By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
The Raton board of Education met Thursday evening January 15, 2026, for their monthly meeting that included informational reports from the principals and superintendent and the swearing in of reelected board members by District Judge Steven A. Romero.
The board voted to keep the board members in their current positions which will retain Jason Phillips as board president and Ryan Boone as vice president with Brenda Ferri continuing as secretary.
Superintendent Kristi Medina noted in her report that the Geotechnical work is ongoing, and the new school project will have a page turner meeting with PSFA and Architects in the next couple of weeks. The plan is to begin construction work in the fall of 2026.
Longfellow and RIS are both holding steady with enrollment and improvements with test scores for math and reading. Raton High School has held enrollment numbers steady over the last couple of months however from August through December the high school has seen a drop of 22 students.
Board members approved the financial report, and the open meetings act resolution which is a required housekeeping activity. The board meetings will continue to be on the third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m.
Nick Cardenas presented a capital outlay grant for an alternative fuel project for school buses. The $150,000 grant will cover building the infrastructure for the alternative fuel supply which will include a 1000-gallon propane tank to fuel buses using propane. The fuel structure will be built at the school bus barn located on East Troy.
This grant however does not include money for a propane fueled bus. One bus is scheduled to be replaced within the next year, and it will be two more years before two more buses are scheduled to be replaced. This will give the district time to determine how well the bus does in the district for daily route service.
John Brown informed the board about the cost savings for the school. Propane is less expensive than the diesel which will be one of the big savings. Maintenance is less expensive as there are fewer parts replacements needed for example there are four filters that need replaced on a diesel bus while a propane bus uses only two. Fuel costs savings will be significant as propane is less expensive than diesel. Based on December usage the district could have saved $150 just on fuels costs.
The next school board meeting will be on February 19, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Raton High School.
