BPS meets with Santo Domingo Pueblo to provide updates on policy

BERNALILLO — Bernalillo Public Schools held a work session with Santo Domingo Pueblo leaders at BPS District Offices Jan. 10, to update BPS policy and language and provide an update on BPS graduation requirements.

“I’m here for my students,” Santo Domingo Gov. Moquino Jr. said. “It’s very important to stress the importance of education not only in sports but in academics also.”

A policy regarding relations with Indian tribal councils had a noticeable misprint, which Superintendent Matt Montaño was quick to call out.

“It had it listed as ‘the Bernalillo Pueblo.’ I actually don’t know what that is,” Montaño said as the room erupted in laughter.

The updated policy language made the change from “Bernalillo Pueblo” to “Bernalillo Public Schools.”

Another addition to the policy was establishing a Native America Parent Advisory Committee (NAPAC).

Another topic of discussion was on the policy of professional/support staff leaves of absence without pay.

“If an employee of the district gets appointed to an official position and they have to take a leave of absence, the language is clear,” Montaño said.

The language was changed from “certified or support staff” to “staff” so that all staff members, like custodians, can take a leave of absence,

BPS also added in the leave policy that official notification from the respective tribe is required for BPS staff who are appointed to serve in official tribal roles.

“Governor, if you say someone has to be here for this, we are not going to question it,” Montaño said. “But sometimes we will have members of the pueblos tell us that they have to be at this, but then I find out later that they did not have to be there.”

More than 550 BPS students are members of the Santo Domingo Pueblo, which is the most for any pueblo in the district. San Felipe Pueblo has 484 students enrolled at BPS schools.

The last part of the work session covered BPS graduation requirements, and a hot topic was credit recovery.

While all stressed the benefit of credit recovery, some addressed concerns that some students fail classes intentionally just to take a two-week credit recovery class in the summer.