State to look into West Side school district

COMMUNITY LEADERS CONTINUE THEIR PUSH FOR A SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICT. TODAY SUPPORTERS ...  More »

COMMUNITY LEADERS CONTINUE THEIR PUSH FOR A SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICT. TODAY SUPPORTERS OF THE PROPOSAL MET TO TALK MORE ABOUT THEIR PLANS FOR THE WESTSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT -- AND TO ANSWER CRITICS. JEFF MAHER IS LIVE NEAR COORS AND FORTUNA TO EXPLAIN. JEFF. SUPPORTERS OF THE PROPOSAL WANT WESTSIDE SCHOOLS, LIKE WEST MESA HIGH SCHOOL, TO SPLIT FROM A-P-S AND BE PART OF A NEW WESTSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT. CRITICS SAY THE NEW DISTRICT WOULD FACE SOME MAJOR REVENUE PROBLEMS. SUPPORTERS SAY THAT IS YET TO BE DETERMINED BY THE STATE. 'i'm sure that the experts at the public education department will take a pencil and do the math and determine whether there's an adequate tax revenue and or prospective tax revenue to address the debt service that's in place or needs to be in place' DAN SERRANO, PRESIDENT OF THE WESTSIDE COALITION NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS JOINED SUPPORTERS OF THE WESTSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT AT CHAPARRAL ELEMENTARY -- TO TALK ABOUT WHY THE PLAN WILL WORK. PART OF THE REASON FOR THE PROPOSAL -- THEY THINK SPLITTING FROM A-P-S WILL ALLOW A NEW, SMALLER DISTRICT TO BE MORE INVOLVED WITH STUDENTS -- AND WILL IMPROVE GRADES. 'we have to solve the problem, this is the way to go eventually, I don't know if we're going to get there on this try, but we ow it to our students, we owe it to the city of albuquerque to be the best that we can be'SERRANO SAYS THE NEW WESTSIDE DISTRICT WOULD BECOME THE THIRD LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE -- BEHIND A- P-S, AND LAS CRUCES. AND HE SAYS STATE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION, DR. VERONICA GARCIA, HAS TOLD HIM IN THE PAST THAT SHE'LL GIVE THE GREEN LIGHT TO THE PLAN IF THERE'S ENOUGH SUPPORT FOR IT, AND IF IT MAKES SENSE FINANCIALLY. ONE POTENTIAL ROADBLOCK -- A-P-S HAS INVESTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ITS WESTSIDE SCHOOLS, AND MILLIONS HAVE YET TO BE SPENT - AS PART OF A BOND PACKAGE THAT VOTERS APPROVED. 'i'm sure the westside is going to have to incur some of the debt, but the amount of debt we're not sure, also the westside has paid for schools throughout albuquerque as well in the tax base, and they're taxed'DR. GARCIA HAS LESS THAN 90 DAYS TO MAKE A DECISION ON THE SPLIT. GARCIA AND A TEAM OF EXPERTS WILL BE SPENDING THAT TIME CONDUCTING A FEASIBILITY STUDY TO SEE IF IT WILL WORK. LIVE IN NORTHWEST ALBUQUERQUE. JEFF MAHER. EYEWITNESS NEWS FOUR. AFTER SIX  « Less