By Hallie Richwine

The SIlver Consolidated Schools Regular Meeting took place on Monday, March 19, 2018 in the Silver Schools Administration Building. Board President Mike McMillan and Board Members Ashley Montenegro, Patrick Cohn, Michelle Diaz, and Eddie Flores attended as well as Superintendent Audie Brown.

First the board nominated its president, vice president, and secretary. For the coming year McMillan will remain in the role of president with Montenegro at vice president and Diaz as secretary.

The board then heard a presentation from Louis Alvarez, principal of La Plata Middle School. Alvarez shared three calendars the calendar committee put together which include non-negotiable items such as how many instructional days and negotiable items like when parent teacher conferences fall within the week. The calendar committee has a representative from each school and meets again to share feedback from their respective schools. Alvarez said they are still putting together the Cliff Schools calendar. Next month the calendar committee will present the calendar again to the board for a vote.

Katrina Bustillos of SCEA then updated the board. SCEA works to collaborate among the school system and has a few things they are working on. Bustillos said there were concerns about what is going on at the Cliff Schools, but she remains patient because it takes time to address such issues. She also said everything is going well and spring break coincided with the time change, which helped students remain attentive upon their return.

Brown reported to the board on two specific issues, floor power vents and the safety and security update. First, he explained the Cliff Schools gym and the La Plata gym need power vents that alleviate moisture from building up under the floor. This prevents buckling and separating of the floor. The installations are slated for summer in order to be complete before the new school year begins.

The safety and security update included thanks to Flores for his efforts spearheading and leading the committees. Two meetings happened which included law enforcement and a parent representative. Brown said local law enforcement have been instrumental in keeping the project going and offering the best safety solutions for students and staff. Brown also reported that the town hall meeting on safety and security was well-attended by teachers, board members, parents, community members, and law enforcement.

Associate Superintendent Candy Milam gave district updates, informing the board that the schools are still looking for interest in the pre-kindergarten program. Grant deadlines are also approaching for the New Mexico Reads to Lead program, which helps fund instructional coaches.

For the board of education, the finance sub-committee reported first and said they met and discussed the importance of communication while they are forming new positions. With the shortfall from last year adding positions is daunting, but the district is doing the best with what they were given.

McMillan reported that since the board restructure at the beginning of the meeting he would like to appoint board members to committees. First, he appointed Flores to the safety committee. Then he reappointed Montenegro and Cohn to the finance committee. Cohn remains on the audit committee until the previous findings are complete, then they will revisit that appointment.

McMillan addressed the second readings of the policy updates regarding the superintendent evaluation, evaluation tool, and the school board meeting change from the third Tuesday of the month to the third Monday of the month. For the last update the time will remain the same, 6:00 p.m. following a work session beginning at 5:30 p.m.

McMillan welcomed everyone back from spring break. He said the budget is something to be aware of with staffing and personnel changes, especially in light of the safety and security committee. McMillan challenged everyone to be as open as possible, so the board can move forward. “It will be tough, but we will get through it,” he said.

Montenegro was next and reminded everyone of the New Mexico School Board Association’s nomination process for those showing excellence in student achievement. Every school district can nominate one person at no cost, with additional nominations costing $40. Montenegro would also like to see the district do something for teacher appreciation day.

Cohn was next and welcomed everyone back and said he wanted to congratulate spring sports and organizations for their achievements.

Diaz mentioned the new New Mexico Athletic Association eligibility rules. Going forward students must meet eligibility requirements each semester rather than by the academic year. Diaz reminded everyone to keep kids involved and engaged, and that academics do come first.

Flores reiterated that the safety town hall went well. He appreciated all comments and questions. He mentioned feedback that the district wants to militarize the schools, “Let me clarify, we want to spend money on teachers and students and infrastructure,” Flores said, “our best interest is in safety and security. It is something that needs to be done, like buying insurance.” Flores cited the recent incident in Maryland where a student brought a handgun and injured students. The shooter was engaged by a resource officer who prevented further injury.

Flores reported specifically on the safety and security committee happenings. “We are fortunate to have buy-in from each school,” as an administrator from each location is part of the committee. “Every school has a need for an armed security guard. We would like approval to move forward and hire a coordinator.” Flores said funds aren’t available for this year but that they could work on the job description and background checks. The other part of the safety committee is the crisis intervention committee that deals with needs that are unknown to teachers and administrators. Each school will have a member on the team, ideally a counselor. Issues that are identified will be referred to the team to review. By the next safety meeting schools will have turned in their threat assessments to Brown and the committee will review structural issues with Barry Ward.

McMillan agreed that the town hall was informative, especially in disseminating information to the public.

Brown mentioned negative feedback from the community and says students and staff don’t deserve the “black eye” they received. Brown defends the school system and the work they do to move through and prevent issues. Specifically, Brown referred to law enforcement having direct access to students. This cannot happen and is not a choice Silver Consolidated Schools makes. Even if community members feel it would help with safety, it violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and such a violation results in loss of funding. Brown also mentioned that is not the case that law enforcement is not trustworthy, that is far from the issue, but that FERPA keeps them from direct inquiries with the students. “Except in cases of child abuse or abandonment, the student remains in the office and the parent is contacted. If the parent can’t be reached, they can’t question the student. In summary, Brown indicated what could look like a stumbling block for the school district is actually strict adherence to very specific rights.

Next Annette Merino spoke to the board during Limited Public Comments. The former educator reminded the board the district is a learning institution and that all things happening there are supposed to support learning. Merino said the only thing that trumps learning is mental health and offered the opinion that there is not only one solution to student safety. “We need boots on the ground, but we also need to support those kids who need help,” she said, adding that early identification will help form the appropriate support system. “We need people educated to identify flags and bring the child consolation and give them a path by which they can trigger their anger in a different way. Don’t just spend money on arming people to be on the premises.”

During action items the board approved all items presented, most notably the consideration and approval of hiring a safety and security coordinator. With a lot of discussion on the matter, board members were most concerned with where the funding will come from to make the position. Flores reminded the board that is was unfair for an administrator to take on such duties. The coordinator will step in when guards are ill and act essentially as a chief within the school district.

McMillan mentioned the action item was for one position, not all of the guards.

Both Diaz and Montenegro shared concerns about not knowing where funding would come from. “We could vote this in, and if no funding, not fill the position?” Montenegro asked.

McMillan said the position’s creation and approval is essentially a placeholder.

The board approved the hiring of the safety and security coordinator, pending funding, in an effort to show the public they are serious about containing and preventing any threats to the schools.

Merino approached the board again during open public comments and recommended updating the online school information. “I’ve been retired three years and I’m still listed,” she said. Merino also recommended posting the curriculum, so families can evaluate their children’s progress.

Milam said the curriculum guides are near completion and they will be able to post that information soon.

The next Regular Meeting of the Silver Consolidated School Board takes place Monday, April 16, 2018.