School board approves resolutions

The Tucumcari Public Schools board during a mostly routine meeting June 17 approved several resolutions for the upcoming school year, including applications requesting more than a half-million dollars to cover costs to teach at-risk students.

The board approved a Title I application for $503,671.10 in federal funds for some teachers’ salaries and a Title II application for $54,762.99 in federal money for professional development.

Assistant superintendent Dave Johnson said both funds are used to improve at-risk or poverty-stricken students.

Board members who were present passed the measure unanimously; board member Fernando Ureste was absent.

In other action, the board:

• Approved a fuel bid from Tucumcari Oil Co. of $2.0497 a gallon for unleaded gasoline and $2.1205 a gallon for diesel, plus applicable taxes, for the district’s vehicles in 2019-2020. Tucumcari Oil was the only bidder, though the district contacted three other possible vendors — Desert Fuels, Onvia and Mansfield Oil.

• Approved a professional services contract with special education coordinator and diagnostician Cathy Fury for 2019-2020 with an option to renew for 2020-2021. Fury will be paid $75,862.50 or $200 per evaluation, not to exceed $13,000.

• Briefly discussed policy advisories during the consent agenda. Superintendent Aaron McKinney noted one change is assistants will be tenured after one year instead of the former three years.

• Accepted a donation of $500 from Don Best to be used by the Tucumcari Middle School’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter for expenses incurred during this year’s national competition in Anaheim, California.

• McKinney said he would meet next month with architects from Greer Stafford/SJCF of Albuquerque and Tucumcari’s city manager to discuss plans to redevelop the district’s baseball and softball fields.

• Heard during the public comment part of the meeting from Al Patel and his plan to refurbish the “T” on the north side of Tucumcari Mountain. Patel said he wouldn’t ask the board for donations but instead sought support and ideas for the project. He noted the school’s senior class had painted the “T” on the mesa for decades until two years ago, when a new owner restricted access to the site. McKinney advised Patel to ask for donations of money or equipment from the McMullen Foundation and from several wind and solar energy firms in the region.