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Parents and teachers press board for clarity on EJ Martinez; Milagro staff urge keeping middle‑school model
Summary
Dozens of public comments and extended board discussion focused on EJ Martinez's future after the district presented options including consolidation, rezoning and schools-of-innovation; Milagro teachers and parents urged preserving a middle‑school program.
Multiple residents, teachers and parents told the Santa Fe Public Schools Board on Dec. 10 that decisions about EJ Martinez and Milagro Middle School should prioritize students and community continuity.
During public forum, several speakers associated with Milagro urged the board to keep Milagro as a middle school. "I wanna keep it a middle school," said Megan, a Milagro teacher, who described eight years at the school and a recent waiting list. Laif Johnson, a Milagro history teacher, asked for the evidence supporting a shift to K‑8 and posed specific cost and enrollment questions for the board to answer.
EJ Martinez parents and staff expressed concern about the physical condition of the EJ/Chaparral wing and urged the board to consider alternatives to demolition. "The entire building smells like sewage," said Kimberly Will, a parent at EJ Martinez, describing building habitability concerns.
Superintendent Christine Griffin told the board the district has held nine structured community engagement meetings with EJ and Chaparral stakeholders and three additional meetings with EJ and Milagro staff. Griffin reported EJ Martinez enrollment at about 152 students (29 sixth graders) with roughly 60 inner‑zoned students. A family/staff survey produced 256 responses: 119 favored rezoning, 79 favored a schools‑of‑innovation approach and 58 favored consolidation; the superintendent noted Milagro families had not yet been surveyed on some newer options such as housing EJ at Milagro.
Board members discussed short‑term options — including rezoning, schools of innovation that could preserve EJ’s cohort, consolidation, and the question of converting Milagro to a K‑8 or a 6–8 middle model. Several members said they wanted a districtwide look at middle‑school models before making irreversible changes. The board agreed to continue community engagement and asked staff to return with additional data and options in January.
The board also approved a separate motion to reallocate $4 million from the 2021 GO bond to address immediate facility needs at the Chaparral/EJ site; board members said those improvements are intended to stabilize conditions while long‑term decisions are developed.
