9-05-2024 2:04am

Whats the Status of Chaparral Middle School?

Chris Edwards Editor

With the construction work beginning on the new Department of Defense funded Holloman Middle School that is operated by the Alamogordo Public School System, many citizens have asked AlamogordoTownNews.org and streaming KALHRadio.org to provide an update on the status of the rebuilding of Chaparral Middle School.

We submitted a request for information to the interim superintendent and received the following response...

Note: no transcript of the superintendent's report is posted for the public on available information sites. Thus information below is gleened from school board agenda documents...

Cost escalation is a major concern to the public. The initial cost in 2020 was estimated at $27 Million and in the location near Griggs Field. Now the decision is to build on the original campus and the cost could escalate to $60 Million.

The May 28th, 2024 school board meeting saw significant changes and actions by the newly elected school board that was sworn in January 2024. During that meeting the Public School Facilities Advisor representatives and legal counsel Roxie De Santiago provided a historical overview of the project. It was explained that a Go Bond went out in 2019 for $17 Million for the build. During a public forum it was advised that the state would fund 60 percent of replacement costs for Chaparral and the district is accountable for 40 percent with a total amount approved for the project of $35 to $40 Million. The project is now looking like it could exceed that financial commitment by $10 Million or more.

At the May 28th meeting a motion was made to cancel the contract with Studio Southwest the prior design company. The motion passed. Next the board moved to issue a new RFP for design services at the old Chaparral location the motion passed. At that same meeting the board also made a motion and passed an action to direct legal counsel to investigate and supply the state any information regarding financial misconduct of the Chaparral project under the prior administration. To date no findings of abuse have been substantiated per staff insiders.

The board then has since funded an investigation into misconduct around the management of the Chaparral project by the former Superintendent Pam Renteria. To date, Mrs Renteria has been on paid administrative leave (pending investigations), no findings of wrongdoing have yet to be filed with any state legal entity, and thus the board continues to pay Superintendent Rentería to be on leave all the while also paying interim Superintendent Crabtree.

On July 24th, 2024, Chaparral was again on the agenda in the Superintendent's report and again on August 21st, 2024. In the report fron the 21st interim superintendent Crabtree reported he attended a meeting of the state Public School Facilities Advisors of which the board approved funding a go ahead for a Chaparral Middle School redesign. With that action the state has approved the process to move the project forward to next steps.

Redesign will need to occur. Then proceeding to scope of work and expenditures approved then a plan for completion. The process if all goes smoothly puts the new school out potentially another 2 years to completion.