Raton superintendent outlines plan to build consolidated pre‑K–12 campus after bond win; cites sharp gains in attendance and graduation rates

Christy Medina, superintendent of Raton Public Schools, told the Legislative Education Study Committee that voters approved a bond to build a consolidated pre‑K through 12 campus and that the district is working with state agencies on additional funding. "Our community has supported us tremendously in passing a school bond and we'll be building a new pre k through 12 consolidated campus," Medina said. She described the new facility as about 133,000 square feet and said the district is coordinating with PSFA and PSAOC to secure supplemental funding.

Medina presented outcome data she attributed to multiple targeted programs: chronic absenteeism fell from 48.76 percent to 27.89 percent, the overall absence rate declined from 11.55 percent to 7.97 percent, and the graduation rate rose from 74 percent to 89 percent. To attack absenteeism the district uses an early‑alert system, which Medina referred to as an "EDI AI" program that notifies parents when a child is absent and creates a dashboard for staff to track patterns and target interventions. "What the program does initially is it sends out that message and it allows parents to respond," she said, describing how staff use the alerts to form attendance plans and ‘‘kid talks’’ to address root causes.

Medina credited partnerships with the Center for High School Success and AVID for the district’s freshmen‑on‑track work, saying the district monitors freshmen every nine weeks and provides targeted supports when students slip. She said freshmen‑on‑track rates went from 63 percent to 100 percent after the district implemented these measures and moved to a preventive monitoring approach.

Career and technical education (CTE) also plays a central role in the district’s retention strategy. Medina highlighted dual‑credit arrangements with the High Plains Regional Education Center and Mesa Lands, hands‑on programs in CAD, construction trades and welding, and a renewable‑energy pathway that sends students to Tucumcari for turbine‑climbing training. "Our High Plains REC ... pay for any equipment, the boots, the gloves, needed for climbing," she said, and noted the district often earns two REC slots annually for student participation.

On costs and schedule, Medina said the project’s total estimate referenced in the session was approximately $110 million, with the district’s bonding capacity contributing about $8 million; she acknowledged prices may have shifted since the estimate. She told lawmakers the district anticipates breaking ground this fall and that the high‑school portion will take about 18 months to build, followed by demolition and construction on the elementary section.

Medina and committee members acknowledged financial risk from construction‑market inflation and potential schedule slippage. The superintendent said the district is pursuing the available state and PSFA resources and is working with community partners to manage cost increases while preserving program equipment and CTE investments.

The committee followed with detailed questions on how attendance plans are executed; Medina said the work is done by teaching staff supported by an attendance secretary and grade‑level teams, not a separate cadre of attendance coaches. "We just don't have the personnel to be able to have, funding for attendance coaches," she said, adding that the team‑based approach keeps caseloads to roughly 60–70 students per group.

Next steps: the district will continue seeking PSFA/PSAOC support for construction, finalize design details, and phase students into the new buildings as each section is completed. Lawmakers asked for continued updates on cost estimates and timelines.