[00:00] We have with us a novice pickleball player, Ignacio Ruiz, who is the superintendent of
[00:07] schools here.
[00:08] What should I ask you first?
[00:10] Yeah, and welcome to the show.
[00:12] Well, welcome.
[00:13] Good morning.
[00:14] Thank you.
[00:15] Thank you for the welcome and for the opportunity to be here.
[00:16] It's a great morning here in Las Cruces and Las Cruces Public Schools.
[00:20] Well, you know, what should you ask me first that there's a lot going on, right?
[00:23] Yeah.
[00:24] First day of school, first day for all students was Monday.
[00:28] Last Friday we had our transition day.
[00:30] Our Kinders sixth and ninth graders came in, and it was just great to, you know, to see
[00:34] them.
[00:35] So watch them as they're coming through that process.
[00:37] Right, as they're coming in, our Kinders and our sixth graders, you know, starting middle
[00:40] school, ninth graders, you know, they're a little nervous, but, you know, visited some
[00:44] of our schools and, you know, just get them going and transition them in.
[00:49] So it was, it's been some great days.
[00:52] Neat.
[00:53] Kind of chaotic, or you've got this down.
[00:55] Yeah.
[00:56] All you and all the teachers have been off for a while.
[00:57] You know, I got to give it to our staff, you know, obviously our administration, our
[01:02] teachers.
[01:03] Yeah, you know, there was some hiccups with, as always, our air conditioners.
[01:08] We got some of those resolved.
[01:10] Good.
[01:11] You know, we had some issues there, but our team has been working hard, you know, late
[01:14] into the night and some of these issues just to ensure that we have, you know, cool
[01:19] learning environments.
[01:20] And as welcoming as possible.
[01:21] And as welcoming as possible.
[01:22] Yes.
[01:23] That's the key thing, that you establish those relationships.
[01:25] Yes.
[01:26] Those keep, you know, those key foundations right away that first day.
[01:30] And again, our teachers are doing that, that we've been preparing all summer.
[01:35] And just some, you know, some really good things that we're rolling out this year
[01:38] as well.
[01:39] Oh, good, good.
[01:40] Yeah, you have some wonderful teachers from what I have seen.
[01:43] Yes, yes, we do.
[01:45] Yes.
[01:46] Yes.
[01:47] What's your biggest hurdle right now?
[01:49] Well, right now, you know, every year, one of the biggest priorities that we have
[01:54] is attendance, right?
[01:56] That's a big one.
[01:57] It starts with attendance.
[01:59] If kids are not in classrooms, they're not learning.
[02:02] What I can say on a positive note is that over the three years, in the last
[02:08] three, actually a couple of years, we've reduced our chronic absenteeism by 6%,
[02:12] which is huge.
[02:13] That is.
[02:14] That's a huge –
[02:15] That's a lot of kids.
[02:16] Yes, very huge for us.
[02:18] And that's, again, our schools working hard.
[02:20] We have a great partnership with NMSU where we leverage some of their graduate
[02:24] level social work students that are helping with some of those efforts.
[02:28] Oh, good.
[02:29] This year, as we're looking at our strategic plan and making some adjustments
[02:33] there, attendance, again, will be a key priority for us.
[02:37] And I'm excited for, you know, the trajectory that we're heading in and
[02:42] getting kids back into classrooms.
[02:44] And it's not just that communication, but it also starts what connections
[02:48] are students making at school that they don't want to miss.
[02:53] And that's a key piece, whether it's an adult, whether it's an activity.
[02:57] You know, we're opening up pathways for our kiddos.
[03:00] Middle school this year, we're extending our programs, like our after-school
[03:05] programs in athletics to seventh grade and our sixth graders.
[03:09] So trying to, again, find ways for kids to connect and have that.
[03:13] And have those opportunities.
[03:15] And that will also help to diminish the bullying, I think, because you're
[03:19] building a community and you're less isolated as a student and less vulnerable.
[03:24] So you have your own posse there to look out for you.
[03:27] Absolutely.
[03:28] Absolutely.
[03:29] And so that's one of our key priorities.
[03:31] Yeah, I was going to add, I mean, my first thought, I was going to ask,
[03:36] was how do you do that?
[03:38] How do you get them in?
[03:40] And it sounds like part—
[03:41] Well, air conditioning helps.
[03:42] Yes.
[03:43] Yes.
[03:44] Good point.
[03:45] Part of the answer, obviously, is to forge connections that, you know, get them
[03:51] in a play or play in the violin or whatever it may be that they don't want to miss.
[03:56] Right.
[03:57] But if you don't get them in there in the first place, or if they're not there,
[04:02] you can't make connections, how do you get them in?
[04:05] I mean, you—
[04:06] Yeah, so again, it goes back to that offering opportunities.
[04:09] The other key piece of this is that parent communication.
[04:12] You know, our parents, they're a key partner in this on the attendance piece
[04:18] and to ensure that kiddos are attending, that they see the importance
[04:24] and that, again, that we're communicating with our parents on what that impact has.
[04:30] When you look at over a year, if a kiddo misses 10 days,
[04:34] which is where the chronic absenteeism comes in,
[04:37] you look at how many hours that equates,
[04:41] that's a lot of instructional time that kiddos are missing.
[04:44] Yes, right.
[04:45] And so we want to make sure that parents understand the importance of that.
[04:49] And just, again, just communication, educating our parents
[04:53] the impact of kids not being in school.
[04:56] Again, ensuring that we're looking at if there's any challenges
[05:02] that we can also support, because many times our families—
[05:05] it's not that they don't want kiddos there or that they don't want to attend.
[05:09] Other things are coming up that is causing that.
[05:12] So also looking at some root cause pieces
[05:15] and ensuring that if there's some wraparound support that families need—
[05:19] Is that where the social work students can come in?
[05:22] Yes, our social work students.
[05:23] We've also established some great partnerships through our Family Support Center
[05:27] that we've established and our schools as well, right?
[05:30] So we have some great partners that can support whether it's—
[05:34] Do you actually have outreach where people will go to the home of a kid
[05:38] who hasn't been shown up?
[05:40] Yes, yes, yes we do. And that's where that group comes in, right?
[05:43] We have a team that—it's a centralized team,
[05:47] but the key piece is the school team.
[05:49] And we're establishing those attendance teams at our schools
[05:52] and doing that outreach.
[05:54] And our data analysis and our data monitoring this year
[05:58] is really focusing in on catching kiddos before their chronically absence.
[06:03] So identifying—if you're starting—we look at some at-risk data
[06:07] where we have kids maybe that are already absent four or five days
[06:10] that we address that or at least communicate
[06:13] and see if there's any other support that may be needed as well.
[06:17] That makes sense. Catch before it becomes a pattern.
[06:20] Right, exactly. But some very positive things going on.
[06:24] I remember my first year when I arrived as superintendent,
[06:26] this will be—I've already completed three years as superintendent.
[06:29] It's been awesome.
[06:30] Congratulations, yeah.
[06:31] Great opportunity and just looking forward to this fourth year.
[06:35] Transportation was a huge challenge.
[06:37] I remember my first year.
[06:39] I got to say our team, our STS partners that we partner with,
[06:45] our transportation, we've come a long way.
[06:47] This year we're rolling out a Beacon app for our parents
[06:51] where it gives us real-time information, kind of like a GPS,
[06:56] where the bus is, if it's going to be late instead of parents
[07:00] showing up at the bus stop and the bus isn't there,
[07:03] now they'll have that real-time information of where that bus is,
[07:06] how many—down to the point where it'll tell them
[07:10] the bus will be at the bus stop in 10 minutes, in 5 minutes,
[07:13] and parents can plan.
[07:14] Perfect. And when parents are busy or working,
[07:16] yeah, they need to have that kind of information.
[07:18] Absolutely. We've installed some safety features
[07:21] in our buses with cameras and being able to communicate
[07:24] directly video communication in our buses.
[07:28] So there's a lot of positives there that we've established
[07:32] and incorporated into our transportation.
[07:35] So, I'm excited about that.
[07:38] I'm sorry, go ahead.
[07:40] The other piece I wanted to mention now that I'm here
[07:42] is our student dress policy.
[07:44] That was something that our Board of Education
[07:47] really considered and worked at to ensure that,
[07:49] first of all, that we're supporting our principals
[07:52] around these parameters, but also to ensure that
[07:57] our kiddos are ready to learn, right?
[07:59] What is the rule about dress?
[08:02] So a lot of it is what we've timed up is just coverage, right?
[08:06] Again, the fashion trends—
[08:08] Whatever you're wearing, it's got to cover enough of your body.
[08:11] Yes, enough of your body, right?
[08:13] But at the same time, we also want to make sure
[08:15] that kiddos can also express themselves.
[08:18] That's important as well, but to a certain point—
[08:21] It's also a law.
[08:22] Yeah, right. Yeah.
[08:24] And to a certain point, right, and then again,
[08:26] that kiddos come in ready to learn.
[08:28] And a lot of this, too, was not only our principals
[08:31] asking for to revisit that policy,
[08:34] but a lot of our parents, a lot of our community
[08:37] so excited about that as well.
[08:39] And our schools have done a great job of communicating that,
[08:43] and specifically our middle and high schools is where we see that,
[08:46] where we need to time that up.
[08:48] And so our schools have done a great job social media-wise
[08:51] in just getting that communication out to our kiddos,
[08:53] to our parents of what that policy looks like.
[08:55] Yeah, so the kids won't show up and be turned away
[08:58] because they didn't know.
[08:59] Right. And part of that is we're not shaming anyone.
[09:02] It's not about the punitive piece.
[09:05] If you're not following or if you come in, right,
[09:08] and there's, for lack of a better word, violation,
[09:11] we give the kiddo an opportunity to correct it
[09:13] and get to class, right?
[09:15] That's an important piece.
[09:16] So that's one thing that we're also going to be
[09:18] keeping an eye on this year.
[09:19] I want to remind folks to speak up less.
[09:21] Chris is that we're talking this half hour with Ignacio Ruiz,
[09:25] school superintendent here in Las Cruces,
[09:28] and we're at 526-5825.
[09:32] If you have a question for Mr. Ruiz or comment on anything
[09:37] we've talked about,
[09:39] been a lot of controversy with some citizens about books
[09:43] and the library and that sort of thing.
[09:46] Where's that stand these days?
[09:48] Well, yeah, thank you for asking.
[09:50] But we really have a great process to ensure that
[09:53] as we're approving any titles, books, et cetera,
[09:58] that we are looking at the age appropriateness of that.
[10:02] And so we do have a committee that looks at that,
[10:05] of teachers, librarians, some of our central office staff.
[10:09] But also we have a very strong policy in that
[10:13] parents have a right to choose, right?
[10:15] And so as a parent, if there's certain titles,
[10:17] certain genre, et cetera, then as a parent,
[10:20] you can ensure that your child is not checking those type of books out
[10:25] or, you know, in certain areas.
[10:28] Yeah, so it doesn't mean that the library can't hold them,
[10:30] but that the child going up to check them out would not be able to.
[10:33] Right, right.
[10:34] So it's more individualized.
[10:35] And does that extend all the way through school?
[10:38] It does. It does extend all the way through, yes.
[10:40] Well, I know some people who will hate to hear this,
[10:43] but I don't think it should.
[10:45] Okay.
[10:46] I think you get, you know, maybe third or fourth year of high school,
[10:50] you ought to be able to read whatever you want to.
[10:53] And again, that is weird.
[10:56] That's me.
[10:57] No, yeah. And I hear you.
[10:58] And, you know, kiddos, and definitely we want to also ensure
[11:01] that we have a broad range, a diverse range of genres,
[11:05] you know, available to our kids.
[11:06] I mean, it's a...
[11:07] And you do, and your librarian does well.
[11:09] Absolutely.
[11:10] But I think you're...
[11:11] I think you're cow-towing to parents too much there.
[11:14] Well, he's probably seeing this as making a compromise that would
[11:17] work for both.
[11:18] Rather than have books removed totally from a library.
[11:21] Yes, absolutely.
[11:22] Again, we want to provide...
[11:23] Now, what an older student could do, Peter, is maybe get the
[11:27] book in the library and sit and read it in there and not check
[11:30] it out. And that person could be able to do that.
[11:32] Those folks, I'm not in favor of book banning or book
[11:36] burning, but they really lose me when they put Kite Runner on
[11:40] there. I mean, I read that novel.
[11:42] Oh, that.
[11:43] And I think that's a great book.
[11:44] It was, you know, enthralled.
[11:45] That's a great book.
[11:46] Yes, it's got some tough stuff in it.
[11:48] Yes, absolutely.
[11:49] But it's a novel.
[11:50] It's not pornography or anything else.
[11:52] And it's a novel that's based on real experiences.
[11:55] Yes, yes.
[11:56] And, you know, again, we're an educational institution,
[11:59] right?
[12:00] Yeah.
[12:01] And we want to ensure that we are providing the best
[12:03] education opportunities and just ensuring that our kiddos are,
[12:07] you know, that we are meeting also their interests as well.
[12:11] So that's very important to us.
[12:12] But also, again, respecting also our parents', you know,
[12:16] choice and ensuring that, you know,
[12:19] at the end of the day, we're partners in this.
[12:21] And we want to ensure that our parents are a part of that
[12:24] process as well.
[12:25] Are teachers under particular edicts not to teach certain
[12:28] subjects in the classroom?
[12:30] No. You know, again, you know, what we look at is the
[12:33] standards. We teach the state standards.
[12:36] And that's the in every one of our content areas,
[12:39] we have established standards that our teachers follow.
[12:42] Obviously, you look at different resources to teach
[12:45] the standard, right?
[12:46] And we do give some of that autonomy to our educators.
[12:51] But at the end of the day, what our requirement is to
[12:54] teach the state standards.
[12:55] Okay.
[12:56] The other consistently controversial area is diversity,
[13:02] sort of finding the right balance between teaching
[13:07] the academic subjects, which are minimal in the
[13:10] early years, and making kids welcome no matter what
[13:14] their background or disposition is.
[13:17] Yes.
[13:18] How would you describe the balance that the
[13:22] Las Cruces schools have reached on that subject?
[13:26] Well, you know, we have a, well, let me go back.
[13:30] We want to ensure that every student that walks
[13:33] through our doors, right, is valued, is respected,
[13:37] regardless of background, right?
[13:41] We want to make sure that we are addressing all of
[13:45] our diverse community that comes through our doors
[13:47] with our kiddos.
[13:48] And again, as I stated, we teach the state standards,
[13:51] but again, we also ensure that our kids have,
[13:55] are able to express whether it's their opinion,
[13:57] their thoughts, you know, within the classroom,
[14:00] and respect that as well.
[14:02] Obviously, there are certain parameters that we have
[14:04] to follow around, you know, going back to the state
[14:07] standard and the content areas.
[14:09] But again, you know, I feel that we do a very good
[14:12] job, and our Board of Education is very supportive
[14:14] and ensures that all students are respected,
[14:17] regardless of background.
[14:19] And again, you know, we want to ensure that our
[14:22] students are able to choose their future, not have
[14:24] it chosen for them.
[14:25] And that means that every student learns a different
[14:28] way, and we ensure that we are meeting the needs
[14:31] of every student, that we're purposefully planning.
[14:33] You know, we are consistently, right now,
[14:35] we're involved in an instructional structure
[14:40] initiative, Quality Teaching for English Learners,
[14:43] that really addresses every learner in the classroom.
[14:46] And so those are the things that we ensure that we do
[14:50] and that we also support our teachers with that.
[14:52] And again, our Board of Education is very cognizant
[14:56] of that and aware of ensuring that, again,
[14:59] that we continue to value every student that comes
[15:03] through our doors.
[15:04] Mm-hmm.
[15:07] Offbeat question.
[15:09] That was a good answer.
[15:10] Now we're just sort of...
[15:11] Yeah.
[15:12] Offbeat question.
[15:13] I apologize in advance, but in your dreams as an
[15:18] educator, what would you like to teach or what
[15:22] system would you like to implement that just
[15:25] ain't there yet?
[15:27] Wow, that's a great question.
[15:29] I think, you know, as we look at our constant
[15:32] challenges is, you know, it goes back to resources
[15:36] as well, that we have the appropriate resources to
[15:40] ensure that we are maximizing our time, our
[15:44] resources with every student.
[15:47] And that's always a challenge.
[15:48] And when you think about just building-wise, right,
[15:53] right now our latest facility master plan,
[15:56] our analysis shows that in order for us to bring
[15:59] every building across our district, and they're
[16:01] aging, you know, our buildings are aging and we're
[16:03] doing our best, but it's about a $1.2 billion, it
[16:07] would be about a $1.2 billion effort.
[16:09] So, you know, just starting there, number one, as
[16:12] we look at our kiddos that need that additional
[16:15] support, and, you know, we talk about diversity,
[16:17] but also having that equity lens.
[16:19] Yeah.
[16:20] And having an equity lens also means kids,
[16:22] students that need more should be receiving
[16:24] more.
[16:25] Yes.
[16:26] Right?
[16:27] And so as much as we continue to look at that and
[16:31] again, maximize our efforts that, you know, as we
[16:34] look at, that our legislators don't forget about,
[16:38] you know, what happens in the classroom and the
[16:41] challenges that our kiddos come in with, whether
[16:44] it's behaviorally, you know, language-wise, et
[16:46] cetera, you know, our role is to educate every
[16:49] student, again, as I mentioned earlier.
[16:51] But, you know, when you look at the best case
[16:53] scenario, my dream scenario, that we have the
[16:56] resources necessary to be able to do that.
[16:59] Now, hold us accountable, because, you know, I
[17:02] feel that accountability is a big piece of that,
[17:04] but ensure that we have the right resources to be
[17:07] able to do that.
[17:08] Yes.
[17:09] You mentioned buildings, reminds me, I wanted to
[17:11] ask you, because I'm sure it's happened, but
[17:13] what did you rename the Cesar Chavez?
[17:16] So, it's Desert Bloom.
[17:17] Desert Bloom Elementary was the, so, you know.
[17:19] Desert Bloom.
[17:20] Desert Bloom.
[17:21] That's a nice name.
[17:22] Yes, and there was a great process, a lot of
[17:24] input from our community, from our educators.
[17:27] So, signage is up.
[17:29] You know, we're going to, I think we have a ribbon
[17:31] cutting coming up here in early next month for
[17:35] that, so kiddos are excited, our staff is excited,
[17:38] and, you know, just moving forward and
[17:40] continuing that tradition over in our
[17:43] elementary there.
[17:44] Is that, you know, you could celebrate by
[17:46] having the children plant a flower garden
[17:48] outside the school?
[17:49] Right, right, yeah.
[17:50] And I know our administration there, our
[17:52] staff has some great ideas.
[17:53] We're starting off with some t-shirts I hear
[17:55] pretty soon there, and again, we'll be having
[17:58] that ribbon cutting to establish and continue
[18:01] moving that tradition as Desert Bloom.
[18:03] Yeah.
[18:04] We have a phone call.
[18:05] Oh, sure.
[18:06] Is it this one here?
[18:07] Hi there, good morning, this is Derek Pichot.
[18:09] We'll turn up.
[18:10] This is Derek Pichot.
[18:11] Good morning.
[18:12] I have a question about the security cameras
[18:13] that are linked to the flock system at the
[18:15] police department.
[18:17] I found out that the school districts are feeding.
[18:21] Hold on just a second.
[18:22] Did you hear the beginning of the question?
[18:24] I didn't.
[18:25] Okay, can you hear them now?
[18:26] I can hear them now, yes.
[18:27] Okay.
[18:28] I think you started talking before we
[18:30] actually had picked up our headphones, so...
[18:33] My apologies.
[18:34] Go ahead, mask.
[18:35] So I noticed that in the contract for
[18:38] the LCPD flock security mass surveillance
[18:42] system we have in town, that it includes
[18:44] provisions to feed live stream cameras
[18:47] installed all around our school districts
[18:50] into the police department.
[18:52] This includes flock, AI facial recognition
[18:57] and body recognition and license plate
[19:00] recognition.
[19:01] What do you have to say to the public that
[19:04] might be unaware that they are being scanned
[19:07] every single day by this mass surveillance?
[19:09] Well, you know, great question and I
[19:11] appreciate the question.
[19:12] One of our top priorities is to ensure
[19:15] that our staff and our students are safe.
[19:17] Safety, we want to ensure that kids feel safe,
[19:21] that our staff feel safe.
[19:22] You know, partnership with LCPD is very
[19:25] important for us to ensure that we have,
[19:27] again, all the resources that we need,
[19:29] again, to ensure that our campuses are safe.
[19:32] With regards to the scanning, you know,
[19:36] our system that we have, we have what we
[19:40] call a Verkada system that does to ensure
[19:42] that, again, that we're keeping our campuses
[19:44] safe but also keeping that data safe as well.
[19:48] And that's one thing that we want to make
[19:50] sure that none of that is shared outside of
[19:54] the parameters that have been set.
[19:57] But again, if there's any...
[19:59] But is it flock, the police thing?
[20:01] I wasn't aware, I'm not aware of that.
[20:03] Because it is.
[20:04] I know that we do share resources.
[20:05] Because it is.
[20:06] Flock people have, you know, for some period
[20:08] of time, the color may be...
[20:09] The problem I have with all that...
[20:10] The color may be no better than I.
[20:11] For some period of time, flock can disseminate that.
[20:15] Mm-hmm.
[20:16] I'm sorry, go ahead, color.
[20:17] I know you had to continue that question.
[20:19] Yeah, the problem I have with that is that
[20:21] I've uncovered the real contracts.
[20:24] And I have to assume that parents,
[20:27] teachers, and students have not had this
[20:29] information disclosed to them.
[20:31] And the problem found within the Master
[20:34] Services Agreement of the Surveillance Tech
[20:37] and Software Combo Package that links
[20:40] to all the school districts is the fact
[20:42] that flock gets to give this information
[20:47] up to ICE any time they want at their discretion.
[20:51] Mm-hmm.
[20:52] It's buried there in the clause.
[20:53] Mm-hmm.
[20:54] So do your parents and teachers and students
[20:56] know that they're being scanned
[20:58] and that ICE has access to that information?
[21:01] Well, you know, I appreciate the information.
[21:03] I will definitely circle back with our team
[21:05] because at the end of the day, we also want to ensure
[21:07] that our community feels safe and our community
[21:10] feels, you know, that, again, it goes back to that safety,
[21:14] the confidentiality, et cetera.
[21:17] So I will definitely circle back with my team
[21:19] and look into that and ensure that it meets the parameters
[21:23] that we expect, again, that our parents feel safe,
[21:28] that our community, and regardless of your background
[21:32] or your situation, that you're always welcome,
[21:34] and that there's no need to feel fearful
[21:37] as you are walking into our building.
[21:40] And if you'd like to reach out, if you're willing
[21:44] to reach out to my office, we'd love to sit down
[21:46] and have further conversation around that.
[21:49] Thank you for the call.
[21:50] Awesome.
[21:51] Safety begins with trust. Don't forget.
[21:53] Absolutely. Absolutely.
[21:55] Thanks for the call, and we have another caller, I think.
[21:58] Good morning.
[22:00] Good morning.
[22:01] Gregory Schirvannigan.
[22:04] Superintendent Ruiz, thank you very much
[22:06] for the hard job you're doing, as well as the school board
[22:09] and all those educators in Las Cruces.
[22:11] Thank you.
[22:12] Thank you.
[22:13] My child was part of the public school system,
[22:16] and I don't agree with the national averaging
[22:20] of Las Cruces being where it is on the polls
[22:23] based on mathematics, but I'll leave it at that.
[22:27] I just wanted to thank you, but I would like
[22:30] to go along with the caller before me.
[22:34] I am living near Yonge Park, and the school
[22:40] that is right across the street now has a camera system
[22:45] in the park, which I believe invades the privacy
[22:50] of your parents who pick up their children
[22:54] and park on Nevada.
[22:57] The caller before you told you about a master
[23:00] agreement, I looked at the contract for the statement
[23:04] of work with the Las Cruces Police Department,
[23:07] which by the way was signed 914-24.
[23:13] So when the city councilors were on the show last week,
[23:17] I asked them if they knew about this camera,
[23:21] which is now a rotating surveillance camera
[23:24] that tracks everybody.
[23:29] And they didn't want to answer that question.
[23:33] So I'm not going to put you on the spot
[23:36] until you talk with your technical team,
[23:38] but do you realize that working with the Las Cruces Police
[23:43] Department now puts parents and students in harm's way?
[23:49] And I believe your technical people do not
[23:55] or should not give the city 128 channels,
[24:00] which would be tapping into all your school equipment.
[24:05] Thank you for the opinion.
[24:08] Obviously, as we learned from the first call,
[24:11] this is not a subject that Superintendent Ruiz
[24:16] is real familiar with at this point,
[24:19] but thanks for pushing him to look into it.
[24:22] And I think he probably would invite you
[24:25] as well as the previous caller.
[24:27] If you want to talk to him offline about this,
[24:30] contact him.
[24:31] But thank you.
[24:33] Thank you.
[24:38] There's always new issues coming up.
[24:40] Right, no, definitely.
[24:41] It's a challenge.
[24:42] Yeah, and I want to ensure that we also listen
[24:44] to the voice of our community and if there's any concerns.
[24:47] I've got to say, if I had a kid there,
[24:50] I might want a camera to be there
[24:53] so that if I get there and somebody else has picked up
[24:57] my kid purporting to be his aunt or his uncle,
[25:00] we got some license plate stuff that shows
[25:03] my kid got in that car, not the other one.
[25:05] But I also have concerns about the privacy
[25:10] and civil liberties issues.
[25:11] Absolutely, absolutely.
[25:13] But one thing I want to mention is we're about to talk
[25:17] after we talk with you.
[25:19] We're going to talk with the folks from the Las Cruces
[25:22] Library and preparing, I've realized how much of a service
[25:27] that is to students these days.
[25:30] Can you, you know, do you see that?
[25:33] Yeah, that's a great resource for our kids.
[25:36] And we've had some great conversations with some
[25:38] of the city staff about how we can support
[25:41] and communicate and ensure that our parents
[25:44] know what resources the city offers,
[25:46] such as the libraries and some of the,
[25:48] not just the library of the books itself,
[25:50] but other resources that, you know,
[25:53] they have things such as where you can do blogs
[25:56] and different things that kiddos can go in and do.
[25:59] So there's a lot of great activities.
[26:01] Again, it goes back to kiddos being connected
[26:04] with their interests.
[26:05] And so we are, you know, partnering with the city
[26:08] around that and getting the word out.
[26:10] This is Speaker Las Cruces, K-T-A-L-L-P-101.5 FM Las Cruces.
[26:18] Speaker Las Cruces has been talking with
[26:21] Superintendent Ruiz with less than a minute left.
[26:25] Is there any one event?
[26:27] We didn't touch on that you would like to say.
[26:29] Any event that's coming up,
[26:30] you want to make sure people are aware of.
[26:32] Yeah, you know, our open houses are going to be very important.
[26:34] Those are coming up, right?
[26:35] So our parents, a lot of information being shared.
[26:37] One thing really quick that I wanted to share,
[26:39] we are looking at opening a 6-12 school
[26:42] for the 27-28 school year.
[26:44] And we're looking to ensure that we're providing
[26:47] some of those smaller learning environments.
[26:49] And I talked about pathways for kids
[26:51] and ensuring that we're meeting the needs
[26:53] of all of our kiddos.
[26:54] That's a great example of us really thinking innovatively.
[26:57] In one sentence, what is a 6-12 school?
[27:00] So it is a combined 6th grade through 12,
[27:03] and that's going to be over at the current RGPI,
[27:06] the Rio Grande Prep Building.
[27:08] We're going to rename this school.
[27:09] So right now the team we are working on,
[27:11] what does that look like?
[27:12] What are the supports that will be provided, resources?
[27:15] But at the end of the day, what we want to provide
[27:17] is again a pathway and option for our parents,
[27:19] for our kiddos that may not be able to...
[27:22] The large comprehensive high school, large middle school
[27:25] doesn't work for them.
[27:26] It could be tour-wearing.
[27:27] Right, and we offer those environments for them.
[27:29] So I'm excited about that work as well.
[27:31] Well, thanks for being with us.
[27:32] Absolutely.
[27:33] And have a great year, and maybe we'll see you
[27:35] in a few months again.
[27:36] Yes, well thank you for having me.
[27:37] It's always a pleasure to be here,
[27:38] and I appreciate your support.
[27:40] It's always a pleasure to have you.
[27:41] Thank you so much for coming.
[27:42] Thanks for what you do.