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I n n ovation , Par tn er sh ips, R esu lts RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS 1994â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2014

A special thank you to the New Mexico Educator s Feder al Credit Union, whose sponsor ship and generosity made this publication possible .

BOE MESSAGE

January 2015–Board of Education, Rio Ranch Public Schools Divyesh Patel, Carl Harper, Don Schlichte, Martha Janssen and Catherine Cullen.

s elected representatives of the community, the job of the Board of Education is to serve as trustees of the public schools. It is a special honor to serve the Rio Rancho Public Schools which consistently ranks among the best performing school districts in the nation.

The word “public” in public school refers to the fact that it is the citizens themselves who control their community’s schools. As we go about our work, we take seriously our oath to represent the needs of all students in our community. Our most important act is to establish and shepherd a vision for the school district. It must be a vision that speaks to every child, in every part of our community. To achieve “student excellence” is such a vision. The Board is proud of the outstanding progress that has been made toward what we all agree is a never-ending journey.

Thanks to the dedication and incredibly capable staff, in combination with the active engagement of community partners and parents, this school system is producing top tier results in almost every area that is measured in educational institutions, at both state and national levels.

Rio Rancho Public Schools is more than the sum of its parts. From the School Boards that have aspired to establish and pursue the high expectations of our community; the expert leaders of the essential services of the central office; the wonderful spaces for learning that facilities carefully provide; the care of transportation; the instructional tools from curriculum and instruction; the increasing role of technology; to the teachers’ essential guidance and mentorship of our children—always and forever it is all about the students. It is about each student. That is why we serve in a most challenging environment, why we have succeeded and why we must continue to succeed. We do not rest, but are continually improving. We are Rio Rancho Public Schools.

Our community has been particularly blessed by the determined leadership of Superintendent Cleveland who guides the district with clarity, love and wisdom. She has set the tone for an extraordinary series of accomplishments. Her care for each family, each employee and each student is the foundation of the culture that is Rio Rancho Public Schools.

As you read the pages that follow, you will see multiple examples of innovation, partnerships and results that span twenty years. You will also see names of former board members, community leaders, elected officials, parents, teachers, administrators and staff who achieved measurable results for our children. Each is part of a wonderful story and they deserve to be honored; their contributions recorded as a guide for those who will follow.

We are so very proud to have been able to closely witness this “Miracle in the Desert.” Thank you for your expertise, commitment and caring service to the children of our community.

We offer our best wishes for the next twenty years and beyond.

Carl D. Harper President, Rio Rancho Public Schools, Board of Education

I n n ovation , Par tn e r s h ips , R e s u lts RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS 1994–2014

By Hugh Prather, Ph.D.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work in any form whatsoever without permission in writing from the publisher, except for brief passages in connection with a review. For information, please write: The Donning Company Publishers 184 Business Park Drive, Suite 206 Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Cathleen Norman, Project Director Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Prather, Hugh. Innovation, partnerships, results : Rio Rancho public schools, 1994–2014 / by Hugh Prather, Ph.D. pages cm Includes index. ISBN 978-1-57864-947-1 (hard cover : alk. paper) 1. Public schools—New Mexico—Rio Rancho—History. I. Title. LA336.R56P73 2014 371.0109789’57—dc23 2014041212 Printed in the United States of America at Walsworth Publishing Company

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S Foreword Prelude Part 1: The Need Becomes Clear (Early 1960s–1993)

12 14

Chapter 1: The Pressure Builds Chapter 2: The First “School” Chapter 3: PTAs Don’t Just Bake Cookies Chapter 4: A Community Forms and Coalitions Build Chapter 5: The Bifurcated Years

18 21 25 27 30

Chapter 6: Lobbying in Earnest Chapter 7: The State Department of Education Steps Up Chapter 8: A Committed State Board of Education Acts

38 42 46

Chapter 9: The First “Superintendent” Is Appointed Chapter 10: The First Elected Board Takes Charge Chapter 11: Superintendent Cleveland's on Board Chapter 12: The District Leadership Team Forms

52 57 63 68

Chapter 13: Opening Day Euphoria Chapter 14: The First Year Chapter 15: The District Needs a Home

77 79 84

Part 2: The Creation (1993)

Part 3: Rio Rancho Public Schools—But No Students Yet (1993–1994)

Part 4: Opening Day—Rio Rancho Public School Students at Last (1994–1995) Part 5: Three for the Price of Two . . . Almost! (1995–1997) Chapter 16: Middle School Pressures Chapter 17: Intel Steps Up and Partnerships Prevail Chapter 18: Innovative Design Pays Off Chapter 19: The Rams Come Home Chapter 20: How About a Mid-High?

88 91 96 98 101

Chapter 21: How Big Is Too Big? Chapter 22: Where to Draw the Lines? Chapter 23: State-of-the-Art with the Spirit of the Storm

106 108 111

Chapter 24: It Takes a Village Chapter 25: A Culture of Caring and Giving Chapter 26: Volunteering with a Generous Heart Chapter 27: Accepting Stewardship Chapter 28: Opening School after School

120 123 126 130 133

Chapter 29: Captains of the Ships Chapter 30: Meeting the Needs of Every Student, Every Day—District Level Chapter 31: Meeting the Needs of Every Student, Every Day—School Level Chapter 32: A Guaranteed, Viable, and Rich Curriculum Chapter 33: Innovation in Operations Chapter 34: In the Years to Come

140 144 148 152 157 161

Part 6: So They Don’t Have to Sit on the Sidelines: Creating a Second High School (1997–2009) Part 7: The Halcyon Era: What a Great Place to Learn, Teach, Administer (1997–2014)

Part 8: The State of the District (2014)

Afterword State Championships Acknowledgements Index

164 166 168 171

FOREWORD

t midnight on June 30, 2014, the Rio Rancho Public School system reached its first twenty-year anniversary mark. Later in August, educators, staff, parents and community leaders gathered to celebrate.

The history of how the district was formed in many ways follows the history of the city for which it is named. Both were born from unmet needs and both created unexpected opportunities.

In the simplest terms, a school district exists to serve its community by providing state-ofthe-art education for its children. The story of the Rio Rancho Public School District is characterized by a constant drive to take this simple mission to a higher state and create an environment that consistently fosters student excellence.

As the district pursued this vision of student excellence, four core principles evolved that helped guide leaders in making decisions about investments in curriculum, staff, facilities, resources, and student welfare: ● ● ● ●

Seek to meet every student’s needs, Attract, retain, and reward exceptional people, Build and sustain meaningful community partnerships; and, Aspire for consistently better results from staff and students.

The community, school board, and district staff wrestled with a convergence of multiple challenges and opportunities. The four core principles served as touchstones for policy making and action planning.

The story of the district is unique because the community of Rio Rancho is unique; the district was formed to meet those unique specifications. Rio Rancho Public Schools was essentially configured out of two existing districts (Albuquerque Public Schools and Jemez Valley Public Schools) and chartered as a sole and separate new district. In the past half-century, only one other school district in the State of New Mexico (Zuni Public Schools) was formed using the same process. Over its first twenty years, the district has demonstrated a persistent adherence to its core values, and has built a cohesive team dedicated to student excellence. From its earliest days, Rio Rancho Public Schools’ leadership recognized that excellence is different for every student and that the district must provide both diversified learning opportunities and a culture of continual improvement. In this era of enhanced educational accountability, Rio Rancho Public Schools

produces far more than platitudes about student excellence. On this Twentieth Anniversary, the district delivers:

● A high standard of academic performance with some of the lowest per-pupil public school funding in the state, ● A wide range of diversified programs and learning environments, ● A graduation rate of 84 percent for the Class of 2013, ahead of all large school districts within the state of New Mexico, ● Achievement test scores which consistently exceed state averages, and ACT scores above the national averages, ● A history of passage of bond issues and mill levies (seven referenda to date) in which the voters of the community have approved tax increases to improve existing schools and build new schools, ● A stable and competent leadership team of long tenure and high energy, ● Educational, athletic and musical achievements; for example: o More than a dozen RRPS students have exhibited at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium; students from elementary to high school shine at the International RoboRave robotics competition. o Rio Rancho and Cleveland High Schools have captured more than sixty sports state championships since Rio Rancho High opened in 1997. o RRPS has twice earned the New Mexico Music Educators’ Award of Distinction for the quality of its music programs across all grade levels.

The story of Rio Rancho Public Schools is an amazing tapestry woven by dedicated leaders, parents, and the community working with a common commitment for student excellence. This district is an institution worthy of the community’s continued investment in time and money, and more importantly, the district has earned the right to be trusted with the future of Rio Rancho’s most valuable asset, its children.

Having played a small role in the creation of the Rio Rancho Public Schools, I am honored to be a part of the Twentieth Year Anniversary. I congratulate the community, district leadership and staff. The real beneficiaries of this twenty-year history of commitment to excellence are the former, current, and future students of Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Dr. Alan D. Morgan State Superintendent of Public Instruction (1985–1997, 2003)

PRELUDE

he story of the first twenty years of the Rio Rancho Public Schools is intimately intertwined with the first forty years of the creation and growth of the City of Rio Rancho. This community and the school district have grown together, are growing together, and have become inseparably linked in providing quality of life to the residents of the community and to those who will come to this community in the future to make it their home.

Some say the story of Rio Rancho and the Rio Rancho Public Schools begins on a summer day in the early 1960s. As the legend has it, a group of AMREP executives flush with cash from a very successful series of land deals in Florida were en route to Arizona to explore some new land options for development. Somewhere over New Mexico on that fateful day, several of the gauges on the company plane began letting the pilot know that if he did not put the aircraft down soon there might be a serious problem. The pilot called in to air traffic control and received vectors to ABQ. With the plane safely on the ground, the executives now had an unanticipated and totally unscheduled visit to a town only one of them had previously explored. That individual had been most impressed by a ride he had taken to Sandia Crest and suggested a ride to the summit.

The gentlemen from AMREP found themselves standing on the 10,768-foot summit of Sandia Peak breathing the much thinner air of the peak, with the city nearly a mile below. The vista was awesome!

At their feet lay the grid of a rapidly growing southwestern city moving east toward the mountain as rapidly as developers could put subdivision after subdivision in place. Immediately below them and to their right lay the small village of Bernalillo. Between Bernalillo and the crosshatch of the bladed roads in North Albuquerque Acres was the open and unbroken expanse of Sandia Pueblo. As they looked toward the south and beyond the edges of the airport where their plane was being repaired lay the undeveloped sovereign domain of Isleta Pueblo. A narrow dirt road could be seen below running north and south along the edge of the national forest boundary leading to the construction site of what was rapidly becoming the Sandia Peak Tramway. All the land east of that road as it rose into the rugged east face of the Sandias was national forest land. Only out to the west did the land appear to roll away without restrictionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a huge, open space of land west of the narrow ribbon of the Rio Grande that was ripe for development. Exactly who in the group actually saw the opportunity that huge open space of land presented may never be known, but as the group discussed the landlocked city below and the vast tract of land to the west, the vision Rio Rancho was born.

Within half a decade the view the AMREP executives had seen from the Sandia Crest was radically different. The grid developing to the west dwarfed the crosshatch of North Albuquerque Acre roads. Wide, bladed roads running north and south intersected runs to the west, blurring in the distance as they approached the Rio Puerco escarpment.

Equally evident to anyone standing on Sandia Crest was that what began as a sprinkling of houses—one hundred in 1964—was constantly increasing: fifteen hundred in 1969; twentyfive hundred in 1971. AMREP was marketing this new vision to millions of East Coast citizens who were jammed into urban centers and longing for more unrestricted space. At the same time, their construction division was hard at work bringing houses up from the concrete slabs and creating homes for those relocating from New Jersey, New York, and Chicago, following Horace Greeley’s injunction to “Go west. . . .”

Many of the new residents were retirees, ready to enjoy the mild winters and clear light of New Mexico’s high desert. Increasingly, however, the new arrivals both from the East Coast as well as from Albuquerque apartment complexes were first-time homebuyers. They were drawn by the lure of open space and low move-in costs, and were predominantly families arriving with something the retirees didn’t bring—children.

We don’t know who the first school-age child to move into the nascent community was, but we do know this child was the vanguard of what would become a burgeoning school-age population living in an area that overlapped both the Albuquerque Public Schools and the Jemez Valley Public Schools Districts. The New Mexico Constitution and state statute obligated both school districts to serve the children of these new residents.

By the mid-1970s long bus rides and overcrowded classrooms in schools serving Rio Rancho students provided a powerful catalyst to a cadre of concerned parents who were willing to take extraordinary steps to assure that their children’s educational needs would be met. The honest desire to control their own educational destiny formed the seed of the idea to create their own school district. The seed was firmly in the soil, beginning to germinate. By 1994, it would blossom into a unique school district; one driven by the values of innovation, partnerships, and results to produce excellence for the children it was created to serve.

View of Rio Rancho from the Sandia Mountain Crest, 1960s, courtesy of the Albuquerque Museum.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead “It's amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn't matter who gets the credit.” President Harry S. Truman

In the beginning the wide-open ranchland was a developer's dream. Soon homes were sprouting on that once empty land and in those homes were school-aged children. 16

PA R T 1 :

The Need Becomes Clear (Early 1960sâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;1993)

CHAPTER 1: The Pressure Builds

he one-hundredth family in the emerging community of Rio Rancho arrived in 1966. Most likely, the family was living just west of New Mexico 528 and in close proximity to the community center, swimming pool, and the AMREP sales offices. If that family had children, the elementary-age students would have boarded a bus and headed down the hill to Sandoval Elementary School in the heart of Corrales. Middle school students would have boarded a different bus and made a bit longer journey off the hill and across the Rio Grande on the old Alameda Bridge to Taylor Middle School on Guadalupe Trail in the North Valley. High school students would have had a longer ride stillâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all the way south to West Mesa High School on Fortuna Road.

The young community of Rio Rancho was bordered by two school districts: Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) to the south and Jemez Valley Public Schools (JVPS) to the north. JVPS and APS were at extreme opposites of the continuum of school districts in the state. APS, a large urban district serving the state's largest city and outlying areas in Bernalillo County, had an enrollment of well over eighty thousand students. JVPS operated as a small rural school district that had remained relatively unchanged for years and served a total enrollment of slightly under five hundred students. The emerging community of what was becoming Rio Rancho straddled both school districts.

At this time the majority of the student population was in the section served by APS, yet, the majority of the land held by AMREP and planned for development, lay in the JVPS attendance area, which would be impacted by an increasing number of children coming from an urban environment. Although New Mexico school districts typically follow county boundaries, a unique adjustment had been made in the thenempty northern region of the Albuquerque Public Schools to redraw boundaries to accommodate School system boundaries pre-1990. conversion from the Bernalillo County Schools and the Albuquerque Municipal Schools into the Albuquerque Public Schools in the 1940s. The northern boundary for APS had been relocated many miles into Sandoval County, to the north edge of the Village of Corrales and then extended westerly along what would become Northern Boulevard in Rio Rancho.

First AMREP houses built in Rio Rancho, 1960s, courtesy Rio Rancho Libraries, Rio Rancho History Room.

The Jemez Valley Public Schools had district offices in Cañon, a few miles north of Jemez Pueblo. Here, only three JVPS schools—elementary, middle, and high—existed on a single campus. Cañon was over forty miles from where the first development in Rio Rancho was beginning to take place. The Cañon facility served a small, rural district with a balance of Native American students from two pueblos, longtime Hispanic families from San Isidro, a sprinkling of new arrivals from Albuquerque who were moving into Jemez Springs, and scattered mountain home sites north of that village.

As each new family arrived in the rapidly developing community of Rio Rancho, the number of buses rolling off the hill increased bringing with them ever-increasing enrollment pressure to the receiving schools. The first to be impacted was Sandoval Elementary in APS.

Sandoval Elementary, later renamed Corrales Elementary School, was an older building built in WPA days in a very stable community. Some newcomers in the valley proper had been immigrating to the west side of the Rio Grande and into the farmlands north and south of the Village. However, as enrollment jumped school year after school year, the majority was clearly coming “off the hill” as the growing Rio Rancho unit of Corrales Heights was building out.

APS had a practice of constructing elementary schools in growing areas by planning and building for about 80 percent of the student classroom space in permanent buildings and housing the remaining 20 percent in portable buildings. As enrollment increased,

Sandoval experienced difficulty in moving enough portable classrooms onto the campus, as well as finding vacant ground to hold the units.

In addition to the large numbers of new students showing up at the beginning of each year, the large proportion of enrollment of new students coming off the hill was constant. It was a rare week, indeed, when at least one or two new families didn't arrive at Sandoval Elementary with their recently emigrated children being added to the swelling numbers on the crowded campus. Parents from Rio Rancho were rapidly becoming a majority in what had been a rather traditional and quite stable small, semirural, elementary school.

The new Rio Rancho parents brought a very different culture to the mix. These parents had experienced school systems in other parts of the country, typically on the East Coast, and were absolutely clear in their understanding that schools funded by public dollars should and would be responsive to public pressure. The “squeaky wheel” of concerned Rio Rancho parents began reverberating at APS venues for public input. It was becoming abundantly clear to the APS administration that the new community was not a momentary blip and that these parents would not permit themselves to be ignored.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Amalia Dreher Amalia “Ema” Dreher, Former Executive Assistant to Superintendent Eighteen Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Unity.

In 1993 I was hired as the first employee of Rio Rancho Public Schools. The core element I believe that has made RRPS successful is the people. Dr. Cleveland had the ability to hand-select a team of leaders that would assist in helping to carry out the vision and plan for a successful district; many of whom are still with the district today. In the very beginning when programs were being considered and funding was almost non-existent, Dr. Cleveland's passion for music and what music had to offer to the students in all of RRPS schools was evident. Many hours were spent and many meetings held with State members, staff and parents to make sure that not just some schools but all schools would have a music program. Today that commitment continues.

CHAPTER 2: The First “School”

he Albuquerque Public Schools had done a major reorganization in the early 1970s with the stated intention of being more responsive to local communities. The reorganization had resulted in the creation of three “Area Offices” which were geographically distributed in the three principal areas served by the district: the Northeast Heights, the South Valley, and the North Valley. Rio Rancho by virtue of its location fell under the auspices of the North Area Office, which was headed by then-North Area Superintendent, Robert H. (Bob) Montoya.

Bob Montoya became well acquainted early on in the North Area’s creation with the potent group of parents whose children were rapidly filling Sandoval Elementary School, Taylor Middle School, and to some extent West Mesa High School. Demographically, the vast majority of school-age students in Rio Rancho were in elementary; however, there was a sprinkling of middle and a few high school students in the very early days.

Montoya recalls vividly the intensity with which the parents from Sandoval Elementary who lived in Rio Rancho began advocating for their own school. The case was made frequently and fervently, and the parents became actively involved in the mechanism created for parent input in the North Area—The North Area Citizens Advisory Council, more commonly known by its acronym, as NACAC.

Those parents had a great ally in Sandoval Principal Victor Suazo. Mr. Suazo had arrived at Sandoval Elementary in 1968 just as the trickle was beginning to become a flood. To call Corrales a “sleepy little village” in the late 1960s might not have been politically correct but would have been an accurate description. The community with its strong Hispanic roots and its relative isolation had opted to join the Albuquerque Public Schools when Bernalillo, Jemez Valley, and APS boundaries had been redrawn in the late 1940s.

Principal Suazo, with a pleasing smile and an open demeanor, was an easygoing and highly effective elementary school administrator. He proved to be an ideal school leader to greet and induct the new arrivals as they were filling the newly built homes in Corrales Heights and enrolling their elementary-age children.

Victor Suazo was also the administrator to whom the active parents turned for support in helping the school resolve the crowding problems. By the 1971â&#x20AC;&#x201C;72 school year the pressures were nearing a breaking point. As Suazo, North Area Superintendent Montoya, and the active parents explored possible solutions, AMREP representatives, under the leadership of President Jim Wall, were contributing to the solution by platting school sites within their land holdings. These dedicated school sites included one in Corrales Heights and numerous others throughout the entire planned community. As enrollment pressure built, these sites would become increasingly important and an extremely positive factor in the creation of the new Rio Rancho District.

Money was not immediately available to build a school in the APS portion of Rio Rancho, but the school site donated by AMREP provided a potential solution until the growth needs of the Rio Rancho community could be factored into the APS building/planning process. Historically, as a community had grown within APS, the turnaround time to build a new school to respond to enrollment growth had been five to seven years. During the 1950s, as Albuquerque chased itself out onto the East Mesa, school after school was built to catch up with the expanding eastern edge of the city. Rio Rancho would be markedly similar, with the added benefit that AMREP had the foresight to dedicate and donate acreage on which to build new schools.

The following school year, 1972–73, was nearly a breaking point for Principal Suazo. Things had become so crowded that there literally was not space to shoehorn in a single additional portable classroom, the playground was so crammed that split recess schedules were required to allow room for students to use the play equipment. Lunch was taken in three shifts to accommodate a student enrollment that was nearly double the capacity of the cafeteria. Suazo made his case that the following year would be untenable and relief came with a decision to create a satellite campus of Sandoval Elementary School in the Corrales Heights unit of Rio Rancho.

Mr. Suazo had been afforded support that not all elementary schools were given in the appointment of Assistant Principal, Gilbert Villarreal, who joined him in 1971. Appointed to his first administrative position by North Area Superintendent Montoya as part of the support the area office was providing this burgeoning school community, Villarreal proved to be a match made in heaven for Principal Suazo.

Villarreal was almost immediately perceived as an open and accessible individual who would listen to all the parents and respond within his scope of responsibility and capacity. He built relationships quickly and garnered the goodwill of the Rio Rancho parents. Mr. Suazo technically remained the principal of the Sandoval Satellite campus, while his assistant, affectionately known by the parents as “Mr. V.,” became the “go-to” person at what would become the new school on the hill.

Planning got underway seriously in the spring of 1973 to create the first school within the Rio Rancho community. Working within the operational structure of APS, and focusing on the ten-acre site in Corrales Heights, Suazo and Villarreal teamed up with Bob Montoya and Ruben Mares from the North Area Office and made the commitment to open a satellite school of Sandoval Elementary with grades one through three in the fall of 1973. Portable classrooms are easy to move and quick to set up. Little time was required to grade the newly acquired school site situated centrally in Corrales Heights on

Pepe Ortiz Road, install the utility infrastructure necessary for the portable satellite, and bring the portable buildings to the location from across the Albuquerque Public Schools far-flung locations. Before school was out, parents on the hill were aware and delighted that they would have their first school in the community the following fall.

All the buildings were placed and utilities connected on schedule, and in late August of 1973, school opened for the first time in the community of Rio Rancho. True, what opened was only a primary school with grades one through three and was a satellite with two classrooms per grade level, but those six classrooms constituted the very first school facility in the rapidly growing community. Little did those first graders in the class of 1973–74 realize the ground they were breaking by becoming the first students educated in what would become the Rio Rancho Public Schools. The die had been cast, and schooling in Rio Rancho had become a reality.

No time existed for APS to rest on its laurels, however. Simply getting a satellite school open with grades one through three was a major step, but this was not satisfying to the parents or the community. Pressure continued to develop a fullfledged school at the satellite location. Utilizing APS resources from a recently approved mill levy, money was secured for the construction of the permanent facility that would house students in the first through fifth grades.

Villarreal and Suazo worked closely with the parents and the APS planning department to develop the architectural rendering, bids were sought and analyzed, and the approval to go ahead was issued. Crews broke ground with school still in session in portable buildings and construction went on through the school year and into summer.

Groundbreaking for Rio Rancho Elementary School, 1974.

On opening day of the 1974–75 school year the satellite school of APS’s Sandoval Elementary at 4601 Pepe Ortiz Road was up and running. It was the first permanent building of the very first public school constructed in Rio Rancho, appropriately named “Rio Rancho Elementary School.”

CHAPTER 3: PTAs Don't Just Bake Cookies

ublic schools belong to the taxpayers. While a Board of Education exercises the trusteeship for a school district, local schools honor taxpayer ownership through a variety of organizations to provide for parent involvement, engagement, and participation. These organized venues take multiple forms: booster clubs, parent-teacher clubs, parent-teacher organizations (PTOs), and parent-teacher associations (PTAs). Historically PTAs have been the organization of choice for active parent engagement for several reasons.

First, the structure of PTAs is defined on both a state and national level, thanks to the longstanding National Parent Teacher Association. Second, a standardized governance framework for its state and local PTA affiliates is provided as well as training and annual conference opportunities where parents can learn the skills of engaged support of public schools. This formal structure and national Rio Rancho Elementary School PTA,1975. linkage provides a much stronger Photo courtesy of Glenda Mowry. framework for parent advocacy than the less formal clubs and organizations that are often utilized to make parents feel welcomed and involved. A PTA had been the framework of choice at Sandoval Elementary School and was naturally the organization of choice for the new school on the hill—the Sandoval Primary Satellite in Rio Rancho.

Rio Rancho parents had multiple advantages for working effectively with their new assistant principal, Mr. V. They had come from all over the country, and were used to working in mid-management positions in companies and organizations. They understood the formal school structures, external influencers, and they knew how to work effectively with both stakeholder groups.

Fortunately, the amiable Assistant Principal, Gilbert Villarreal, was in no way threatened by these articulate and very engaged parents who were insistent on being active participants in their children’s education. Representative of these parents were seven women who, although actively employed, found time to become actively engaged: Karla Walker, Barbara Harris, Ann Heid, Glenda Mowry, Joan Kellogg, Marlene Feuer, and Barbara “Bobbie” Droske. 25

They walked through the school’s doors with clear understandings of the power structures that supported public education and proved more than willing to work with all stakeholders to address the needs of their individual children and their children’s classmates. From classroom visits to lobbying for additional buildings, these parents consistently stepped in and stepped up. Their presence and voice became familiar at School Board, City Council, County Commission and State Board of Education meetings.

Joan Kellogg, 1980s.

One State Board of Education member remembers them as consistently polite, while at the same time politically astute. They didn’t have the slightest compunction about calling Jemez Valley Public Schools Superintendent, Adrian Meador or Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent, Frank Sanchez and lobbying mightily when needs were not being met in their children’s schools. These women and hundreds of others went well beyond the “cookie-baking, money-making” role typical of parent-teacher organizations or clubs. These parents owned their schools, and they knew it.

All the parents, but particularly those actively engaged mothers in the PTAs, would become the critical component in an emerging cadre of allies who would provide the motivating force to create the new school district in Rio Rancho. This powerful alliance collectively created both the vision and the political will to generate the pressure, sustained that pressure during challenging ups and downs, and never relinquished the vision of their very own school district.

They aptly demonstrated the truth in the wisdom offered by President Truman, “It's amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn't matter who gets the credit.” The parents in the PTAs were not interested in credit; they wanted and demanded a quality public education for all the children of their rapidly expanding community.

CHAPTER 4:

A Community Forms and Coalitions Build

powerful catalytic force in the creation of the Rio Rancho Public School District emerged in 1981 with the founding of the City of Rio Rancho. The incorporation of the city resulted in an official municipal government serving approximately ten thousand people. The city structure included a mayor and other elected officials, a number of whom clearly recognized the importance of a school system that was responsive to the educational needs of the new community.

One year earlier, in 1980, the Rio Rancho Chamber of Commerce had formed to advance business opportunities on a broad scale within the growing area. The Chamber was actively engaged in developing the economy of the community; so, from the Chambers perspective, a robust and top quality school district was a vital element in creating a city attractive to the businesses they were recruiting. Concurrent with the creation of a municipal government and the organization of a Chamber of Commerce, a major shift was taking place within AMREP. The corporation, which had originally focused on somewhat speculative mass-marketing land sales, was becoming a much more focused organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;committed to not just marketing land and selling housing sites but to actually building homes and creating the infrastructure of a community for the homeowners. At the time, homeowners had on average 3.0 persons per household in contrast to the APS average of 2.74, and those children were filling the classrooms of the schools.

Loma Verde Sod Farm, 1987.

AMREP headquarters, 2014

Mark Lautman, 2014.

Drivers approaching Rio Rancho from the south on NM 528 would climb the hill and to their right lay the expansive Loma Verde Sod Farm, which was satisfying the demands of urban landscapers. During the same period of the formation of the city government and the Chamber of Commerce, the sod farm began to rapidly transform into the industry that would become integrally linked with Rio Rancho—Intel.

Intel’s arrival, replete with the thousands of jobs the chipmaker would create, brought a major industrial player in the alliance on the scene. This alliance of committed citizens from the city, Chamber of Commerce, AMREP, local businesses, and new industry together with the PTAs would reshape educational services in the community. Their efforts were driven by a collective vision of a school district that would set the educational standard for the state and the region. Mark Lautman, who became a Rio Rancho resident in 1986 and was a vice-president with AMREP at the time, recalled fondly the passion of the allies who were intent on “improving the entire community. We began dreaming of what the school system would look like, what the city would look like so that in ten or fifteen years it would be a model!”

The final link in the alliance arrived in Rio Rancho with the change in ownership of the Rio Rancho Observer in 1988. Mike and Genie Ryan assumed the ownership/editorship of The Observer in 1998, and, being parents of a school-age child, immediately became engaged in the emerging dialogue about the clearly evident need to work toward more responsive schools and a unified school system serving the whole community. With the major players of the alliance in place and highly motivated, the group moved to create a formal organization called Goals 2000. This brought together the business community, the local government agencies, city and county, and—probably most importantly—the highly motivated and thoroughly energized parents of children receiving educational services from two school districts.

The vision of a unified school district exclusively serving Rio Rancho resonated both in the business arena and with the parents. The business community wanted a high-quality school district that would be an inducement to economic development. Parents wanted an authentic voice in the education of their children.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Kim Legendre Kim Legendre, Administrative Assistant, Rio Rancho Elementary. Twenty Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Commitment.

I volunteered in the school when my daughter started kindergarten. Working at our neighborhood school was the perfect way for me to be involved and still be a mom at home. Over the years I have seen parents become educational assistants, educational assistants become teachers, parents become teachers, teachers become principals, and principals become directors. And the biggest one of all is when our very own students grow up to become teachers in our district. I have enjoyed being a part of the making of Rio Rancho Public Schools and would not trade it for the world.

CHAPTER 5: The Bifurcated Years

y the mid-1980s, when serious lobbying for a new school district began, five schools served the growing student population from Rio Rancho. The schools these students attended were bifurcated between Albuquerque Public Schools and the Jemez Valley School District. When combined, they represented the equivalent of a middle-sized New Mexico school district.

Rio Rancho Elementary had opened in 1974 and was still under the long-tenured leadership of Gilbert Villarreal. Cibola High School, although outside the boundary of what would ultimately become the Rio Rancho Public School District, had opened in 1975. This state-of-the-art high school relieved the lengthy bus rides high school students from Rio Rancho had been taking. The large number of students who had been moving through elementary and middle school quickly became the majority of the students enrolled at Cibola. Mildred Farris was principal when Cibola opened; she and her assistant, John Barefoot, both developed great rapport with the Rio Rancho students and their families. Parents whose students became Cougars remember Mildred and John fondly.

In order to relieve Rio Rancho Elementary, Puesta del Sol, opened in 1981 under the leadership of Principal Israel (Izzy) Juarez. The main facility wasn't quite ready for occupancy when the school opened. This problem was resolved by the Puesta students and their staff â&#x20AC;&#x153;camping outâ&#x20AC;? at Rio Izzy Juarez, Principal Puesta del Sol Elementary, with Rancho Elementary for their first two fifth-grade students, 1983. months of school while the finishing touches were being placed on the building and the classrooms were being set up. With two competent leaders onsite in the persons of Villarreal and Juarez, what could have been a very uncomfortable situation resolved itself into a workable short-term solution. After a couple of months Puesta students bade goodbye to their Rio Rancho hosts and moved to their brand-new home.

Middle school relief came two years later in 1983 with the opening of Lincoln Middle School. Principal Jimmie Lueder brought the school online and recalls the challenges of dealing with the extraordinarily large numbers who were moving back up the hill from Taylor with the opening of Lincoln. A side effect of the opening of Lincoln was that enrollment at Taylor dropped dramatically with a resulting reduction of teaching positions. Hence, a large proportion of the Lincoln teachers Mrs. Lueder recruited had been on staff at Taylor. The advantage for the students, of course, was continuity and familiarity. The students knew the teachers from the prior year, and the staff, which had come from Taylor, knew the families and the community. Sheer student volume was one of the major issues Lueder and her staff faced in those early years. She remembers starting lunch at 10:30 a.m. with the first cycle and finishing at 1:30 p.m. after nearly three consecutive hours of serving meals to the hungry students.

Two years later the enrollment pressures on both Rio Rancho Elementary and Puesta del Sol Elementary were intense; enrollment at both was hovering at nearly one thousand students. (A five- to six-hundred student elementary school is considered a large school.) Such serious overcrowding forced Albuquerque Public Schools to break ground and rapidly open the third elementary school in the community. Then APS Superintendent, Lillian Barna, tapped Dr. Geraldine (Gerry) Harge to plan, staff, and open what would become Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary. Gerry recalls that Barna summoned her to the superintendent's office and issued what has to have been one of the most terse set of instructions ever issued to a prospective new principal: “Gerry, build us a school in Rio Rancho and be sure and invite me to the opening.”

With that mandate, Dr. Harge, a self-assured educational leader who was highly regarded by both her peers and supervisors, simply got it done. She recalls the excitement of working from her office in the old Coronado Elementary where she was afforded an eight-month lead-time to get the school open. Dr. Harge proudly remembers handling the entire project with minimal supervision. She was able to open the school by the beginning of the 1986–87 school year with more than eight hundred students evenly split between Puesta del

Geraldine Harge, 1992.

Sol Elementary and Rio Rancho Elementary. The brand-new Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary opened as a complete facility, from classrooms to playground, and Dr. Harge recalls her four years there as the “most fun job” in her forty-plus years in public education.

By 1990 with three APS elementary schools and one middle school serving the City of Rio Rancho south of Northern Boulevard, the city's growth north along River's Edge was creating a different growth problem—a growing Rio Rancho student body in the Jemez Valley District. Between the westside stretch of NM 528 and the river proper, the sequential developments of River's Edge I, II, and III were generating homes in Jemez Valley territory; and the only elementary school in the district to serve those children was forty miles away.

Jemez Valley Public Schools had been aware since the mid-1980s of a growing need to address new students moving into the extreme southern part of its district. Since New Mexico school districts typically build schools through the issuance of general obligation bonds, JVPS had to wait and watch its bonding capacity rise as the new houses were built before it had the capacity to put bricks and mortar in place to serve the children who were occupying those homes. That planning took place in the late 1980s under the leadership of Superintendent Adrian Meador. Superintendent Meador and his Board placed a bond issue before the JVPS voters, and it was approved with a 95 percent plurality.

JVPS needed state support as well, so Meador and the district were both grateful for the strategic legislative acumen provided by State Representative, Roger Madelena of Jemez Pueblo. Representative Madelena's support and partnership with the Jemez Valley District overshadowed the effective legislative relationships that would evolve over the next five years with all the schools in the area.

Dr Ernest Stapleton with Principal Linda Sanasac at the 2005 ground breaking of Stapleton Elementary.

In the fall of 1990, JVPS opened Enchanted Hills as a kindergarten through eighth-grade school west of NM 528 and proximate to Corrales Road. The principal, Yvonne Kaufmann, was excited about the benefits middle school students would receive from being on the same campus as elementary children. She felt it was going to make the transition from

elementary to middle school much easier for the students, and having both elementary and middle school on one campus made possible a much richer set of curricular offerings for all students.

That same year, in 1990, the final APS school to be built within what would become the Rio Rancho Public School District, Ernest S. Stapleton Elementary, opened at 4477 9th Avenue and began serving kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Some parental concerns arose as the plan for the school involved a campus completely constructed of metal buildings. The resemblance to portables caused parents to wonder whether or not the facility would be there for the long Mountain View Middle School, nicknamed “Desert Storm Middle,” 2002. term.

The name Ernest S. Stapleton Elementary School had been chosen by the APS Board to honor a retired APS superintendent. The school’s namesake had a long and illustrious career with both the Albuquerque system and the University of New Mexico. “Ernie,” as many affectionately know him, admits to being “both surprised and honored,” when he was memorialized through the naming of the school.

Stapleton Elementary started a week later than its counterparts in APS because each of the twenty-seven staff members under the leadership of its first principal, Mary Ann Anderson, made home visits to every single family with children who would be attending the new school. Ernie Stapleton fondly recalls that Anderson was, “just all love,” clearly reflecting her strong early childhood background.

Two years later, in the fall of 1992, JVPS opened Mountain View Middle School, the last of the seven schools that would constitute the original Rio Rancho Public School District. The approach for this final facility was somewhat similar to the original Sandoval Elementary Satellite, in that the school opened on its own campus in portables to relieve the sixth through eighth grades at Enchanted Hills. Mountain View Middle School was located well north of Enchanted Hills off NM 528. Its principal was George Jackson, a tall, rangy native of Vermont whose sense of humor went a long ways toward diffusing the tensions accompanying the opening of any new

facility, particularly one totally composed of portables. An industrial-strength, chainlink fence surrounded the all-portable facility giving the place the look of a military outpost. Students, with a bit of a cynical streak, began calling it “Desert Storm Middle School.” Adding to the military ambiance, the site had earlier been used as a shooting range for a local gun club and students would occasionally find expended shell casings on the sandy campus. With Enchanted Hills reduced to grades kindergarten through five, the elementary school staff heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Thus, the 1993–94 school year opened with four APS elementary schools—Rio Rancho Elementary, Puesta del Sol Elementary, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, and Ernest S. Stapleton Elementary; one APS middle school— Lincoln Middle School; one JVPS elementary school—Enchanted Hills Elementary; and one JVPS middle school—the newly opened portable Mountain View Middle School. The bifurcated educational system had built an impressive series of new schools. Yet, for the Rio Rancho alliance, the momentum continued to build as the reality of the need for a separate and dedicated school district became clearer and nearer.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I gotta be convinced!â&#x20AC;? Dr. Alan Morgan then-state superintendent of public instruction

Community leaders and elected officials work together to influence the state educational agency to create a new district. 36

PA R T 2 : The Creation (1993)

CHAPTER 6: Lobbying in Earnest

olling up the shirtsleeves and going to work might be the most accurate metaphor to describe the mid-1980s. Parents from Rio Rancho were consistently attending Jemez Valley and APS Board meetings, advocating for unmet needs in their children's schools.

The local Boards of Education were not the only groups seeing serious and sustained lobbying efforts. State legislators—Representatives Roger Madelena, Pauline Eisenstadt, Robert Perls and Vince Martinez—were frequent invitees to meetings of the advocacy groups. They were visited often at their homes and offices by parents, community members, and alliance members reminding them that in New Mexico the state legislature held a great sway with the funding of the schools. As the aphorism goes, “He or she who holds the purse strings. . . .”

Representative Roger Madelena

Representative Pauline Eisenstadt

Representative Robert Perls

Representative Vince Martinez

In the early 1970s, New Mexico had undertaken a school funding reform effort that had won it national acclaim by completing a total revamping of the way New Mexico public schools received their operational dollars. Prior to 1974, New Mexico schools were funded on an average daily attendance basis with the source of these dollars coming in large measure from local property taxes. The problem this created was the disparity between school districts with high assessed valuations, that is, lots of industry and/or oil and gas revenues, and low assessed valuation, which were predominantly rural northern New Mexico school districts or in some cases districts with extremely high numbers of Native American students.

The new structure shifted much of the burden of funding public schools to the state's legislature where money was appropriated on an annual basis for the operation of schools throughout the state based on grade level specific and special education specific programmatic needs. The education of New Mexico’s children had truly 38

become much more of a state concern rather than strictly a local matter. Through this process known as equalization, much greater equity, at least in regard to funding the operations of the schools (paying teachers' salaries, paying the gas and electric bills and buying the supplies for the classrooms) was realized.

The newly created funding mechanism consolidated the purse strings for public schools across the state in both the legislature and the Office of Education which was responsible for allocating resources during budget-making time. The effects of a new school district clearly came under the purview of both the State Department of Education, along with its elected State Board of Education and appointed State Superintendent of Instruction, together with the Chief of School Finance, a gubernatorial appointee in the Office of Education.

Hence, not only did these alliance members need to work with the two local boards, JVPS and APS, and their legislative delegation, they also needed to effectively lobby and gain support within those two governmental agencies which were not always on the best of terms. The alliance members had to walk a delicate five-strand tightrope as they advanced their best thinking about the rationale for the Rio Rancho Public Schools.

Visits to Santa Fe were commonplace since legislative committees met at the Capitol and the State Board of Education conducted most of its meetings in the Education Complex. Board members and legislators were looking out into the eyes and studying the faces of parents and patrons of the Rio Rancho community with consistent regularity.

Visits to both APS and JVPS Board of Education meetings were taking place as well. The exact moment that the concept of using joint resolutions by both Boards as a mechanism to advance the creation of the district came into being may never be exactly determined. As the advocates for the formation of their own school district began to explore possibilities, the point was reached where it became clear that both Boards of Education needed to “get on board” with the concept of endorsing the creation of the new district and cede a portion of their respective geographic territory.

Easy to say—hard to accomplish. As lobbying efforts continued, some of the pushback from both Boards of Education came in the form of “show us the data.” Growth data was not an issue. Thousands of noses residing in Rio Rancho schools could easily be counted. A far more complex calculation, however, needed to be done regarding the financial resources available to a new district to ensure that those young learners would continue to receive an effective educational program.

The data demands made by both the two local Boards and the two primary state education agencies took two basic forms: instruction and finance. The trusteeship that was being exercised by the two local Boards of Education, JVPS and APS, was

The McOlash Report Recommendations, 1986-1987.

primarily focused on instructional questions of the quality of education students would be receiving in a “new” school district. The question from Santa Fe, however, tended to be more on the fiscal side: are there sufficient resources within the new district to accommodate the imposing capital outlay demands a new district would require? School construction is an expensive proposition and even though APS had made and JVPS would make “bricks and mortar” investments in Rio Rancho the projected growth signaled building school after school after school for the foreseeable future.

One of the very early efforts to answer that question came out of the Office of Education in mid-1986 at the request of then-Governor Toney Anaya. Office of Education analyst Bryan McOlash authored a report, titled A Preliminary Investigation for a Rio Rancho School District. Much of the report focused on the three APS facilities that had already been built in Rio Rancho at that time, the demographic characteristics of their students, and the projections for the next six years. One of the report's principle findings was that with a 150 percent projected growth rate over the next six years the district would need nearly $50 million to address school construction to accommodate the growth. This projection included four additional elementary schools, two additional middle schools, and of course, a high school.

The McOlash Report set forth a series of future steps, which the alliance would follow vigorously. He identified the two options that were available for the lobbyists to take to the State Board of Education (SBE), which held the authority to create a school district: The SBE could 1. respond to a resolution requesting the creation of new district by a local Board of the to be created district, or 2. respond to a petition with 60 percent of the registered voters in the geographic boundaries of the new district affirming the need for the new district.

From a practical standpoint the first option was a more reasonable and attractive process. In his report, however, McOlash advocated the petition route.

The report further recommended a series of steps to be taken by lobbying group now organized as the Rio Rancho Education Study Committee. These suggested steps included building community awareness and continuing to build the base of data validating the need for the district. What McOlash did not anticipate in his report was the striking amount of growth north of Northern Boulevard, which would make working effectively with JVPS a key component in any efforts to create the new system. Later that year, in December of 1986, another feasibility study was conducted. Titled Insisting on Excellence, this study called for the creation of an independent school district. It came out of the efforts of the Rio Rancho District Feasibility Study Committee and was long on enthusiasm, but short on details. The report called for a referendum to be put before the voters in what was then being called the Rio Rancho Service Area (RSSA).

The referendum on the topic of creating an independent school district which was brought before the voters on July 28, 1987, was defeated by about a 4 to 1 vote. When the final results were tallied, 2,823 votes were counted in opposition to creating a school district and only 674 votes were found in favor of the plan. Some attributed the negative vote to the active efforts of a group known as the CAVE people; the acronym was a humorous but accurate description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;citizens against virtually everything.â&#x20AC;? The time was not yet right, but the seeds had been sown; less than three years later the issue of an independent Rio Rancho School District would resurface with vigor.

CHAPTER 7:

The State Department of Education Steps Up

purred in part by the involvement of the Office of Education in the question of the creation of a Rio Rancho School District, the State Department of Education (SDE) began a series of reviews which served as due diligence checks on the feasibility. The State Department at that time was led by State Superintendent Alan Morgan, a tall, personable man with a charismatic leadership style and a handshake to rival that of former Governor Bruce King.

Morgan's chief lieutenants in this process were Dr. Jeanne Knight, who headed the instructional division of the SDE, and Michael Davis, who was Alan Morgan's second-incommand. Both of these professionals were high on credibility and long on competence. The two teamed very effectively with State Superintendent Morgan, and their long tenure in the SDE gave them perspectives that would prove invaluable in the early 1990s as to the creation of the new district was undertaken.

Knight's principle concern was the issue of a high school for the district. The boundaries being contemplated would not bring Cibola into the new school district, and with five elementary schools and two middle schools, the lack of a high school was clearly an issue. In fact, this absence could have potentially Alice and Bruce King, Jeanne Knight, Alan Morgan, 1993. become a deal-breaker, so Dr. Knight crafted the concept that high school students could temporarily continue to attend either JVPS or APS, with the implicit understanding that a high school facility would be a top priority once the new district was created. This wise move forestalled the absence of a high school as a basis to deny the district's creation.

While Knight was busy analyzing the instructional implications, Michael Davis was busy nailing down some of the political and fiscal implications. Davis, a long-term New Mexico educator and former Peace Corps volunteer, had taught in Las Cruces and then developed his political acumen in northern New Mexico education. He was well Michael Davis, 1997. attuned to the need to ensure that legislators, School Board members, and other elected public officials were on board with the project. Davis met regularly with both the community advocates and with the elected public officials. In no small measure 42

his groundwork helped pave the way for a smooth process of creation the State Board was becoming ready to undertake.

With the groundwork being done by Morgan and his staff, critical questions on the fiscal capabilities of the new district were being asked and answered. Comfort levels regarding the prospective reality began to rise. Morgan recalls that since this was the first new district to be created since the Zuni District had been carved from the southern edges of the GallupMcKinley County Schools some twenty years prior, the onus was truly on the SDE, and he admonished his key staffers, “I gotta be convinced!” Alan had long ago learned working in his highly politicized job that he needed all of his facts neatly lined up and delivered with no surprises in order to advance a recommended position to his boss, the State Board of Education.

APS was facing the need in the near future to pass a substantial bond issue which would create a major long-term debt within the APS section of the proposed new Rio Rancho District. Meanwhile, the Jemez District's growth projected to shift the epicenter of the district from Cañon to River's Edge at about the same time. The window of opportunity to create a new district with minimal complexity would only remain open through the mid-1990s. As Morgan shared this kind of information with the SBE, the Board members began to lineup affirmatively around the idea of the Rio Rancho Public Schools becoming its own entity.

An early supporter and one who needed relatively little convincing was State Board of Education member Lynn Medlin. Lynn lived in Tatum and was elected to the Board from a southeastern New Mexico SBE district. What made him an early advocate of creating a new district turned out to be a special role he held as a SBE member—liaison to the state PTA. Lynn was thoughtful, reflective, and not one to be easily persuaded. During his tenure as the PTA liaison he attended state PTA conventions and there he met and was lobbied by the Rio Rancho PTA activists—Karla Walker, Barbara Harris, Glenda Mowry, Joan Kellogg, Marlene Feuer, and Bobbie Droske. With practiced aplomb these advocates made the case frequently and convincingly regarding the need to create an independent district. Medlin's thoughtful reflectivity morphed into conviction. He was solidly on board. In 1992 still another Rio Rancho advocacy group, the Ad Hoc Task Force, commissioned an independent study. The Task Force was supported by local businesses that stepped up

Stan Rounds, 2010.

to fund the study. Several of their meetings were at Intel, clean rooms and all. Stan Rounds was the educator commissioned to conduct the study. At the time, Rounds was superintendent of the Alamogordo Public Schools and was charged with reviewing all the groundwork that had been done regarding the educational services provided the children of Rio Rancho and making his own recommendations. Rounds was well suited to the task as he had served as Alan Morgan's public school finance head and understood both the funding formula for operational purposes and the various statutory provisions available for addressing capital outlay needs.

In his report Rounds indicated the need for substantial additional tactical planning and legislative strategies to provide for some specific funding for the very evident capital outlay needs the new district would be facing. His report further cautioned critics that without action in the fairly near term “the ability to coordinate a comprehensive educational service plan will become increasingly more difficult.” Stan Rounds concluded by noting “that a continued pursuit of establishing a new district by the year 1994–95 is feasible and appropriate.”

With this September 30, 1992 report in hand, advocates aggressively redoubled their efforts to convince the SBE, the SDE and both local Boards of Education that not only was a new district feasible, but that the window of opportunity could be closed by the mid-1990s.

Five months later, in February 1993, the Jemez Valley Board of Education took the plunge and passed a resolution recommending that Rio Rancho become an independent school district and affirming their willingness to cede their territory to constitute the new district. Enrollment at JVPS was bumping fifteen hundred students and of those nearly eight hundred were from Rio Rancho. Superintendent Gary Dwyer found the experience bittersweet with strong signals from staff at both Enchanted Hills Elementary and Mountain View Middle School that they would prefer to remain in JVPS. Dwyer observed, “There will be a hole in the body of the district—a hole that will be difficult to fill.” Superintendent Dwyer went on to become a tremendous supporter of the Rio Rancho

RRPS Advocacy Group flyers, April 1993.

Public Schools. During its first year of operation he continued to make his business office available to assist the newly created school system.

All that remained was for APS to follow suit with the same joint resolution, which they did later in the month. Now both districts had endorsed ceding part of their territory, student population, and physical facilities to what would become the new district.

Morgan and his team still had a lot of work to do in nailing down some of the fine points that would need to be addressed prior to the State Board of Education taking official action. Part of the fact-finding took the form of listening to constituents. In April 1993, representatives from the SBE and Alan Morgan's team met with an audience of over four hundred individuals gathered at Cibola High School. Community members overwhelmingly expressed support for the creation of the new district. This public forum was followed by a public opinion poll, conducted by Albuquerque-based and wellrespected Research and Polling, which further affirmed broad-based community support.

Alan Morgan was now firmly convinced.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Diane Earnest Diane Earnest, Instructional Coach, Puesta del Sol Elementary. Twenty Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Inspiring.

I moved to Albuquerque in 1992 to participate in a Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Internship at UNM. As my first teaching job I was hired at Puesta del Sol Elementary. When Rio Rancho became its own district I remember listening to Dr. Cleveland give the convocation speech on the first day of school. It was very exciting to be a part of a new district where everyone was committed to working together. I have learned that people in RRPS do not lower expectations or give up when faced with difficult situations. Whether dealing with budget cuts, implementing new initiatives, or any other difficulty, student achievement is always at the heart of what we do.

CHAPTER 8:

A Committed State Board of Education Acts

he statutory provision for creating a school district placed the authority in the hands of the State Board of Education. The document creating the district was placed on the table for approval on April 19, 1993, just a few days after the public hearing at Cibola High School.

The Order of Creation, officially titled, Order of the State Board of Education State of New Mexico for the Creation of the Rio Rancho Public School District, summarized that both the feasibility and the viability of the new district had been thoroughly vetted. The Order further prescribed that APS cede all property north of the Sandoval County line and JVPS cede all property south of then NM 44, now NM 550, to form the new district.

The Order also provided for all tenured faculty in both school districts (professional employees who had been under contract for three or more consecutive years) to be offered employment by the Rio Rancho Public Schools for the 1994–95 school year. This would later become a tricky proposition to work through as both districts were operating on significantly different salary schedules and compensation structures.

The State Department of Education took a very prudent step by sidestepping the lack of a high school in the new district. Since Cibola High School was south of the new boundary, and the JVPS High School was forty miles north, no high school facility existed within the new district. The Order dodged the issue nicely by providing for high school students residing in the newly created district to attend either the APS or JVPS High School that they would have attended prior to the creation of the district. The State Board, however, made its expectations explicit when it noted that “the Rio Rancho Public School District will provide a high school program as soon as feasible.”

The Order contemplated a planning year—the 1993–94 school year—for the new district to operate without students while the infrastructure to run the new system was being developed. Students would become official Rio Rancho Public School students with the opening of school for the 1994–95 school year. During this time, however, both APS and JVPS were to continue to operate their schools within the new boundaries without any interference from the new RRPS Board or any of its staff.

The professional staff of both districts—“certified school instructors” in the parlance of the Order—were both treated in an identical manner, although the implications for the JVPS staff were far different from those of the APS employees. All tenured professional staff (having been employed three or more consecutive years by their employing district) were ordered to be offered employment by the newly created district for the 1994–95 school year. While this theoretically gave both groups of teacher the option of returning to their home district or opting for the adventure of being part of a brand-new system, the reality was quite different. APS would have had little difficulty absorbing most of the teachers had the majority opted to return to APS.

A far different scenario, however, was facing the JVPS staff. Since well over half the students in JVPS would attend the newly created district, the teaching positions simply would not be available to absorb any substantial number of JVPS staff who wanted to stay with their original system. As a result, the majority of the JVPS staff would become Rio Rancho employees.

In the Order, the State Board created an Interim Board of Education and in the document specifically named Karla Walker, Barbara Harris, and Robert Fuentes as the Interim Board. Mark Lautman was named as an alternate in the event that one of the three could not serve.

With the homework done, the “t's crossed and the “i's dotted,” formal action was scheduled for Friday, July 9, 1993. The State Board of Education chose to meet at the Bernalillo High School media center to make this nearly unprecedented decision. President James Sanchez called for the vote by his SBE colleagues and as Secretary Millie Pogna recorded the eleven ayes and one nay at 1:55 p.m. on the afternoon of July 9, the Rio Rancho Public Schools was born.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Clara Trimboli Clara Trimboli, Teacher, Math Interventionist, Colinas del Norte Elementary. Twenty Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Success.

I choose to be part of RRPS because of its focus on being the best student-centered district in the state. Years ago we developed our own Math Assessments to be administered throughout all the elementary schools at the same time, to ensure that all our students were learning the same standards and ready to reach proficiency levels on the state assessment. RRPS has always been in the forefront of educational research and new trends. Everyone is committed to making sure that our students are all learning to the best of their abilities.

“SEND MONEY!” Karla Walker then-RRPS Board President in a fax to Michael Davis

Rio Rancho Public Schools—the first newly chartered school district in nearly thirty years. A new Board hires the first school administrators to organize personnel and structures in anticipation of the arrival of the first class of students. 50

PA R T 3 :

Rio Rancho Public Schools—But No Students Yet (1993–1994)

CHAPTER 9:

The First â&#x20AC;&#x153;Superintendentâ&#x20AC;? Is Appointed

arla Walker, Barbara Harris, and Robert Fuentes faced a challenge of major proportion. As an appointed Interim Board of Education for the Rio Rancho Public Schools they were charged with all the responsibilities of a duly elected Board of Education but lacked students, staff and funding.

The Order failed to create a budget for the Interim Board. Although, Superintendent Morgan had made $100,000 of discretionary funds available to the new district, this would soon prove to not be nearly enough. In reality, they faced two prime tasks. First, they needed to begin the formal process of governing the new district. The governance Karla Walker, Robert Fuentes and Barbara Harris, 1993. process involved adopting compliance policies, finding a space for the district to begin its operations, and selecting an interim superintendent to serve as the executive officer for the fledgling district. The second major task they faced was working with their interim superintendent to create the five electoral districts, which would then become the basis for conducting the upcoming October elections for the first publicly elected Board of Education. Once these elected Board members were sworn in, the Interim Board would hand all responsibilities over to their newly elected successors. Harris and Walker both had prior Board experience serving on the Jemez Valley Public Schools Board of Education to which Walker had been elected and Harris had been appointed. They recognized the need to find the right person who would work with the three Interim Board members effectively, who had a broad enough perspective of the educational processes within the state of New Mexico to keep the new Board legal and on track as they moved through uncharted territory, and at the same time be someone who had the trust and respect of the broader educational community in New Mexico. They found that person in Dr. James P. Miller. Miller, a thin, high-energy man with an infectious smile and an always-ready story to share, had a long and highly regarded career in the public schools of New Mexico. In 1971, Miller moved to Albuquerque from Gadsden to complete his doctorate at UNM

and not long after that had moved to the challenging position of the superintendency in Santa Fe.

After Miller’s service in the Santa Fe position he had been tapped by thenGovernor Toney Anaya to serve as his Chief of School Finance. Miller had served in that capacity with distinction, but his real interest resided in schools and School Boards, so after an eighteen-month stretch, Jim Miller began doing what he loved most: serving as an interim superintendent and helping School Boards across the state.

Jim Cleveland, Joe Cordova, and Matt DeAveiro work to get the first district office ready for business, 1994.

On Monday, August 2, 1993, the Interim Board took one of its first formal actions and appointed Dr. James P. Miller as the interim superintendent of the Rio Rancho Public Schools. Miller was the superintendent as a contractor but he was not an employee of the district. That individual was yet to be hired.

The new district needed office First district offices, 1994. space to both conduct business and begin organizing the mass of material that would be required to make the district operational. In anticipation of the long-range plan for a northern extension of Unser Boulevard from Interstate 40 north to NM 550, the City of Rio Rancho had condemned the office complex known as Sunland Plaza.

Since the building wasn't long for this world, the City of Rio Rancho was totally agreeable to making this available to the new Interim School Board as the district's administrative office for a nominal fee lease. The district had an official address. With a telephone line installed the district now could be called and faxed. Karla Walker recalls with an impish grin that she tested the fax machine by finding the only available paper, a roll of hand towels in a restroom, tearing off a strip, whipping out a sharpie, scrawling in bold letters “SEND MONEY!” and faxing

it to Assistant State Superintendent of Instruction, Michael Davis.

Miller began working with Sandoval County officials and demographers to help draft the outlines of the School Board electoral districts that would constitute the permanent districts for the elected Board of Education. The challenge was to create five reasonably compact and contiguous districts, which equally balanced the current population, and also anticipated the projected growth of the new school community. The Interim Board approved the newly drawn electoral district lines, and October 12, 1993, was set for election day.

Miller also had to develop a budget for the 1993â&#x20AC;&#x201C;94 school year for a district that had no children (yet). He was clear that operating strictly on the $100,000 that had been allocated was not feasible. He advised State Superintendent Morgan â&#x20AC;&#x153;how foolish it would be for all concerned to begin a school district with $100,000 startup cost budget. The district would be hopelessly crippled, a genuine disaster Lincoln Middle School, opened in 1983 (photo 2014). for the Rio Rancho children, families and employees.â&#x20AC;? And then Miller offered his solution: create a Blue Ribbon Committee of knowledgeable educators from across the state to develop a startup budget proposal for the legislature to fund during its next session. Morgan agreed, issued the invitations and respected educators from across the state joined Miller for a full-day working session on August 26, 1993. Dr. Miller's work with the Blue Ribbon Committee helped validate his projections and Miller presented a $584,464 operational budget and a $488,577 technology budget to the Interim Board, which was approved. Miller's gambit had paid off; the credibility of the Blue Ribbon Committee proved instrumental in gaining legislative approval.

Jim Miller had actively been visiting all schools in the boundaries of the newly created district. He intended during these visits to answer questions, assuage fears and concerns, and begin building the sense of identity, which would prove crucial over the weeks and months ahead. His proactive engagement at each building became even more important as the severance from APS and Jemez Valley became more of a reality, and the count-

down to the district becoming its own entity with the opening of school for the 1994â&#x20AC;&#x201C;95 school year continued.

Jim Miller recalls that probably the best decision he made during the entire time he served as interim superintendent was hiring Amalia â&#x20AC;&#x153;Emaâ&#x20AC;? Archibeque-Dreher. Jim's wife, Millie, had been assisting him and the Interim Board at no cost, but she was clearly carrying a heavy uncompensated load. Miller had finally come to the conclusion that at the very least an administrative assistant was a requisite to preserve both his sanity and Millie's health. When the position was advertised the desk was quickly piled high with prospective applicants. The one that impressed him was hand-delivered by a petite redhead who explained that her prior school district experience in California made her eminently qualified to serve as his administrative assistant. She was not wrong, and with formal Board action Ema Dreher became employee 000-0001 of the Rio Rancho Public Schools.

The election process for the new Board was managed by Sandoval County. Polling places were announced, filing requirements were publicized, and when the window closed, twenty-three individuals had filed as candidates for the Board positions. In the best

tradition, a series of candidate forums were held in preparation for the October 12 decision. On Wednesday morning, October 13, 1993, the Rio Rancho Observer announced the five winners: Karla Walker in District 1, Jewel Hall in District 2, Carl Harper in District 3, Bob Herman in District 4, and Barbara Harris in District 5. The district had its duly elected trustees.

Thinking of elected School Board members as “trustees” is totally appropriate. The electorate has placed its “trust” in these five elected officials, and they now served as the public's voice in governing the school district. They also had a tremendous fiduciary responsibility in overseeing the finances of the district, but without question their most important responsibility was the selection and oversight of their superintendent. Good School Boards strike that delicate balance between micromanaging and becoming rubber stamps for a superintendent. The new Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education was ready to become not just a good School Board, but an exemplary School Board.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of David Gonzales David Gonzalez, Custodial Foreman, Rio Rancho High School. Twenty Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Rewarding.

I choose to be part of Rio Rancho Public School District to provide for my family and to serve our community. My role is to support our staff and students by providing a safe and clean environment to learn in. I especially enjoy attending the Crimson Dinner and the Phoenix Dinner. The Crimson Dinner is an honorary dinner for the top 25 graduating students at RRHS and the Phoenix Dinner honors the most improved graduating students. The student earns an award for their academic achievement and then recognizes an influential teacher or staff member that made a difference in their education. Both dinners demonstrate RRPS commitment to student excellence by recognizing and honoring students and staff. 56

CHAPTER 10:

The First Elected Board Takes Charge n Thursday, October 14, 1993, at a special meeting held at City Hall, the five elected Board members were sworn into duty by Municipal Court Judge Richard Wiles.

Karla Walker recalls the judge's admonition, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now that you've been sworn in, be prepared to be sworn at.â&#x20AC;? Walker, who resided in District 1, was elected president at the first meeting.

Barbara Harris from District 5 was selected as vice-president. Her prior experience on the JVPS Board and the Interim Board had given her a clear understanding of the challenges ahead.

Carl Harper, elected in a very tight race in District 3, was a CPA and had five school-age children in the district. Carl was selected by his colleagues to serve as the Board's first secretary.

Jewel Hall, who had run against four other candidates in District 2, was a retired teacher from APS. She had a strong background in teacher advocacy having been president of the ATF organization in the Albuquerque District.

The first elected Board of Education, October 1993.

Bob Herman, a soft-spoken but very thoughtful man, was also a parent with children in the district. Bob, who was elected from District 4, was the owner of a thriving paint contracting company.

They then drew for the staggered terms. Herman and Hall both drew the two-year lots, meaning their terms would expire in February 1995.

“Miller's Out,” read the headline in the October 20 Rio Rancho Observer. In their very first controversial decision which generated a great deal of consternation in the community and in the schools, the new Board terminated Jim Miller's contract. The new Board would be requesting proposals for additional interim superintendent services. Miller took it very well and made the comment that, “One thing is very clear: the Board has the absolute authority to make that decision and they made one.”

In order to put the controversy to rest, the board contracted with an additional educational consultant, Dr. Hugh Prather. Dr. Prather would work with Dr. Miller. Hugh Prather had recently retired as the superintendent of the Los Lunas Public Schools and was a native New Mexican. His work in the public schools within the state provided him with one additional advantage for what the new Board was facing. He had served for fifteen years as an administrator in Albuquerque Public Schools prior to moving to Los Lunas and was well acquainted with Hugh Prather and Jim Miller, 1994. individuals in APS with whom the new district would have to work for a successful transition. Having both Miller and Prather as “co-interim superintendents,” settled some of the concerns and let these two seasoned administrators get down to the hard work of bringing the new district online. Prather and Miller, realizing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, divided their responsibilities so that both administrators' strengths could be brought to the daunting task of setting up a school system from scratch.

Miller accepted the responsibility of working with the new Board to identify the characteristics they sought in their permanent superintendent and promptly set about the task of advertising the position. The RRPS Board was intent on a national search and was desirous of attracting a superintendent who would become a visionary leader.

Prather began working on the details of the transition with both JVPS and APS in anticipation of the July 1, 1994 severance. Issues that needed to be resolved ranged from the significant to the mundane. How would personnel files be transferred? What kind of health insurance coverage would the new employees have? How would the cafeteria services be organized and managed? What about school buses?

Prather also began working with the principals to listen to their concerns, share updates on progress that was being made, and get them actively involved in the process. The principals almost to a person were respected by their staffs. Prather worked to make sure that each was valued to help keep as many of the exceptionally good staff members in the new district's schools as the severance took place.

At the same time, Prather began the required process of “going out with Requests for Proposals (RFPs)” for a whole range of support services. The state procurement code required competitive proposals for professional services where the annual projected expenditures for fees would exceed $25,000. Thus RFPs were issued for legal services, architectural services, information technology services, and financial advisement services. As these proposals were responded to and prospective lawyers, architects, financial advisors, and IT professionals were identified, the recommendations were brought to the new Board for its approval.

Capital needs were also on the table. Lincoln was crowded, Mountain View needed a library and a gym, as growth continued unabated. Special funds could be sought from the State through a process known as “Critical Capital Outlay” which would augment any bond issue funds the district would raise through the standard “Bond Issue” election process. By late November 1993 the facility needs were beginning to come into focus. Mountain View became the top priority with a request for $8 million to complete the new

middle school. Even with the help of Ema Dreher and the interim superintendent team of Miller and Prather, preparing the Critical Capital Outlay application was a daunting task. Carl Harper recalls walking into the old Sunland Plaza Complex one evening to find both President Walker and Vice-President Harris on their hands and knees in the Board room with stacks of paper around them. When he asked what they were doing Karla turned to him and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well don't just stand there, get down here and help us collate this Critical Capital Outlay application because it has to be hand-carried to Santa Fe in the morning!â&#x20AC;?

Hugh Prather, Amelia Dreher and Jim Miller, 1994.

Legislative support was an important component of both getting the special appropriation for operational funds for the balance of the year and getting the money from the legislature to pay off the debt that the JVPS Board had incurred to build the first phase of Mountain View and build the library and gym. State Representative Vince Martinez proved a critical ally as both the operational and capital needs for the balance of the school year were clarified. He put together a

legislative package that would provide the operational support for the balance of the year at the level identified by the Blue Ribbon Committee. As in all things political the process works best if you have allies in both houses and the fledgling district benefited from both Senator Joseph Carraro and Senator Virgil Rhodes who were on board with identical legislation in the Senate. This legislative support early in the district's history can be viewed as one of the key elements in helping ensure the district's long-term success.

While Prather was busy with the operational details, Miller was progressing with the superintendent search process. With the Board's blessing, he brought together a Steering Committee comprised of eighteen staff and community participants, chaired by George Jackson, principal of Mountain View Middle School. The process involved nationwide advertising and then careful screening by the committee under Miller's guidance of the initial pool of over forty applicants. The semifinalists were from various regions of the country, with only one from New Mexico. On December 20, 1993, the field was narrowed to four finalists: Daniel Johnson from Cherry Creek, Colorado; Don Baumberger of Rock Springs, Wyoming; Frank Gomez from Ignacio, Colorado; and Virginia Sue Cleveland 60

from Gaffney, South Carolina. A week later the finalists were brought in for a public presentation at the Cibola High School Performing Arts Center. On December 28, the standing-roomonly crowd heard each applicant respond to a prepared set of questions. The following day the Board spent individual time with each applicant looking for fit and leadership. On Thursday, December 30, the Board announced its decision: Dr. Virginia Sue Cleveland was selected as the first superintendent of the Rio Rancho Public Schools.

Senator Joseph Carraro

Senator Virgil Rhodes

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Joe Rubalcaba Joe Rubalcaba, Special Education, Independence High School. Ten Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Innovative.

While I was coaching wrestling at another district I came to Rio Rancho for the state wrestling meet and immediately knew I wanted my family to be a part of the Schools and city. The district has established protocols and best practices in education. These protocols keep staff and teacher moving toward a common goal. One example is our Operations Manual for Support Services, which is used in Special Education. Although very simple, it is a great resource that gives teachers best practices. Not all students are built to attend a traditional high school, so I love the fact the district gives students a choice to attend Independence High School or RR Cyber Academy.

CHAPTER 11:

Superintendent Cleveland’s on Board

ue Cleveland was no stranger to New Mexico. Her family had roots in the Estancia Valley and both her parents had attended school in Stanley and Albuquerque. Sue also attended the Albuquerque Public Schools, graduating from Sandia High School and then earning a B.A. in English and History from the University of New Mexico. Advanced studies came at New Mexico State University with an M.A. in curriculum and instruction and history.

After several years teaching with the Las Cruces Public Schools, she and her husband, Jim, moved to Houston where she held several leadership roles of increasing scope in the Deer Park School District, a suburb of the Houston metroplex. Sue earned her V. Sue Cleveland, Ed.D., 1994. Ed.D. at the University of Houston with a joint focus on curriculum and instruction and leadership. She was serving as an assistant superintendent in the Cherokee County School District just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, and on the border of South Carolina when she was tapped for the superintendency there in 1990.

The superintendency of Rio Rancho Public Schools was a chance to come back to New Mexico and presented an enticing opportunity to build something new. Dr. Cleveland had impressed everyone with her open demeanor and her readiness to listen. Board member Bob Herman probably summed it up most succinctly when he observed, “She's got a personality that people trust instantly.”

On Wednesday, February 2, 1994, Sue reported for work at the district office. She found one employee, two consultants, and a handful of temporary staff and volunteers ready to gear up under her leadership and continue the transition that would take place over the next six months.

Dr. Cleveland had done her homework well and understood that once the school district became its own entity on July 1, 1994, the priority was to address the critical space needs facing all of the district’s schools and organize educational programs to produce a “break the mold” school system.

Additionally, she had to thoughtfully oversee the merging of two very distinct school district cultures, keeping those things which had been working well in each, while building the new culture of the Rio Rancho Public Schools. During those first several months Sue was taking in information at a phenomenal pace, meeting with leaders and key staff of each school, asking questions and listening.

Dr. Cleveland also had the task of assessing the competencies and capabilities of the district's principals. She held one-on-one meetings with each principal to discuss the core cultural and operational elements of the new district. The discussions were frank and open around expectations and commitment. It was important to Dr. Cleveland that the decision to remain with the new district be a collaborative and mutual decision. By May, six of the seven principals (86 percent) stayed with the district and 254 teachers of 323 (79 percent) chose to stick with their principals and not return to their parent districts. When school opened in August familiar faces would greet students and parents.

As the months unfolded, Dr. Cleveland was continually impressed by the quality of the individuals she met. The Principal Financial Group staffed by Paul Cassidy, Kevin Powers, and Charles Casey had been selected as the financial advisors for the district. On her very first day, Charles Casey had accompanied Sue to Santa Fe to introduce her to the critical capital outlay process. Later, Charles Casey created an independent financial consulting company and has served RRPS as its financial advisor for twenty years.

Dr. Cleveland also had a number of legal issues to deal with, and competent legal representation was provided by the firm of Simons, Cuddy, and Friedman, which had been the sole respondent to the RFP for district legal services. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cuddy firmâ&#x20AC;? represented the vast majority of school districts across the state and were highly regarded in their practice of school law. The attorney who was initially assigned to the Rio Rancho District, Charlotte Hetherington, had prior experience in working with the Jemez Valley Board. A productive and very positive client/attorney relationship developed. Charlotte has served the district as its legal counsel for two decades.

Bond Consultant, Charles Casey, 2014.

A set of complex capital facilities questions faced the district and Dr. Cleveland needed to be provided with good counsel regarding new facilities (including the future high school) as well as issues within existing buildings. Administrative office space would have to be found relatively soon for the district administrative offices since Sunland Plaza was scheduled for the wrecking ball. The December 1993 RFP for architectural services had surfaced a bright and highly energetic young architect in the person of John Friedman. John was no stranger to creating innovative, cost-saving designs for public schools and had a number of successful projects under his belt.

Business leaders provided a great deal of direction and support for the April bond election that would fund renovations and new construction. In the early days, key business leaders such as Michael Castillo, vice-president at AMREP, and Matt DeAveiro provided wise counsel on land and infrastructure requirements. Both leaders also volunteered on numerous bond election committees and played major roles in building the facilities that would house the children of the community.

Dr. Cleveland worked to build relationships that would yield important and lasting partnerships over the years. She and newly elected Rio Rancho Mayor, Tom Swisstack, obtained Rio Rancho City Council approval to create a twenty-three-person task force to explore sharing city services and resources with the new school district. The mayor's philosophy was that the community was built around families and children, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the better they [city and school district] worked together, the better the quality of life would be in the community.â&#x20AC;?

John Friedman with Lincoln Middle School and Rio Rancho High School Principal Katy Harvey, 1997.

Matt DeAveiro, 2014.

Mike Castillo, 2014.

Another critical partner was the Rio Rancho state legislative delegation. The new superintendent clearly understood that the unique ways New Mexico schools were 65

funded required a productive and positive working relationship with the district's legislators.

The districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first bond issue election and a two-mill levy would come before voters in early April. The New Mexico method of funding school building projects asks voters to approve the issuance of school district bonds, which are then repaid through property taxes. The two-mill levy was an additional tax mechanism which provided money for the repair and maintenance of facilities through an annual assessment paid through property taxes. Passage of both of these funding mechanisms would be critical to demonstrate to the state government that the taxpayers of the community were solidly behind the new school district, paving the way for approval of additional dollars from the State's Critical Capital Outlay fund.

Dick Muenzer, another able volunteer, chaired a bond issue task group who were out in force promoting this pivotal election. They were collectively ecstatic on April 12, when by a three-to-one majority voters approved the $27.1 million bond issue and the two-mill levy. Thus began a string of bond issue and mill levy successes that have continued to this day. In order to build a collaborative relationship with the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School Board, Dr. Cleveland again turned to one-on-one dialogue. Through a series of meetings she spent quality time to get to know each of the five members and then brought the Board together in a retreat setting where they each learned more about one another and to become an effective team.

With all this going on, the new superintendent still had a major piece of work to do: assembling her district team.

Dick Muenzer (center) and Richard Freeman (right), 1994.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Lee Carn

Lee Carn, District School Nurse Coordinator. Twenty Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Steadfast.

I was with Albuquerque Public Schools when the district was formed and I chose to join RRPS because I thought there would be a great opportunity to make a difference with innovative ideas and a smaller population. As a school nurse I have been able to brag to my state colleagues about my superintendent and school board and their commitment to our districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s school nurses. Their continuing commitment to having a school nurse and health assistant in every school underscores their dedication to the health of the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students and staff.

CHAPTER 12:

The District Leadership Team Forms

xceptional school systems result from exceptional leadership. Dr. Cleveland recognized the need for a quality leadership team from day one. The new superintendent began a thoughtful and deliberate assessment of the organizational structure needed to meet the exceptionally high expectations of the community. She formed a committee including Jim Owen from Intel and Julian Garza who owned the local McDonald’s franchises and worked with that group to determine the very best way to structure the administrative team that would meet the requirements of a top performing school district.

Her advantage in this complex process was that she worked from a blank page. No structure existed; no incumbents were in place (except for the top quality cadre of principals who chose to remain). The team went to work to structure the ideal organizational chart—one that would put the focus on instruction.

The Board approved the resulting plan during the budget development process and won kudos from both the staff and the community as it was unveiled. In April the Rio Rancho Board approved a budget with an The first District Office Leadership Team, 1994. administrative overhead 25 percent under the statewide average. The new district started with a lean administrative staff, which added significantly to the challenges faced during the first year.

The new district received an impressive stack of applications and resumés. The prospect of becoming a “plank owner” (a U.S. Navy term referring to a crew member who was on board a naval vessel when that ship was placed in commission) was attractive for most educators. Many of the best and brightest were eager to be part of a school district with a flat organizational structure, an exciting vision of the future, and a community that was both supportive and engaged. The new superintendent had a very deep pool of applicants from which to select. The process to select the leadership team involved thorough reference checks, screening, and in-depth interviews. Dr. Cleveland chose an interview process that involved inviting key community representatives to participate along with some key staff members from

the seven schools which would become the district on July 1. The panels really put the applicants through their paces, and Dr. Cleveland does not recall a single recommendation that ran counter to her own best judgment.

Dr. Diana Moon was chosen as the assistant superintendent for instruction. She came to Rio Rancho from the Spokane Public Schools in Washington. Diana had been very active in a range of professional organizations and her networking skills proved to be invaluable during her tenure in the position. Dr. Cleveland recalls that Diana's energy level was a contributing factor in her selection. There was a ton of work to be done, and it was going to take intelligent, high-energy people to not just get the work done but to get the work done correctly.

Glynes Foster joined the district as the director of human resources. Glynes, had grown up on the high plains of New Mexico in the small rural community of Grady. She had served as the assistant to the superintendent in the JVPS District. Glynes' personality, demeanor, and work ethic were ideally suited for human resources work, and an amazing amount of work needed to be done. Getting personnel files from the APS vaults was proving to be difficult. So, in response Glynes packed up her copier, grabbed a couple of temporary support personnel, and headed for APS. A couple of days later she returned with copies of all of the records.

Richard Herrera came aboard as the director of facilities. He had been the director of the physical plant at Northern New Mexico College in Espa単ola. What made Rich most attractive, however, had been his broad base of experience in the private sector, with Boeing in Seattle, the Arabian Bechtel Company in the Middle East, and for a while he was the co-owner of his own company, Designs Plus. Richard had received training in architecture and secondary education from the University of New Mexico, giving him an ideal perspective from which to provide leadership regarding the facility needs which were facing the district.

Diana Moon, 1994.

Glynes Foster, 1994.

Richard Herrera, 2002.

Richard Bruce was selected by Dr. Cleveland and her committees to manage what at the time was a newly emerging aspect of public education: information management. Richard came on board as the director of information management systems with a background that was ideal for the demands of managing complex 69

organizations and delivering instruction in classrooms through the use of technology. Richard was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and had recently retired after a distinguished career. While on assignment he had garnered an MBA in data processing from the University of Texas at Austin and had been serving at Kirtland Air Force Base just prior to his retirement. Richard had another important linkage to the school system. His wife, Barbara, was teaching at the time at Ernest Stapleton Elementary School and later became a long-tenured principal at Rio Rancho Elementary School until she retired in 2013.

Dr. Cleveland recalls that one of the most attractive things in addition to Richardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong background in information management was his training in process development and making sure that things were not just done, but that they were done correctly. He quickly became a linchpin within the system in setting up the processes that would make the district function smoothly. Those smoothly functioning processes became one of the hallmarks of a very effective school system. Richard went on to become the chief operations officer of the district.

Richard Bruce, 1990s.

Randy Evans, the director of finance, was the youngest member of the team. Randy had been managing the financial, administrative, and information services at United Way of Central New Mexico at the time he was selected for the Rio Rancho position. Randy recalls a rigorous interview with a committee of very knowledgeable financial experts Sue had invited from throughout the community.

Randy was at the beginning of his career and found some great mentors in the New Mexico Association of School Business Officials and within his first six months made some career-long connections. He particularly recalls the great support given him by Val Anderson with finance and human resources at the Jemez Valley Public Schools. The arrangement Dr. Miller had made with Superintendent Dwyer, for the Jemez Valley District to handle all of the finances for the Rio Rancho Public Schools during the 1993â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 94 transition year. Val was gracious and supportive in helping Randy get the Rio Rancho system up and running, and Randy recalls her fondly to this day with a real debt of gratitude.

It takes a leader with a unique set of skills to meet the needs of' special students. The district was very fortunate to find a mix of skills and passion in an employee already in the district, Maggie Cordova, who was brought on as the director of special services. Maggie had grown up with a disability, so she had great empathy for those students with special needs. She had taught special education in Lubbock, Texas, before she and her 70

family arrived in Albuquerque and she went to work for APS. She moved to Rio Rancho in 1984 shortly after Puesta del Sol opened and served as the school's lead special education teacher before becoming the assistant principal.

Superintendent Cleveland recalls that during the close of Maggie's interview when she was asked if there was anything she would like to add, Maggie responded, “If you don't hire me for this job, you will be making a serious mistake!” That unique “balance between being forceful and unassuming,” as Dr. Cleveland observed, turned out to be one of her most valuable attributes in bringing the special education programs in the district online and helping them become exemplary. APS was more than happy to release the student records for special education students. Unfortunately, the release came in the form of dropping fifteen boxes of student records on the back porch of the Sunland Plaza Complex on a windy afternoon. Needless to say the West Mesa wind would have made short work of those records had Maggie not frantically rallied her colleagues and retrieved them quickly, getting them into a safe and secure location.

Randy Evans, 2002.

Maggie was legally blind and served as a role model to many. A short ten years into her career as executive director of special services, Maggie lost her battle to a second round of cancer on January 13, 2005. In the 2005–06 school year the Maggie Maggie Cordova, 2002. Cordova Elementary School opened in her honor. Subsequently, the New Mexico Council of Administrators of Special Education (NMCASE) further honored her memory with the creation of the annual Maggie Cordova Award for the top New Mexico special education administrator. Maggie was posthumously honored by the national Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) Harrie M. Selznick CASE Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes individuals who have been careerlong leaders in the administration of special education programs and have made significant contributions to the field over extended professional careers. It is CASE’s highest national honor. She will always remain a special memory in the hearts and minds of those who knew her. Dr. Cleveland had her team, and each member rapidly dug in, attacking the mountain of work to be done before the opening of school just a few short months away. They worked long hours and stayed late. This was truly a marathon, not a sprint.

The elementary school named for Maggie Cordova opened in 2005.

Illustrative of some of the challenges remaining before the schools could go operational was a discovery made early on the morning of July 1, 1994. Katy Harvey called Superintendent Cleveland to report that not a single utensil, pot, pan, mixer, or any other device to prepare and serve the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; food remained in the Lincoln kitchen. A quick check of the other four APS schools revealed the same status. Nothing had been left in any of the five APS schools' cafeterias. The stripping of the cafeteria equipment resulted from a disagreement over the wording of the Order of Creation. After this was brought to their attention, APS returned the food preparation utensils and equipment and in a number of cases APS ended up buying brand-new utensils and some equipment so that the cafeterias were completely restocked before students walked through the doors.

A similar dilemma presented itself at Rio Rancho Elementary when the parents reported to Richard Herrera that all of the APS mowing equipment had disappeared, presumably making its way back into the APS Maintenance and Operations Department. The parents cared so much about their community that they turned out to support the Operations Team and attacked several acres of grass with their personal lawn mowers. Subsequently, industrial mowing equipment was purchased and the district grounds crew began taking care of the facilities.

The districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transportation services were initially handled by the two major school bus contractors, which had served APS-Herrera Bus Company and Helweg and Farmer. The 72

district ultimately assumed student transportation services.

Food service for school districts is always a challenge. For the first year of cafeteria operation the district received food from one kitchen in Enchanted Hills, operated under contract by Canteen Food Services. Subsequently, the district engaged Sodexo and began a partnership that remains in place at the twenty-year anniversary mark.

All minor bumps aside and thanks in no small part to the long hours and intense labor on the team's part, things went relatively smoothly for the rest of July and into August. An exciting day lay just ahead: the opening for the very first time of the Rio Rancho Public Schools.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Adam Peterson

Adam Peterson, Science Teacher, Rio Rancho Middle School and Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach, Rio Rancho High School. Nine Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Epic.

We were living in Montana when my wife was accepted to the University of New Mexico to pursue her doctorate in American West Studies. Friends who had recently moved to Montana from New Mexico recommended that we consider the west side of Albuquerque. By coincidence Rio Rancho Public Schools was holding a job fair for prospective teachers at the same time as our relocation visit. I was amazed at how nice the schools were and by the helpfulness of the staff. Over the years, I found the staff open to a wide variety of teaching practices and technology. I believe this has helped place the district above many of the other school districts across the nation.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Create a school district that will be number one in the state and in the country.â&#x20AC;? Virginia Trujillo then-President of the New Mexico State Board of Education

The politics, approvals, and organization pay off. Students arrive and classroom size automatically begins to swell. 74

PA R T 4 :

Opening Day—Rio Rancho Public School Students at Last (1994–1995)

STUDENT SUCCESS

Holly Marquez

olly Marquez, the 2010 Rio Rancho High School student body president, feels a powerful affinity for the school district. The recent 2014 University of New Mexico graduate looks back over her thirteen-year experience in Rio Rancho schools with fond memories and an appreciation for all the personal support provided by her teachers. Holly started as a kindergarten student at Enchanted Hills Elementary where she found a comfortable school environment with caring teachers. When she moved to Mountain View Middle School, Holly joined the band and found an outlet for her love of music. She remembers the strong support provided by band instructor Robert Barrette. “He cared about me not just as a music student but as a person!”

Ms. Marquez views Barrette and his colleagues as representatives of a school system culture that encourages caring about students as a key part of education. Holly proudly recounts that, “Gosh, over twenty of my former teachers are now my Facebook friends.” She finds it wonderful that she can still rely on their wisdom and judgment as she moves into young adulthood.

Holly was one of the students who had the opportunity to experience the Rio Rancho Mid-High School in operation where her music skills were sharpened. She was well prepared to become a marching band student when she moved into Rio Rancho High School and remembers band teacher, Kurt Schmidt, with great appreciation.

High School presented Holly with rigorous coursework both in regular and Advanced Placement classes. Following graduation, Holly enrolled at UNM and commented, “After Rio Rancho High, college seemed like a breeze; I read more books in high school than I think I did in college. . .I really was prepared.”

Armed with a B.A. in communications and Spanish, Holly has now entered the world of work as a customer service representative for Rio Grande Dermatology. She's comfortable that if her graduate education career choices take her either into law or marketing, she's well equipped with the tools to succeed.

CHAPTER 13: Opening Day Euphoria

he community celebration of the district's creation on July 1, 1994, was as one participant recalls “an awesome event but at the same time a bit scary!” The first day of July was a hot day, but the heat in no way diminished the enthusiasm and excitement of everyone in attendance. The first student arrived in a Limo. Others arrived in a school bus draped in blue, as a visible signal that the Rio Rancho Public Schools District was now a reality. Those assembled represented all aspects of the community: students and parents, business leaders, industry executives, local and state government officials, and, of course, staff from all Opening Day Ceremony, July 1, 1994. three districts.

Rio Rancho Mayor Tom Swisstack served as the master of ceremonies. Alice King, New Mexico's then-first lady, and then-U.S. Congressman Bill Richardson were keynote speakers. Dick Muenzer, who had chaired the First Day Committee and who would subsequently be elected to the School Board, assisted Mayor Swisstack. The national anthem was sung by Rio Rancho student, Jessica Bachicha, a young woman with a powerful voice who became a professional singer and a university music professor.

Representatives from both JVPS and APS turned over the symbolic “keys” from the two districts' schools to Dr. Cleveland. The symbolism was powerful, a poignant moment, when the superintendent held in her hand for the first time keys that belonged to the seven schools which now formed the Rio Rancho Public Schools. State Board of Education President, Virginia M. Trujillo, challenged the district “to create a school district that will be number one in the state and in the country!”

Thursday, August 11, 1994, was “opening day” for teachers. The “convocation” took place in the gymnasium at Lincoln Middle School with nearly 550 district employees assembled: 395 teachers and 150 staff members. The convocation has become a tradition.

Dr. Cleveland delivered the opening address, thanking the teachers for their pioneer spirit, for believing in the district, and deciding to be part of the future. She also reminded them of the tremendous responsibility of serving the educational needs of the kindergarten through eighth-grade students who would be walking through their doors the following week.

On Monday, August 15, 1994, buses ran their routes with a new name emblazoned on the sides; no more APS, no more JVPS, just Rio Rancho Public Schools. On a humorous note, converting the name on all of the buses took some time. So for the first several weeks Tom Coyle, who was handling transportation for the districts, would field calls from puzzled parents asking why their Rio Rancho child had been picked up by an APS bus. Slightly over fifty-nine hundred students attended that first day, a few less than the expected enrollment figure as some parents were watching to see if the new district would be acceptable.

Dr. Cleveland visited all seven district schools that first day, starting a tradition which would continue over the years. There were a few minor snags but she reported that overall the day â&#x20AC;&#x153;went beautifully . . . without any serious problems.â&#x20AC;? As the youngsters flocked through the doorways, school opened in five elementary and two middle schools for the first time with Rio Rancho Public School students.

CHAPTER 14: The First Year

t would be accurate to report that the first year for the brand-new district was stressful. It would also be accurate to acknowledge that this same sense of pressure brought the District Leadership Team closer together, forging strong relationships. There was an almost constant sense of urgency to act and respond as new issues developed and at the same time, the growing bond within the team created many opportunities for having fun as they worked to build something entirely new.

There were traditions to be created, new processes to be designed and new people to be hired. At each of the seven school buildings new children were walking through the doors and moving into classrooms. Rafts of unanticipated questions were presented that demanded responses. The District Leadership Team had diverse backgrounds and experiences. They enjoyed one another and brought their experiences forward to help shape the culture of the new district.

The culture of an organization expresses itself in how business is done. During the first year the most repeated question became, “Do we 'do' things the way we used to 'do' them in the district I worked in before, or do we 'do' them differently—the way we're going to be 'doing' them in RRPS?” So they began to develop the business rules and the principles that would guide Rio Rancho Public Schools.

Wynna (Wynn) Olmon, 1995.

A completely new “school system” was being created. In the past, principals knew who to call to deal with daily operational issues, but the practices and policies were not yet created and communicated that first year. While larger Board policies were in place that mandated what the salary schedule would look like, which firms would provide food services and transportation, answers to questions like who to call if you needed to deal with a student's food allergy, how to deal with a routinely late bus driver, or how to make special accommodations for a teacher suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome were not yet answered. Establishing these procedures was a huge part of year one for the Rio Rancho Public Schools.

The staff was hard at work dealing with the pressing details of effectively running a school system, while the Board was engaged in addressing policy issues that were being placed before it. The cultures of the previous districts came to into play. APS had a long tradition of collective bargaining between the Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF) and the APS School Board. JVPS teachers on the other hand were involved in the National Education Association of New Mexico (NEA-NM). Ultimately RRPS went with a hybrid unique in the state, a combination of the NEA-NM and the ATF Union. An election was conducted. Wynna Olmon was elected the first president and the School Board engaged in the formal collective bargaining process which resulted in a contract and a negotiated agreement.

A strategic planning process was initiated midway through the first year. In designing the process the Board requested that two-thirds of the planning team be from the community. So Dr. Cleveland brought key community members, key staff, and District Leadership Team members together at a retreat for a facilitated session. This initial strategic planning activity became the first of a triennial tradition of gathering key staffers and community members together to keep the district focused on the future.

The central focus emerging from this strategic planning session was the challenge of a new high school. Concurrently the group identified the simultaneous need of relieving badly overcrowded elementary and middle schools. Dr. Cleveland observed that if the district had five additional schools the day it opened, “they would still have been full.” The strategic planning group also came to recognize that with all the planning in the world there were still going to be unanticipated contingencies which needed to be resolved on an almost daily basis.

One of the fringe benefits of the cross-departmental/cross-community/cross-discipline strategic planning effort was the creation of an ethos of cooperation as departments better understood the challenges other departments were facing and recognized the need to work together. This culture of cooperation would prove vital, as the district would continue to develop.

A metaphor may help explain the complexity of what was being undertaken that first year in the new Rio Rancho District. Imagine a large naval vessel plowing the seas at flank speed. When an order to change course is given on the bridge several miles pass before the noticeable results of the new rudder position can be observed. But a change of direction in education for the Rio Rancho community was indeed taking place.

Teachers in their classrooms were experiencing a major change in culture as well. Angie Adams was a Rio Rancho Elementary School first grade teacher in 1993–94. She, like a number of her colleagues, had to face the challenging decision of whether to stay and become part of the new RRPS District or to accept reassignment and return to APS. Angie was up for the challenge and the excitement of being a “plank owner.” She remembers, “I was excited to be a part of opening Rio Rancho Public School District. There was much energy, excitement, and enthusiasm in the air. The first few weeks of that year required a bit of flexibility and quick thinking as we Results of the first district strategic planning session, 1994. 81

discovered what things had been taken to other APS schools and what had been left for the new district.”

Angie remembers, “One morning while working with a small reading group of first graders one of the students got excited about something he saw written under the table. Jackie ran over and said, 'Mrs. Adams, someone wrote a bad word on the bottom of the table!' I assured Jackie I would look at it later and take care of it. A few minutes later he was back with a slightly puzzled look on his face. 'Mrs. Adams', he whispered. 'I don't know what the bad word is but you spell it APS'. It was hard to keep a straight face as I explained to him that the 'word' was just the initials of the former school district. I still laugh when I think of this story, the missing kitchen equipment, and the 'bad' word.”

The one underlying ingredient that seemed prevalent at the classroom level, at the school level, and at the new district level was a faith that although the challenges were many and the changes were rapid, collectively the staff Angie Adams with Rio Rancho could and would pull together to succeed. There was faith Elementary School students, 1995. in a future that was going to be exemplary. There was faith in a future that was going to serve students with distinction. As the Albuquerque Journal opined in a November 15, 1994 editorial, “It's an exciting and undoubtedly frustrating time for parents, teachers, and administrators. But it's a process that will result in a strong school system, one that becomes an expression of the sense of community of Rio Rancho, one of New Mexico's fastest growing communities. Those involved are making history on the west side of the Rio Grande in the central Valley.”

CHAPTER 15: The District Needs a Home

hroughout the 1994â&#x20AC;&#x201C;95 school year the new district experienced continuing growth. Richard Herrera, director of facilities, began the year hard at work on a number of fronts. Planning was underway for the opening of Colinas del Norte Elementary, which would open the following year. At the same time, he was working with John Friedman, the district architect, to begin designing a new middle school to relieve Lincoln. He was also planning a permanent facility for Mountain View.

By early summer of 1995 Richard was also facing a looming deadline for vacating the Sunland Plaza Complex, which continued to house the district administrative team. Time was clearly running out as the Unser Extension moved steadily forward and the building was destined for demolition.

The district needed a facility that was already built and designed to serve the needs of a single organization. As has often been the case for the district, breaks seem to have occurred just when they were needed most. Lukens Medical Corporation was a supply company involved in creating and manufacturing medical wound closure devices. In 1993 the company had built an attractive office and warehouse complex at 500 Laser Road NE in the growing Rio Rancho industrial area. The corporation had initially put the recently built complex on the market for $2.6 million but with a flat real estate market, had dropped the asking price to $2 million. A motivated seller and an eager buyer were able to consummate the deal with atypical speed, and by late July 1995 the Rio Rancho administrative team had a permanent home in a recently constructed building which was designed for office and warehouse use.

Lukens Building and AMREP Headquarters, 1998.

The District Leadership Team was pleased with its new space. Richard mobilized the district's maintenance crew and very quickly had all the equipment, files, and related paraphernalia moved and in some semblance of order in time for the School Board's August 14 meeting. New furnishings could wait. For the first time the entire central office was under the same roof and staff could move from office to office without going outdoors.

Richard Bruce who was busy setting up the IT network in the new offices recalls that one of his colleagues, Joan Hickman, who had stayed at the Sunland Plaza site to answer the phone while the move was being wrapped up came in into the new office complex shaking her head. “What's the matter,” Richard asked. Joan replied, “When those city demolition crews began coming through and pulling out the toilets I knew it was time to abandon ship.”

The second district office at 500 Laser Road NE built in 1986 and acquired by RRPS in 1995 (photo 2014).

One space problem solved but many, many more required solutions.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was so sweet!â&#x20AC;? Katy Harvey, Principal of Rio Rancho High School reflecting on the first days

Community partnerships respond to the ever-growing demand and create an innovative and vibrant new first high school. 86

PA R T 5 :

Three for the Price of Two . . . Almost! (1995â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1997)

CHAPTER 16: Middle School Pressures

he Board and administration were dealing with a very complex funding challenge. Facility planning was predicated on the assumptions that the funds from the April 1994 bond issue could be stretched to build an elementary school, the non-classroom core facilities for the two middle schools, and a ninth and tenth grade high school. Additional funding would be sought from the state legislature, from the Critical Capital Outlay fund. The dilemma was that building only middle school core facilities would result in an inordinate number of portable classrooms and the public would not see substantial progress in addressing the district’s crowding problems.

Both Lincoln and Mountain View Middle Schools were feeling two divergent sets of pressures as the district's first year began. The pressure in Lincoln’s case was enrollment. The continual inflow of new families had pushed the student enrollment at Lincoln to well over 1,650, the size of most large high schools in the state—over double the intended capacity of the school. And although enrollment pressures were felt at Mountain View, the central issue was perceptions of equity, since Mountain View had been created as a portable facility and all students were housed in portable classrooms on a marginally developed campus. A relief school was badly needed for Lincoln and a new school of bricks and mortar was likewise needed for Mountain View. Consequently, Richard Herrera and John Friedman had to take care of an equally pressing need to get some additional relief for two seriously overcrowded elementary schools which had to be dealt with while the middle schools were being planned. Funds to build the entire new elementary school as a complete project were available, thanks to the bond issue passed in 1994. No time was wasted in working with a school planning committee to create a set of plans and getting bids for the first phase of what would be named Colinas del Norte at 1001 Night Sky Avenue in the far northwest section of the North Hills subdivision.

Colinas del Norte Elementary School, 1995.

Once again partnerships were paying off for the school district and the community. The Night Sky Avenue site had been donated to the district in February 1995 by AMREP (American Realty and Petroleum Corporation). Jim Wall, AMREP president, announced that not only would AMREP Corporation make the land available, they would also assume responsibility for roads to the site and developing the infrastructure. Dr. Cleveland publicly thanked the corporation and commended them for being the only developer in the state with the practice of donating land for schools. “This donation means we can put more money into classrooms.”

Colinas del Norte opened in the fall of the 1995–96 school year under the leadership of Principal Vivian Roper, much to the relief of Enchanted Hills and Puesta del Sol.

John Friedman had prior experience in building schools for a rapidly growing school district. His experience in Los Lunas had taught him that by using the same set of plans with very minor modifications to adapt to the specific site, a school could be built as a “mirror” of a companion school producing savings to both schools of about 20 percent. The other advantage that building two schools simultaneously offered was a chance to drive the bid price down for the construction. Eagle

Vivian Roper (left) and members of the Colinas del Norte PTA, 1997.

Groundbreaking ceremony, Eagle Ridge Middle School, 1995.

Ridge Middle School and the permanent facility for Mountain View Middle School became those “mirror images.” The “mirror image” became unexpectedly helpful when the environmental impact study for the new Mountain View School revealed the archeological site that had likely housed a contingent of Coronado's men in the early 1500s. Two middle schools became a reality with this innovative approach.

Eagle Ridge Middle School, at 800 Fruta Road, with Ruth Miller as its first principal and the Mountain View permanent facility were ready for occupancy as the 1996–97 school year approached.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Jill Beeman Jill Beeman, Sixth Grade Language Arts Teacher, Mountain View Middle School. Eighteen Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Visionary.

At the time of my hiring I was told I would be working on a collaborative team. The team concept was new at the time, but I believed this would be an extremely effective way to educate our middle school students. Over the years the success of this model soon became evident. While the size and demographics of our school have changed over the years, I continue to stay and we continue with this innovation today. I have seen many changes over the years, but one thing has been consistent. We are always willing to be a leader among districts because we are willing to take the lead and change in ways that have positive effects on our students.

CHAPTER 17:

Intel Steps Up and Partnerships Prevail

s the 1994–95 school year was completed, the prospects of a high school anytime soon ranged from slim to none. With the best projections at the time, Sue Cleveland and the Board were facing continued pressure to get a high school built, otherwise students would continue to ride APS buses to Del Norte High School and Cibola High School or be bussed north to Jemez Valley High School. Board President Karla Walker in a classic understatement noted, “This was not an ideal situation.”

The high school dilemma facing Rio Rancho Public Schools called for a creative solution of the first magnitude. The State Department of Education had estimated a high school might be built in ten years if the district took care of the pressing kindergarten through eighth grade facility needs concurrently. Michael Davis had pointed out to Dr. Cleveland, “You will only have the core of a high school and portables everywhere.” Available construction monies were committed to address critical elementary and middle school overcrowding and at the time a first-class high school (a priority from the community's and parents' perspectives) would cost in the neighborhood of $55 million.

A convergence of community needs allowed creative minds to find a unique and unprecedented solution. Rio Rancho School District had a pressing need for a high school. Intel’s flagship facility in Rio Rancho had a staggering $8 billion capital need. AMREP wanted to honor commitments they had made to strengthen the educational system in Rio Rancho. The Sandoval County Commission wanted to do the right thing for the community. All four entities began to align in mid-1995.

Intel was seeking approval of industrial revenue bonds (IRBs) to help fund expansion programs at its Rio Rancho chip-making facility in order to remain competitive. The Sandoval County Commissioners would have to issue the bonds, and Commission Chairman, Joe Lang, reflected the Commissioners' consensus when he stated, “We decided early on we would help the Rio Rancho School District, . . . and Intel felt the same way. The district desperately needed a high school and we found a way to create partnerships to make it happen.” The idea was for Intel to donate funds for the construction of the new high school as part of the IRB process.

State Representative, Bob Perls, helped pave the way in January 1995 when he sought and obtained an attorney general's opinion about the legality of private corporations contributing money to public school districts for school construction. Intel was evaluating the possibility of funding the construction of the high school, and a place was still needed to build it. At this point the AMREP/City of Rio Rancho partnership came into play with AMREP's donation of the 161-acre Loma Colorado site to the City in 1991. A City resolution was approved on February 8, 1995, and the 161-acre plat was divided in half with the City retaining half and half being allocated to RRPS for the new high school.

Meanwhile, Intel's representative Bill Sheppard went to work with the County Commission's Intel’s Bill Sheppard and Sandoval County Commissioner Joe Lang, 1997. lead negotiator Joe Lang, and the deal on the industrial revenue bonds began to take shape. Intel made additional pledges as part of the process, including hiring more New Mexico workers, buying more goods and services locally, and reducing its water use; but the main part of the deal, $28.5 million to build a high school in Rio Rancho, remained the centerpiece of the conditions required for the IRB approval. Even with the generous support from Intel, the district was still projecting an additional $10 million to be spent out of the district’s bond issue funds for equipping the facility. The Intel contribution would build the facility. The district would underwrite the balance of the high school expense which would become a $40 million project— substantially under the original $55 million estimate.

New Mexico being New Mexico, state legislators were involved, and then-Governor Gary Johnson also had a say. Despite the complexities of the negotiations, by late summer of 1995 almost all of all the details were nailed down. Dr. Cleveland recalls how strongly the county had stood up for the district when she remembers all the times that Joe Lang would sit with Karla Walker and reassure her, “Don't worry Karla; we’re not going to approve a thing until you and the rest of the Board sign off on it.”

In September of 1995, the Sandoval County Commission approved the IRBs. Both Sheppard and Lang stated that they put together a partnership in which there were only winners. Joe Lang was nearly euphoric when he observed, “It's exciting something like this turns out so good for everybody.” Sheppard felt the same way and noted, “There's no doubt Intel benefits, but the bottom line is we've made the community a better place by expanding opportunities in education and in jobs. Kids are the biggest winners, and I couldn't be prouder.” And another member of the partnership felt just as proud; Karla Walker framed the point beautifully when she commented: “There's a couple of thousand students, and thousands more in years to come who owe Intel and the Sandoval County Commission a big thank you for this beautiful high school.”

The target for opening Rio Rancho's first high school was set for 1997–98. Two years to design and build a comprehensive high school was a stretch, but everyone involved was committed. The fall and winter of 1995 marked the beginning of some amazing coordination between the RRPS Architect, John Friedman, and Intel's Strategic Operations Manager, Don Hutchinson. Since August 1997 was locked in as the opening date for the school, they had to do backward planning from that date. Bradbury Stamm Construction was awarded the contract for the high school. President Jim King had built several high schools, but they never had built one this fast.

The plans for the building were intimately connected with educational programs; Dr. Richard F. Tonigan, who was a professor in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico, coordinated with

The community coalition signs the lease to allow construction of the Rio Rancho High School, 1996.

Intel’s Bill Sheppard announces to 1995 Lincoln Middle School students, “This chip will build you a high school!”

Principal Katy Harvey, Associate Superintendent for Instruction Walt Gibson, and the various design subcommittees to facilitate the design based on some of the best practices in secondary education at that time.

Gibson had prior experience in building a high school from scratch as he had opened a new high school in Rhode Island before his move to Rio Rancho. Gibson’s work with the Annenberg National Principals Group, a prestigious training program for principals, proved invaluable as they planned and designed the facility to be a “visionary” and “break the mold” high school.

The innovative facility design focused around a central courtyard that provided a “commons” which was envisioned to become the social hub of the high school. The commons area gave the entire campus a community college feeling.

The courtyard was fronted by the physical education facility and the five “Career Academies” where thematic instruction took place in a block-scheduling format. The First-Year Academy was designed for freshmen and provided them an opportunity to be successfully inducted into the high school milieu. The Humanities Academy was 94

the stand-alone section of the school for the languages and social studies. The Science Academy was home to the laboratory facilities and the math and computer areas. The Business and Technology Academy was designed to provide students exposure to the world of work awaiting them beyond high school in the outside world. The Fine Arts Academy offered students the opportunity to engage in music and art.

The facility went on to win Southwest Contractor Best of 1997 for Best Public/Private Project. In 1999, Learning by Design, a prestigious publication in the field of educational architecture, further honored the building as a Citation Award winner.

Construction of Rio Rancho High School, 1997.

CHAPTER 18: Innovative Design Pays Off

Katy Harvey at the grand opening of Rio Rancho High School, 1997.

aty Harvey had been an APS principal at Lincoln for two years when Rio Rancho became its own district. As principal of Lincoln Middle School, Ms. Harvey was overseeing nearly 1,660 students with two assistant principals, and vividly recalls the transition from APS to Rio Rancho as being a “huge, scary thing at the time. . . . So I stayed!” Katy was very impressed with Dr. Cleveland who spent time listening to her during the transition and then had supported her strongly during their first year of operation as the Rio Rancho Public Schools.

The flat organizational chart in RRPS was in vivid contrast to the bureaucracy of APS, and Ms. Harvey recollects that while she almost never saw the superintendent of her previous district, “I was able to talk with Sue almost daily.” Dr. Cleveland saw a lot she liked in this energetic young woman who was doing such a good job leading Lincoln.

Katy Harvey was encouraged to apply for the new high school principalship and became one of over twenty-five applicants in a nationwide search for the leader to create the district's first high school. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help design and build a facility that could enhance instructional programs and to assume the leadership of a high school with two thousand to twenty-five hundred students.

When Ms. Harvey was selected as principal in the fall of 1995 she had two years to plan, staff, and organize before the first students would walk through the door. Two years may sound like a lot of time, but her plate was full from the very first day. She had researched the very best practices in secondary education. The goal was to create a “break the mold” high school. Katy was intent on working with her team to create a school that would live up to the community’s high expectations. The school she and her team would design took on a whole different configuration in comparison to typical high schools of the day.

The innovative facility, based on the five prior mentioned “Career Academies,” was staffed uniquely. Rather than having the traditional “department chair” found in many high schools, each academy was led by a distinguished teacher/leader, “the academy head,” who could integrate the vision of the new high school with her or his respective area of focus and facilitate the work of the academy staff. The head for the First-Year Academy was Susan Gonzales. David Atencio was selected as head of the Fine Arts Academy. Kim Bannigan led the Business and Technology Academy. Math and the sciences were under the leadership of Russell FisherIves who was appointed head of the Science Academy. Mary de Lopez rounded out the team of teacher/leaders as head of the Humanities Academy.

Rio Rancho High School Academy Heads, 1997.

Katy Harvey sought the highest level of professional practice and was intent on creating collaborative working relationships within each academy and between academies. She and her team did not want the school to become a series of stagnant silos segregated from each other and were intent on realizing the vision they had so painstakingly created.

The wisdom of providing the time to plan and build a strong leadership team of both administrators and teachers paid huge dividends. The payoff was validated when Rio Rancho High School was featured in TIME magazine’s October 1997 special report: “What Makes a GOOD School.” The article observed, “Rio Rancho may be unique in combining so many cutting-edge reforms, requiring all its students to adhere to them and designing a campus that is radically different looking from the ground up. . . . The Rio Rancho school demands a tougher core curriculum, requiring four years each of math, science, social studies, and English with twenty-nine credits needed for graduation —seven more than the state norm.”

TIME Magazine article featuring Rio Rancho High School Innovations, 1997.

CHAPTER 19: The Rams Come Home

f anyone associated with the Rio Rancho Public Schools over the last two decades was asked to identify the single outstanding highlight of the first twenty years, odds are it would be the opening of Rio Rancho High School in August 1997.

An extensive planning process was undertaken to select the name of the school and to choose the mascot. Ballots were sent to people in the community and those students who would be part of the student body when school opened in the fall. The simplest of all the name options, Rio Rancho High School, won hands down. Students also were able to have their say in the mascot and perhaps alliteration may have been a factor with the selection of Rio Rancho Rams.

While construction crews were closing in on completion and applying finishing touches to the structures ringing the Commons Area, middle school eighth graders at Lincoln, Mountain View, and Eagle Ridge and sophomore and junior students at Cibola, Del Norte, and Jemez Valley High Schools were hard at work creating the traditions for their new alma mater. Football practice got underway in July under Head Coach Bill Moon. Because the stadium would not be finished in time for the first season a “killer schedule” was set up with all games being played “away.” Technically, the “home” games were played at the Bernalillo High School field, which was a thoughtful courtesy from a great neighbor.

All that remained was to dedicate the new facility and open the doors to students for the first time. With the last of the construction crews moving out the back door, the front door of Rio Rancho High School was festooned for the dedication, which took place on Saturday, August 16, 1997. The morning ceremony was an official ribbon cutting which included a large number of state and local politicians along with Intel officials. The evening ceremony in the Commons was replete with speechmaking and fireworks, courtesy of Intel. The candlelight ceremony began with students representing each of the three Rio Bill Sheppard, Joe Lang and Tom Swisstack cut the tie of Jim Wall Rancho middle schools using their as well as the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the community’s first

high school, 1997.

individual torches to light one main torch that symbolized the new high school. Participants lit their personal candles from the newly lit “Rio Rancho High School” torch. The candles, which sparkled throughout the event, added a magical ambience, flickering as the public, parents, and students had a chance to see the fruits of two years of intensive construction. A dream had been realized and the students would soon fill the classrooms.

On Monday, August 27, 1997, registration lines were long and traffic jams were the order of the day as nearly twenty-two hundred students found their way around the new campus. A few were in violation of the newly adopted dress code, but baggy pants and exposed midriffs aside, the Rams had found their home. When asked how that first day felt, Katy Harvey, with a wistful look in her eyes replied, “It was so sweet!”

How do you have a “homecoming” when the school has just come into existence? You simply call it a “Coming Home Celebration” of course! Susan McConnell, activities director, orchestrated the first homecoming at Rio Rancho High. The event was one to remember complete with the Wizard of Oz theme, “There’s No Place Like Home!” Following a parade the Rams took on the New Mexico Military Institute for their first “homecoming” game.

The first true homecoming game the following year had its own exciting moments. The game was being played against the powerhouse Artesia Bulldogs on the home field in the newly completed Rams Stadium. Unfortunately, an electrical malfunction partway through the game tripped the breaker for the stadium lighting and the entire field was plunged into darkness. Rio Rancho’s finest came to the rescue and positioned several

police cruisers to illuminate the field. Unfortunately, the lighting could not be restored so the game was cancelled. Artesia Superintendent, Mike Phipps, had a little fun at RRPS's expense when he was heard commenting, “When you're playing the Rams and you get a decent lead, they simply turn off the lights.”

Later the next year in May of 1999, Rio Rancho High saw its first class of seniors don gowns, adjust caps, and cross the stage to receive their diplomas as the school’s first graduating class. The 420 graduates were greeted like rock stars at UNM’s Johnson Gym where the standing-room-only event was held. Bill Garcia, vice-president of public affairs with Intel, underscored the enduring partnership when he complimented the graduating class as “a real source of pride for the community and for Intel.”

Rio Rancho High School’s first homecoming game, 1999.

100

CHAPTER 20: How About a Mid-High?

hen Rio Rancho High School opened in 2001, Gary Tripp was the principal of the largest high school in the state with a student enrollment that was exceeding its design capacity by nearly seven hundred. Gary was highly respected by his staff and students and was instrumental in instilling a culture of pride in both academics and athletics.

Grades nine through twelve were well settled in at this nationally recognized secondary school and the instructional academies were functioning effectively. Yet increasing enrollments spoke clearly to the need to address an already large campus before numbers became overwhelming.

Gary Tripp, second principal of RRHS (photo 2009).

Several different options were under consideration. Although an additional $32.5 million bond issue had passed and the two-mill levy had been renewed, money was not available to build a completely new high school to relieve the crowding. Additionally, the district’s three middle schools were above capacity. The option of a “mid-high” came under serious consideration because it would relieve crowding at Rio Rancho High School and would also provide relief at the district’s three middle schools.

Grade level alignments within school districts are cultural elements. Making changes within those alignments is never easy and requires a particular political savvy along with communications skills of a high order. The idea of an eighth and ninth grade mid-high as a bridge while the new high school could be planned and constructed began to gain traction. Leadership to pull the project together was found in the person of Scott Affentranger. After a year as assistant principal at Rio Rancho High School, Scott was tapped to become the new principal of Rio Rancho Mid-High and given the 2001–02 school year to plan, build, and staff the new facility.

The design chosen in conjunction with the Planning Committee was a two-wing unit, one serving the eighth grade students from throughout the district and the other serving ninth graders. Educational professionals have always regarded ninth grade students as an anomalous bunch; some have suggested facetiously that they should be “just sent away completely for a full year and then let them come back as tenth graders.” Yet the district’s mid-high would be an entire wing of children becoming young adults. Both the mid-high staff, many of whom had come from Rio Rancho High School and the mid-high leadership team proved they were more than up to the challenge.

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The result of the planning and design was a unique school that served in the words of Affentranger as a “mega feeder” to Rio Rancho High School. Staff of Rio Rancho Mid-High, with conscious intent, were able to replicate almost all of the ninth grade programs that had been available at Rio Rancho High School so there was a nominal break in continuity as students moved from the RRMH to the three-year RRHS. Specialized Grand Opening of Rio Rancho Mid-High, 2002. programs such as robotics and various elective classes were replicated at the Mid-High so that a student could complete an entire “four-year” program in Spanish, for example. Close coordination between the two schools netted benefits for students and continuity in their instructional program.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Kurt Schmidt

Kurt Schmidt, Head Band Director and Fine Arts Instructional Leader, Rio Rancho High School. Sixteen Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Upward.

I had employment offers from both RRPS and APS. I chose Rio Rancho because of the personal attention I received from high school and district office administrators. As an arts educator, I appreciate that our elementary students receive both visual arts and music classes each week. This commitment to the arts pays off throughout all thirteen years of our students’ public school careers. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years. Charles Darwin says that it is not those organisms that are the smartest or even the most talented that survive. Rather, it is those that are most adaptable to change. I believe RRPS has grown and thrived because we are used to and good at change.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you have as many great students and athletes as we do you don't want them sitting on the sidelines!â&#x20AC;? Scott Affentranger, Principal, V. Sue Cleveland High School

The commitment to provide a rich academic and extracurricular experience for all students drove the tough decision to fund, plan, and build a second high school. 104

PA R T 6 :

So They Don’t Have to Sit on the Sidelines: Creating a Second High School (1997–2009)

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CHAPTER 21: How Big Is Too Big?

he debate about the optimum size of a comprehensive public high school has been joined for a number of decades. The challenge secondary educators face is building a school large enough that the word “comprehensive” has meaning. The objective is for students to receive a thorough education that not only meets but exceeds state standards and provides the college and career readiness necessary for a successful post-secondary experience.

At the same time when a school becomes too large the challenge frequently becomes keeping students from falling through the cracks, or becoming merely “numbers.” Some of the creative solutions districts have employed have resulted in “schools within schools,” interdisciplinary teams of teachers assigned a core of students with whom they meet daily. This was the approach that was initially conceived for Rio Rancho High School in the Career Academies in which the numbers were small relative to the entire student body.

Even with all the best efforts at maintaining a personalized approach to each individual student, size becomes a challenge. There is only one marching band and when that marching band hits a certain size the numbers become difficult. A high school only has one varsity football, basketball, and baseball team and when those teams reach capacity what becomes of the talented athlete who is just slightly less talented than those who have made the team?

By the time Richard VonAncken assumed the Rio Rancho High School principalship in 2004 the “how big is too big” question was in need of a serious response. Richard recalls each grade level at the high school approximating eleven hundred students per grade with the total school enrollment bumping thirty-three hundred. Three lunch periods were necessary to feed all the students, and the cafeteria was nearly overflowing with hungry students during each lunch.

Richard VonAncken, 2011.

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There were clearly some advantages to a school of this size. In the sports arena the school's volleyball, wrestling, and softball teams had already won the high school its first state championships in the 2002–03 school year.

Both the volleyball and wrestling teams repeated the following year. In the 2004–05 school year the Rio Rancho High School Marching Band was the winner at the state Zia Marching Band Fiesta and became the winners of their first state championship. District and state championships continued to accrue but as the student enrollment continued to grow there were a lot of students on the sidelines who were simply pushed out. Additionally, the academies were beginning to swell and the “cracks” through which students could potentially fall were becoming apparent despite the best efforts of a dedicated staff and administration.

The opportunities that would be provided by a second high school were becoming more and more obvious. This was so typical of the orientation of the district where the glass was consistently viewed as half-full, and challenges were viewed as opportunities.

Rams girls volleyball team state champions, 2007.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Nicholas Gerard

Nicholas A. Gerard, History Teacher & Boys Basketball Coach, Cleveland High School. Nine Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Audacious.

Having come from Chicago, where the inner city schools were less than ideal, I really appreciated and valued the education I received as a student in the district. I graduated from Rio Rancho High School in 2000 and while finishing college I completed a semester of student-teaching there. When I got my teaching degree I decided that’s also where I wanted to begin my career as a way to give back to a place and a community that did so much for me in my youth. I am proud that the district has maintained a vision of making sure students are prepared for the 21st century world that they’re growing up into.

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CHAPTER 22: Where to Draw the Lines?

his challenge of opening a second high school in Rio Rancho was in some ways a far more complex process than the opening of Rio Rancho High School in 1997. The majority of school districts in New Mexico operate with a single high school and that community institution is typically the central gathering point for the community, somewhat of a “Friday Night Lights” phenomenon. The process of creating a second high school had to be approached with a great deal of sensitivity in relation to boundaries, staffing, equity in facilities, and equity in the instructional program as well as extracurricular and athletic programming. A bad decision in any of these areas could result in some serious negative repercussions in the school community.

The Farmington Public Schools had faced a similar challenge when they opened Piedra Vista High School over a decade ago. Santa Fe had also faced the same challenge when it opened Capital High School nearly two decades earlier. Las Cruces had struggled with the issue when they opened Mayfield. As these communities had experienced enrollment pressures and finally dictated that a second high school needed to be opened. All three districts grappled with the complexities of creating an equitable distribution of feeder schools to the respective high schools, and the challenge of balancing socioeconomic representation so that the new schools were not viewed as the “haves” and the older schools viewed as the “have-nots.”

Rio Rancho Public Schools approached drawing the boundary Rio Rancho Public School Boundary Committee, 2007. lines for the new high school using much the same processes that the district had used earlier when the new middle schools had opened. The complexity of redrawing the boundary lines was compounded by the decision to realign the entire grade level structure of the district with the opening of the second high school and return to a sixth to eighth middle school and ninth to twelfth high school grade-level alignment. A component of this planning was the dissolution of the Rio Rancho Mid-High when the new high school was constructed and the conversion of that facility into the fourth middle school of the district.

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The thirty-member committee labored long and hard under the leadership of Theresa Saiz, district director of transportation, and her co-chair Kim Vesely, district communications officer. Ultimately the group was able to visualize a balanced approach to keeping enrollment relatively equal amongst the middle school feeders and ending up with two high schools of relatively equal enrollment with the new school initially slightly smaller. Sounds simple, but it was certainly no easy process.

Rio Rancho Public School Boundary Committee, 2007.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Dorothy Lopez-Sherman Dorothy Lopez-Sherman, Director G.R.A.D.S., Independence High School Fourteen Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Progressive.

In 2000 I was in the process of moving from Gallup, New Mexico with my two daughters and looking for a town to settle down in. I choose Rio Rancho because of the reputation of having the finest and most progressive educational system in the state. Rio Rancho Public Schools is very committed to student success and excellence. This is evident through the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support of an in-school program for pregnant and parenting teen families, called G.R.A.D.S. (Graduation Reality and Dual Role Skills). The program includes a community supported childcare center at the Independence High School campus. I am honored to have been the teacher and director for this program for the past thirteen years. 109

STUDENT SUCCESS

Nathaniel Charley

athaniel Charley is proud of his Navajo heritage. His mother grew up on the reservation. His father, who runs a successful automotive repair business, was able to purchase a house in Rio Rancho during the boom years and moved the family out of Albuquerque and into the City of Vision. The new home was in the Ernest Stapleton Elementary School attendance area. Nathaniel reflects that, “Stapleton was a good place for me. Teachers were very helpful and I felt like I had a great start.” If the elementary experience was good for Nathaniel the middle school experience was even better. Here he encountered Mr. Schultz who opened his mind to music. In the eighth grade he discovered basketball and again credits the teachers like Mrs. Antonia Bynum (née Trujillo) with making a student with a foot in two cultures, feel welcome and valued.

As Nathaniel entered Rio Rancho High School, he continued to encounter teachers who made a difference in his life. He recalls that Robert Templeton was part of a “network of teachers who cared about us and went far beyond the expected.” On only one occasion did Nathaniel break a school rule, and end up in Principal Gary Tripp's office. Nathaniel recalls that Tripp cared deeply about each student and helped him realize he was capable of overcoming obstacles as he began to plan his future.

Upon graduation from Rio Rancho High School, Nathaniel entered UNM through the American Indian Bridge Program. This innovative support system for Native American students provided Nathaniel with helpful reinforcement as he worked his way through college.

With a degree in English and an endorsement in secondary education, Nathaniel entered the world of work as a professional educator first in the Grants-Cibola County School System and then in the Albuquerque Public Schools.

Perhaps it was remembering the differences that teachers had made in his life in the Rio Rancho System that caused Nathaniel to leap at the opportunity in 2012 to join the faculty at Cleveland High School. He and his entire family—his mother is an educational assistant at Maggie Cordova Elementary, his dad and brother volunteer their coaching skills at Eagle Ridge Middle School—continue to help make the Rio Rancho Public Schools a sensitive, welcoming, and safe place for students from every culture.

CHAPTER 23:

State-of-the-Art with the Spirit of the Storm

Section of land that would become Cleveland High School, 2006.

io Rancho Public Schools had actively been engaged with the State Land Office in exploring the possibility of acquiring a 140-acre tract of state land for the second high school campus. State Land Commissioner, Patrick Lyons, and Assistant State Land Commissioner for Special Projects, Jerry King, Governor Bill Richardson, and Rio Ranchoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legislative delegation were successful in securing a $2 million appropriation for the purchase of the property during the 2006 legislative session.

Having title to the land made it possible to approach the Public School Capital Outlay Council for matching funds for the site work and construction of the new facility. Bond issues passed in both 2006 and 2007 by the taxpayers of Rio Rancho generated local funds. This was a critical component in the process of securing the state appropriations. The good news of the full funding for the project came in September 2006 when Governor Richardson announced a special award of $47 million, which was subsequently increased to $60 million in matching funds for school construction. The new school would be a reality.

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Planning a brand-new high school can be one of the most exciting opportunities a professional educator will experience. The same can be said for parents, students, and community members. The sixty-two members of the High School Planning Committee set to work in the winter of 2005 facing a series of questions they would collectively be challenged to answer:

● What professions will generate jobs for our students?

● What are the local and global economic trends that will affect our community?

Planning Committee Chair LaJuana Coleman, 2006.

● What do the citizens of Rio Rancho expect from their new high school, both educationally and in terms of the facility?

The committee, along with member Scott Affentranger, the principal designate of the new high school, responded to those questions with answers that formed the basis for the new school’s design. The new high school needed to provide a “rigorous and relevant educational program.” It needed to prepare students for a world of work for jobs which did not yet exist. The school should prepare students to be competitive in the global marketplace and to also become effective and responsible citizens.

Part of the planning response also needed to create a rich and rewarding set of co-curricular and extracurricular programs which would motivate students, engage them in areas of personal interest, and maintain strong ties to the school's community. Without any question athletics and fine arts would be a component of this new school’s program.

Committee members, including Cleveland High School Principal-Designee, Scott Affentranger, 2006.

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Once the conceptual design work and the educational specifications were completed, the architect firm of Van H. Gilbert Architects and Fanning Howey Associates began the physical design. The committee members used an innovative collection of color blocks to create working concepts for the architects on how these different spaces should be organized and how this would affect student flow and student life on the new campus.

Concurrently, the City of Rio Rancho stepped up as it had previously on so many occasions and committed to providing the necessary infrastructure to the site at 4800 Laban Road NE. The promise of partnerships was once again realized with support from both the City and State. Ground was broken on the site on May 10, 2007. By June the general contractor, Jaynes Corporation, was moving earth and beginning to pour concrete.

Al Sena, executive director of facilities, and Craig Barnard, construction manager, faced different challenges with the new high school in contrast to their experience in creating Rio Rancho Mid-High. In the latter case the money had come from local bond issues with limited State support. However, in the construction of the new high school, which was substantially funded by the State of New Mexico, controls over the project were heavily influenced by the State with significant oversight. Scott recalls the many, many construction-related meetings between district staff and State construction overseers. The goal was to prevent an adversarial relationship and build a twenty-first century facility for students.

The construction at the new school was state-ofthe-art. The design used an innovative geothermal system consisting of over six hundred geothermal Construction manager Craig Barnard with wells to naturally heat and cool the buildings. This Scott Affentranger and Renee Saucedo, 2007. was building for the future to save the district (read that “taxpayers”) tens of thousands of dollars in energy costs in contrast to less expensive but far less energy-efficient heating and cooling systems which could have been utilized. In addition, the data connectivity infrastructure built into the facility was cutting edge.

Affentranger had to dispel rumors that the new school would be a showcase far exceeding the already highly regarded Rio Rancho High School. One of the rumors he recalls having to dispel was that the new school would be replete with “escalators instead of staircases.” He smiles as he ponders where that rumor could have come from.

Cleveland High Concert Hall nears completion, 2010.

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The facility included both a performing arts center and concert hall. The fine arts were definitely not being shortchanged.

Another major challenge that evolved in creating the second high school was that the instructional and athletic staff who had built a culture of quality as a team at Rio Rancho High School now had to be divided. Here was where the long-term relationship Affentranger had with Richard VonAncken paid huge dividends. Both administrators recognized the need to work collaboratively on the future staffing plan. Some would be assigned to Rio Rancho High School or transferred to the new school.

Cleveland High School Concert Hall, 2009.

Scott began working with his new high school staff to plan as many opportunities as possible for students to engage in extracurricular activities. Part of the way this was accomplished was the establishment of Rio Rancho Mid-High eighth and ninth grade parallel sports teams. During the 2008–09 school year many opportunities were provided for the volleyball, football, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, softball, and baseball teams to play games against their rival Rams. The spirited interscholastic activities formed a positive and powerful foundation for the beginnings of the traditions of “the Storm.”

The mascot that was selected for the new high school was a departure from traditional animal names—Bears, Tigers, Lions, etc. The Cleveland High mascot became “the Storm.” This led to some interesting metaphorical play in both the fight song and many of the cheers the students quickly learned. 114

The grand opening of V. Sue Cleveland High School was held August 15, 2009. Only a week before, the crews completed the “move in” of the equipment and supplies. At a ceremony similar to the opening of Rio Rancho High School, Board members, public officials, and school administrators thanked the community for the creation of this beautiful new facility, which ended up costing upwards of $125 million and would open for students two days later.

Meanwhile, south of Northern Boulevard, Richard VonAncken and his staff at Rio Rancho High School honored a sense of loss as the staffs separated and Cleveland High School opened. He recognized that the thousand student drop in enrollment and the concurrent reduction from three to two lunch periods had brought Rio Rancho High back to a more appropriate size and given them an opportunity to thoughtfully reinvent their program.

Scott Affentranger was excited; the school included ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders (the twelfth grade stayed at Rio Rancho High School that first year). Cleveland High School was state-of-the-art and from day one, the school chose to compete at the highest level in all extracurricular and athletic activities. All the Storm teams competed in the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) 5A classification beginning that first season.

At the first “Rio Rancho Bowl” where the Storm played the Rams in football for the first time, the crowd was clearly aware that the district had doubled the opportunities for its students. Dr. Cleveland summarized the feelings of many when she observed, “I believe we made the right decision!”

Affentranger, along with Bruce Carver, district executive director of athletics, were pleased with the athletic balance that existed between the two schools. The collaborative work early on between Scott Affentranger, Richard VonAncken and Cleveland High School Grand Opening, August 15, 2009. continued at the Rio Rancho Mid-High by Lisa Dobson, paid dividends. Both schools remained competitive. 115

Scott was also principal of a school that during his tenure would distinguish itself academically by achieving the highest graduation rate among large high schools in the State. Cleveland High in 2013–14 had a higher percentage of students graduating than the traditional statewide leaders such as Los Alamos High School in the “City on the Hill.”

Bruce Carver presents the 2013 Rio Rancho Bowl trophy with Rio Rancho Observer publisher Rocky Hayes.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Lawrence Chavez Lawrence (Larry) Chavez, Athletic Coordinator, Cleveland High School. Seventeen Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Success.

I had the opportunity to Coach the first-ever state champions in Rio Rancho High School. I moved to Cleveland because I wanted to be part of a new high school. We began a multi-sport student/athlete program there in May of 2014 to keep our students active in extracurricular athletics. Even though RRPS has become a big district, it still has that small school familiarity about it. The administration is never out of touch with its teachers and students. You feel special to be a part of Rio Rancho Public Schools.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every time I think of the Twentieth Anniversary celebration, I get so emotional! My heart and soul have always been in this district.â&#x20AC;? Pat DiVasto, Principal Ernest Stapleton Elementary The district creates a culture of caring as it grows into maturity.

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PA R T 7 :

The Halcyon Era: What a Great Place to Learn, Teach, Administer (1997â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2014)

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CHAPTER 24: It Takes a Village

John and Ophelia Christensen, 2014.

he aphorism, “It takes a village to raise a child,” has nearly achieved cliché status and yet that in no way detracts from the core truth of this fundamental observation. Each employee in the school district has tremendous power to positively influence the students who arrive every day for instruction. Think for a second about the first school employee a student meets in the morning. Typically, that person is a smiling presence behind the opening door of a large yellow school bus with the logo of the Rio Rancho Public Schools emblazoned on the side.

As the student steps down from her bus ride she is greeted by an on-duty instructional assistant who takes the opportunity to positively influence that student's day. As our student crosses the threshold and moves down the hall toward the cafeteria for a bite of breakfast before starting class, she encounters the custodian who is mopping up a spill near the cafeteria door and who greets her with a smile. She steps up to the serving counter for her breakfast tray, and again Josefina Wilk and Blanca Cuarenta, the cafeteria service personnel smile and chat Sandia Vista Elementary, 2012. warmly with her. After breakfast she shoulders her backpack and makes her way outside to wait the few minutes before the bell rings. Here, she encounters a teacher from a different grade level supervising the playground space who engages her in conversation while keeping a sharp eye on the rest of the children. The bell rings, she says good-bye to her friends from other classes, and reenters the hallway. In the hallway she encounters the assistant principal who knows her name and asks about her little brother who is been out for two days with the flu. She passes the school nurse's office, and the nurse looks up at her and waves. As she passes the counselor's office she

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remembers that she will be part of a group later in the day talking about how to make the school a safer place. She crosses the threshold of her classroom, is greeted by her teacher, and settles in for her day of instruction. Within an hour, she joins her classmates as they collectively troop to the library where the librarian shares a story with them and they check out next week’s free reading books.

What she didn't observe as she was making her way from home to classroom was the district HVAC Custodian Vinny Caputo and teacher Jaid Tyree with student, maintenance crew who had just Ernest Stapleton Elementary, 2014. left the school after adjusting a malfunctioning air conditioner so that the temperature in her classroom would be comfortable during the day. She also didn't see the district human resource staff member who was busy interviewing a replacement for her teacher who would be shortly taking maternity leave. Nor did she see the staff members in the business office who had just processed the accounts payable invoices so that electricity would keep flowing to the building.

The student encountered the visible elements on her way to school, but other parts of the district are below the surface and hard at work. The support structure ensures that the space she occupied was safe, clean, equipped, properly staffed, so she is able to have the best instruction she could possibly receive.

These unsung heroes and heroines behind-the-scenes are as important to each student’s success as those she encounters directly. In a school system there truly are no “just a’s”— “I'm just a custodian”—“I’m just a bookkeeper.” In the Rio Rancho Public Schools a large and well-trained cadre of employees serves the students of the district. The work of this support staff is every bit as fundamental to the success of the students as is the instruction of their teachers.

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S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Kristi Smith Kristi Smith, Education Technology Specialist, Enchanted Hill Elementary. Fourteen Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Innovation.

I came from an out-of-state college known for its innovations in learning and this was the only district in the state I wanted to join. In the early 2000s, RRPS joined the Intel Teach to the Future Program where a select group of teachers were trained by Intel and Microsoft to use technology in their classrooms and train others to do the same. The district very quickly jumped to the front of the pack in the state of New Mexico for our use of technology. We were also featured in a national publication for our innovation and collaboration. RRPS has been successful because decisions were made at the district and school levels based on what was best for kids.

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CHAPTER 25: A Culture of Caring and Giving

he professional staff of the school district has been under increasing pressure for accountability, which often takes the rather narrow form of test results on norm-referenced standardized tests. While no reasonable educator would argue that test results are unimportant; ultimately, much of what is truly inspirational about a school system are the relationships above and beyond the job descriptions.

Cathy Baehr, principal at Enchanted Hills Elementary, reflects that, “We are always striving for Student Success. Most people would think that would mean higher grades! Although we have always been proud of our students academically, the greatest stories occur when the loudest applause at their fifth-grade Promotion Ceremony is when they see pictures of our students in wheelchairs or they intentionally miss the ball during a kickball game so that a boy with Down Syndrome makes a homerun, or the community, staff and students raise thousands of dollars to help other students who are facing cancer surgeries that will save their lives, but need medical support at home.”

Pat DiVasto, principal at Ernest Stapleton Elementary, shares “When I was at Lincoln, I had a student in seventh grade named Chris Powell. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 1995 and things did not look good at all. Along with our very caring community, I organized all types of fundraisers for the family to help pay medical costs. We gave Chris and his family a lot of emotional support. His health improved and sadly, I lost touch with him.”

Cathy Baehr at Enchanted Hills’ fifth-grade graduation ceremony, 2006.

“Fast forward to 2013. As principal of Stapleton, I place Pat DiVasto with Stapleton students, 2014. new students in classes. A folder was handed to me with a first-grader named Christian Powell. Could it be? Yes, it's Chris's son! We were reunited and now Chris is one of my parents. He is healthy, a dad, and in his thirties! When we first saw each other, we hugged and cried. It is my honor to work with his son! Every time I think of the Twentieth Anniversary celebration, I get so emotional! My heart and soul have always been in this district.”

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Ron Murphy is the Ram’s one-and-only baseball coach since Rio Rancho High opened in 1997. In addition to earning three state championships in 2003, 2007, and 2013, he has been one of many coaches who exemplified RRPS’s belief in giving back to the community. Coach Murphy has challenged and his players have responded by making significant contributions to the community. Whether it is their “Toys for Tots” drive at the holidays or a visit to honor a senior citizen, his baseball teams demonstrate the qualities of caring and giving, making a positive difference in the lives of others, year after year.

“Tales of Joy,” organized and created by Theresa McKinney and Jesse working with a Theresa McKinney, is a program that Reading Recovery first-grader, 2013. brought specially trained dogs to work with children who experienced difficulty in learning to read. The human/canine teams have reached out to businesses, nursing homes, and of course, schools. Truthfully, the dogs are always the “rock stars,” whether it be at a Literacy Night, Reader’s Café or Barnes & Noble event. On December 13, 2013, this successful program was featured on KOB Good Day New Mexico.

As these stories illustrate, the culture of caring and giving is firmly embedded in the Rio Rancho Public Schools. In 2014, Chief Operations Officer, Richard Bruce, reported to the Board of Education on each school's and department's philanthropic contributions to the community. The report ranged from districtwide donations to the United Way in the amount of $108,430 to countless contributions to community food banks and clothing drives.

Ultimately, the heart of Rio Rancho School District is the balance between a focus on student learning and caring about the students who learn. Staff is sustained not just by salaries and benefits, but also by being members of an organization that makes a difference in the lives of the children and families they serve.

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S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Guadalupe Gallegos Guadalupe Gallegos, Guidance Counselor, Cleveland High School. Sixteen Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Surpassing.

The people of RRPS take pride in being the best. I believe the district is successful because we are willing to roll up our sleeves to ensure that we are doing all that we can for our students. There are many examples of commitment to student excellence. One that has the most lasting impression on me is the opening of V. Sue Cleveland High School. Hearing students sing the school fight song and the evident pride from both staff and students rejuvenated everyone. The atmosphere was contagious and we shared a common goal that we will not accept being mediocre. Even more impressive is how this ideal has been sustained for the last five years. I love coming to work! 125

CHAPTER 26:

Volunteering with a Generous Heart

rom the very earliest days, volunteers who give their time and talent for the benefit of the children in the classrooms have made immeasurable contributions to the success of the district. Volunteer services can be measured in many ways: hours given, bond issues passed, children tutored in classrooms, athletes supported in practice, but what is very difficult to measure are the hearts touched by such selfless service over these past twenty years.

The district would be far less than it is today had not these many unsung heroes and heroines stepped up and given of themselves. It is not possible to grant adequate acknowledgment of the many who have contributed. The few vignettes that follow stand for all of the stories that are not represented on these pages.

Tony Otero, 2014.

Tony Otero, who is a Rio Rancho businessman, has volunteered extensively over the years at Rio Rancho High School. He has helped in both athletics and the instructional program. Many of his current employees are former students with whom he had worked as a volunteer. Tony has donated concession items for baseball and softball tournaments, has sponsored various athletic teams from the high school, and has spent countless hours in the press box pushing the buttons, keeping track of the downs, and making sure the right numbers are up as he operates the scoreboard in Ram Stadium.

Volunteers work in almost all areas of the district. Fine arts in the Rio Rancho school system have received a marvelous boost from Andrea Fellows Walters. Andrea, the director of education and community programs for the Santa Fe Opera, has been closely involved with the district through District’s Students Achieving for Excellence Program. Andrea’s particular component is the “Arts Integration Partnership” and “Hero's Journey” that is offered at rotating elementary and middle schools. Students from all three programs have the opportunity to perform an original work for their families and peers in a theater setting.

Some volunteers come as a package and this is the case of Sal and Michelle LiRosi. From the very first days of the district, they have been instrumental in building parental and

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community support for academics, activities and athletics—first at Rio Rancho High School and then at Cleveland High School. As Larry Chavez, Cleveland’s athletic coordinator, observed, “They are both present at many events and are always recognized because of their smiles and cheerfulness.” There is nothing that this dynamic duo cannot accomplish when they set their sights on a goal.

Robert Templeton, who was named the Rio Rancho Public School Volunteer of the Year in 2005, takes time from managing his restaurant to share his business acumen and advice with school administrators. Robert is typical in many ways in that he supports the entire district, no matter what school his children are in at any given year.

Another recent Volunteer of the Year, U.S. Navy Captain Bruce Gustin, has given so much and is so continually present that many parents are of the impression that he is a district employee. He has supported programs at Eagle Ridge Middle School for eleven years, and shares his expertise on important committees throughout the district. His chief passion has been in support of the AVID (AdVancement through Individual Determination) program. Bruce has served without compensation as the Eagle Ridge Middle School coordinator for AVID, although this is a paid position in many school districts.

Joe Harris was a longtime friend. First as an officer with the city and then with the county, he was a familiar face in classrooms. He worked with the “Kasey Says” canine program, along with his companion, Harley. He put a kind and positive face on law enforcement and even though Officer Harris was a big man, there was never a student who was afraid of Joe. In 2006, Officer Harris

Sal and Michelle LiRosi, 2014.

Captain Bruce Gustin with Eagle Ridge AVID students, 2014.

Joe Harris introduces Honey Bear to Maggie, 2006.

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and Harley worked with seven-year-old Maggie Hanson who had a diagnosis of autism. Maggie’s first-ever spoken sentence was, “Come Harley.” Officer Harris helped coordinate a Sandoval County Sheriff ’s Office and Enchanted Hills Elementary effort to obtain a golden retriever puppy named Honey Bear (a relative of Harley) for Maggie. Very sadly, Joe Harris gave his life while apprehending a fugitive in the Jemez Mountains in 2009. For his sacrifice and his long-term service to the district, the board voted to name the next elementary campus in his honor.

Former Mayor Tom Swisstack serves as the auctioneer for Seats and Eats event.

The Rio Rancho Educational Foundation (RREF) was started in 1994 to promote academic excellence, support quality teaching and encourage innovative practices in the school district. The foundation was a driving force in supporting dreams of the instructional staff, as well as increasing opportunities for students. Seats and Eats became a major philanthropic/fundraising event in Rio Rancho and was originally introduced by Don and Dianne Chalmers. Over the past twenty years, the RREF board has raised well over $100,000 for creative and special activities that the district would not have been able to provide.

While most volunteers work directly with schools, others contribute on behalf of schools out in the community. School Bond Referendum Committees are a prime example. Since the district’s founding in 1994, there have been seven, with the most recent Terry McDermott and former Mayor Jim Owen, 2002. in 2012. These committees play a crucial role in informing the public about the district’s need for capital improvements, upgrades to existing schools, and the need for new technology. While all Bond Committee members have made significant contributions, Terry McDermott has co-chaired every Bond Committee since 2000. The Late Don Chalmers participated on committees and also donated financing. Rio Rancho Bond Committee volunteers also included: Tony Anastasi, Charlie Casey, Mike Castillo, Matt DeAveiro, Debbi Moore, Jim Owen, the late Dick Muenzer and Bob Gallagher. Their efforts have been instrumental in the consistent passage of these referendums by Rio Rancho voters.

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S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Sarah Farrell Sarah Farrell, Family Literacy Coordinator, Shining Stars Preschool. Fourteen Years of Service. Word that best describe RRPS: Innovative.

This school district has been successful because Dr. Cleveland has never been afraid to listen to employeesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ideas and try new ways of supporting students and families. Several years ago, when the funding crisis first hit, I participated in the Superintendentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Advisory Council. I will never forget the dedication in maintaining programs such as music and arts, because it was recognized that students have different avenues toward success and school achievement. I find that innovation and creativity are valued and acted on.

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CHAPTER 27: Accepting Stewardship

erving as an elected School Board member is a very special form of volunteering. Without people willing to run for office for the “right reasons” the educational will of the community could not be responsibly enacted. Board members accept a responsibility for stewardship for the well-being of all children in the district. From the original Interim Board in 1993 through the Board that was elected in 2013, RRPS and the community have benefited from a very high quality of community engagement and stewardship.

The Interim Board of 1993 was appointed, and then stood for election in October of that year. School Board positions in New Mexico are four-year terms so the challenge with the initial Board was how to structure the election that would take place in February 1995. That structure was determined in 1993 with two of the newly elected Board members, Bob Herman and Jewel Hall, drawing short straws, meaning they would be assigned to serve two-year terms, expiring with the February 1995 School Board election.

Thus began a sequence of 2-3-2-3-2, where alternately on a two-year cycle either two or three members of the Board's terms expired and the incumbents could either run for reelection or vacate their seats. The February 1995 election saw one “short straw” member (Bob Herman) decline to run and the other “short straw” member (Jewel Hall) file in December and run for reelection. The second elected School Board, 1996. Jewel Hall was not reelected and her successor for a four-year term in District 2 was Dr. Reinaldo Garcia. The seat vacated by Bob Herman in District 4 was filled by a gentleman who had done a great deal of work in support of RRPS as a volunteer prior to his venture into School Board politics, Richard Muenzer.

For years, Richard Muenzer had been helping the district informally and formally through chairmanship of various committees. He brought a true public service spirit to the Board. Reinaldo Garcia had served as the director of instruction at University of New Mexico in Valencia and at UNM-West in Rio Rancho. His educational background and higher education perspectives were invaluable to the board.

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Two years later, in 1997, the composition of the Board changed again. Both Karla Walker in District 1 and Carl Harper in District 3 won reelection handily. Barbara Harris, the original District 5 Board member, declined to run. Replacing her was another parent with a strong volunteer orientation, Lisa Cour, who brought a hands-on and very engaged approach to her three terms on the Board.

With two seats at play in 1999 Dr. Garcia was reelected and Dick Muenzer chose not to run. Joel Sherman in District 4 succeeded Dick. Joel is remembered as a businessman who brought a quiet and reflective perspective to the Board. He was also a parent of children in the district and was strongly committed to enhancing his children's education.

When the 2001 Board elections rolled around, Lisa Cour won reelection and after serving two terms (plus another term in JVPS prior to the creation of the district), Karla Walker declined to run and was succeeded by Don Schlichte in District 1. Don, who was pastor of the Rio West Community Church, had been extensively engaged in coaching and serving on various district committees. Carl Harper, another two-term Board member, also stepped down, and his seat was won by Margaret Terry in District 3. Margaret would ultimately serve three terms on the Board in District 3 and would oversee the creation of nine schools during her tenure. The departure of Walker and Harper from the Board marked the end of service at that time by any members of the original RRPS Board.

The 2003 elections saw Dr. Garcia's seat in District 2 filled by Marty Scharfglass and Joel Sherman's District 4 seat won by Kathy Jackson. Marty had been a teacher in New York for thirty-four years before moving to Rio Rancho. He brought a valuable teachers' perspective to his Board work as well as an even-tempered and thoughtful approach. Jackson, whose husband was mayor of Rio Rancho for a period of time, only served a single term.

Lisa Cour, 2007.

Joel Sherman, 2014.

Don Schlichte, 2011.

The 2005 elections saw no changes on the Board. All three incumbents, Don Schlichte, Margaret Terry, and Lisa Cour were reelected.

In 2007, District 2 incumbent Scharfglass won reelection and Divyesh Patel arrived on the Board from District 4. Patel, who worked at Intel and had two children in the district, ran a strong race attracting more votes than all three of his opponents. 131

The Board in 2007.

In 2009, the seat in District 1, occupied by Don Schlichte and the District 3 seat, occupied by Marge Terry,â&#x20AC;? were reclaimed by the incumbents. The District 5 incumbent, Lisa Cour, chose not to run. Craig Brandt filled her seat. Brandt had children in school and was also a member of the clergy. His political career moved from the School Board realm to an elected State Senate position in 2013. Brandt resigned from the Board in August 2012 and his vacant position was filled by the interim appointment of Dr. Reinaldo Garcia.

Two years later, the results of the 2011 elections found an incumbent, Divyesh Patel, retaining his seat and, a familiar face returning to the Board in District 2 when Carl Harper won a third, but not consecutive, term on the Board by a substantial margin.

Craig Brandt, 2014.

The final Board election cycle in the first two decades of the district took place in 2013. Incumbent Don Schlichte became the longest-serving Board member in the district's history when he secured his District 1 seat for a fourth term. Martha Janssen secured the seat Margaret Terry vacated in District 3. The other member new to the Board was Catherine Cullen, who replaced interim appointee Garcia in District 5.

A total of eighteen individuals have served as Board members since the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creation in 1994. They provided leadership as the district grew in enrollment from 5,904 to 17,149 students; saw the number of elementary schools double from five to ten; saw the number of middle schools double from two to four; and saw the number of high schools in the district go from zero to two comprehensive high schools and two alternative high schools. The visionaries who had so clearly seen the need for an independent school district in the early 1980s had seen their vision validated.

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CHAPTER 28: Opening School after School

The first day of school at Vista Grande Elementary, 2013.

he opening of Rio Rancho High School at the beginning of the 1997–98 school year afforded the district a momentary respite in school construction and a chance to catch its breath—but not for long. Over the next decade and a half the Board would be busy approving and the district staff would be busy building, equipping, staffing, and opening new facilities. The school district was continuing to expand.

In June 1999, the Board oversaw the opening of Independence High School, the district’s first alternative high school, in the old Mountain View Middle School portable facility at 7100 Idalia Road NE. The need for an alternative high school had been evident for some time and Buck Glenn served as the leader to provide alternative instruction for a small but significant number of students whose needs were not well served by the traditional high school. The same year the Board opened a newly constructed replacement for Puesta del Sol at 450 Southern Boulevard NE.

The 2001 School Board oversaw the opening of two new schools in 2002. Rio Rancho Mid-High opened under Principal Scott Affentranger at 1600 Loma Colorado Boulevard NE. A new elementary school was needed in the far northeast corner of the district and the newly constructed Vista Grande Elementary School opened at 7001 Chayote Road NE. Linda Fleming-Banker moved from her position as principal at Rio Rancho Elementary to open the new school. As is often the case,

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she took several of her staff with her. One of her veteran teachers, Angie Adams, recalls, “At the end of our last day at Rio Rancho Elementary the staff gave those of us leaving to open Vista Grande a survival fanny pack because Vista was out in the middle of nowhere. We were given a guide on rattlesnake bites, ChapStick®, and other necessary items to help us get through opening a school in the middle of the mesa. The funny thing is as I prepared to open the library at Vista Grande a rattlesnake slithered right into the hall looking for a place to hide. That first year we dealt with snakes, hundreds of palm-size tarantulas, and many other desert creatures.”

Students break ground for Cielo Azul Elementary, 2007.

The 2005 School Board was the one that had the special honor of opening Maggie Cordova Elementary School. Maggie had been the lead administrator for special education in the district and her untimely death left a huge hole in the district’s soul. The school honoring her was constructed at 1500 Veranda Road NE and opened under the leadership of Principal Patrick Gaffney.

That same year, in 2005, a “brick-and-mortar” replacement for the portable facility named in honor of Ernest Stapleton was opened at 3100 Stapleton Avenue NE. Linda Sanasac oversaw the construction of the new school and the move. The all-metal facility that had housed Stapleton Elementary was completely reconfigured that same year under the leadership of early childhood expert, Suzanne Harper, and reopened as Shining Stars Preschool.

Another unique school opened that same year. Technological growth in public education had been approximating a “J” curve, the notion of an exponential explosion of connectivity, computing power, and instructional applications. This signaled the need for an alternative secondary school for those students deeply enmeshed in this brave new world of increased technology and connectivity. Thus, the Rio Rancho Cyber Academy opened under the leadership of Stephanie Bellmore at 420 Quantum Road NE, just across from the district’s central office.

The 2007 Board oversaw some major construction projects. Two new elementary schools were opened in 2008. Cielo Azul Elementary was constructed at 3804 Shiloh Road NE and LaVonna Archuleta had the honor of being the first principal.

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Opening at the same time was Sandia Vista Elementary at 6800 Franklin Road NE with Principal, Dr. Patricia Cruz. This Board also oversaw the reassignment of space occupied by the Cyber Academy to become the home of Independence High School in 2007. The Rio Rancho Cyber Academy was relocated to a newly acquired facility at 1330 Jackie Road SE in 2008.

The 2009 Board made the final two facility decisions of the first two decades when they opened the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second high school and named it in honor of the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only superintendent, Dr. V. Sue Cleveland. They also oversaw the conversion of Rio Rancho Mid-High to Rio Rancho Middle School.

Getting acquainted on the first day of school at Sandia Vista Elementary, 2014.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Patty Wormington Patty Wormington, Math and Science Teacher, Rio Rancho Cyber Academy. Eight Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Excellence.

I remember reading about the development of the new district in the newspaper and being very impressed with the values expressed. The innovative concept of the Cyber Academy intrigued me and I secured a position, first as a part-time tutor, and, then as a full-time math teacher. Although the online curriculum at RRCA is quite rigorous, the hybrid nature of the school allows teachers to address individual student needs, and support student responsibility for their own learning. Successful Cyber Academy students go on to be very successful college students. It has been so fulfilling to be a part of the dynamic growth of this amazing alternative setting.

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S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Kathy Shallenberger Kathy Shallenberger, First Grade Teacher, Vista Grande Elementary. Six Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Extraordinary.

I was fortunate to choose between several schools that would feed into the new V. Sue Cleveland High School. Vista Grande instantly became my home and new family. The administration of the district helps educators as much as possible so we can become successful in our classrooms. They have provided us with instructional coaches with a lot of knowledge. I believe that one of the major reasons that RRPS is so successful is because we have a great superintendent and administration that take care of their staff.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rio Rancho School District is the best thing that has happened to New Mexico education in fifty years. We unabashedly blazed a new trail to excellence.â&#x20AC;? Carl Harper, Board President, Rio Rancho Public Schools Innovation and partnerships pay off as the district generates concrete results for its students.

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PA R T 8 :

The State of the District (2014)

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CHAPTER 29: Captains of the Ships

ever underestimate the importance of a principal. If the district is pictured as a large naval task force underway to accomplish a specific mission, then each ship in that task force is integrally related to that mission’s success. The individual ships, while part of a larger fleet, reflect in many ways the unique personality and leadership characteristics of that ship’s captain. An often-quoted saying among educators underscores the point, “If you don’t have a good principal, you won’t have a good school.”

Cathy Gaarden greets a Maggie Cordova Elementary student on the first day of school in 2012.

As a group, the captains of the ships that constitute the district demonstrate the most important leadership attributes that research suggests are critical in operating an effective school. Each school in the district functions with a clear sense of vision: to keep the focus on the academic success of all students. Rio Rancho principals not only help staff develop that “shared vision” but continue to remind their colleagues that the vision can be realized.

The individuals “at the helm” engage with their staffs in professional development as part of the professional learning communities within each school, and they support their staffs by supporting the individual teachers who make up that faculty.

Mountain View Middle School Principal, Julie Arnold, 2012.

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The shared leadership evidenced by Rio Rancho principals isn’t a matter of delegating “administrivia” to staff members to lighten the principal's load, but is in actuality a

sharing of the tasks and challenges which help move the school closer to its goals and nearer to its vision.

Several retired principals continue to support the district and are returning part-time to serve as mentors to current principals. Kathy Pinkel, LaVonna Archuleta, Barbara Bruce, Marilee Bryant, Katy Harvey and Liz Wilburn are acting as administrative substitutes, assisting with teacher evaluations and helping with documentation. These retired and current principals continue the culture of collaboration that began early in the district.

The principals of RRPS schools have contributed immeasurably to the quality of the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s instructional programs and the instructional success realized by each student. They are honored for their service.

Puesta del Sol Elementary Principal Bryan Garcia, 2013.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Lisa Dobson Lisa Dobson, Principal, Secondary Learning Center. Eighteen Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Synergy.

I came to help open Rio Rancho High School and to be a part of the Academy focus for secondary education which included, Breaking Ranks: Strategies for Leading High School Reform. The district has a strong history in innovative technology. In 2014, the district has expanded the Robotics program down to the sixth grade level in all the middle schools. I was happy to have been a part of creating the Project Lead the Way program that was the precursor to Robotics. The ability to keep the focus of our work on students and to, when possible, pursue innovation \is one reason the district has been successful these past two decades.

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CHAPTER 30:

Meeting the Needs of Every Student, Every Day— District Level

Carl Leppelman (right) and members of the C&I team: Victoria Tafoya, Dr. Happy Miller, Jerry Reeder, and Debbie Fleming, 2014.

school district exists to help children develop their own capacity for personal achievement and emerge from instruction as positive contributors to society. To fulfill this purpose, RRPS organizes every component of the district toward the achievement of the vision of “Student Excellence.” Nowhere is this more important than in the development of curriculum, where innovation, partnership and results serve as guiding themes for the programs that are designed at the district level and emerge in the classrooms of each school. Dr. Diana Moon, Walt Gibson, Dr. Manny Rodriguez, and Carl Leppelman have each served in a leadership role for this department.

In 2002, Carl Leppelman was promoted to associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction (C&I). Carl started with APS where he held teaching and assistant principal positions. He then served as the principal of Enchanted Hills Elementary, first with Jemez Valley Public Schools, and then with the new district. His background in elementary and special education was an asset and he served on numerous key committees in the district’s infancy. As associate superintendent of C&I, Carl leads a high-performing team focused on ensuring student success through the implementation of research-based practices, continuous evaluation, and improvement.

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Over the years, many capable individuals have been part of the C&I team. Carl and his team have helped to guide principals and teachers to achieve results in key areas of curriculum and instructional programs. For example, RRPS has achieved consistent improvement in ACT scores, graduation rates, and Advanced Placement program results within the state of New Mexico.

The C&I team strives to meet the unique and special needs of every student. Since one size does not fit all, individualizing the learning process is a core ingredient for student excellence. Developing partnerships between home, school, and the community is an integral part of this effort. There are numerous examples of individualizing learning programs.

The annual Native American Pow Wow, 2014.

One example is the district’s program to support students who speak a language other than English. These students may have financial challenges, or have unique cultural needs such as Native American and Vietnamese communities. Victoria Tafoya understands their needs. Her work as executive director of Federal Programs has helped the district make considerable gains in closing the gap among different ethnic and cultural groups and has greatly enhanced communication with various segments of the community. In 2014, RRPS was recognized as a “District of Distinction” for a project titled “Meeting the Unique Educational and Cultural Needs of Students in Partnerships with Parents.”

Jerry Reeder, executive director for special services, and his staff have a passion for doing whatever it takes to meet the needs of students with disabilities. They work diligently to provide extensive support services and academic and social opportunities to accommodate and challenge students with disabilities to achieve their highest potential. In 2010 the team established a unique partnership with the Rio Rancho Parks and Recreation

Jerry Reeder confers with Dr. Sue Passell, Executive Director of Human Resources, 2009.

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Department to build “A Park Above” designed for children with disabilities, as well as all children. A volunteer Board works to help raise awareness and money to fund the park. Jerry Reeder; Jamie Villanueva, special education instructional leader; and Ben Vigil, special education teacher at Cleveland High School, serve on this Board. They have succeeded in getting funding from the New Mexico State Legislature and private donors. The Park Above is scheduled to open in the spring of 2015.

Tonna Burgos with Sandia Vista student MC Jonathan Giese, Acts of Kindness Day in 2012.

The team in Curriculum and Instruction also works to support teachers in a variety of ways. Dr. Happy Miller is the executive director of research, assessment, data, and accountability, which provides students, parents, and teachers with valuable information in order to better understand student performance. This department manages all of the tests that must be administered— literally hundreds of thousands of them to provide teachers with feedback so they can organize instruction to meet a student’s needs.

To avoid being “data rich and information poor,” instructional and demographic data is analyzed and converted it into useable formats. It is disaggregated by class, school, and district, as well as by various ethnic and socio-economic indicators. Innovation has been the hallmark of this department. Under Happy’s leadership, RRPS was one of the first New Mexico school districts to fully implement a data warehouse and in the spring of 2014, Dr. Miller was recognized by the New Mexico School Boards Association for the impact her work has made in the district.

School counselors support academic achievement and play a pivotal role in advising students and teachers. Executive Director of Student Services,Tonna Burgos, leads counselors and nurses who are vital in keeping students in school and helping them be successful. Student Services oversees the SAFE (after-school program), which provides tutoring and enrichment activities as well as disciplinary hearings. The team is getting results driving down suspensions from one hundred in the 2005–06 school year, to only thirty-seven in 2013–14. By partnering with the City of Rio Rancho on the annual “Acts of Kindness Day” which promotes anti-bullying and a kinder community the department extends positive role modeling into neighborhoods.

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STUDENT SUCCESS

Chris Morrison

hris Morrison had a marvelous run from his arrival in Rio Rancho in 1999 as a fifth-grade student until his graduation from Rio Rancho High School in 2007. He was active in the marching band, the jazz band, the Supercomputing Challenge, Science Expo, Civil Air Patrol, and more.

Following graduation from Rio Rancho High in 2007, Chris was awarded scholarship support at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. High School Advanced Placement classes allowed him to leverage the enriched program credits toward two B.S. degrees; one in aerospace engineering, and the other in computer science.

Chris recalls that his interest in computer programming was piqued by Ms. Loftin, his teacher at the RRPS Mid-High, who introduced him to the “Supercomputing Challenge.” At Rio Rancho High School, the more advanced programming offered by computer science instructor Joseph Hanosh awakened a real passion in Chris. He recalls that Mr. Hanosh would stretch all his students by “simply giving us a very complex problem, telling us to go figure it out, and then being there to help us do it.”

Chris felt that all of his teachers challenged him to reach his full potential. He recalls the hardest class that he has ever taken was advanced placement calculus. “After the first test I was in jeopardy of failing the class, but after I talked with the teacher, I was encouraged to forge on. At the end of the year I scored a perfect 5 on one of my last exams.”

Chris competed in the Science Expo and the “Supercomputing Challenge.” His project caught the attention of Mr. Barbour who volunteered several hours of his time to mentor Chris and eventually gave Chris a recommendation to Sandia National Laboratories summer internship during his junior and senior years of high school.

Chris credits his teachers and the programmatic opportunities provided by the school system as key ingredients in his successful climb into the more ethereal regions of complex computer programming and nuclear engineering. He is now working on his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. His advanced degree is fully funded under a Department of Energy Fellowship. His dream is to use his knowledge about nuclear power to open the Solar System to travel and colonization.

CHAPTER 31:

Meeting the Needs of Every Student, Every Day— School Level

io Rancho Public Schools offers a variety of learning environments that play a significant role in sustaining graduation rates above state and national averages. Some students need a smaller environment with more individual attention and maybe a little less “high school drama.” The district has developed a number of alternatives.

The Rio Rancho Cyber Academy provides self-paced, individualized learning in a “cyber environment” and offers students a Cyber Academy students come to the school campus twice a week to blended approach that is both “high tech work with teachers and fellow students, 2014. and high touch.” Online curriculum still requires considerable teacher support, which includes continuous monitoring of student performance. Elaine Manicke, who was the principal at the Cyber Academy for many years, retired in 2014. Jacquie Monclova, former RRHS vice-principal, took the helm in the fall of 2014. The May 2013 issue of New Mexico Enriched Virtual School District Administration recognized the results produced at the Cyber Academy when it reported that, “Data from the spring 2012 New Mexico Standards Based Assessment, a statewide reading and math assessment taken by all students in grades three through eight and eleven, show that Rio Rancho Cyber Academy (RRCA) students significantly outpace their peers in every grade in reading and math, with some 53 percent more seventh-grade students passing the math portion of the exam than the state average. In addition, 2012 ACT scores from RRCA eleventh-grade students surpassed both state and national averages in every subject area, including an average ACT composite scale score that was two points higher than the state average.”

Cyber Academy students collaborate on a project, 2014.

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Independence High School (IHS) provides a program with smaller classes and options, such as Graduation Reality and Dual Role Skills (GRADS), which includes a combination onsite daycare and parent-education program coordinated by Dorothy Lopez-Sherman. The principal is Myra Roosevelt, who previously served as principal at Lincoln Middle School.

The PED’s pilot Early Warning Systems program is being tested at Independence High. This program is designed to identify the current state of a student’s academic, physical and mental health needs. School faculties use this information to improve their teaching, provide support and develop interventions. Additionally, Independence worked with The Purple Neuron Project and Sandoval County DWI program to develop the “Sandoval County DWI Application” for the community. The “app” can be downloaded from the iTunes store or the Google Store for free. Independence High School also received the “High Performer The second IHS principal, David Latham, Award” and the “Program Champion congratulates a 2007 graduate. Award” from the Board of Directors for Jobs For America’s Graduates and JAG Grads: College and Career Ready.

Lisa Dobson is the principal for the Secondary Learning Center, which is a credit recovery center and night school that has helped students to graduate. Lisa also served as principal of Rio Rancho Mid-High School and was an assistant principal at RRHS. She has an incredible tenacity to help students overcome their last hurdles in obtaining a high school diploma. A customized, individual learning plan is developed that addresses the academic areas that a student must master in order to obtain a diploma. Laura Sandoval, a parent of one of Lisa’s students shared, “The Secondary Learning Center has created an environment where my student could be successful in ALL of her classes. Because of this, her self-confidence has skyrocketed! Thank you to all the faculty and staff for all you do!"

In addition to separate schools or centers, other in-school interventions are provided to students who struggle with academics. Reading Recovery, under the direction of Portia Sharp, assists children who struggle to read in first grade. Last year, 717 students received services. In 2009, RRPS and Jolene Reed, the program coordinator at that time, were recognized by the Reading Recovery Council of North America for the district’s high percentage of students who took part in the program and remained ‘on grade level’ for reading. Texas Women’s University annually awards the “Advocate in Excellence in Literacy Award.” Carl Leppelman in 2006, and Jerry Reeder in 2011 were both recipients of this prestigious award.

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First-grade “graduates” showcase their newfound reading skills every year at Reading Recovery’s Reader’s Café, reading to parents, teachers, and special guests, 2013.

Throughout the nation, Algebra I has the highest failure rate of any high school course. Without becoming proficient in Algebra I, it is impossible to complete the math requirements needed for both graduation and higher education. Failures in ninth-grade courses often set the stage for students dropping out of school. In collaboration with the Charles Dana Center at UT-Austin, the district implemented an Intensive Algebra I course for students who have difficulty with math. Passing rates have climbed dramatically with the extra time and support.

Shining Stars students learn in various ways, including physical activity, 2007.

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Shining Stars Preschool (SSPS) is a magical place that provides services for students aged two to five. The school was designed as a resource for children having challenges that impact learning, with the knowledge that interventions often have the greatest impact when implemented at an early age. The goal is to locate and assist students needing services so that they will be ready for kindergarten. While

the program was originally designed for students with disabilities, children without disabilities were included later on. Young children learn a great deal by watching and interacting with their age-level peersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;academically and socially. All of the Shining Star students benefit from the high quality of instruction and interaction with their teachers.

Suzanne Harper was the original force behind SSPS and secured considerable community and legislative support for her program. The staff has received numerous accolades and recognition for their outstanding work. In 2014, Suzanne Harper retired and Kim Johns was appointed principal. A 2014 Legislative Report reaffirms the dramatic gains that have resulted from preschool education in New Mexico and Rio Ranchoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own preschool is a shining example of that success.

All of these programs are directed toward meeting the diverse needs of Rio Rancho students and the results they have achieved represent the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to individualized learning to support student excellence.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Theresa Jose Theresa Jose, Educational Assistant, Rio Rancho Middle School. Ten Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Commitment.

I became involved in the RRPS district because of the excellent teaching experience my children have and continue to receive and I wanted to be part of such a great district. I know my children are being taught by caring and committed teachers, and in turn those teachers are backed by excellent administrators. There have been several teachers and administrators I have observed serving our students. One particular administrator goes above and beyond her duties, and even contributes part of her salary to serve her students. It is committed individuals who love their jobs is the core element that has made RRPS successful.

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CHAPTER 32:

A Guaranteed, Viable, and Rich Curriculum

“guaranteed” curriculum assures parents and students that when a student graduates, he or she possesses the knowledge and skills to be college and career ready. Students must be given the tools needed to achieve their dreams, whether they attend college, join the military, or enter the workforce. In this technology-driven world, the line between trades and academics is becoming increasingly blurred.

LaJuana Coleman, executive director for secondary education, and Elizabeth Jacome, executive director for elementary education, have exhibited strong leadership in working with teachers, higher education, and the business community, to identify the content (the “what” we teach) for each grade level and subject area. They Elizabeth Jacome greets a ensure that the delivery of content (the “how”) is based kindergarten student, 2006. on best practices in education. They are responsible for providing professional development that enables teachers to make the necessary shifts in their instructional practices—an essential task if students are to perform well on state assessments. Under LaJuana’s direction, the district’s high schools offer twenty-four different Advanced Placement (AP) courses to challenge students and to provide them with the opportunity to obtain college credits while in high school. These are very rigorous and demanding courses, which require a considerable amount of additional effort on the part of students. In 1999, RRHS gave seventy AP exams with 61 percent earning a 3 or better, which is required for earning college credit. In 2014, RRPS gave 1,430 exams with an average of 58 percent scoring 3–5. Leslie Keeney and retired teacher Linda Davey both received “Excellence in Teaching” awards from the College Board.

Linda Davey inspires students in an RRHS Advanced Placement English class, 2007.

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Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is an elective course designed to help students in the “academic middle” realize their full potential. These are students who have the ability to succeed in college but may have never

considered themselves “college material.” Many become the first in their families to attend college. Students entering the program and their parents pledge to meet academic, school attendance, and behavior standards and to commit to work towards a college degree. In addition to academic help, students taking the AVID elective learn time management, teamwork, and other skills needed for success in college and career. The first group of students who started the AVID program at a middle school and continued with the program through high school graduated. All were accepted at one or more colleges and all received one or more scholarship offers.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a Project Lead the Way, engineering students learn about organizing an assembly line with the “Fischer Factory,” 2011. pre-engineering curriculum that is taught by Bill Ryan and Denny Marquez at RRHS. The program was originally developed as a partnership with New Mexico State University and it was created to increase the numbers of students entering engineering programs in New Mexico. RRHS was the leading high school in 2013 for students entering the College of Engineering at the University ofNew Mexico. PLTW has also been successful in encouraging more young women to consider careers in engineering and even provided a special summer camp to increase awareness of this career pathway.

Under the dedicated leadership of Bill Duncan, Stacy Salinas, Dan Eberhardt, and Doris Karney, approximately 195 students participate in student government. Their mission is to provide RRHS “Big Event,” students help direction for school activities and to be of service to their residents around the house, 2012. fellow students and to the larger community. CHS and RRHS have received numerous state and national recognitions for their organizations, including Silver, Gold, and Platinum state awards. RRHS Associated Students will have the special honor of hosting the International/National Association of Student Councils National in June 26–28, 2015.

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Enchanted Hills Elementary drum group, 2006.

Middle School orchestra students perform with former TransSiberian Orchestra member Mark Wood, 2014.

Debbie Fleming, executive director for fine and performing arts, believes that the integration of the arts helps create a well-rounded education. She has worked hard to establish exemplary fine arts programs such as art, choral music, drama, dance, symphonic band, orchestra, jazz band, choir, and marching band. While most districts have arts at the high school level, RRPS is proud to offer a full range of programs at the elementary and middle school levels. Approximately thirteen thousand students participate in fine arts programs. In 2014, RRPS received the New Mexico Music Educators Association “Award of Distinction.” For the third time in five years, Rio Rancho High reigns supreme in the Vans Custom Culture national high school shoe design contest—and took home the $50,000 grand prize that goes with it. The win brings the total amount RRHS students have earned for RRHS and RRPS school art programs to more than $100,000! Matthew Lutz is their talented art instructor.

Under the Office of the Superintendent, the RRPS Athletic Department supports academics and promotes student excellence. Building upon the work of the district’s first athletic director, Gary Hveem, Bruce Carver, executive director for athletics, oversees a variety of highly competitive athletic programs and related courses. RRPS is proud of the academic performance of its student athletes where grade point averages hover slightly above 3.0. There are 3,109 students involved in district athletic programs. Over the years, the district has earned sixty state team championships and had many more individual champions.

During the past twenty years, RRPS athletic programs were a unifying force for the community and a financial boost for the local businesses. District Athletics have received

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accolades for being “a class act” in conjunction with “Victory with Honor,” a NMAA program promoting sportsmanlike behavior.

Longtime booster and volunteer, Ken Todd, has donated thousands of hours to RRPS athletics programs and has been a caring mentor to hundreds of students. Although a die-hard Rams fan, when Cleveland High opened, Ken was often to be seen at Storm games, supporting former Rams, and helping them make the transition to their new school. Always willing to offer his considerable organizational skills to benefit students, Ken is a shining example of the community’s involvement in RRPS athletics.

Gary Hveem and Bruce Carver, 2008.

The examples illustrate the depth of the curriculum and impressive results achieved by numerous programs found within the district. Results created for students through the work of teachers, principals, district leaders, and also by partnerships with community organizations and dedicated volunteers.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Amy Anderson Amy K. Anderson, Elementary Music Specialist, Maggie Cordova Elementary School. Ten Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Focus on excellence.

I truly believe that musical skills are life skills that help us live a full and complete life. I came to RRPS because the district has a passion for nurturing the whole child. Students who wish to pursue music, visual arts, drama, and dance all receive great support. They are given every opportunity to succeed in their area of passion. I truly believe that our commitment to the arts is what sets us apart from other districts and is the key to continued success.

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The $50,000 Shoes: that’s how much Rio Rancho High students earned for winning the 2014 Vans Custom Culture national shoe design contest. It was their third win in five years.

S P OT L I G H T

A Special Recognition of Reginald Peterson Reginald Peterson, Integrated Technology Service Technician. Eight Years of Service. Word that best describes RRPS: Perseverance.

One of the reasons I chose to be part of Rio Rancho Public Schools District was my children. I wanted to provide great customer service to the staff that was educating them. The district’s focus on technology is an example of commitment to student excellence. We’ve invested in technology, from ordering new computers and upgrading all operating systems throughout the District. I’m glad to be a part of the Rio Rancho Public School District IT Department. Rio Rancho Public School is not only a District, we are a “Family,” and our people go the extra mile to provide the highest level of education.

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CHAPTER 33: Innovation in Operations

Richard Bruce, left, and members of the Operations Team: Al Sena, Maurice Ross, Mike Baker, and Randy Evans, 2014.

upport for the classroom is absolutely essential for student success. In 2009, the operational functions of Rio Rancho Public Schools were consolidated under Chief Operations Officer Richard Bruce, who has served the district since 1994. With countless contributions over the years, Richard was the perfect selection to head the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critical support services. The operations team includes human resources, finance, facilities, technology, security, and transportation services for HR Specialists Valerie Rue, Natalie Wood, the eighteen schools in the district. These and Tiffany Apodaca, 2014. departments, once under the leadership of Dr. James King, have combined great service with innovation to help make Rio Rancho Public Schools the leading school district in New Mexico.

The Human Resources Department, under the able leadership of Dr. Sue Passell with assistance from directors Shirley Ogle and Amy Eveleth, provides hiring, in-processing, benefits, and personnel assistance to over two thousand employees in a fast-paced environment. Oversight of volunteers in the schools and union negotiations are additional responsibilities for this hardworking team that strives for

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the equitable treatment of all employees while ensuring that students remain the focus of every single day.

RRHS Building Engineer Leonard Cordova, 2014.

The Finance Department maintains the payroll for employees, processes purchase orders and contracts for the district, creates the district budget, monitors all expenditures, and pays all bills. Randy Evans, the longtime executive director, and James Blank, the director of accounting, are proud of the ongoing positive comments from the financial auditors. The lean financial staff continues to excel in safeguarding the taxpayersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; money as Rio Rancho Public Schools was identified by the Center for American Progress as the New Mexico school district with the best ROI (Return on Investment) as measured by best student achievement for the amount of funding.

The Facilities Department is directed by Alfred Sena, whose experience in architecture and with state government has proven invaluable with the construction of so many new facilities. With the assistance of maintenance director, Pat Dyer, the Facilities Department has repeatedly won architectural and maintenance awards, including the prestigious Ben Lujan Maintenance Award in 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014. New innovative school Cleveland High Army JROTC CyberPatriot team member designs, such as the geothermal wells under the during the 2014 National Semifinal Competition, 2014. parking lots at Cleveland High School, are saving taxpayers money while benefiting the environment. The two 1.25-megawatt solar arrays in place at both Rio Rancho High School and Cleveland High School are another example of the harnessing of the environment to help lower costs. Information Technology is crucial in the realm of education. Robotics, multimedia design, cyber security, online learning, and CAD classes are only some of the technology-based learning occurring in Rio Rancho Public Schools.

An example of twenty-first-century learning at both of the comprehensive high schools is the CyberPatriot program, in which students are prepared for the world of cyber security, both for businesses and the government. Robotics classes are at the 158

elementary, middle, and high school levels. Administrative technology includes financial software, student information software, a parent portal, an emergency notification system, as well as online gradebook, registration, and hiring system applications. The department, originally led by Richard Bruce and then Paul Romero, was in the capable hands of Mike Kenworthy, until his passing in 2014. Educational Technology Director, Karen Boulanger and Technical Services Director, Brad Villanueva are carrying his work forward.

The Safety and Security Department continues to assume greater importance as the district grows. The department was first led by Mike Tarter, former police chief for the Village of Corrales, and is now being led by Mike Baker, former Chief of the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety. The safety of over seventeen-thousand students, twothousand employees, and twenty-one sites throughout the city, are the responsibility of this department. Innovation in the form of security cameras, communications, training, and secure school entryways are a hallmark of the security staff. Mike and his assistant director, Mike Padilla, are true believers in close coordination with city, county, and state law enforcement agencies to help ensure the safety and security of our most precious resources, our students and staff.

RRPS Security Force and School Resource Officers not only help to keep schools safe, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re good sports, 2014.

Renee Wagner, 2014. The Transportation Department, now directed by retired Army officer and former School Principal Maurice Ross, has the herculean task of safely transporting almost twelve thousand students twice daily to and from school. His tireless Assistant Directors Becky Stewart and John Francis are key to making the system work. The Transportation Department manages extremely well with the limited resources

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available. The original Executive Director Theresa Saiz monitored the services of a transportation contractor for years. Jeffrey Bronstein took over the task and helped RRPS move from contracted to district-run transportation. District employees now deliver students to nineteen schools from over nineteen hundred bus stops while driving over one million miles per year (or over fifty-nine hundred miles per day, almost the distance of two trips across the United States every day).

The Parent, Community, and Staff Engagement Office, led by Kim Vesely, Cleveland High School Associated Students bring is responsible for promoting the inclusion cheer to Rio Rancho Seniors, 2014. of our parents and community in the activities of the school district. One outstanding part of this office is the Facilities Use Section, which assists the City of Rio Rancho and community organizations in using the school district facilities. Over 10,886 daily events (nonschool) are held annually in school district facilities saving the taxpayers from funding duplicate facilities within the city. Public outreach and involvement in our schools is essential to the success of our students and staff. The operational staff members of Rio Rancho Public Schools work daily to ensure that the district's students are properly transported to school, learn in great facilities, are taught by qualified staff, receive the purchased supplies and equipment, work with the latest technology, and benefit from an involved community while always being in a safe and secure environment. Operations allows the learning to occur.

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CHAPTER 34: In the Years to Come

io Rancho Public Schools has grown steadily from the day the district opened its doors in 1994. At the twentieth anniversary mark, double-digit growth has slowed and the monetary impacts from the recession of 2008 are beginning to recede. The conclusion of twenty years of service to the students and families of Rio Rancho is a significant milestone, worthy of recognition and celebration.

On Thursday, August 7, 2014, a group came together for an anniversary dinner at Rio Rancho High School. The special event took on extra significance during the program when Dr. Cleveland reminded the guests that there were four empty seats representing places for Tony Popper, Don Chalmers, Joe Lang, and Dick Muenzer. Four partners, who donated countless hours to help the district pass bond issues, secure land, provide board service and raise funds for programs. These men whose contributions were honored and whose presence was missed served as a symbol of the past and a guiding light for the future.

The look back over two decades was illustrated in a historical video created under the leadership of Cleveland High School Teacher, Shayne Sawyer and five of her Cleveland High School students, Nick Phillips, Letecia Baldonado, M. J. Carter, Jillian Kovach, and Michaela Galindo. Over sixty hours of filming was artfully edited to a thirty-minute program highlighting the evolution of the district and the people who made it all happen.

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Later that month, on August 11, over twenty-four hundred district employees gathered for the 2014–15 school year convocation. Twenty years of progress were evident. Karla Walker, the original Board president, working with a committee of school staff and volunteers, had organized the program. Present on the dais with Walker was current Board President Carl Harper and his fellow Board members Don Schlichte, Martha Janssen, Divyesh Patel, and Catherine Cullen.

Rio Rancho Mayor, Greg Hull, honored the assembly with his observation of the importance of the School District and its contribution to the high quality of life of the city. Carl Harper further honored the assembly with his observation that “the Rio Rancho school district is the best thing that has happened to New Mexico education in fifty years. We unabashedly blazed a new trail to excellence and we shared what we learned with any school that asked.” Three former students, Robert Gallagher, Holly Marquez, and Chris Morrison, thanked the staff assembled for the tools each of them had been provided to succeed in life.

The closing video viewed by the participants was a production by the American Association of School Administrators. The recurring lyric accompanying the images on the screen as face after smiling face of students faded in and dissolved before the audience was, “Children are the Future of the World.”

The staff of the Rio Rancho Public Schools has served to create that future with distinction for the past twenty years. May the next two decades and beyond hold equal promise.

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AFTERWORD

he Twentieth Anniversary of the Rio Rancho Public School District has been a time of celebration and reflection. By almost any applied criteria, Rio Rancho made a wise decision to take charge of its own educational destiny in 1994. The district has been blessed with outstanding School Boards, incredible staff, and wonderful students.

While there have been significant changes over the past twenty years, some things have remained constant. Community expectations have always been high and commitment for the district has always been strong. In large measure it is the willingness of this community to work together that provided the glue to support the district’s twenty-year journey toward achieving “student excellence.” Parent and community support are just as important today as they were in 1994—maybe even more so. The future of our school district is still up to each one of us, just as it was for that determined group who initiated the effort to create Rio Rancho’s own district. It will take all of us working collaboratively to push this district to even higher levels of performance. Schools simply cannot do the job alone.

A metaphor for the importance of individuals working together for a common goal comes from the first graduation ceremony for Cleveland High School. There was a huge jigsaw puzzle at the front of the stage and during the ceremony each student came forward and placed their piece of the puzzle in order to complete the picture. It would be wonderful if we could have a puzzle that included the name of each person who has contributed to the success of the Rio Rancho Public Schools. It would certainly be enormous, comprised of many different pieces of varying shapes and sizes; a symbol of Rio Rancho’s collective effort to create a new school district and commitment to sustain the district these past twenty years.

We have worked to capture many of the pieces of the puzzle that make up the district in this commemorative anniversary book. I sincerely thank Hugh Prather for research and authorship of this book. As one of the two interim superintendents in 164

1993, he played a key role in early development of this district. Dr. Prather stayed involved over the years and we were honored that he willingly took on this project. Thank you also to Jason Walker and Josh Slyman of Monsoon Design whose creativity brought the manuscript to life. I would also like to express our appreciation to Michelle Campbell for her efforts on editing and coordinating of the publication—we could have never completed the book without her patience and wise counsel.

A very special acknowledgement goes to the New Mexico Federal Educators Credit Union, whose funding enabled this project to be undertaken. We thank you for being a good community partner over the years and for providing the staff with a copy of this book.

Finally, we are most grateful to all of our citizens and community partners: Sandoval County, City of Rio Rancho, UNM, CNM, Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce, SCAFCA, and numerous Bond Election Committees. You have stood by us during good times and through difficult challenges. The creation of the District and the fulfillment of that dream could have never happened without you. Each of you has helped the District make a difference in the lives of thousands of young people—who will ultimately influence the future of our city, state, and nation.

Indeed, the story of the Rio Rancho Public Schools is a story worth telling and worth remembering. As we enter our third decade, I challenge our staff and community to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the vision of “student excellence” will guide our future efforts. Heartfelt thanks,

V. Sue Cleveland Superintendent, Rio Rancho Public Schools

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S TAT E C H A M P I O N S H I P S

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1997: Shortly after the school opens, RRHS cross-country runner Danyel Longmire wins the district’s first individual state championship

2000: RRHS cheerleaders win the state championship

2001: RRHS cheerleaders repeat as state champs

2002–03: Rio Rancho High School’s volleyball, wrestling (individuals and duals), and softball teams win the school’s first major sports state championships

2003–04: RRHS repeats in volleyball and wrestling

2004–05: RRHS wrestling and boys golf

2005–06: RRHS volleyball, wrestling, boys basketball, boys golf, baseball, and hockey

2007–08: RRHS girls soccer, volleyball, wrestling, hockey, and bowling

2008–09: RRHS girls cross-country, wrestling, lacrosse, baseball, and bowling

2009–10: RRHS volleyball, wrestling, and CHS bowling

2010–11: RRHS wrestling and cheer, and CHS bowling

•

• • •

2011–12: CHS football, boys and girls cross-country (state and individual), bowling, wrestling, boys girls track and Rio Rancho lacrosse. CHS is nationally ranked as one of the top high school prep sports programs in the country

2012–13: CHS volleyball, boys crosscountry, wrestling, boys track, cheer, and RRHS baseball

2013–14: RRHS boys cross-country, softball, bowling, wrestling, CHS boys track and boys golf

2014–15 (to date): RRHS football and boys cross-country

In addition, RRHS won the state sports medicine title 13 times between 1999 and 2012.

Breakdown by Spor t:

Baseball: RRHS: 2007, 2009, 2013 Bowling: RRHS: 2008, 2009, 2014 CHS: 2010, 2011, 2012 Boys Basketball: RRHS: 2007 Cheer: RRHS: 2000, 2001, 2011 CHS: 2013 Cross-Country (boys): CHS: 2011 and 2012 RRHS 2013 and 2014 Cross-Country (girls): RRHS 2008 CHS 2011 Football: CHS: 2011 RRHS 2014 Golf (boys): RRHS: 2005, 2007 CHS: 2014 Soccer (girls): RRHS: 2007 Softball: RRHS: 2003, 2014 Sports medicine: RRHS: 13 state titles in 14 years (1999-2012) Track (boys): CHS: 2012, 2013, 2014 Track (girls): CHS: 2012 Volleyball: RRHS 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 CHS: 2012 Wrestling: RRHS: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 CHS: 2012, 2013

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AC K N OW L E D G E M E N T S

he following individuals and organizations are deeply appreciated for the interviews, material, and photographs they shared with the author in helping prepare this history and tell this amazing story.

• V. Sue Cleveland • Amalia ArchibequeDreher • Kim Vesely • Patty Coan • Alan Morgan • Karla Walker • Barbara Harris • Jewel Hall • Bob Herman • Carl Harper • Nora Scherzinger • Geraldine Harge • Dorothy Satriana • Jimmie Lueder • Victor Suazo • Gilbert Villarreal • Israel (Izzy) Juarez • Carl Leppelman • John Freidman • Richard Bruce • Randy Evans • Stan Rounds • Charles Casey • Charlotte Hetherington • Glenda Mowry • Mark Lautman • Glynes Foster • Paul Cassidy • Katy Harvey • Genie Blair Ryan • Patricia DiVasto

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• Richard VonAncken • Scott Affentranger • Bob Perls • Chris Morrison • Angela Adams • Ernest S. Stapleton • Tom Swisstack • Virginia Trujillo • Lynn Medlin • Eleanor Ortiz • Leonard DeLayo, Jr. • Pauline Garcia • Diego Gallegos • Pauline Eisenstadt • Adrian Meador • Cathy Baehr • Helen Romero-Johnson • Cheryl Leonard • Debbie Long • Fatima Mendoza • Debra Almaraz • Nathaniel Charley • Holly Marquez • Lori Knight • Karen Davis • Sallye Olman • Diana Moon • Jason Johnson • Susan Palmer • AMREP Southwest • Colinas del Norte Elementary PTA archives

• Intel Corporation • Las Cruces Public Schools • Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary archives • Matthew Lutz/RRHS Fine Arts Department • New Mexico Activities Association • Puesta del Sol Elementary PTA archives • Rio Rancho Elementary PTA archives • Rio Rancho High School • Rio Rancho Observer staff and archives • Rio Rancho Public Libraries, Rio Rancho History Room • Rio Rancho Public Schools archives • Rio Rancho Roadrunner • Sandoval Economic Alliance • Shining Stars Preschool archives • State of New Mexico, Legislative Council Service • The Albuquerque Museum

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INDEX lease note that page citations are made for individuals mentioned in this book and reference the page the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name first appears in that chapter.

Adams, Angie Affentranger, Scott 112, 133 Anastasi, Tony Anaya, Toney Anderson, Amy Anderson, Mary Ann Anderson, Val Apodaca, Tiffany Archuleta, LaVonna Arnold, Julie Atencio, David

81, 134 101, 104,

Bachicha, Jessica Bachtel, Bernadette Baehr, Cathy Baker, Mike Baldanado, Letecia Bannigan, Kim Barbour, Dan Barefoot, John Barna, Lillian Barnard, Craig Barrette, Robert Baumberger, Don Beeman, Jill Bellmore, Stephanie Blank, James Boulanger, Karen Brandt, Craig Bronstein, Jeff Bruce, Barbara

77 142 123, 142 157 161 97 147 30 31 113 76 60 90 134 158 159 132 160 70, 141

128 40, 53 155 33 70 157 134, 141 140 97

Bruce, Richard 124, 157 Bryant, Marilee Burgos, Tonna Bynam, Antonia

69, 85, 115, 141 146 110

Caputo, Vinny 121 Carn, Lee 67 Carraro, Joseph 60 Carter, M. J. 161 Carver, Bruce 115, 154 Casey, Charles 64, 128 Cassidy, Paul 64 Castillo, Michael 65, 128 Chalmers, Diane 128 Chalmers, Don 128, 161 Charley, Nathaniel 110 Chavez, Lawrence 116, 127 ChenĂŠ, Connie 142 Christensen, John 120 Christensen, Ophelia 120 Cleveland, Jim 53, 63 Cleveland, V. Sue 5, 20, 45, 60, 63, 68, 77, 80, 89, 91, 96, 115, 135, 161, 165 Coleman, LaJuana 112, 152 Cordova, Joe 53 Cordova, Leonard 158 Cordova, Maggie 70, 134 Cour, Lisa 131 Coyle, Tom 78 Cruz, Patricia 135 Cuarenta, Blanca 120 Cullen, Catherine 4, 132, 162

Davey, Linda 152 Davis, Michael 42, 50, 54, 91 DeAveiro, Matt 53, 65, 128 De Lopez, Mary 97 DiVasto, Pat 118, 123 Dobson, Lisa 115, 141, 149 Dreher, Amalia (Ema) 20, 55, 60 Droskie, Bobbie 25, 43 Duncan, Bill 153 Dwyer, Gary 44, 70 Dyer, Pat 158

Earnest, Diane Eberhardt, Dan Eisenstadt, Pauline Evans, Randy Eveleth, Amy

45 153 38 70, 157 157

Farrell, Sarah 129 Farris, Mildred 30 Ferris, Cathy 142 Feuer, Marlene 25, 43 Fisher-Ives, Russell 97 Fleming, Debbie 144, 154 Fleming-Banker, Linda 133 Foster, Glynes 69 Francis, John 159 Fredrickson, JoAnne 142 Freeman, Richard 66 Friedman, John 65, 84, 88, 93 Fuentes, Robert 47, 52

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Gaarden, Cathy 140 Gaffney, Patrick 134 Galindo, Michaela 161 Gallagher, Robert (son) 162 Gallagher, Robert 128 Gallegos, Guadalupe 125 Garcia, Bill 100 Garcia, Bryan 141 Garcia, Reinaldo 130 Garza, Julian 68 Gerard, Nicholas 107 Gibson, Walt 94, 144 Giese, Jonathan 146 Gilbert, Van 112 Glenn, Buck 133 Gomez, Frank 60 Gonzales, David 56 Gonzales, Susan 97 Gustin, Bruce 127

Hall, Jewel 56, 57, 130 Hanosh, Joseph 147 Hanson, Maggie 128 Harge, Geraldine 31 Harper, Carl 4, 56, 57, 130, 131, 138, 162 Harper, Suzanne 134,142,151 Harris, Barbara 25,43,47,52, 57,130 Harris, Joe 127 Harvey, Katy 65, 72, 86, 94, 96, 99 Hayes, Rocky 116 Heffner, Trent 142 Heid, Ann 25 Herman, Bob 56, 57, 63, 130 Herrera, Richard 69, 84, 88 Hetherington, Charlotte 64

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Hickman, Joan House, Katherine Hull, Greg Hutchinson, Don Hveem, Gary

85 142 162 93 154, 155

Jackson, George Jackson, Kathy Jacome, Elizabeth Janssen, Martha Johns, Kimberly Johnson, Annette Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Gary Jose, Theresa Juarez, Israel

33, 60 131 152 4, 132, 162 151 142 60 93 151 30

Karney, Doris Kaufmann, Yvonne Keeney, Leslie Kellogg, Joan Kenworthy, Mike King, Alice King, Bruce King, James (Jim) King, James (staff) King, Jerry Kitts, Lynda Knight, Jeanne Kovach, Jillian Krattiger, Tina

Lang, Joe Latham, David Lautman, Mark Legendre, Kim Leppelman, Carl

153 32 152 25, 43 159 42, 77 42 93 157 111 142 42 161 142 92, 98, 161 149 28, 47 29 34, 144, 149

142 Lincoln, Phyllis LiRosi, Michelle 126 LiRosi, Sal 126 Lopez-Sherman, Dorothy 109, 148 Lueder , Jimmie 31 Lutz, Matthew 154 Lyons, Patrick 111

Mackay, Skip 142 Madelena, Roger 32, 38 Manicke, Elaine 148 Mares, Ruben 23 Marquez, Denny 153 Marquez, Holly 76, 162 Martinez, Vince 38, 60 McConnell, Susan 99 McDermott, Terry 128 McKinney, Teresa 124 McOlash, Bryan 40 Meador, Adrian 26, 32 Medlin, Lynn 43 Miller, Happy 144, 146 Miller, James P. 52, 58, 70 Miller, Millie 55 Miller, Ruth 90 Monclova, Jacquie 148 Montoya, Robert H. 21 Moon, Bill 98 Moon, Diana 69, 144 Moore, Debbie 128 Moore, Laura 142 Morgan, Alan 13, 36, 42, 47, 52, 54 Morrell, Debby 142 Morrison, Chris 147, 162 Mowry, Glenda 25, 43 Muenzer, Dick 66, 77, 128, 130, 161 Murphy, Ron 119, 124

Ogle, Shirley Olmon, Wynna Otero, Tony Owen, Jim

157 80 126 68, 128

159 Padilla, Mike 145, 157 Passell, Sue 4, 131, 162 Patel, Divyesh 38, 92 Perls, Bob 73 Peterson, Adam 156 Peterson, Reginald 161 Phillips, Nick 100 Phipps, Mike 141 Pinkel, Kathy 48 Pogna, Millie 161 Popper, Tony 142 Poutsch, Sarah 123 Powell, Chris 64 Powers, Kevin 58, 164 Prather, Hugh Principals by School and Year 142

Reed, Jolene Reeder, Jerry Rhodes, Virgil Rich, Gloria Richardson, Bill Roble, Amy Rodriquez, Manny Romero, Paul Roosevelt, Myra Roper, Vivian Ross, Maurice Rounds, Stan Rubalcaba, Joe

149 144, 149 60 142 77, 111 142 144 159 148 89 157 44 61

Rue, Valerie Ryan, Bill Ryan, Genie Ryan, Mike

157 153 28 28

109, 160 Saiz, Theresa 153 Salinas, Stacy 32, 134 Sanasac, Linda 26 Sanchez, Frank 48 Sanchez, James 149 Sandoval, Laura 113 Saucedo, Renee 161 Sawyer, Shayne 131 Scharfglass, Martin 142 Scherzinger, Nora 131, 162 Schlichte, Don 76, 102 Schmidt, Kurt 113, 157 Sena, Alfred 136 Shallenberger, Kathy 149 Sharp, Portia 92, 98 Sheppard, Bill 131 Sherman, Joel 122 Smith, Kristi 32, 33, 134 Stapleton, Ernest 159 Stewart, Becky 21 Suazo, Victor Swisstack, Tom 65, 77, 98, 128

Tafoya, Victoria Tarter, Mike Templeton, Robert (staff) Templeton, Robert (parent) Terry, Margaret Todd, Ken Tonigan, Richard F. Townsend-Johnson, Linda

Trimboli, Clara Tripp, Gary Trujillo, Virginia M. Tyree, Jaid

48 101, 110 74, 77 121

109, 160 Vesely, Kim 146 Vigil, Ben 146 Villanueva, Jamie 159 Villanueva, Brad 23, 25, 30 Villarreal, Gilbert VonAncken, Richard 106, 114

159 Wagner, Renee Walker, Karla 25, 43, 47, 50, 52, 57, 91, 130, 162 22, 89, 98 Wall, Jim 126 Walters, Andrea Fellows 142 Weil, Kathryn 141 Wilburn, Liz 37 Wiles, Richard 120 Wilk, Josefina 157 Wood, Natalie 135 Wormington, Patty

144 159 110 127 131 155 93 142

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The Rio Rancho Public Schools Commemorative History Book Production Team

About the Author Hugh Prather Ph.D. has lived in New Mexico his entire life and has been married to his wife, Kay, for over fifty-two years. Hugh served as the Superintendent for Los Lunas Public Schools from 1986– 1992 and as the Interim Co-Superintendent for Rio Rancho Public Schools in 1994 and 1995. As owner of Prather Consulting, Hugh’s mission is to provide selfless service for organizations and individuals. He provides organizational consulting to not-for-profits, boards, membership organizations, small businesses, the medical community, and educational institutions throughout New Mexico and the region. Dr. Prather’s educational leadership and firsthand experience with Rio Rancho Public Schools gave him valuable perspectives as the author of Innovation, Partnerships, Results.

About the Producer Michelle Campbell has been serving clients in major metropolitan areas and rural markets since 2010, specializing in strategic planning, business development, and marketing. Her experience includes serving as vice-president of marketing and government relations for Presbyterian Healthcare Services in New Mexico and as chief business development officer for Gunnison Valley Health in Colorado. Campbell has lived in Albuquerque most of her life, graduating from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Michelle served as producer and senior editor of Innovation, Partnerships, Results. Author: Hugh Prather, Ph.D., Prather Consulting, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Producer: Michelle Campbell, Campbell Consulting, LLC, Albuquerque, New Mexico Designers: Jason Walker and Joshua Slyman, Monsoon Design, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Photography: Norman Johnson, Norman Johnson Photography, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Photography and Research: Kim Vesely, RRPS Planning and Publications, Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Administrative: Patty Coan, RRPS Executive Assistant to the Superintendant, Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Executive: Richard Bruce, RRPS Chief Operations Officer, Rio Rancho, New Mexico

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