Today's News

Preliminary plans for renovation and additions at Barranca Elementary received approval of an estimated construction budget of $14.8 million by the Los Alamos Public School board on Tuesday.
The project includes a new two-story classroom building for first through sixth grades, a cafeteria, administrative offices and a vestibule for two wings. The plan also calls for demolition of three wings of the current structure.
The board approved the estimated budget, but the decision also entails putting off renovations of the field house and other structures at the football stadium until more funding is available.
Initial estimates have risen from $12.7 million discussed last month with board members and FBT Architects to the current estimate, which includes furnishings and fixtures, said Assistant Superintendent Lisa Montoya, who is in charge of finance and operations.
The project’s cost would come out of bond funds and state funding. 

New Mexico has a chance to be among those in the forefront to update science standards for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, said the secretary of the Public Education Department during a visit to Los Alamos on Tuesday.
Adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards, also known as Next Gen, would put New Mexico among 19 states to embrace new science instructional requirements and updated content, said Cabinet Secretary Christopher Ruszkowski.
He was in town to congratulate schools in Los Alamos for being among 121 schools statewide earning the “A” designation.
PED has taken fire – particularly from the Los Alamos school board, local scientists and engineers and students – for modifications proposed to Next Gen, which includes switching out content on the human causes of “climate change,” for “temperature fluctuations,” and other modifications. Most recently the agency was the target of a letter signed by 61 scientists and engineers, Fellows of Los Alamos National Laboratory, published as an advertisement on Monday.
The letter said the proposed modifications had “no scientific rationale,” and would tarnish the state’s reputation.
Ruszkowski expects more discussions throughout this week, culminating in a hearing in Santa Fe on Monday.

 The immigration status of students at Los Alamos schools won’t be recorded, or reported to federal immigration officials, under a resolution approved Tuesday by the school board.

After urging her fellow members to refrain from discussing the politics surrounding immigration, Board President Jenny McCumber asked them to instead consider the resolution as a way to support student wellbeing at the schools.

The resolution would be the first step in creating a policy and, ultimately, rules for staff regarding keeping students’ status private.

“We want to make sure staff has a process to follow and can competently follow it,” McCumber said.

The board met Tuesday. 

According to the resolution, personnel and third-party contractors are expected to not report students who may be undocumented immigrants to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

A student’s immigration status, or visa status, is not part of their record, although the resolution also calls for Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus to determine if such records are being kept.

The Los Alamos High School varsity girl’s soccer team got back in the win column Saturday afternoon against Capital High School with an 8-0 victory in which the Hilltoppers controlled the action from beginning to end.

The win was important for the Hilltoppers, as the team was coming off a 3-1 loss against Albuquerque Academy earlier in the week.

Though head coach Ann Cernicek was pleased with the victory, she stressed the importance of playing that way against every team her girls face.

“We need to be steady and play the same way against every team, so that’s what we need to keep working on to get better,” Cernicek said.

LAHS scored early and often against Capital, going on top in the 10th minute on a shot from Alissia Haagenstad to go up 1-0.

Haagenstad scored again eight minutes later, as she made a play off of a free kick, sending a high, arcing shot toward the net and looping it right underneath the crossbar, giving her team a 2-0 advantage.

Katie Hopkins made the score 3-0 in the 32nd minute with an easy tap in goal, and the team carried that lead into halftime.

The Hilltoppers upped the offensive intensity even more in the second half, scoring five additional goals, leaving little doubt about the outcome as the second half progressed.