School board discusses Tucumcari grad plans

When and how Tucumcari High School would hold a graduation ceremony amid COVID-19 restrictions became a hot topic of discussion among school board members during its regular meeting May 18.

Later in the week, the district announced it would hold a virtual drive-through graduation ceremony at 6 p.m. May 29 in front of Tucumcari High School.

Superintendent Aaron McKinney said he was calling other schools that held ceremonies to see how they did it, and he would “come up with something sooner than later.” He said he was eyeing graduation dates of May 29 or June 27. (See story in this edition about plans for Tucumcari’s graduation.)

McKinney said the state’s Public Education Department restricts the number of people on school grounds during the pandemic and warned about the district’s liability exposure “if something went wrong” during a graduation.

Board President Leif Gray said he heard about other school districts holding graduations outdoors with seniors wearing masks and observing social distancing.

Board member Heather Gonzales said several school districts, including Texico, held graduations and managed to “keep tradition” while maintaining social-distancing rules, as well.

Gonzales said in the age of social media, news about other districts going ahead with their graduations puts pressure on others to organize theirs.

Gray also cited a recent email from Education Secretary Ryan Stewart that acknowledged the agency “won’t review” a district’s graduation plans if it followed the governor’s public health order.

Logan Municipal Schools likely will hold its graduation during mid-summer when an anticipated easing of COVID-19 restrictions would give it more flexibility for a traditional ceremony, superintendent Dennis Roch stated last week in an email. The Logan school board is scheduled to hold a special meeting this week about the matter.

San Jon’s three graduates have said they are willing to hold off on their ceremony until late in the summer with the hope the state will ease public gathering bans, said Superintendent Janet Gladu during a board meeting earlier this month.

House Municipal Schools has no seniors this year.

In other business:

n The board unanimously approved two resolutions about the sale later this month of $3 million in bonds to upgrade baseball and softball diamonds that partially are on city land. Voters in the school district easily approved the bond issue during a special election in February.

McKinney said the school district remains in good financial standing, and bond interest rates from the New Mexico Finance Authority remain near historic lows.

Regina Gaysina, an associate with RBC Capital Markets of Albuquerque, the district’s bonding company, said the district saw a healthy increase in the assessed value of property but anticipated zero or negative growth in that because of the recession.

Gaysina said she anticipated the district’s property tax rate would not change because it had paid down some debt in recent years.

In an answer to a question from board member Jerry Joe Lopez, McKinney said lawyers are drawing up a contract with the city of Tucumcari over the ballfields redevelopment deal.

n McKinney said he’d learned that morning the district would receive $417,000 from the CARES Act coronavirus relief bill. He said the board would schedule an emergency meeting before the end of the month to accept the money. He said it likely would be used for buy personal protective equipment for staff and students, give buildings a more thorough cleaning and buy Chromebook computers for every child in the district.

n In response to a question from Gonzales, McKinney and business manager Leola Patterson said they were uncertain how a New Mexico Legislature special session next month would affect the district’s budget. Lawmakers will make spending cuts in response to budget deficits caused by the COVID-19-fueled recession and a Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war.

n The board approved an audit committee recommendation to hire Accounting & Financial Solutions of Farmington to perform the district’s annual audit for the next three years. The approval comes with the stipulation that committee members Lopez and Gray approve it. If not, the board would require a special meeting to resolve it.

n The board approved an annual resolution for part-time employees where the district would offer to pay a share of insurance premiums.