Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Performance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District principals report student gains but flag chronic absenteeism and uneven math/ELA performance
Summary
Principals from Kirtland Elementary, Judy Nelson, Ojo Amarillo and Kirtland Middle presented progress reports showing notable early-grade gains but highlighted persistent chronic absenteeism, staffing shortages and specific grade-level weaknesses in math and language arts.
Several principals addressed the Central Consolidated Schools board with progress reports that showed both notable student gains and persistent operational challenges.
Jay Boucher, principal at Kirtland Elementary, highlighted strong kindergarten performance on reading and math (kindergarten reading 81% at grade level; kindergarten math 94%) and said daily attendance averaged about 93%. Boucher flagged a vacancy for a financial secretary since February that has reduced time available for classroom coaching and set goals to raise daily attendance to 95% and lift second- and third-grade proficiency to at least 60%.
Dr. Debbie Tom, principal at Judy Nelson Elementary, reported enrollment of 441 and singled out significant kindergarten gains on Amira (from 44% at the beginning of year to 71% at midyear). She said Judy Nelson is piloting a revamped DARE curriculum for sixth graders and identified fourth-grade language arts and sixth-grade language arts as areas needing additional support.
The Ojo Amarillo principal (name not explicitly stated in the transcript) said the school grew from about 240 to 280 students, credited bilingual Navajo instruction for improving outcomes, and noted that road washouts and infrastructure problems have contributed to attendance drops. The principal described a restorative approach to chronic absenteeism and expansion of after-school cultural programming.
Sherilyn Lee, principal at Kirtland Middle School, said the school’s enrollment is roughly 380–390 and that professional development, capturing kids’ hearts programming and improved coordination with Kirtland High School are strengths. Lee flagged a regression in seventh-grade reading and continued behavior and attendance challenges; she called for better data-sharing on special education and early identification of low readers to guide interventions.
Board members pressed for disaggregated data on special education and English learner subgroups and asked staff to return with more detailed reports and comparisons to peer districts. Several principals emphasized that kindergarten and early grades show strong promise while middle grades need targeted, data-driven coaching.
