Socorro Schools hold town hall to discuss student outcomes, cell phones, GO bond

The district’s proposed $5 million GO Bond which would fund capital improvements without raising property taxes will be voted on during the Nov. 4 election.

Superintendent Joyce Gormley said that the bond would replace expiring bonds, maintain the current tax rate and funds from the bond would be used for infrastructure upgrades, safety improvements and technology enhancements.

“We’re building the infrastructure to continuously monitor and improve,” said Board Member David Hicks. “Two years ago, we didn’t have this data. Now we do, and we’re using it to make informed decisions.”

Board Secretary Sharon Sessions, presented the district’s newly adopted student outcome goals, which aim to improve academic performance and student well-being by 2029. The district plans to increase third-grade reading proficiency from 39 percent to 50 percent, and sixth-grade math proficiency from 14 percent to 40 percent.

“Let me ask you guys, can you guess before we started this framework, what percent of time that we spent discussing student outcomes in a typical board meeting? 0%. We didn’t spend time discussing student outcomes, and that’s the only reason that we exist as a district. So, now we are actually spending time and taking time and looking at where we’re going and what we can do to improve our student outcomes,” Sessions said.

Another goal, said Sessions, is to raise the percentage of high school graduates earning industry certifications, advanced placement credits, or bilingual credentials.

She said the district seeks to enhance student engagement, aiming to increase the percentage of students who feel valued in their school community from 31 percent to 52 percent.

The board now dedicates half of its meeting time to discussing student outcomes, a significant shift from previous years, said Sessions.

“We don’t wait until the spring of 2029 to find out if we missed the target or if we hit it,” Sessions said, “We need to know along the way whether or not we are making progress towards the goals and guardrails that we have, and we do this with a consistent schedule of progress monitoring.”

The Anti-Distraction Act was discussed, which requires school districts to adopt policies limiting cell phone use during instructional hours, said State Senator Crystal Brantley during her presentation.

Brantley, a former school board member and mother of five, said the legislation is a bipartisan effort to reduce classroom distractions and improve student focus.

“I was proud to sponsor this bill with the Anti-Distraction Act. Good reception early on from the government. It was a bipartisan support as we curated both sides,” said Brantley, “The intent was not to punish kids. The intent is to create freedom.”

She said the district has implemented an initial policy to meet the August 1 deadline but is now seeking community input to refine it.

Brantley said that local leaders should tailor the policy to their community’s needs, noting that the state will offer grant funding to help districts implement solutions such as lockable phone pouches.

A survey was distributed during the meeting and will be sent out district-wide to gather feedback for the policy going forward.