By Rodd Cayton, The Paper.
The year is 2040. The Rio Rancho Events Center is packed, as the community celebrates hundreds of newly minted graduates of a local high school. They are asked to stand, arranged by their plans for after high school. Eventually, every graduate is standing, and the community embraces its status as having the best schools in New Mexico.
That was a scenario laid out June 11 by Dr. Robert Dodd, who was marking his 100th day as superintendent of Rio Rancho Public Schools. The district released a progress report marking highlights of the transition later that day. Dodd replaced V. Sue Cleveland, who had been the only leader in RRPS’ history.
Dodd said his goal is to take the district from good to great in terms of student achievement, and that he’s found a network ready to work toward that goal. He told an audience at Vista Grande Elementary School that he had visited all 21 of the district’s campuses — and met with much of the community outside RRPS — since his March 2 start and knew a bold goal should be set.
“What I found was a district with real strengths,” Dodd said. “I saw strong instruction in classrooms. I saw students engaged in academics, arts, athletics, career and technical education, and service. I saw staff who care deeply about student learning and communities deeply involved in their schools.”
The report provides an overview of Dodd’s transition into district leadership and summarizes his findings after a comprehensive review of district operations. The report is organized around the themes of “honoring the past,” “building the present” and “inventing the future.”
“We honor the past by recognizing the people and experiences that brought us here,” Dodd said during his remarks at Vista Grande. “We build the present by celebrating the growth and accomplishments of our students that are with us today, and we invent the future through the lives, the talents, and the contributions of our graduates, and what they will carry forth into the world.”
Dodd said the future he wants to build has the rest of the state looking up at Rio Rancho. “I like to tell people wherever I go that we are the highest-performing large school district in New Mexico,” he said. “But we are not the highest performing district in New Mexico. We have to improve outcomes. Approximately a third of our kids are proficient in mathematics. Over half of our kids are proficient in literacy, but we can do better than that as a school district.” He said RRPS has the resources to take the top spot and can improve outcomes for students through more efficient use of them.
The report mentions several actions that are already underway, including the appointment of a chief of schools and a chief academic officer, the creation of a team focused on special education excellence and expanded communication efforts, including the new Rio Rancho Roundup community newsletter.
In addition to reviewing the district’s current condition, the report previews the upcoming strategic planning process; 2026-27 is considered a “bridge year,” which will serve as a transition period leading into the district’s next long-term strategic plan. That plan, Dodd said, will focus on ensuring every member of the Class of 2040 is prepared for college, career, military service, and life. “The decisions we make now about teaching, learning, support pathways, staffing, special education, and school improvement will shape their journeys all along the way,” he said.
Vista Grande Principal Christine Prescott said she’s honored to have her school, which has maintained spotlight status for several years, host the announcement and at the compliments Dodd gave during the event. “Literally every staff member makes it so great,” she told The Paper. Other speakers at the event included PTO President Simone Mehta-Campbell and school board Vice President Seth Muller.