Photos and article by Margaret Hopper

Community interacts with Audie Brown, new superintendent, and his wife, at right.Moving the board meeting forward by a week, Silver District held its December meeting at the District Office on Swan Street onTuesday evening. All five board members were present: Ashley Montenegro, Mike McMillan, Chris Arvidson, Frances Vasquez and Arnold Torres, president. A visit from Audie Brown, the chosen new superintendent and his wife, was an added high point for the evening. The meeting opened at 6:00 p.m.

Heidi Vermillion and her students,
who produced the elementary schools video.The first presentation was a visual produced by Heidi Vermillion's Student Council/ Government group. She said they had planned, filmed and edited the scenes of children at various elementary schools. The ten-or-twelve-minute project was the combined efforts of Vermillion's group, well received by the board and visitors.

Harrison Schmitt students featured a number of events in which they had participated, such as the Thanksgiving Food Drive, Shop with a Cop, the Grant County Fair and the exhibits, and their GǣDoor Art." Stout students built around the Red Ribbon Week theme, explaining it and showing examples of how it worked for them.

At Jose Barrios, bulletin boards exhibited student work and a special Johnny Appleseed board. Sixth Street's students focused on their reading Car Race (last year it was a horse race) and on Fridays the principal gives an exciting Gǣradio voiceGǥ update on how the great readers careened into new positions.

Katrina Bustillos spoke for Silver City's union, the SCEA. She outlined recent efforts to increase membership, further negotiations and welcome the new superintendent. Some wanted an audit of teachers' contract conditions; they should all be complying with union regulations; no one having advantages others didn't get.

Acting Superintendent John Carter mentioned that administrative evaluations were going on, and they were gearing up for the holidays.

Candy Milam, associate superintendent, spoke of the recent three efforts to contact the public about the February bond issue. While they had hoped to contact more of the community, the ideas presented had been good. Possibly some could go into a survey. Developing a brochure for general information should help, too. Figures were in on the 80-day student count. She reported that the last figure was at 2754, 19 above the 40 day report, so it was good news.

Torres presents Carter with a plaque.Torres presented Carter with a plaque, thanking him for covering as superintendent while the new one was chosen. Other board members added their words of appreciation.

Milam reported the November check register to be $2,329,519.30. Three budget adjustments were needed to present the changes in instructional materials. The first, $191,040.28, carried the audited cash balance forward from the past year. The second reduced the amount budgeted by $120,060, as PED required, due to lack of funds at state level. By special agreement, the third further reduced another $30,463.94, but put that amount in the transportation budget, replacing what would have gone out of that, to prevent a shortage there.

Other BARs were $11,000 for the initial budget of IDEA-B NM Autism Project, and a budget cleanup for IDEA-B Entitlement, (Special Ed) resulting in a zero figure. Funds were also transferred from the operational budget to cover salaries, board and bond expenses.

Of special interest was a forklift donated from Freeport McMoRan. It had been used, but was still valued at $20,000. Milam said the other, older lift had just played out. This one was a negotiation between Kevin Cook and Ben Potts, who knew what the district needed and helped put the idea together. Potts said after the meeting that some necessary maintenance costs were included, but they were under $3000 and the arrangement was certainly needed.

Carter submitted a bus drivers' list to the board, two to add, one to delete, which was approved. Another issue, a resolution amending and ratifying a resolution and proclamation of the February election, the bond election and buildings tax election, had a mix up on wording on two precincts involved; this action cleaned up the paper work.

In the public input period, Justin Wecks thanked Carter for serving in the interim, and Brown for being the new superintendent shortly. Bustillos said she, with two other teachers and 15 students, would attend the inauguration in January, with a lot to report on their return. She spoke also of a recent grant she had written for a reading improvement program, which should help a number of students with vocabulary and improving levels.

The board then went into executive session at 6:48, with Brown joining them, where they announced the intention of discussing staffing and litigation information.

Next meetings include the national school board conference in late March, a Region VIII meeting in Reserve, and the regular board meeting locally on January 17, at the Administrative Building, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Linda Hernandez, board secretary, later said the closed session ended at 10:36 and the board adjourned at 10:37. No decisions had been made at that time.