Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
New Portales school board member Dustin Cabeldue, left, is sworn in by Roosevelt County Magistrate Judge Christopher Mitchell.
PORTALES - The Portales Municipal School Board on Monday selected Research and Polling, Inc., to remap school board districts to reflect changes in population recorded in the 2020 U.S. Census.
Superintendent Johnnie Cain said Research and Polling, which has done most of the redistricting adjustments in district maps in Roosevelt and Curry counties, will do the work for about $15,000.
Two of the school system's voting districts may require adjustment, Cain said, because their populations are about 5% different from what equal population would be, and the maximum allowable difference is 3%.
Monday's meeting was the first for Dustin Cabeldue, who was appointed to fill the position left vacant in March by the resignation of Randy Rankin.
Cabeldue was the only candidate to apply to fill Rankin's position on the board and was appointed by a unanimous board vote at a special meeting on April 4 after being interviewed by board members, meeting minutes show.
The board on Monday also set the date for next year's Portales High School graduation ceremonies. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. May 20, 2023, at the Eastern New Mexico University Arena.
Cain said staff decided that May 20, the Saturday before the last week of school, was preferable to holding the ceremony on the following Friday. Seniors are done with academic obligations by the last week of school, and the Saturday ceremony leaves time for families to gather for the ceremony and celebrate afterward.
Graduation for 2022 remains unchanged: that's still scheduled for May 27.
The board also approved a calendar for the 2022-2023 school year, supporting a draft of the calendar that 63% of staff and teachers favored. The calendar includes three days more than the state requires, which leaves room for days off for developments like the state basketball tournament, Cain said.
Snow days, he said, no longer have to be no-class days.
"We've given the kids 1,500 computers," he said, which would allow classes to be conducted virtually on snow days.
The board also set 6 p.m. April 25 as the time for a special meeting date to receive public input and give final approval to the district's 2022-23 budget. The meeting will be held at school district headquarters, 501 S Abilene Ave, Portales,
The board on Monday also authorized Rick Segovia, director of federal programs, to seek funding for the district's bilingual and multicultural programs for the 2022-2023 school year.
Segovia explained that the program offers a 50-50 split in English and Spanish through sixth grade, and then two hours a day in Spanish-language instruction from seventh grade forward. Graduates receive a bi-lingual seal on their diplomas.
The board also approved a $157,114 increase in the district's operational budget to accommodate appropriations for 3% pay raises approved by the 2022 New Mexico State Legislature.
Portales High School Band Director Kelli Morrison reported that the band scored 100% in concert performance, a first for PHS, and 97% for sight reading performance at the Southeastern New Mexico Music Educators Association's Band Large Group Music Performance Assessment on Thursday and Friday, earning "superior" ratings in both categories.
