ALAMOSA — In a move that communicates clear acknowledgement of the strides Alamosa School District (ASD) has taken under her leadership, Diana Jones’ contract to serve as superintendent of ASD has been renewed by the Board of Education through the 2025-2026 school year.
For her part, Jones was prepared to make that commitment as she had shared with the Valley Courier several months ago that it was her desire to stay with the district. The commitment to have steady leadership going into the future was further solidified when Luis Murillo, Assistant Superintendent, signed a two-year contract.
To see where the district is headed, a look at what has already been accomplished is a good indicator.
When Jones and Murillo were both hired at the same time beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, the school district was somewhat in a state of flux.
The current superintendent was functioning in an interim role after her predecessor's unexpected resignation. The pandemic was disrupting learning at all levels with no sign of relief in the immediate future. And teachers were being recruited by other school districts who offered higher salaries and four-day school weeks.
But as Jones had stated during her interview for the position, she was committed to creating a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment at school and building relationships with students, families and staff members as a primary foundation, resulting in the administration’s often repeated phrase of “All means all,” that reflected their philosophy of district management.
Neither Jones nor Murillo have ever been about “quick fixes” but, instead, have approached rebuilding and improving the district through thoughtful, forward-thinking planning created with crucial input from stakeholders in the educational process – both on staff and in the community.
Countless references are made in conversation to “The Strategic Plan” that, once in place, has guided their decisions in all areas, from hiring security guards on campus to reaching out and engaging with underserved students and families.
That plan has been effective and is continuing to be so, as evidenced by consistent trends in academic improvement demonstrated at Alamosa Elementary and Ortega Middle School, one of the schools in the district that had been encountering the greatest challenges.
After extensive negotiations with the Alamosa Education Association, which represents teachers and staff, the district instituted a significant pay raise over two years that made the district competitive, not just with other districts in the San Luis Valley but some districts across the state.
A four-day school week was finally agreed upon, addressing the other primary reason that teachers, even those with tenure, were accepting jobs elsewhere. The need for that strategy was well documented and effectiveness has been quantified in more successful recruitment efforts and increased retention of teachers with the district.
In awareness of some of the psychosocial needs of some of the students, ASD was also able to hire a counselor to be on staff at each school, a stunning achievement as students are still struggling with the lingering effects of their education being disrupted at the most basic level for an extended period of time.
In partnership with Shooting Stars Cultural and Leadership Center, Jones and Murillo have also taken one of the most innovative steps imaginable in opening the Alamosa School District Family Center, a facility opened to students and families throughout the week and located in the midst of the south side of Alamosa.
The purpose of the Family Center is to reach out engage in meaningful ways with students, parents, grandparents, and families in the community who feel disconnected from the school district because of barriers such as language differences, lack of cultural relevance or access to technology.
Just one example of the enormous potential to be found in The Family Center was evident in the highly successful “Back to School Bash” where roughly 500 students and families registered for the 2023-2024 school year in a celebratory “welcome back to school” environment with free food, music, information provided from community organizations, backpacks filled with school supplies and, yes, free haircuts.
In terms of infrastructure, the district also obtained funding to make the physical environment of the classrooms safe and conducive to learning with a newly installed HVAC system.
And, in perhaps the clearest demonstration of where administrative priorities lie, Jones, Murillo and administrative staff gave up their offices on Victoria Avenue and moved to a location on Highway 160 to create a space for the Alamosa Alternative School where students may be more likely to succeed in a smaller, more supportive, and individualized environment.
Jones and Murillo have additional forward-thinking plans in place, which will be discussed in a separate article to appear in the Valley Courier. No doubt, the Strategic Plan will be referenced.
But, for now, one of the most important questions that has been overshadowing discussions of the future has been answered. For at least the next few years if not beyond, Superintendent Jones and Assistant Superintendent Murillo will be at the helm to guide Alamosa School District in meeting goals currently set and new ones to be developed.
