Rio Rancho board votes 4–1 to repurpose a Puesta wing for expanded pre-K planning

The Rio Rancho Public Schools board voted 4–1 to begin work to repurpose one wing at Puesta as part of a broader pre-K expansion plan, a step administrators said will allow the district to offer more full-day pre-K options while staff continue longer-term planning.

Board member Jessica Tyler moved the plan to repurpose a wing at Puesta and Gary Tripp seconded. In a roll-call vote Vice President Morgan, Secretary Tyler, Board member Tripp and Board member Miller voted yes; President Galbraith voted no. The motion carried 4–1.

The board’s action followed a presentation from the pre-K expansion committee, led in the meeting by Janet Chenault, elementary school improvement officer, who said the committee unanimously recommended repurposing Cuesta as the ideal long-term center but identified a wing-repurpose as an immediate, lower-cost step. Chenault and special services staff emphasized federal obligations to serve children with disabilities and parental interest in full-day offerings.

Superintendent Dr. Beasley Cleveland framed the decision around student needs: "We are seeing an increase in the number of very high need children in this school district," he said, adding that a University of New Mexico study led by district partners showed COVID-era effects have left some children "one or even two years behind" developmentally and that earlier intervention improves kindergarten readiness.

Public comment before the vote focused heavily on pre-K impacts. Chris Moffitt, a licensed master social worker speaking for Small Steps Child Counseling, urged the district to reconsider policy changes that would restrict visible LGBTQ+ affirmations in classrooms, arguing that "removing these symbols from classrooms may inadvertently cause an environment where LGBTQ students feel unseen, marginalized, or unsafe." Robert Ortega, speaking with petitions from community members, warned that repurposing neighborhood schools could harm community growth and teacher retention and urged caution.

Board members debated trade-offs: several members said a wing approach would allow the district to meet current grant parameters and offer more full-day slots to families who need them, while others said fully repurposing Cuesta would best address long-term needs but create displacement and budget pressures. District staff said capacity estimates for a wing conversion could allow roughly 199 four-year-olds in certain scenarios but that final enrollment will depend on family choices between half- and full-day options.

Budget risk was central to the discussion. Tyler noted the district faces a recent budget shortfall driven by state funding formula changes and cautioned that a full-school repurpose or new facility now could deepen fiscal strain. Staff noted operational costs would not necessarily rise because the buildings are already operational, but refurbishment and construction would require capital.

The board directed staff to move forward with planning for a wing conversion at Puesta while continuing to explore other facility and boundary options, and to return with further details on capacity, cost and implementation timing.

The motion was the principal substantive decision of the meeting on early childhood services; board members said additional planning and possible legislative changes on pre-K funding will shape next steps.