Proposal splits Navajo-dominated school district

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – A proposal to split a school district that’s dominated by American Indian students has raised tensions in northwestern New Mexico communities.

The school board has opposed the divide, with its president saying the move is reminiscent of the days of segregation. Supporters contend it will give parents a choice of which schools best fit their children and an avenue to boost standards in the classroom.

Rather than be divided by race, the Central Consolidated School District would be split based on geography, with the Navajo reservation serving as the boundary. The proposed new district still would be made up overwhelmingly of Navajo students.

A similar effort to break up the district was rejected by state education officials in the 1980s. New Mexico education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera said she will decide on the latest proposal submitted by the Kirtland-based group, Children First, on Tuesday. A second option includes parts of the reservation in a new district, but some have argued that the signatures weren’t gathered correctly for that to be considered.

Tensions have long flared among residents in the district over what students should be taught and who is in control of a district that spans 3,000 square miles and has about 6,100 students, making it one of New Mexico’s largest based on enrollment.

School board President Matthew Tso said he’s worried the board’s efforts to have Navajo and culture taught in schools will be diminished in a new district. The board signed an agreement with the Navajo Nation earlier this year to ensure the tribe has its say in that curriculum. A divide would negatively impact Navajo students, he said.

“They would have that badge of inferiority just because they live on the reservation,” said Tso, a Navajo tribal member. “It’s triggering that divide between our people. How can you want to go back to that time when all that stuff is in the history books?”

Byron Manning, a spokesman for Children First and former finance director for the district, said not all Kirtland residents – including Navajos – want culture and the Navajo language to be a priority in their children’s lives. The group contends that separating the district is not about race or excluding the Navajo Nation, but ensuring students are better prepared for college and meeting the needs of distinct communities within the district.

“We’ve made the argument that the bell curve has shifted to the right in the Kirtland district for all of the schools and more to the left in the rest of the schools,” he said.

New Mexico Public Education Department spokesman Larry Behrens declined to comment on the proposal. But Skandera cautioned residents in a letter last year about dividing the district when funding is scarce, saying the rift in the district appeared to be among adults who can’t work out their differences.

Finances have been a big part of the arguments made by both Manning and Tso.

Tso said closing the administrative office in Kirtland was necessary for a district that has seen its budget cut by $5 million over the past year. He argued that there would be no financial benefit from creating a second district, while Manning said his research has shown that administrative costs could be less with two smaller districts over a single, larger one.

The proposed divide also has created uncertainty over whether a Navajo Nation law that requires Navajos be given preference in hiring applies to the entire district now that the administrative staff has been consolidated in Shiprock, N.M., on the reservation.