Holloman AFB is committed to making drastic changes in the school situation with APS in the near future. The first change was announced by Col. Alfred Rosales, School Board Holloman Ex Officio at the Oct 18th School Board Meeting (APS) where Rosales gave the Board a brief outline of their Squadron In Schools program (SIS) on behalf of the entire Holloman leadership Team. The purpose of this move is to benefit the students and faculty with the presence of a squadron member in the classrooms which will enhance the quality of education and increase the safety of students and staff. The bottom line is they are fed up with the attitude and lack of enforcement of safety factors and low academic standards by APS. They do not trust APS with the safety of their students as APS has done nothing to protect students, staff, and teachers after numerous dangerous issues arose and requests by Holloman have been ignored.
Second, a new school, whether satellite high school, charter school, or other on-base addition, for the purpose of fortifying education for “active duty families, DOD civilians, and international guard reservists connected to the base” is in the planning stages.
This will deplete the number of students in APS schools to the point of a loss for APS of millions of dollars. Again, this reverts back to the attitude and apparent lack of interest in making necessary reforms from APS.
Third, with these changes coming, we really do not need a new Chaparral middle school! Since this project is currently on hold due to the mismanagement of time and funds (millions wasted with ZERO to show for it) it would be a minimum of two years before the school is built. At the present time, the APS plan is to keep the students of Chaparral in the current building while they build the new Chaparral on the sports field. However, the way things are going at APS there is no guarantee this will occur either. In the meantime, students could possibly end up attending a different school due to construction safety issues but with everything tossed in the air, no one really knows or will say.
The students can complete middle school wherever they go. The bond issues currently on the ballot are unnecessary, as the taxpayers can now see that the frivolous spending habits of APS have not, and will not for years to come, elevate us from the 51st position nationally. Additionally, rumors are out that at least one more charter or private school is being considered in Alamogordo. So with all this news and pending changes, why is a new Chaparral Middle School any longer considered?
