Plans for Old Tibbetts School Site Announced

Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at 3:09 PM

Budget crunch will not allow school district to move the Farmington Family School to the site. School district may want to sell the property to the city. The track will remain maintained and open.

Update 12/15/17

From Farmington School Superintendent Dr. Schmidt: Budget crunch will not allow school district to move the Farmington Family School to the site. School district may want to sell the property to the city. The track will remain maintained and open.

New Plans

Farmington Municipal Schools Superintendent Dr. Eugene Schmidt and Chief of Operations Ted Lasiewicz discussed the future of the old Tibbetts Middle School property in Farmington. This morning on KSJE 90.9FM, Lasiewicz said most of the old school is scheduled to be torn down between July and November of this year. The library will not be demolished. The building, which served as Farmington High School for a time, has been added onto extensively over the years and because of the district's MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the state Public Education Department which awarded the district several million dollars in state money to help pay for construction of the new Tibbetts Middle School, the old building cannot be used for student instruction. Lasiewicz says the district does have a plan for the future use of the property.

The Details

Dr. Schmidt said the Farmington Municipal School Board will be asked to approve the proposal at their July meeting to use the old Tibbetts Middle School library (the newest addition on the property) as administration space for the Farmington Family School: a education effort with local home-schooled children and their parents that is currently being housed at Northeast Elementary School. Dr. Schmidt says the program is growing and quickly running out of space at Northeast Elementary School. The district plans to use portable classrooms (which will soon be unneeded with completion of the new Farmington High School classrooms in December 2017) and move them to the old Tibbetts site. Because the new school will have fewer students and staff than old Tibbetts had during its operation, school officials say the problems of traffic congestion in the neighborhood will not be repeated.

Community Use

Both Dr. Schmidt and Lasiewicz emphasized that the track and field areas of the property will remain open and accessible to the public (even during the demolition).

Listen to the audio to hear more about the plans for the old Tibbetts Middle School property.

More from Local News

Lauren Laws Named Interim Superintendent for Aztec Schools

For 15 years, Lauren Laws has dedicated her career to Aztec Schools, beginning as a Special Education teacher in 2008. In 2010 she transitioned to General Education, where she spent six years in the classroom working with 4th and 5th graders at Park Avenue Elementary while completing work on her Master's Degree. During her tenure at Park Avenue Elementary, she also served a Lead Teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal. Lauren has spent the past three years serving as the Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for the district.
Durango Picks Brice Current to be New Police Chief

Brice Current was a former narcotics agent with the San Juan County Sheriff's Office in Aztec, NM. He was hired as Durango's Deputy Police Chief in 2019.
Farmington Schools Hires first Armed Campus Safety Monitor

The FMS Board of Education authorized school security personnel to carry firearms on school premises during their January 9, 2024, meeting. The move paved the way for the hiring of Armed Campus Safety Monitors (ACSMs), former certified law enforcement officers tasked with providing an additional layer of protection for students and staff during emergencies.
Candidates Declare their Intent to Run in the June 4, 2024 Primary

Some returning candidates and also some new names from Tuesday's filing day on March 12, 2024. These candidates have filed their notice to run in the June 4, 2024 Primary. Some candidates are unopposed. The winners in June will face off on November 5, 2024.