School district puts in $20,000 towards lawsuit

By John Earp

At the meeting of the June 2024 meeting of the Jal School Board, several ongoing pursuits and projects were discussed, with the board and those in attendance being brought up to date on several items. Some of these included the addition to the elementary school, parking lot improvements on the district’s lot directly adjacent to the Church of Christ and at the baseball field, as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras installed at Jal Elementary for a little over $23,000. Superintendent Brian Snider says are designed to improve school security. Snider also noted that the elevator has been completed in the elementary school addition, with more utilities being installed. The new concession stand has electricity in it, with sheetrock and tile being installed. The softball field concession has been completed, as well as the girls’ locker room. The new teacherages are almost completed and are ready for move in, with just a few external items remaining to be done. The auditorium has just a few more minor items being completed.

The board decided in the meeting to contribute an additional $20,000 to the New Mexico School Superintendent’s Association’s legal fees related to the lawsuit against the governor over the five-day school week the governor and the public education department has tried to force upon the state. Snider said that Loving School District has recently joined in the lawsuit, and has also agreed to donate $20,000 towards the legal fees. He added that many of the poorer 47 districts in the state that have entered into the agreement to sue the state over the issue of local school board control of their own school calendars do not have the additional funds available to pay the legal fees related to the suit, but that Jal School District is fortunate to have plenty of funds available due to tax revenues realized from the ongoing oil boom these past several years.