Latest news with #SantaFePublicSchools
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Santa Fe teachers need affordable housing, but plans to build it have stalled
Retired Santa Fe art teacher and longtime union leader Grace Mayer has watched for years as her fellow educators get priced out of housing in the city. 'Pretty soon it's just going to be an exclusive community, like Aspen. If the people who make this place work — the nurses, teachers, bus drivers — can't afford to live here, then what's left?' said Mayer, who served for a decade as president of the National Education Association's Santa Fe branch. While some rural school districts in New Mexico are building state-funded housing to help ensure teachers can live in the communities where they work, larger districts like Santa Fe Public Schools face similar challenges but don't have access to funds from New Mexico's Teacher Housing Pilot Program, reserved for more remote locales. Rising rents have been outpacing teacher salary growth in Santa Fe for years, spurring plans for a housing complex on district-owned land. But so far, fundraising efforts have fallen short. The Santa Fe school board declared a 'staffing crisis' in 2021, calling on the Legislature to boost teacher salaries and urging local governments to create affordable housing for educators. In 2023, the board passed a 'housing crisis' resolution, warning housing costs were threatening high-quality learning. Work groups began plans for a 40-unit housing complex on a 7-acre lot between Sweeney Elementary School and Ortiz Middle School on the city's south side, and the district secured $815,000 in state capital outlay in 2023 and $750,000 in 2024 toward the estimated $15 million project. But it wasn't nearly enough to begin construction. 'We kind of stalled because we hadn't received enough money to fully build out the program,' said Josh Granata, general counsel and head of government relations for Santa Fe Public Schools. 'So, we were looking at ways to raise money and just kind of reached a point where we have to kind of switch gears.' Although board resolutions had advocated for collaboration with the city of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County governments, Granata said those talks have gone silent. ' Prior to this, we've worked with the city and the county to try to see if we could collaborate,' he said. 'But we were running into problems because of the definition of affordable housing — and how school employees kind of fall outside of that federal definition in terms of how much money they make.' 4984994_022018SchoolBoard_80_CMYK.jpg (copy) Santa Fe Public Schools interim Superintendent Veronica García Still, interim Superintendent Veronica García said housing remains 'a board priority.' The district plans to revisit the project this summer and determine next steps for funds earmarked for the project. The district, García noted, also has a partnership with Homewise Inc., a nonprofit that offers up to $40,000 in down payment assistance to qualifying educators through an anonymous donor-funded program. Mayer argued such programs, while valuable, favor families with children and don't fully serve the needs of younger professionals — many of whom earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing but not enough to afford Santa Fe's market rates. 'The city sort of doesn't look at middle-income people or professionals,' she said. 'We keep telling them: 'We don't qualify.' ' According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the median gross rent for a Santa Fe one-bedroom was $945 in 2014. From 2019 to 2023, the agency reported, the number ballooned to $1,380 — the most recent data available. Since then, reports indicate rent has only increased in the city, with an average of $1,799 in April 2025, according to the website RentCafe. At a 2023 school board meeting, Mayer pointed out 60% of the district's staff lived outside Santa Fe. Current residency rates were not available from the district or NEA-Santa Fe. That high commuter rate affects retention, Mayer and the district have noted. Mayer said some educators working in Santa Fe and living elsewhere reluctantly left for jobs in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho to cut down on the daily commute. For those commuters who stick it out — enduring long drives and train rides — there's a limit in their ability to participate in community life and school events like staff meetings, clubs and sports, she said. Now retired, Mayer continues to advocate for housing solutions at the city level — noting her frustration at what she called an 'absurd' belief in 'trickle-down' housing — the idea that building high-end rentals will eventually ease pressure on the market. It's a long-held idea by those in local government she said, and not one that has borne results. 'If you don't fix this,' she recalled telling a city councilor recently, 'and start building things immediately, your city's gonna die … because there are no people to work in these professions.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Micro school districts ask for more state funding, local control
Micro school districts ask New Mexico lawmakers for more state funding and local control. (Photo courtesy Santa Fe Public Schools) Leaders from New Mexico's 'micro school districts' emphasized to lawmakers on Tuesday the need for local control, more state funding and opportunities for students and teachers in rural areas. According to an LFC brief, micro school districts are ones with 200 or fewer students; New Mexico has 20 such districts spread throughout rural areas of the state serving a total of 2,360 students. Mosquero Municipal Schools, one of the state's micro school districts, hosted members of the Legislative Finance Committee Tuesday for the first LFC meeting of the interim this year. Mosquero is located in northeast New Mexico in Harding and San Miguel counties. Mosquero Municipal Schools Governing Board President Victor Vigil told lawmakers local control is key to districts' success and a one-size-fits-all approach does not make sense when comparing districts that serve only a couple hundred students and more urban districts serving thousands. He emphasized that schools in rural areas serve not only as places of learning, but also as community gathering places and sources of information because libraries, museums, businesses and other facilities are not readily accessible. 'The school is the heartbeat of the town. It's the heartbeat of a community, especially in a rural area,' Vigil said during the meeting. Mosquero Superintendent Johnna Bruhn highlighted the need for additional state funds for micro districts. According to the LFC hearing brief, micro districts received $26,100 per student from the State Equalization Guarantee distribution this year, compared to the statewide average of $13,900. However, funding does not stretch as far in rural areas as in urban areas, she said. 'One of the things that would help is if micro districts were funded like we had 100 kids, even if we don't,' Bruhn said. 'That would allow us to make the…adjustments that we need to deliver all the educational requirements that this state has for our kids, to our kids. With less than that, we can't do it.' The LFC brief noted that micro districts rely chronically on emergency supplemental funds from the Public Education Department. Bruhn also pointed out that if the PED's rule requiring 180 instructional days in a school year were implemented in her district, it would require changing the calendar to a five-day school week with a later start time to allow students and staff to travel to school. She said that would increase travel time to about 15 hours per week rather than the current 12 hours. 'Instructional time would actually decrease to 27.5 hours per week. The four-day week is essential here,' she said. Bruhn added that more incentives to entice highly qualified teachers to work in micro districts are needed, including housing because many staff members, including herself, live in surrounding towns. Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo), a member of the LFC, said many of the concerns Bruhn presented are similar to those of Native communities in New Mexico. Local control of how and what students are taught is influenced by culture and tradition — lawmakers noted during the discussion that Mosquero and the surrounding area is largely influenced by agricultural work. 'If what is important to this community is farming and ranching, the same thing is being said by those pueblos, tribes and nations when we talk about making sure that what we're teaching our children in terms of a culture, in terms of a practice are rooted in a native language,' Lente said. 'I think that we need to share these with the PED because these shouldn't be a liability, but these should be an eye opener in terms of how we need to look at things differently for rural education.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
KRQE Newsfeed: Deming mother accused of child abuse, Murder sentence, Storms, Santa Fe Public Schools superintendent, In-N-Out Burger
What's happening around New Mexico May 2-8? Young New Mexico actress speaks about her role in upcoming Apple TV+ film Juvenile stabbed multiple times in Gallup, investigation underway Uber discount offered in Bernalillo, Sandoval counties ahead of Cinco de Mayo Hundreds pack Albuquerque park for May Day Rally Valencia County residents will see property tax increase to fund flood mitigation [1] Deming mother accused of abusing kids, making them live in 'underground caves' enters plea – A Deming mother accused of physically and sexually abusing her eight children, whose ages range from 16 years old to 6 months, pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Monday. Valerie Cordell, 41, is facing 18 charges, 16 of which are abuse of a child (does not result in death or great bodily harm), one charge of conspiracy to commit abuse of a child, and one charge of criminal sexual penetration in the first degree. [2] Albuquerque woman sentenced for killing teen downtown – An Albuquerque woman was sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing a 16-year-old. In March of 2022, then 16-year-old Angelo Baldonado was charged with shooting and killing Josue Ruiz during a fight in the alley behind Lindy's Diner in downtown Albuquerque. Witnesses later told police that Baldonado's mother, Elizabeth Ortiz Chavez, was the one who set up the fight and the one who pulled the trigger. She later set her son up to take the blame. In January, Ortiz Chavez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. [3] Rain and storm chances increase Friday evening across New Mexico – A cold front is moving through this morning, spilling into the Rio Grande Valley by 7 a.m. This will bring a gusty east canyon wind and higher humidity into Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and other areas in the Rio Grande Valley this morning. Higher moisture in the air will allow more thunderstorms to develop across the state this afternoon, especially around central and northern New Mexico. There is also a good chance for rain and thunderstorms in Albuquerque by the early evening hours. Rain and thunderstorm chances will return again Saturday afternoon across New Mexico, but storms will be more isolated. [4] Santa Fe Public Schools names new superintendent – The Santa Fe Public School Board has a brand-new superintendent. Thursday, the board voted for Dr. Christine Griffin. The selection took about two months after the district was looking to replace Hilaro Chavez, who resigned amid sexual harassment and retaliation claims by a former assistant principal. [5] In-N-Out Burger eyes property in northwest Albuquerque, documents show – A popular California fast food chain is one step closer to opening its doors in New Mexico. According to documents submitted to the City of Albuquerque, the preliminary site plan documents show that In-N-Out is considering building a drive-through restaurant in the parking lot outside Dillard's at the Cottonwood Mall. The city told KRQE News the plans are not finalized yet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Public can question SFPS superintendent candidates Wednesday
And then there were three. Santa Fe Public Schools will host two community forums Wednesday, inviting the public to meet and pose questions to the hopefuls to be the district's new superintendent. The three finalists are: * Christine Griffin, superintendent of the Humboldt Unified School District in Prescott Valley, Ariz.; * Faviola Cantú, chief academic officer of the Aldine Independent School District in Harris County, Texas; and * Neal Weaver, chief information and strategy officer for the Santa Fe district and the only internal candidate. Both forums will be held at the district office, 610 Alta Vista St., and will be livestreamed on the district's YouTube channel. Both forums will feature all school board members, and translators and will be moderated by Tom Carroll, CEO of Carroll Strategies, the public relations firm charged with leading the community feedback side of the superintendent search. During both forums, the three finalists will make two-minute opening and closing remarks. The school board is expected to decide whether to offer the job to one of the remaining three finalists May 6 to succeed Hilario "Larry" Chavez, who resigned Feb. 20 amid sexual harassment allegations. He had served in the role since 2021. Former Superintendent Veronica García has stepped into the position on an interim basis but has said she doesn't intend to stay past June 30. Before Griffin became superintendent, she served as a teacher, special education teacher, instructional coach, intervention specialist and principal. In 2021, she became executive director of educational services and innovation before becoming superintendent in 2023. Cantú, who has held her current position since 2023, oversees curriculum, instruction and assessments for the Houston-area district. She also oversees a myriad of programs from technology initiatives and special education to multilingual programs, having served as director of multilingual programs for the Sheldon Independent School District before she joined Aldine in 2019. She has also served as a bilingual teacher, assistant principal and principal and co-founded and serves as president of Latinx Leaders of Aldine. Weaver, who has held his current job since 2021, leads the district's information technology initiatives, including artificial intelligence integration. Before that, he served as the district's executive director of digital learning programs. He has also been an adjunct professor at Eastern New Mexico University, where he co-authored a course instructing teachers and school administrators on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom. Before that, he worked as a technology instructional coach with Rio Rancho Public Schools. Almudena 'Almi' Abeyta, superintendent of Chelsea Public Schools in Chelsea, Mass., and deputy superintendent for teaching and learning in Santa Fe from 2012 to 2017, withdrew her name from the finalist pool Monday. The school board will convene in closed-door executive session Thursday to discuss the candidates' performances both in their interviews with the board and at the community forums, with a follow-up executive session scheduled for May 6 to pick the new superintendent.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Alternative licenced teachers pose as a possible solution for NM teacher vacancies
New Mexico educators say alternative licensed teachers could fill the gaps in teacher vacancies throughout the state. (Photo courtesy Santa Fe Public Schools) As New Mexico schools continue to grapple with more than 700 teacher vacancies, according to the most recent data, some districts have begun to rely on teachers licensed through the state's alternative licensing programs, which provide licensure pathways for people with degrees in areas outside of education. For instance, Hatch Valley Public Schools Superintendent Michael Chavez told Source NM about one third of the teachers the district employs are non-traditional teachers and because of this, the district does not deal with teacher vacancies to the same extent as other districts. According to the 2024 New Mexico Educator Vacancy Report released in October, there were 737 teacher vacancies last year, 34% of which were special education teacher positions and 24% were elementary positions. The vacancy rate showed a slight improvement over 2023 by 14 positions. When asked for the total number of current teachers licensed through an alternative program, a Public Education Department spokesperson pointed to the same report, which noted that more than 1,100 students completed a teacher preparation program at a New Mexico school last year and more than half of those students were enrolled in an alternative program. These teachers are 'highly qualified' and bring years of professional experience in their field to the classroom, Chavez said. However, he noted, they are still learning how to be teachers. This is why professional work hours are so important, for teachers from all pathways and experience. 'One of the things that I've been really pushing on since we came out of COVID is we need to build the capacity of our teachers,' Chavez said. But finding the time with 180 days of instruction — a number set by the state Public Education Department in a March 2024 rule and currently in litigation — is challenging, he said. 'What we need is more time…for professional development with teachers so we can develop them and build their capacity in learning how to become an effective teacher.' New Mexico's current Public School Code allows middle and high school teachers to use 30 hours of instructional time for parent-teacher meetings, professional development and mentorship, while elementary teachers can use up to 60 hours. These standards were established in 2023 through House Bill 130, which also set a required 1,140 instructional hours per school year. The maximum professional work hours allowed previously were even fewer. When the Public Education Department subsequently created its rule requiring 180 instructional days per calendar year, it also included a stipulation that professional work hours be completed before school, after school or on a day outside of the required minimum, so as to not detract from students' instructional time. That component of the rule also faces opposition. Whitney Holland, president of American Federation of Teachers' New Mexico chapter, told Source NM that there are 'more than enough opportunities to accommodate' professional development during regular school time and that her organization is 'going to hold the line' against the PED's rule. Holland told Source that AFT-NM always advocates for more professional development time and an alignment between primary and secondary teachers' allowed hours. 'I think the most valuable time I had as professional development as a teacher was that time where I could collaborate with my peers and even go into their classrooms and see what they're doing,' Holland said. She said she has some concern over alternative licensed teachers filling so many teacher vacancies because teaching is often their second career and AFT wants to make sure 'we're investing in people who are going to stay in their communities and stay in their field,' but 'at the end of the day, I've worked with a ton of [alternative] licensed teachers who have been super capable. They bring a lot to the table.' Holland said she would rather have alternative licensed teachers fill vacancies than long-term substitutes, so long as there are 'some' individuals in classrooms with traditional licensure through the PED. House Bill 238, introduced during this year's legislative session, would have amended the Public School Code to allow all levels of teachers K-12 up to 60 hours of professional work hours. The House of Representatives unanimously passed the bill, but it eventually died in the Senate Finance Committee. Holland said she will continue advocating for teachers to have more professional work hours going forward because 'we are looking at a holistic model of what pieces of education need to change and I think looking at that traditional school year, school day is part of that,' she said. 'It's not going to be one fix. It's going to have to be a whole bunch of different things.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
