'GREEN' SCHOOL ; AT ALVORD GETS GREEN LIGHT.

Byline: JOHN SENA

The Santa Fe school board on Tuesday approved an application for Alvord Elementary to become a magnet school. Less than two months ago, the board was considering closing the tiny school near the Santa Fe Railyard.

Then Gov. Bill Richardson came to the rescue, committing $200,000 for two years -- the amount school-district officials argued they would save by closing the school -- from the Public Education Department's emergency supplemental fund.

Before that, a group of teachers, parents and supporters worked on a plan to turn Alvord into a magnet school based on sustainability and environmental science.

Approval of that plan was delayed at least twice, primarily because Board Member Barbara Gudwin, who represents Alvord, had concerns about the proposal. Before Tuesday's vote, a handful of supporters asked the board to approve the application, citing progress on partnerships and grants that will augment the school's magnet efforts.

"We'd just like your blessing today," said Maury Brooks, a parent and longtime supporter of the magnet idea. "I know there's mixed opinion about us being there or not, but your blessing would mean a lot to us."

Another parent, Yvette Martinez, told the board that by approving the application, the district could set an example of how other districts might use innovative ways to educate kids.

Gudwin, who actually made the motion to approve the application, acknowledged that magnet supporters had worked hard to put it together, but warned parents and other supporters to remember that financial pressures on the district have not subsided.

Board Member Frank Monta[+ or -]o said he'd vote to support the application but warned that emergency funding will run out. And "any school, whether a magnet school or not, is subject to consolidation, is subject to closure."

Richard Polese, the one board member who opposed closing the school and has always supported the magnet idea, said he was looking forward to see what the school can do. "I find that this is a real opportunity to do something exciting," he said.

In the end, the board voted unanimously to approve the application.

One unanswered question affecting both Alvord and Larragoite Elementary, whose magnet application was approved in April, is how teachers would be paid for extra professional development.

Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez said she was under the impression that magnets would use grant funding to pay for the training. She said the district could not afford to use operational funds. That issue will be revisited.

Contact John Sena at 986-3079 or [e-mail].