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Lovington Public Schools board meeting, Aug 10, 2026

1 h 33 min · 0 public speakers

Reading and test scores ▶ 1:13:43Safety, weapons and police ▶ 57:48
Meeting video · YouTubeLovington Public SchoolsAug 10, 2026Watch on YouTube ↗Opens at 0:46 in a new tab

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 1 h 33 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
  2. Patti Ann AncellVice President
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Lovington board considers document on New Hope High School closure for '27-'28 1:04:55

  • A presenter outlined a plan to use about $4.8 million to prepay the district's 2021 debt while keeping the combined debt rate at $7.22. 18:01
  • The board discussed a document stating closure of New Hope High School for the '27-'28 school year, which a district staff member said was a PED decision and had to be embedded in an application for school improvement money. 1:05:02
  • A district staff member said the recommendation was not to close New Hope but to approve the application so the district could follow the rules PED was putting before it. 1:23:08
  • The board also took up a board member's resignation, and a motion called for taking letters of interest for the vacancy through the close of business on August the 20th. 1:26:22
Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and agenda changes 0:46
    • A staff member asked to move items 12 and 13, and the presiding officer placed them at the top of new business. 0:59
    • A motion to approve the agenda as presented with changes was made and seconded. 1:17
  2. Superintendent and director reports 1:58
    • A speaker asked whether any of the transfers were due to the NMA rule changes, and a staff member said there had been a handful. 2:44
    • A staff member said a mechanic started 2 weeks ago and that campuses are starting reports this year. 3:25
    • A speaker said the state ranks low on SAT scores but is one of the few states that require 100% participation. 4:02
  3. Consent agenda and donations 7:13
    • Motions were made and seconded to approve the consent agenda items and the donations as presented. 7:46
  4. Second readings of policies 9:23
    • The board took up Policy Service Advisories 275 through 278, and a speaker said the district currently has no teachers in the teacher residency program. 9:23
    • The board then took up revisions to Policy G items 3200, 2550, 2600 and 7500, which a staff member said came before the board in July. 11:23
    • A motion to approve the Section G policies with the noted changes was made and seconded. 12:07
  5. Debt prepayment and technology notes 12:36
    • A presenter said the district's bonds would pay off in 2029 instead of 2031 after the prepayment, and the combined debt rate of $7.22 stays the same. 13:52
    • The presenter said the necessity resolution for education technology notes was the first of a 2-step process, and the amount was later given as $1,040,000. 25:12
    • Motions on the education technology notes necessity resolution and the defeasance resolution were made and seconded. 31:38
  6. Maintenance plan and capital assets 32:53
    • A staff member said there were no significant changes to the preventative maintenance plan. ~33:30
    • On the FY26 capital assets inventory, a speaker said the district uses straight line depreciation. 35:15
    • A motion on the capital assets inventory was made and seconded. 36:37
  7. Athletic and Activity Handbook updates 37:16
    • A speaker said a reference on page 18 to grades 6 through 12 needed to be addressed, and page 38 was noted as stating that, per NMAA rules, students in grades 6 through 8 are eligible to participate. 37:33
    • A speaker said the handbook needs to be clear for kids and parents that 6th graders are not participating. 40:39
    • A motion to approve the handbook with the noted changes was made and seconded. 42:21
  8. Employee and student handbooks 42:55
    • A staff member said approved policy is placed into the handbook the next day. 43:02
    • A speaker said recent nicotine policy changes did not appear to be reflected in the handbook. 43:19
  9. Vendor payment after special audit 45:06
    • A staff member said the payment was for services completed before the special audit and that a narrative of each invoice was provided. 45:14
    • A motion to approve final payment to the vendor was made and seconded. 46:11
  10. New board meeting management platform 46:39
    • A staff member said four companies were reviewed and the recommendation was BoardBook. 47:01
    • A speaker said the current fee is over $10,000, and another speaker said BoardBook is less than half the price. 48:14
    • A staff member said a decision was needed this month or the district would be extended another year with the current provider. 50:22
  11. Hospital transport agreement 51:42
    • A staff member said the agreement pays half of an employee's salary and benefits plus gas, and the hospital had 2,508 transports for the '25-'26 school year. 52:17
    • A speaker asked whether the $3,000 a month covered 12 or 10 months, and a staff member said it was for the time school is in session. 53:52
    • Patti Ann Ancell said the group would be allowed to hold a Walk for Life in September or October. 56:26
  12. County agreements for SROs and programs 57:48
    • A staff member said the district has 3 SROs and they will report at 7:30 in the morning and work until 5 o'clock. 57:57
    • A staff member described the county agreement for a parent support program as focused on early detection and early education for parents of children with autism. 59:34
    • A staff member said a county agreement would support a media class with filming and projects. 1:02:32
  13. New Hope High School closure document 1:04:55
    • A staff member said the state notified the district to look at closing New Hope High School for the '27-'28 school year and that the decision is strictly PED. 1:05:02
    • A speaker asked for clarification that the board was approving the document rather than a closure, and a staff member said the document notifies the board of the possible closure. 1:13:24
    • A staff member said the recommendation was not to close New Hope but to approve the application to follow PED rules. 1:23:08
  14. Board resignation and vacancy process 1:26:22
    • The item covered accepting a board member's resignation, appointing a board secretary and setting a process to fill the vacancy, which runs until November of '27. 1:26:22
  15. Public comment and adjournment 1:32:13
    • No one spoke at public comment, and a motion to adjourn was requested. 1:32:13

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “LMSD School Board Meeting - August 10, 2026 @ 5:00 PM”