Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
School for Tucumcari Elementary students will begin five minutes earlier this fall due to additional, state-mandated instruction time.
The Tucumcari Public Schools board approved a calendar for the 2023-2024 school year during its April 17 meeting that also included two additional teaching days on Friday for the middle school and high school.
Assistant superintendent Dave Johnson said despite the state mandating additional instruction time, the TPS calendar is “pretty traditional.”
Because TES cannot use as much professional development time for teachers as the middle and high schools, classes for the day will begin at 7:55 a.m. instead of the usual 8 a.m.
According to the calendar, the first day of school would be Aug. 14, with three in-service days the previous week. School days on a Friday would be Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Dec. 1 and April 5.
TPS will be on break for Christmas from from Dec. 25 through Jan. 5. Thanksgiving break is from Nov. 22-24. Spring break is set for March 18-22.
Graduation is scheduled for May 17, 2024.
In other business:
— The board held a work session to discuss the next fiscal-year budget, which it has to submit to the Public Education Department by June 5.
Business manager Monica Martinez detailed higher costs the district will incur, including 6% raises for teachers and administrators, a 7.24% increase in health insurance and an 11% hike in risk insurance, which includes worker’s compensation.
Matt Bednorz, a member of the budget committee, asked whether the district might have to lay off employees in five to 10 years if the state’s revenues begin to flatten or decline.
“I have a big concern about that in the future if the state doesn’t have enough money,” superintendent Aaron McKinney responded, adding that PED could yank back the district’s cash reserves to help cover the shortfall.
McKinney said PED took back about $250,000 from TPS about 2018 when the state was experiencing a cash crunch.
McKinney said the district probably will have to lower its cash position in the coming years to help prevent that from happening. He said a district’s available cash shouldn’t be more than 13% of the budget. When asked how much TPS’ level was, he estimated it was 20% or more.
Johnson said instead of layoffs during a cash crunch, TPS probably would resort to not hiring replacements if a teacher retired or left the district.
— The board approved a contract with Accounting & Financial Solutions of Farmington to again do its annual audit. McKinney recommended that contract because it worked during the previous audit with Martinez, who is in her first year as business manager. Accounting & Financial Solutions also submitted the lowest bid.
— During his superintendent’s report, McKinney said electrical work was beginning for the ballpark redevelopment project, including new lighting for the fields.