District outlines draft 6–12 academy plan, seeks community input before finalizing

Dr. Wendy Miller Tomlinson presented the steering committee’s draft design for a 6–12 academy, describing the effort as “research and design” that drew on two community surveys, focus groups and a ThoughtExchange engagement with 854 participants and 4,47 thoughts. She said stakeholder priorities ranked small learning communities, strong advisory and mentorship programs, academic expectations and internships among the top elements respondents wanted.

Tomlinson said the draft envisions a college‑and‑career academy that is not a vocational school but leverages CTE facilities and project‑based learning and that the district anticipates a target starting enrollment of roughly 250–300 students. She described a multi‑phase timeline: research and design through August, additional focus groups in late August, a refined draft in September and a tentative board presentation Sept. 15 to allow time for NMPED review.

Board members and public commenters pushed for transparency and protections. Trustees asked for raw ThoughtExchange data and a published list of steering‑committee members, and pressed the administration on how staffing and collective‑bargaining issues would be handled so successful MVLA staff would not be disadvantaged. Tomlinson replied that staffing models are being developed in consultation with union partners and that the public draft is intentionally “a blank canvas” to solicit wide feedback on desired outcomes.

What happens next: the district will hold additional focus groups (including student sessions during the school day), publish translated materials and update the public draft before returning to the board. If the board approves a framework, the district said it would route an application through NMPED for required approvals.