By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Rio Rancho schools are in line for new buses, intercoms and athletic upgrades after the school board accepted $2.68 million in state grants last week.
The Rio Rancho Public Schools board approved a resolution accepting 14 legislative capital outlay grants from the 2024 and 2026 sessions. The projects span elementary, middle and high schools, Michael Baker, RRPS chief of operations, told the board.
School buses are the biggest item at $600,000, according to the resolution. Mountain View Middle School gets $400,000 for storefront systems outside its media center, and Vista Grande Elementary gets $350,000 to replace its intercom system. Rio Rancho and Cleveland high schools share $840,000 for a press box, locker room, gym basketball court and two marching band fields. Lincoln Middle School gets $200,000 for tennis courts and $35,000 for intercom systems.
Each year, the board approves a project list for the district’s legislative delegation, Baker said. Lawmakers “essentially pick and choose the projects that they would like to sponsor,” and the state then asks for a contract and resolution. No board members asked questions before the vote.
The grants have spending deadlines. Money for four projects, including the buses, must be used by June 30, 2028. The other 10 projects have until June 30, 2030. The resolution also authorizes the superintendent or a designee to sign grant agreements and request payments, and it limits spending to the listed projects.
BY THE NUMBERS
- $2,684,000: total across 14 projects ($35,000 from the 2024 session, $2,649,000 from 2026)
- $660,000: district-wide (buses $600,000, bus parking lot design $60,000)
- $515,000: Rio Rancho High School
- $400,000: Mountain View Middle School
- $350,000: Vista Grande Elementary
- $325,000: Cleveland High School
- $235,000: Lincoln Middle School
- $80,000: Cielo Azul Elementary
- $79,000: Joe Harris Elementary
- $40,000: Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
- June 30, 2028: deadline for four projects ($735,000)
- June 30, 2030: deadline for 10 projects ($1,949,000)