Jaramillo says her farewell to school board

Tara Jaramillo reflected on her time as a school board member with a speech delivered at the Socorro Consolidated School Board meeting.

“I did not know the journey I would be on when I began my tenure. The district was shaped by a culture that was less than supportive,” Jaramillo said at the Dec. 8 meeting.

She said eventually she saw a positive shift that gave her hope. Over the four years, she said there were two midterm board resignations and three different superintendents. The turbulence stemmed not from students or staff, but from the governance climate, which often strained superintendent-board relationships, said Jaramillo.

“I want to commend this board for moving this district forward during many difficult times, your collective willingness to evolve, to confront challenges openly,” Jaramillo said, “You are not meant to always agree with all of your colleagues here. You are not meant to be comfortable. You are not meant to be compliant. You are meant to challenge the ideas and each other.”

Jane Andersen, who was appointed to fill a mid-term vacancy, also thanked the board.

“My time was brief, but boy, has it been an education. Serving on the school board was not anything like I had imagined it would be. It's been very interesting working with you all.” Andersen said.

In the November election, Pauline Jaramillo retained her seat on the board with Sefie Michael Anaya and Ronnita Marie Montoya beginning their tenure in January.

In other business, principals from San Antonio, Parkview Elementary, Midway Elementary, Socorro Middle School and Socorro High School shared breakdowns of the New Mexico Vista results with the board.

They identified gains and challenges and outlined steps to improve future VISTA results.

The board also heard a presentation on the five-year facilities master plan from Colleen Martinez. She reported on community demographics, declining enrollment, facility needs, capital improvement options (including renovation versus replacement of buildings), funding strategies and priority projects at various schools.

The plan included future maintenance, technology upgrades, options for teacher housing, and strategies to improve eligibility for state capital funding.

Board members discussed specific facility priorities, including enclosing corridors, adding a gym, addressing sports field needs and updating policy manuals for clarity.

The board unanimously approved the master five-year plan with amendments.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Socorro Education Foundation and the school district was tabled by the school board pending further legal counsel review.

The Socorro Education Foundation would be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that would be allowed to receive tax-deductible donations and apply for special grants not available directly to school districts.

“I don't want to do anything moving forward this big, and especially when it involves money, without our legal counsel's input,” Superintendent Joyce Gormley said.

The next school board meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. on January 12 at the district office.