Rio Ranchoans, meet Rio TECH

RIO RANCHO —Now it has a name.

The massive 23-acre piece of land and the buildings on it to serve as the centers for vocational studies and careers are now known as the “Rio TECH,” with TECH an acronym for Technical Education Career Hub.

Often referred to as the CTE building, the 74,000-square-foot structure that previously housed Victoria’s Secret (1997-2012) and Alliance Data (2012-21) call centers, plus the automotive trades building to be built west of it and run by CNM, will get their own names.

On Monday evening, the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved the designation of Rio TECH for the campus on Zenith Court, north of Corrales Road and on the east side of NM 528.

“It’s short, it’s professional and it stands for good things,” said Superintendent Sue Cleveland before the board voted unanimously to approve the recommendation from Chief Academic Officer Carl Leppelman after a compilation of submitted names from a survey had been whittled down and had agreement from RRPS and CNM leaders.

“I wish we would have had (CTE) when I was in high school,” Leppelman told the board. Leppelman, a graduate of Sandia High School, a few other RRPS administrators and two board members had toured the building earlier in the day.

After the afternoon visit, Cleveland said, “They tell us that, I think they have a pretty good handle on what it takes to get things done, and we’re hoping that it’s ready by the fall of ’25.

“How far we’ve come to how far we have to go,” she said, when asked what she’s learned. “There’s still an awful lot that needs to be done, but it’s exciting to see it start to take shape. … It’s going to be wonderful for our students.”

In the 2019 bond election, the Rio Rancho community voted to support Career Technical Education in RRPS with $12 million then sought to get something in CTE started, partially to alleviate student populations at Cleveland and Rio Rancho high schools.

Arguably the most important item on the agenda, it took place last in the two-hour meeting, which included a dozen people, including a few teachers and two students on the public comment session — all concerned about the possible relocation of the approximate 600 students at Puesta del Sol Elementary if the district opts to go to full-day pre-K.

Making pre-K available on a full-time basis to 3- and 4-year-olds was believed to be mandated soon in the state, but state Sen. Craig Brandt researched the law with his staff and learned full-day is an option, and districts like RRPS could keep pre-K on a half-day basis.

Earlier Monday, the board heard updates from Larry Davis, the director of CTE, and Suzanne Nguyen Wisneski, who told about the growth in languages offered by RRPS and how that fits in with the 2024-25 State Bilingual Multicultural Education program funding application the board then approved; the variety of languages in RRPS includes Chinese Mandarin, Navajo and American Sign Language.

Michael Madrid, director of purchasing and the chief procurement office, detailed three responses to requests for athletic apparel and updating the football helmets’ requirements; the board OK’d three providers: BSN Sports LLC, Riddell and VetFriends LLC. Madrid also presented and got the approval from the board for an external auditor, to be Beasley, Mitchell & Co., the lone respondent to the district’s request for proposals.

Madrid wasn’t done: The board also approved an award to Melendes and Melendes as RRPSseeks to retain the services of a law firm to act as special legal counsel to provide advice and legal representation to RRPS in connection with investigation and possible litigation involving the targeting of social media toward students within the district and the effects of social media — online bullying, for example — used on the RRPS’s student population, “making sure our students are protected,” noted board member Gary Tripp.

The district anticipates seeking both monetary compensation and injunctive or other relief. Melendes and Melendes is to be retained on a contingency fee basis with no costs or other compensation paid to counsel except as a percentage of any settlement monies received or damages awards paid.

“Sometimes you do have to send a financial message,” Cleveland noted, likening it to similar action against tobacco companies targeting youth.

Prior to the reports and business portions of the meeting, the board also had commendations:

• Julie Lords, nurse at RRHS since 2004 and soon retiring, was commended for receiving a Nursing Excellence Award in pediatrics — the lone school nurse nominated — from the New Mexico Center of Nursing Excellence; “It’s time to go,” Lord said of her pending retirement after 19 years;

• The Cleveland High boys powerlifting team, which recently won the Class 5A title at Rio Rancho Events Center. Their coach is former Storm football standout Steven Steele, assisted by Wade Lopez, and seven seniors of the dozen lifters on the team showed up; Resch noted the blue trophy marked the 48th state championship for CHS. “To win a state championship really means a lot,” said two-time state champ and football center Ben Linfoot.

• Also from Cleveland High School, national Milken Award winner Ashli Knoell brought some of her robotics students to do a brief demonstration of their robots; she told the board she has a team competing in a robotics competition at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, and one CHS student will be at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles in May. All told, Knoell said she has about 180 students in various robotics courses and clubs. “The sky’s the limit,” Knoell concluded.