending litigation: specifically, discussion with legal counsel regarding the status of pending or threatened litigation involving students, staff, and OCR complaints. [Pursuant to Section 10-15-1(H)(7) of the NM Open Meetings Act] (Quorum in Attendance)

• September 12, 2023 Regular Board Meeting CO Board Room 6:00 pm
• September 19, 2023 Finance Committee Meeting CO Board Room 3:00 pm
• September 19, 2023 Audit Committee Meeting CO Board Room 4:00 pm (Attendance by Invitation Only)


• September 26, 2023 Board Work Session CO Board Room 4:00 pm Discussion Topics: 1. Board Priorities and 2. Tools/Process for Supt.’s Evaluation (Quorum in Attendance)

• September 26, 2023 Regular Board Meeting CO Board Room 6:00 pm

22. ADJOURNMENT

Ms. Garcia stated that brought them to Item # 22. ADJOURNMENT. She then called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. She asked the board members to remain after the board meeting in case they were any documents that needed to be signed.

Mr. Bennett moved, and Mr. Vickers seconded, to adjourn the meeting. There being no discussion, Ms. Garcia called for a vote with the following results: Bruce Bennett – yes; Eloy Giron – yes; Bryan C. Smith – yes; P. David Vickers – yes; and Tina Garcia – yes. Motion to adjourn the meeting passed: 5/0.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:37 pm.
Approved this 12th day of September 2023.
Tina Garcia, Board President
Bruce Bennett, Board Secretary
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