Parents Voice Concern Over Schedule Change; Students Take State; Budget Approved: School Board Meeting and Beyond
Administrators cite safety and staffing concerns for 8th-hour athletics elective while celebrating academic success. Catch up with our school news breakdown
On Tuesday, April 22nd, the Cloudcroft Schools Board of Education met with a full docket and held a nearly three-hour meeting that began with recognizing staff excellence, swiftly followed by public speakers who had 5 minutes each to ask the school to reconsider its removal of 8th-hour athletics in the high school schedule.
Regular School-Hour Athletics Elective Removed, But Sports Programs Remain
Beginning next school year, Cloudcroft Schools will no longer offer last-period high school athletics during the regular school day. In recent years, 8th-hour high school athletics were the only athletics course offered during regular school hours.
However, P.E. and Weightlifting courses will still be offered during the 8th-hour time slot next year.
According to Superintendent Gillespie, school administrators made the change in consultation with counselors and athletic staff due to staffing limitations, safety issues, and scheduling conflicts. She confirmed that the Board of Education did not vote on the change.
At the April board meeting, parents and volunteer coaches expressed concerns that the shift could limit student-athletes' access to sports and diminish athletic programs.
One parent asked, “What about kids who can’t get a ride home if practice ends later?”
Others said they worried the move would discourage participation and harm chances for college athletics recruitment, calling athletics "a huge pathway.”
Gillespie emphasized that all current sports programs will continue after school. “We’re not cutting athletics,” she said. One administrator told the Reader that all sports are impacted by the decision.
Parent and volunteer Varsity Basketball assistant coach Mario Romero expressed concern about the change. “There's been a lot of progress made this year. I fear that that momentum is going to be lost."
Romero stated his understanding of the decision to remove athletics from the school day was “announced (to coaches) after the decision was made.”
He also expressed praise for Varsity Boys Basketball Coach Randall Lackey.
“I've been around a lot of coaches. (Coach Lackey) is exceptional. I totally respect him. He knows the game, but more importantly, he has a connection with the kids. When you have a coach who, in tears, tells a group of teenage boys he loves them, he respects them, you cherish that,” Romero said.
Parent and volunteer Little Bears coach Samantha Odom also addressed the board and school administrators. “Your student athletes, they are like you guys, they're leaders,” Odom said.
Odom compared athletics to other extracurriculars like band or FFA:
“We can and should offer athletics along with other extracurricular activities like FFA, music, and band. And those things are still on the school schedule during the school schedule next year. If band, FFA and music were only offered after school, I think your participation level would go way down, and I think you would see that over time that would really weaken your programs."
She also asked the administration to reconsider the decision, suggesting that "a little effort in organizing that last hour can fix a lot of the problems."
In her activity report at the board meeting, Athletic Director Joni Watson said, “One point I'd like to make is removing athletics from the day does not equal valuing the importance of athletics. [Removing athletics from the day] can add some consistency across the programs as a whole."
The Reader reached out to several Cloudcroft coaches, who declined to comment.
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In a later interview, Superintendent Gillespie told the Reader, “It’s not a commentary on our coaches—it’s a logistical problem. We don’t have enough certified staff to cover all athletic periods safely.”
When asked to explain the specific safety and scheduling issues, Gillespie said:
“When every single student who is in athletics is asked and required to be in an eighth-hour athletic period…Say you have 87 students and you only have one (coach) that can be in there. That's way too many kids for one person to try to do an in-season and off-season program for them.”
“It's just too many students for one coach."
Gillespie pointed out that when PE classes for high schoolers used the shared middle and elementary school gym during the 8th hour, "the middle school, the sixth, seventh, eighth graders and the elementary kids lose their gym" and "We have to displace them in different areas such as the cafeteria or hallways and that's not fair for those students."
Gillespie also states that the former 8th-period athletics offering left out 8th graders, who could not fit the course into their schedule.
“And we're not removing athletics. We're not taking anything away from anybody. It's just an eighth-hour athletic period. That's what's going to be removed from the schedule,” Gillespie continued.
CHS Principal Cody Skinner later told the Reader:
"I feel like a lot of the community or a lot of the parents have misunderstood and they seem to think we are getting rid of athletics and that's not the case at all."
"We're just going to have to start athletics 50 minutes later during the day."
Principal Skinner described what he saw as a positive outcome of athletes participating in the new 8th-hour offering: “This class involves physical activities similar to P.E. two days a week and weightlifting two days a week. (This will) help the kids get bigger and stronger and faster and still get a lot of good conditioning in."
Skinner sees other benefits to the change:
“Say there's 50 kids in (the athletics class.) Well, now there's 50 more kids that are going to be able to maybe take a welding class or a Spanish class or an art class or a construction trades class. It'll help out our Career Technical Education classes and give those kids more opportunities to learn a trade or to take a Spanish class which is going to be necessary to get into college."
Elementary and Middle School Principal Nolene Adams spoke with the Reader. Here’s what she had to say:
“All of the middle school will now have P.E., which has not happened in the 17 years I’ve worked at the school. They only have recess at lunch, so this will allow them to have more physical activity during the day.”
“Getting P.E. for middle schoolers will help build those athletic programs.”
“The athletics offering has always been off and on. It depends how many coaches we have on staff that work directly for the school. We always have to find enough coverage for the last hour, and if they are contract coaches it’s hard to make sure that they can come in when they work a full-time job.”
“The most important thing is having a consistent coach. A consistently good coach is very important. The problem is we have to have the staff available in the scheduling time.”
“Cloudcroft Schools, of course, would prefer to offer athletics during the day. Mr. Skinner and I have both said we are willing to look to find people who are willing to coach and teach in the future. We can only take people who apply for that."
“If we get more staff, it could change, and we would be able to offer in-school day athletics again.”
“We’ve extended the ACE class, study hall, so students have time to do homework in school since they’ll be coming home later,” Adams said of the school addressing the later day for athletes.
Currently, Cloudcroft Schools offers Basketball, Volleyball, Football, Track and Field, Cross Country, Cheerleading, and Powerlifting athletic programs. The Reader confirmed with the school administration that 87 students are enrolled in these programs, just over 62% of the 140 high school students.
The schedule change will be discussed at a “Bear Facts” public meeting, where school officials will also go over graduation requirement changes, phone policies, and school safety protocols, such as what to expect during a fire evacuation.
The public meeting starts at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 1st, at the High School Commons.
Operational Budget, Insurance Increases, and Clean Audit
Cloudcroft Schools Business Manager Lisa Royer reported that overall operational revenue for the upcoming 2025-2026 fiscal year is projected at $9,875,511.89 with expenditures expected to balance out.
According to Royer, insurance costs have increased significantly: risk coverage—including liability, building, and vehicle insurance—rose 16%, costing an additional $41,830, and medical coverage health insurance premiums will increase nearly 10%, as well.
In accordance with state law, employee salaries will rise 4% or $5,000, whichever is higher.
The district received a clean audit for the 2023–2024 fiscal year with no findings—a step up from the previous year, which included one compliance issue. “We didn’t find any areas of concern,” the Beasley, Mitchell & Co. accounting firm auditor said at the meeting.
Staff and Student Excellence
The school board meeting started by recognizing teachers Yvonne Barnes and Heather Engle, who were nominated for honors by heartfelt student letters.
Nurse Mandy Ross commended Nurse Dani McNatt for receiving the 2025 New Mexico School Nurses Association award.
“She goes above and beyond in addressing the holistic needs of our students. She's been working on a food program that ensures students have access to meals over the weekend,” Ross added. The Backpack Buddies program is now in its fifth week and provides nutrition to students “who may be food insecure.”
Cloudcroft students earned top honors at recent state competitions in the Technology Student Association (TSA) and Firefighting programs, showcasing their engineering, public safety, and leadership skills.
TSA sponsor and Cloudcroft Lead Math Teacher Danica Newton brought students’ award-winning projects to display for the board meeting, including an original board game, storybook, drone, and other robotics projects. According to Newton, the TSA student group’s community service, planning, and chapter growth record made them stand out as strong contenders.
For students and parents interested in Dual-Credit information, there will be a CHS Dual-Credit Information Night on Wednesday, April 30th, at 5:15 p.m. at the High School Commons.
Good News: Graduation Rate Rises to 97%
According to new data released by the New Mexico Public Education Department, Cloudcroft High School’s graduation rate for the 2024 cohort has climbed to 97%, placing it among the top ten public New Mexico high schools. The district was the only public school recognized alongside several early college and magnet schools for its student retention and completion rates.
The class of 2025 will graduate on May 17th, and the last day of classes for the school year is May 22nd.
Go, Bears!
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