Clovis schools oppose PED's 180-day rule

In hopes of challenging the state's Public Education Department's proposed changes to school calendars, the Clovis Municipal Schools Board on Tuesday unanimously voted to be part of a planned lawsuit.

The board approved a resolution supporting CMS Superintendent Renee Russ joining the New Mexico Superintendents Association's opposition to the 180-day rule ordered by the PED.

Multiple area school superintendents have said they also will join in the planned lawsuit. The mission is to prevent PED from implementing its 180-day rule set to go into effect with the 2024-2025 school year.

"As a group of superintendents, we are very opposed to the 180-day rule and the way it came to be. We believe strongly that it runs against current law," Russ said.

Clovis is currently on a 170-day school calendar and, like most schools in the state, will be forced to add classroom time if the rule goes into effect.

Russ told the board it will not be held accountable for the proposed lawsuit and if the board wanted to take action it would have to do so in a separate ordinance.

Also at Tuesday's meeting, Russ presented four calendar drafts to the board for the upcoming school year – two for less than 180 days and the other two meeting that quota.

"They (Public Education Department) were supposed to send last week the calendar templates that are a part of our budget submission process. We don't know all of the terms, conditions and expectations," Russ said.

She said nothing is set in stone, and more information regarding Clovis' schedule for 2024-2025 will be further discussed at the April 23 board meeting.