WLV principals present plans to raise school grades
Three principals faced the West Las Vegas Schools Board of Education to present plans to improve letter grades at their schools.
Other WLV principals in the district were in Albuquerque during Thursday’s regular board meeting, where they were receiving certifications and doing teacher evaluations. Those teachers are scheduled to present their strategic plans at next month’s regular board meeting.
Every school in New Mexico is issued a yearly letter grade from the Public Education Department ranging from an A to an F. This year, WLV schools did not fare well, with five schools receiving an F grade.
Becky Gallegos, principal of Valley Schools, where the middle school fell from a C to an F, presented her improvement plan with several members of her staff beside her at the lectern.
“These are not excuses, but they are reasons,” she said. “We did not have a kindergarten teacher for six months. We have a fifth-grade teacher who had medical leave with her husband.”
Gallegos asked for the board’s support in ending the practice of combining first grade classes with second grade classes, and third grade classes with fourth grade classes.
“We need to remove the combo classes at the Valley,” she said. “Yes, our numbers are small, but our needs are many. I need to have qualified teachers in each class. Right now, we have started our kindergarten class without our teacher.”
Gallegos told the board good teachers make a noticeable difference.
“At the middle school, we went from a D to a C,” she said. “But there in our middle school, we have three certified teachers.”
Superintendent Chris Gutierrez said the district has hired a kindergarten teacher for Valley. She should be starting next week. Tony Serna Middle School rose from a D to an A, and according to Rosemarie Salinas — principal at both Luis E. Armijo Elementary and Tony Serna Middle School — Serna had a 33.1 point gain.
“At Luis Armijo we went from a D to a C, and our overall score went from a 39.08 to a 56.48, which was a 17.4 gain,” she said.
“Everything we’re implementing at one school, we’re trying to make sure that we’re implementing at all the schools in town,” Salinas said. “We’re trying to unify. Instead of saying ‘You’re a Tony (Serna Elementary) kid,’ or ‘You’re a Union kid,’ we’re trying to build the culture that we’re West Las Vegas kids. Our staff, we’re all West Las Vegas teachers.”
Tony Sanchez, principal of West Las Vegas Middle School, said he was disappointed when he first saw his school’s grades because he knew they could do better.
“West Las Vegas Middle School, this last year, went from a D to an F,” he said. “There were a lot of things that could have contributed to that. However, we’re not going to make excuses. We’re going to move forward because that’s what we do.”
Sanchez said he has been working with administrators from West Las Vegas High School to collaborate on a three-year plan to improve education at the middle school.
“In three years, these students are going to become high-schoolers. What kind of foundation are we going to be able to give them to be successful in high school?” he asked.
As the presentations wrapped up, board member Ambrosio Castellano, who joined the meeting via video chat, questioned why the district only has one reading interventionist, a specialized teacher who helps students improve reading skills.
Superintendent Gutierrez said it was because of a shortage of teachers in Las Vegas.
“I had to move some of those teachers in those qualified areas because they were fully licensed with their bilingual license, their teaching license, and they were put into the classroom instead of reading interventionist,” Gutierrez said.
“The problem I’m having with this is not only do we have combined classrooms, but also don’t have a bilingual specialist,” Castellano said. “Yet we’re willing to put aside that money to hire an extra teacher in Vegas when maybe we could just hire EAs and put that extra money to get an extra teacher at the Valley.”
Gutierrez contended that the number of educational assistance needed would cost the district more than hiring new teachers.
“It would actually be nine EAs, because there’s five kindergarten and four first grade classes that are over state statute numbers,” Gutierrez said. “So you’re looking at about roughly between $15,000 to $18,000, and then another $10,000 for benefits per person. So nine is a lot more than hiring two teachers.”
Also at Thursday’s meeting, the board:
• Approved a measure to provide training for staff on the implementation of Policy Service No. 157, which addresses staff conduct with students.
The focus of the discussion was on provisions that prohibit staff members from keeping students’ phone numbers in their phones, or interacting with students on social media.
“I agree with it,” Gutierrez said. “I don’t think we need to be friends with our students on Facebook, or have their numbers in our personal phones.”
• Heard form the audit committee on fundraising. The committee now mandates that anyone conducting a fundraiser must have a receipt book, and must immediately deposit any money raised.
“Hopefully it doesn’t upset people,” Chairman Marvin Martinez said. “What we’re trying to do is get things to where the money is more accounted for, it’s deposited in a timely basis, there’s a receipt for it.”
• Heard an update on facilities. New fencing at middle and high schools was delayed due to a dispute with the contractor over the amount of material needed, but the contractor has agreed to complete the project with no further funding needed.
The contractor told the board the project would be completed by next week. At the recently remodeled middle school, the district had a small committee walk the site and prepare a list of repairs still needed.
Superintendent Gutierrez said the contractor is now working on items on the list.
•Mentioned Oct. 11 is the date for the next regular board meeting, and set Oct. 18 as the date for a special meeting.
