New Rio Rancho school board prepares for swearing in

RIO RANCHO — Three new members of the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education will be sworn in Jan. 12.

Seth Muller, Rebecca Murray and  Michael Berry are slated to take their seats during the first board meeting of the new year, following their victories in the Nov. 4 election.

Muller (District 1), Murray (District 5) and Berry (District 3) replace Gary Tripp, Jeffrey Morgan and Jessica Tyler, respectively. The new trio will join incumbents Beth Miller (District 4) and Board President Amanda Galbraith (District 2).

"Our district is strengthened by community members who step forward to serve, and we’re excited to work alongside our new board members," Galbraith said in a prepared statement.

Their swearing in will come ahead of the start date for RRPS's new superintendent, Dr. Robert "Robby" Dodd, who is expected to begin his duties March 1. Dodd, an administrator from Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, was chosen by the previous school board following a national search. He will be only the second leader in the school district's history, succeeding Dr. Sue Cleveland.

Muller, Murray and Berry participated in mandated board training and undertook their own efforts to prepare for their terms.

Michael Berry

Berry, an employee with Sandia National Laboratory, said that as a scientist, he tries to learn and research as much as he can. But even with board training in Albuquerque and meeting with future stakeholders locally, he believes he "still (has) a lot to learn."

On that note, Berry wants to learn more about RRPS before he begins pushing priorities, but he believes early childhood reading is "a cornerstone" in education.

"Nothing else seems to matter if the kids can't read," Berry said, echoing a priority he mentioned during the candidate forum ahead of November's election.

Berry does not have anything particular he wants to say or do during his first board meeting — he just wants to express gratitude to the community for being able to serve.

Rebecca Murray 

Murray, an RRPS volunteer, wrote in a prepared statement that she is looking forward to her first school board meeting.

"I’m ready to take on the challenge of being on the school board," Murray wrote in an email.

Even though she would love to immediately start taking on what she believes are some of the district's biggest challenges — student reading and math proficiencies — Murray admits she still needs to learn how to write policy and set it in motion. 

She supports Dodd as the new superintendent.

" I look forward to meeting him and getting to know him and what his vision is for RRPS and our students," Murray wrote. "We have a few months before he starts and gets settled in Rio Rancho to have a smooth transition."

Seth Muller

Muller, a local emergency manager, said he has watched past board meetings and read leadership books to prepare for this new role. 

He admits he is a little nervous about being a board member, but he believes Berry and Murray probably feel some anxiety, too.

"Everything is live streamed, and any mistakes made are amplified," Muller wrote, referring to the RRPS YouTube channel that archives all the board meetings. "I am sure I am making a bigger deal of it in my own mind, but I am looking forward to serving the district, the students, and the community moving forward."

He would like to "jump in" and start working on the biggest challenges he and the other board members mentioned, but "there is a process to all of it, and we will need a few meetings to get all that sorted out."

Muller supports Dodd as superintendent and would like the opportunity to "sit and chat informally."

"I am sure it will be a bit of a learning curve as we get to know him and he gets to know the board and the community," Muller said. "I look forward to working with him and this new adventure for the school district."