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District updates timelines for new schools, training center and middle-school interactive projectors
Summary
Superintendent Mike Hyatt reported construction timelines for Thoreau High School, Crown Point schools and a new McKinley Tech training center, and officials highlighted new interactive projectors funded with state capital outlay sponsored by Rep. Wanda Johnson and Sen. George Muoz.
Superintendent Mike Hyatt told the Gallup-McKinley County Schools Board of Education that construction on Thoreau High School is progressing and is expected to be completed in February or March 2026, barring major weather or other delays. Hyatt said district staff had visited schools on the first day of the year and that community rumors a two-year delay for Thoreau were incorrect.
The update matters because several school construction and career-training projects aim to expand district capacity and reduce student travel. Hyatt also said Crown Point Middle School and Crown Point High School are moving forward and that a smaller new McKinley Academy building on the UNM campus is expected to be finished during the spring semester of the current school year. Hyatt described the McKinley campus facility as roughly 15,000square feet.
Hyatt said the district has encountered delays tied to state-level capital approvals and funding. "We have gone to the PSFA, the PSDOC, and those organizationshave, routinely for decades in my opinion, discriminated against our community with regards to funding," he said, adding the district has pursued legal remedies and has an existing lawsuit and is "considering another one" over perceived uneven approvals. He also said Impact Aid shortfalls had contributed to a multi-decade backlog in facility funding.
Separately, district staff showed a video demonstration of interactive, touch-sensitive projector systems purchased for every middle school using capital outlay funds the district requested from the state legislature. The projectors include an audio system and are designed for gym and classroom use; district staff said the equipment supports cross-curricular lessons and is installed in Navajo, Tallahatchie, Crown Point, Gallup Mid, JFK and Rhema middle schools. The superintendent thanked Representative Wanda Johnson and Senator George Muoz for sponsoring the capital outlay that funded the projectors.
Board members asked for updates on the Thoreau construction schedule and the status of the McKinley Tech training center on the east side of town; Hyatt said the district is meeting with designers and awaiting state approvals and funding before moving from design to full construction documents.
What happens next: Superintendent Hyatt said the district will continue to press state agencies for approvals, provide periodic construction updates to the board and share concept images of the Crown Point facilities when available.
Sources: Superintendent Mike Hyatt presentation and board Q&A; technology demonstration and staff remarks; transcript notes of funding sponsors Rep. Wanda Johnson and Sen. George Muoz.
