Three new Rio Rancho board members tour Independence High, study alternative model

Michael Berry, Rebecca Murray and Seth Muller, the three newly seated members of the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education, toured Independence High School in Rio Rancho on Feb. 20 for an informational visit focused on the school's alternative-school model, program offerings and facility plans.

The visit centered on Independence High School's alternative-school model and the specific programs housed at IHS, with Berry, Murray and Muller reviewing material related to current offerings and proposed facility adjustments. School leaders presented program details and facility plans for the board members to examine during the Feb. 20 meeting on campus.

Independence High School served as the physical setting for the board members' review of facility plans, which district staff laid out during the informational tour. The three newly seated Rio Rancho board members used the Feb. 20 visit to see classroom space and circulation patterns at IHS and to assess how proposed facility changes might intersect with the school's alternative education programs.

The Feb. 20 informational visit was an early public step for Berry, Murray and Muller since being seated on the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education, and it directly connected the new board members to on-the-ground operations at Independence High School. By touring IHS and studying program materials and facility plans, the board members gained first-hand exposure to the alternative-school model that serves students at that campus.

District and community stakeholders in Rio Rancho watched the Feb. 20 visit as the newly seated board members continued to orient themselves to district priorities. The informational tour at Independence High School gave Michael Berry, Rebecca Murray and Seth Muller specific program and facility information to carry forward as they settle into their roles on the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education.