LAPS board approves cooling upgrades, audit services for summer work

Cooling systems, not just summer calendars, were the focus at Los Alamos Public Schools on June 9 as the board approved heating and cooling installation work for Los Alamos High School and Los Alamos Middle School before students return in 2026-2027. The contract with HMM Services was capped at $160,000 and covers three classrooms in the E wing at Los Alamos High School, plus the band room, choir room, wood shop and an adjoining classroom at Los Alamos Middle School.

For families, the near-term question is whether those upgrades make a visible difference when school starts back up. The district is using the summer window to finish the work before classrooms fill again, a practical move in buildings where heat can shape both comfort and instruction when August arrives.

The board, led by President Sondra Wyman, Vice President Lauren Coupland, Secretary Melanie Colgan and new member Elisa Baker, also approved selecting Hinkle + Landers to provide audit services through 2029. That decision carries financial weight well beyond bookkeeping. New Mexico’s Audit Act requires annual financial and compliance audits for school districts, so stable outside audit coverage is part of the district’s basic oversight structure.

Superintendent Jennifer Guy also gave the board a federal funding update that pointed to a larger pressure already affecting school systems across the state. She said some funding has decreased because enrollment has fallen, a shift that can ripple into staffing and program planning even when a district continues to receive key federal support.

Guy said Los Alamos Public Schools still received Title I, Title II and Title IV money, with those funds directed to reading and math intervention, teacher mentorship and professional development, and the Second Step anti-bullying program. That support remains important as the district balances academic services against changing enrollment counts and the federal formulas tied to them.

The June 9 meeting also included approval of an Open Meetings Act resolution, discussion of a possible school board self-evaluation and a review of highlights from the New Mexico School Boards Association annual law conference. The timing underscored a district that is moving from the school year into a summer stretch focused on maintenance, compliance and governance before fall returns.

Los Alamos Public Schools says the board meets on the second Tuesday and fourth Thursday of each month, with exceptions in April, November and December, and meetings are held in person and live streamed at 5:30 p.m. Agendas, notices and packets are posted 72 hours ahead of time, and recordings usually appear within a week. The district’s June 9 meeting page also holds the agenda, packet, minutes, video and public comments for that session.