Lordsburg Schools Board Meets March 16, Tackles Audit and Governance Items

The Lordsburg Municipal Schools Board of Education gathered Monday evening at 401 W. 4th Street for its regular March meeting, with an audit presentation and governance items topping the agenda at the district's 6:00 p.m. session.

The district posted the public agenda in its online BoardBook portal ahead of the meeting and provided a livestream for residents who could not attend in person. Community members who wanted to weigh in had until 4:00 p.m. Monday to submit public forum comments to boardcomments@lmsed.org, the district's designated comment address.

While the full list of formal business items was not published in advance beyond the headline topics, the inclusion of an audit presentation places the March 16 meeting within a pattern of financial oversight that the board has maintained for years. In December 2009, the board convened a closed executive session specifically for an Audit Exit Meeting, reconvening in open session after 25 minutes with the formal finding that no votes or final decisions had been made behind closed doors. That earlier meeting drew superintendent Jim Barentine, principals Leo Garcia and Vance Lee, and a faculty contingent from Lordsburg's schools.

The board has handled a range of procurement and infrastructure decisions at its regular sessions over the years. At a June 2015 meeting, then-board member Tina Hayes moved to approve a resolution on a parking lot paving project that split $22,789.00 between the New Mexico Department of Transportation, which contributed 75 percent at $17,092.00, and Lordsburg Municipal Schools, which covered the remaining 25 percent at $5,697.00. That same night, the board accepted the sole bid from Prices Creameries to supply milk products for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years, on a motion by Alfredo Morelos Jr. and a second from Ali Salinas.

The district can be reached at (575) 542-9361, and its administrative office is at 401 W. 4th St., Lordsburg, NM 88045. Official minutes from the March 16 meeting, which will detail any motions, votes, and outcomes from the audit presentation and governance items, are expected to be posted to the BoardBook portal once approved by the board.