By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Consolidated Schools held a work session and regular meeting August 25, 2025. Members in attendance included Ashley Montenegro, Michelle Diaz, Patrick Cohn, Mike McMillan and Kimberly Klement. Superintendent William Hawkins also attended

Work session

This work session was held to just discuss and review the agenda setting procedure policy in regard to board meetings.

Montenegro opened up the floor for discussion and said she hoped to clarify and clean up the board's intention around open public comment. Currently it says on the agenda public comment on agenda items only. The policy had been included in the board packet for the meeting.

McMillan said he thought they had always had two periods of public comment but one had been identified for agenda items and the other for anything the person wanted to comment on. At some point that had changed to both being on agenda items only. He felt it would be good to have both types of comment available. Without providing the opportunity to speak on things on the agenda it forces that person to request to be put on the agenda. However, by only having agenda items it keeps things moving efficiently.

Diaz had a few ideas, and they had changed from her initial idea. People come to the meetings and have concerns they should be heard but she had thought about it ,and the meeting would not be a place to find solutions. People have come in wanting to talk about personnel matters or talk on specific issues. "We want to hear those issues." People do need to realize that during public comment the board cannot comment or interact to create a solution. If they have a really important issue they want to convey to the board and community, they should ask for time on the agenda.

By having it on the agenda they can have a dialogue with that person. It will allow for questions and the chance to really understand what has been presented and creates a space where the board can engage. It would be a more constructive setting. Diaz said she didn't want to be closed-minded to open public comment but felt people come wanting a solution. By asking to be on the agenda it provides the opportunity to direct people through the appropriate channels. Depending on the issue it might be better to speak to a teacher first or the principal depending on the scenario. If after they have gone through the appropriate chain of command and still do not feel heard they could be put on the agenda.

Cohn expressed his feeling bad for people that come in to speak and have to wait. Sometimes the board has already gone over items on the agenda the person wanted to speak on. He had seen people leave because of that and having to wait so long.

Klement said her concern from what she has encountered had been people don't understand the process of coming for public comment. They need an avenue to communicate effectively to the public the process. "We as a board want to hear that feedback from our constituents and want community involvement." She thought they should set a precedence of encouraging community involvement.

The board spoke to the policy and what it said but still needed to learn more. Montenegro read some of the policy on board meetings.

Hawkins said ultimately this would be the board's decision and he would support whatever they decided. He had been contacted with complaints and concerns and went over some of the things he had been contacted about. They have addressed those issues upfront knowing that if it has not been addressed to the satisfaction of that person that they can come to the board and be heard. At times they had come to the board for their input and guidance. "I am definitely not opposed to having open public comment." He did think that allowing anyone to come in could open the board up. "I can come in and complain about the bus that goes down the road too early at 6:45 in the morning and it wakes up my dog, they're barking, and I am not happy about that. I don't mean to sound negative but now everything that can come to you will come to you." By being able to talk to that person before many things can be delineated, and he could solve their problems.

Montenegro summed up what everyone had said. By putting something on the agenda the person has the opportunity to be heard. Clarify the process so that people can be genuinely heard and communicate the process.

Diaz wanted to point out that in the past they had an administration at the school that had not been accessible or at times even on site. The board at that time had felt inclined to be more accessible because of it. "I don't feel that is the case now. You have an open-door policy." By following a process, it provides a chance to come to the table with solutions instead of reacting on emotion and then not being able to go back and renegotiate what has already been said.

Hawkins said it would not be difficult to have something added to the agenda. They have agenda setting meetings a few weeks ahead of the meeting. The board has been contacted for anything they want on the agenda and would be no different for anyone in the community. He provided some examples. If something comes up that needs to be addressed in a more timely manner that would be done.

The board continued this discussion on the agenda and public comment and how it should look for some time. Montenegro commented after all the discussion that she would like to see by the next month what the board would like to do related to public comment. At the minimum they would be taking the requirement for the emailing of request for public comment. It had been something started during the covid times.

Work session adjourned

Regular meeting started.

The board approved the minutes from previous meetings and the agenda.

Information and presentations.

Desire McGee, SCEA (Silver City Education Association), said the new employee orientation "had gone really well, and they had done a presentation." A lot of discussion and great questions had taken place. About a dozen new employees had signed up. Soon they will have the first bargaining agreement meeting in early September.

Antonio Andazola, transportation and maintenance director, had come to provide a report on the asbestos management plan. This must be done every six months, and the last one had been in May. They inspect all the areas in the schools that they know have asbestos to see if anything has changed, such as cracked tiles or deterioration. They had two areas that have some exposure. They will be going in with a liquid-based encapsulation method that will mitigate the problem. The next inspection will be in December.

Information to the board

Hawkins addressed the agreement and resolution that the board would be voting on in the meeting later. It would be for the Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments. He thanked Priscilla Lucero, director, for her guidance on how to find and generate capital outlay funding for the schools. He recommended passing the resolution to continue that support.

Hawkins had an updated on the consolidation. Over the past year the district had conducted a comprehensive elementary school consolidation feasibility study. It was a directive from the facilities master plan. The process took into consideration facility analysis, community input, planning committee, consultants and other considerations. The key findings were excess capacity and declining enrollment, which made the consolidation necessary. The four in-town elementary schools serve approximately 993 students. but the buildings have the capacity for 1,659 students which makes a 60 percent utilization. The projection is for student numbers to continue to decline. Jose Barios Elementary and Sixth Street Elementary are considered to be in the worst condition. The two of them would require $8 million in deferred maintenance and are rated the lowest statewide for condition.

Hawkins said by closing both schools, it has been estimated to save $414,000 annually and eliminate $9 million in capital needs. The overall savings will be $10 million in the next five years. Both GW Stout Intermediate and Harrison Schmidt Elementary can accommodate the students with minimal adjustments. The study strongly suggested moving sixth grade to La Plata Middle School better utilizing that space that only has a 44 percent utilization currently.

The committee had voted 89 percent to close Jose Barios Elementary and Sixth Street Elementary. The committee also voted 96 percent to move sixth grade to La Plata Middle School. Grade banding had been looked at initially and 81 percent had been in favor. The study showed both options to have similar benefits.

Hawkins said, "After reviewing the data and listening to extensive community input, I am recommending to the board to accept the feasibility study and move forward with consolidation by closing Jose Barrios and Sixth Street Elementary School, transitioning sixth grade to La Plata Middle School and maintaining a traditional K-5 configuration using the newly adopted boundary adjustments to balance enrollment between Harrison Schmidt and Stout." This path maximizes facility use, reduces long-term costs, honors public feedback, especially as it relates to grade banding versus maintaining tradition and ensures students continue learning in safe, modern and equitable environments.

Hawkins added, "I would be remiss if I didn't say these schools are not just buildings. They are places filled with generations of learning, laughter, memories and community pride. Sixth Street and Jose Barrios Elementary have served our children, our families and our neighborhoods with dedication and heart for decades. I asked the board to direct me to begin planning for repurposing or responsible disposal of these two facilities, but to do so with compassion, care and deep recognition of their legacy."

Whenever possible Hawkins will preserve and honor the dignity of the closing campuses and explained how he would do that. The closing will take place at the end of this school year in May of 2026.

Diaz had to leave the meeting during Hawkins' presentation due to professional duties.

McMillan thanked Hawkins and the people involved in the process. It had not been an easy decision nor one to be taken lightly by the board but was a complete investigation and study on the best route to take.

Klement echoed the thank you for all involved in the process. She had known several people involved in the process and said the information relayed back to her had been facts and numbers and it made sense. She appreciated the community's involvement in the decision.

Montenegro said they would just be turning a page. The data had been very clear that the decision had to be made. "Which is not the most fun things of this job." Each of the schools closing have a long history. "It is real important that we are good financial stewards. Today is not a happy day and we are sad about it." She welcomed ideas on how to honor the closing schools.

Hawkins thanked all that had been involved in the process and how hard they had worked. He added that everyone would have adjustments to make but thought they would have a smooth transition. Information will be sent out to the parents and staff within the next 48 hours with some guidance and a timeline of what to expect over the course of the year.

Louis Alvarez, associate superintendent, did not attend due to waiting on a grandchild being born at any moment. Hawkins filled in to provide the report. He didn't have the percentage but had the list of positions open. A couple had been for special education teachers. Most of the open positions had been extracurricular.

Cindy Barris, associate superintendent, had a report on student enrollment and currently they have 1,994 students enrolled and presented the board with a document showing how many they had in each school and went back in years. Last year they had about 115 more students. It was the first time Barris had seen it under 2,000. Hawkins said the birth rate has been down all over the country. This had not happened overnight but had been happening for a number of years.

Barris had a small mental health grant update. They would be having a meeting at La Plata Middle school on the impact of the grant.

She gave a report on the core electives policies. The schools now have new graduation requirements that they will be starting with the current freshman. Historically the electives had been counted as honors but with the new requirements that will change. She continued to go over what had been and what would be. She suggested a committee of teachers to decide what courses could be considered honors courses. Examples of what it would look like came up for discussion.

Montenegro said she knew Diaz would interject this comment. She would want to see in the handbook which electives would be eligible for honors. Barris said yes, they could do that and would like to see it.

Finance subcommittee

Montenegro said she had not been able to attend the committee meeting and deferred to Cohn and Klement. Cohn said they had a good meeting and reviewed the salary ratio, but not all employees had been added into the system at that time. They will be looking for 85 percent. The tTtle 2 federal funding had been discussed along with reviewing the expenditure reports. Klement said they had talked about the mental health grant and some of the carryovers from the past year.

Audit subcommittee report

Montenegro said they had not met but had secured a firm, Beasley Mitchell and Company out of Las Cruces through an RFP (request for proposal)

The threat assessment committee had met but McMillan had not attended, and Alvarez had not been in attendance to provide a report. Hawkins went over what they had discussed. They had reviewed school security regarding events. Another discussion had been protocols and how they engaged with the students and zero eyes.

Board president

Montenegro did the first reading of policy advisory changes. They had to do with copyright compliance, the use of technology resources in instruction and use of artificial intelligence (AI). She asked the board to be sure and review before the next meeting because they would take action on them.

Board comments

Montenegro said the majority of her comment would be around the school consolidation they would be voting on in the meeting. She wanted people to know as board members they didn't take the decision lightly. "We're just so thankful for the expertise and advice that we have and very qualified individuals to help us make these decisions because none of us would have that type of wisdom." She commented the kids had been excited to be back in school but exhausted at the same time. She thanked all the teachers and staff for doing a wonderful job. They would be doing things in the schools closing to make them go out with a bang and make the transition seamless.

Cohn wanted to echo Montenegro's comments about the schools that would be closing. He went over some of the memories he had of those schools. Although he had not attended them, he has some recent memories after being on the school board. Cohn recommended the cafeteria. "It is different." He used to have to have food ready for his son but now he just says he will eat in the cafeteria. "That has never happened."

McMillan said the sports were off and running. He wanted to thank the entire process in regard to the consolidation study. He said at times as a board member the data had not been there and makes decisions difficult. "So, everyone knows this is the path we have to go down, and we are going to come out better on the other side."

Klement wanted to reiterate and agree with her fellow board members on the consolidation of the schools. "This is just a vital step in the whole process of improvement." She knew it would be heartbreaking but had to be done to shift the resources in other directions. She wished the teachers and staff another great year.

Public comment none currently.

Action items

Consent agenda

Michele McCain, director of finance, went over her requests. The board approved all requests made by McCain. She had checks totaling $695,505.39, and budget adjustments that had to do grants that had been received. She also had an adjustment to transfer money into the maintenance department for repairs. They had donations from:

Elks Lodge No 413, SHS Football - $500
Elks Lodge No 413, SHS Softball - $500
L & A Realty Group Inc., SHS Football - $800
SC Moose Lodge 1718, SHS Football - $1,000

Antonio Andazola, transportation and maintenance director, didn't have anything to report currently.

The board approved the agreement and resolution between the district and Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments. McMillan wanted to point out that this agreement only costs the district $452 a year and he said, "I don't think that there is another service we get a better return of investment on." He thanked Lucero for her service to the district and community.

The council approved the recommendation of Capital A.E. feasibility study as presented by Hawkins.

They will be closing Jose Barrios Elementary School and Sixth Street Elementary School effective for the 2026-2027 school year. This approval also authorizes Hawkins to prepare and submit the formal reorganization waiver to the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) as required by law. This will direct the superintendent to begin repurposing or disposal planning for both facilities consistent with the findings of the 2025 Feasibility Study. The recommendation included they will stay with a traditional schools K-5 with sixth grade returning to La Plata Middle School. The K-5 configuration will be based on boundary adjustments that have been made in the committee meetings. At that point the district will be using the spaces of the remaining schools adequately.

Public comment none currently.

The next meeting for the finance committee will be September 11, 2025
The next work session and regular meeting will be September 15, 2025

The board went into executive session.

The board came back from executive session and said no action had taken place.

Adjourned