Schools Almost Here – Consolidation Update

By Marty Mayfield –

KRTN Multi-Media-

The summer is almost over for Raton Public School students and the big question is how the consolidation is progressing so KRTN sat down with Ben Munden to get his view on the consolidation and also with Dr Neal Terhune and principals Kim Sanchez and Duncan Ware.

Munden felt that the work was pretty much on schedule as far as what he could control. Most all of the teachers that are moving have been moved. Munden noted that things like white boards and other equipment will still have to be setup and that will take place once teachers report back to school August 17th. He noted that they would move desks and such at that time as not to overpopulate a classroom. 

The location at the Russell Marcy Academy, the old mid school, is ready for moving playground equipment in. At Columbian school the swings have been removed and are being prepared for installation. The other playground equipment is also being removed and readied. The one portable building has been moved to Longfellow from the high school. 

Dr Neal Terhune indicated that it had taken a while to get all the teachers hired for the upcoming year and that there are a couple open positions still remaining to be filled. One of those, a social studies teacher at the highs school was the result of one teacher resigning only last week. 

Both principals Sanchez and Ware felt things were progressing along quite well. Sanchez is the new principal at the Russell Marcy Academy where they are ready for grades three through sixth. She noted that the third grade would populate the first floor while the fourth, fifth and sixth would be on the second floor. Sixth grade students will also be changing classes this year to get used to the class changes they will encounter at the high school when they move up next year.

Lunch hours will be staggered at both schools with seventh through ninth, those non driving students, sharing a lunch period and the driving students which are the sophomores through seniors being allowed to do lunch as they have in the past at a different time. There will be no seventh hour sports period this year and those students in the seventh and eighth grades will be practicing volleyball and basketball after school at the Russell Mercy Academy gym. 

All admit there will be kinks that will have to be worked out as schools begins and students populate the buildings. Enrollment will be the big question which will play a big roll in how classrooms are filled. Munden noted that he had talked with some of the other districts and they are seeing an influx of students from Raton. Students report back to school August 24th.