Tuesday
The Los Alamos School Board met for a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 16. Here are the highlights of what was discussed. the board recognized a group of Aspen students who participated in the Odyssey of the Mind competition and qualified for World Finals. Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem solving competition. A few members of the team came to the School Board meeting along with their sponsors, Victoria Daley and Matthew Allen. Allen said, “What’s awesome about Odyssey of the Mind is that it’s the perfect combination of STEM and performing arts. It’s really cool to see both of those come together.” The board also recognized Los Alamos Public Schools’ Food Services Director, Mia Holsapple, who recently accepted a promotion with The Compass Group, the parent company of Chartwells. Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus presented a summary of recently signed legislation that could affect LAPS. Steinhaus reviewed a handful of bills but specifically pointed out House Bill 250, which proposes to conduct a needs assessment to determine education programs to assist Native American students to become college or career ready. LAPS will confer with Tribal Leaders and the Native American Parent Advisory Council before conducting the assessment. Senate Bill 229, the School Support and Accountability Act. This bill would replace the A-B-C-D-F school rating system. The bill requires the use of a data dashboard, something LAPS is already in the process of implementing through New Mexico Ed-Fi collaborative. Steinhaus then informed the board on the Extended Learning Time (ELT) Grant, one of the research-based ideas funded by the 2019 Legislature and approved by the Governor. The new guidelines allow LAPS to submit an application that will support and even expand some of the innovative learning opportunities schools already provide for our students. These include Saturday School and Academic Time in grades 7-12 and tutoring programs around the district. If approved by the state, this application provides new ways to support and fund these programs, better compensation for staff working in these programs, and the chance to provide professional development for staff participating in the ELT program. The School Board unanimously approved the application. There is no school board work session in April. The next regular school board meeting is May 14 at the Los Alamos Administration Board Room. The main topic of discussion will be the budget. The second and final Community Budget Meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the White Rock Public Library. Anyone interested in the LAPS budget for next year is invited. .