By Hallie Richwine

The Silver Consolidated Schools Regular Board Meeting took place Monday, April 16, 2018, in the Silver Schools Administration Building. All members of the Board of Education as well as Superintendent Audie Brown attended.

Senator Howie Morales gave a legislative update to the board, stating that the previous sessions have been productive, and this is the first time in many years that they have extra funding. With oil and gas prices rising, the state receives higher revenue. Morales said he would like more money to go to education.

David Holguin updated the board on truancy issues. With the change in policy for truancy limiting the amount of unexcused absences they have seen a drastic change from last year. Truancy cases have been streamlined to file with the magistrate court. In the future the Public Education Department seeks to transition from truancy to “chronic absenteeism.” The PED considers vacations, unexcused absences, and excused absences as falling under the umbrella of chronic absenteeism in an effort to keep students in their seats for the most amount of days in the school year.

Holguin continues to work to have interventions for the underlying causes of truancy, holding truancy court to identify those issues and match resources with students and families in need of help. He said it is easier just to file charges, but he wants the public to know he is there to help students, not just punish them.

Brown reported that every school has submitted its site improvement requests to Barry Ward. The first phase of improvements is for the schools within town limits. They will be walled off, and bulletproof glass and electronic locks will be installed. The Cliff campus will be handled differently, most likely fencing in the entire compound.

The Safety and Security team updated the board after having a couple of meetings recently. The main discussion was that if the district is unable to proceed with armed security they can still move forward on other goals. A poll was taken at one of the subcommittee meetings and all schools except for La Plata voted to have armed security present. Making such a staffing decision is completely reliant on what the budget allows and would be completely up to the district. Board member Eddie Flores spoke with Silver City Police Chief Ed Reynolds and found that the SCPD does not have the funding, or the staff, to support the schools at this time.

Flores still considers hiring retired officers, capitalizing on their previous training and experience.

The Crisis Response and Intervention team was created also. Each school has an appointee on the committee. They are using resources similar to the truancy court, hoping to also treat underlying causes such as social issues, mental health, and food security.

Board President Mike McMillan asked that infrastructure decisions be brought before the board for some degree of review since they will have bond funding.

Vice President Ashley Montenegro thanked teachers and staff for making this school year a success thus far. “By the time we have our next meeting, our seniors will have graduated, and I’m proud of their successes,” she said.

Board member Patrick Cohn thanked the Grant County Sheriff’s Department for the D.A.R.E. program and also congratulated the Class of 2018.

McMillan also mentioned hoping to see professional development for staff in regard to the safety and security measures.

During public comments Gary Stailey, former Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, said he had the opportunity to take at-risk students to Western New Mexico University for Mustang Day, a recruitment event. Stailey said some of the kids had never been on a university campus, and they enjoyed seeing the dual enrollment programs available to those that may not fit in the traditional academic setting. Stailey encouraged the district to keep those programs in mind as the non-traditional students usually remain in the community.

Cliff resident Jubal Williamson also voiced concern about the recent human resources issue, involving the basketball coach. Williamson said in a small community like Cliff sometimes rumors spread, and he would like an official response to an email he sent the superintendent and board for clarification.

The next Regular Meeting of the Silver Consolidated School Board happens May 21, 2018.