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Debra Woodward
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. — A teacher from Cubero and Seboyeta Elementary Schools has recently been selected to be a voice for Grants-Cibola County Schools on the New Mexico Department of Education’s newly re-established Community Advisory panel. The group was formed by NMPED Secretary Kurt Steinhaus in order to strengthen ties between school, home, community, and business, encourage feedback from those who are immersed in public education in New Mexico, and give schools and districts equal access to the opportunity of making their voices heard. “I formed this group because I’m committed to engaging with those who are most directly impacted by the Public Education Department’s work, and by that I mean New Mexico’s students, teachers, parents and business leaders,” Steinhaus said in a NMPED press release. “I look forward to getting their feedback, and I hope this program will serve as a model to districts and schools for cultivating community partnerships.” While officials are still seeking to bring the last three categories up to 15 members, as of December 10, the panel consisted of 15 educators, 13 parents or guardians, 13 students, and 14 civic members. One of those 15 educators is Cubero and Seboyeta Elementary School art teacher Debra Woodward. Woodward has been an educator for 38 years, and she is looking forward to the opportunity to learn more about the experiences of schools across New Mexico, as well as shine a light on Grants-Cibola County Schools.
The NMPED used a variety of methods to reach out to New Mexicans who might be interested in being a part of this advisory group. Woodward was one of them, so she filled out the application, included a letter of recommendation, two professional references, and underwent a virtual interview with NMPED staff. Woodward was ultimately selected, and now she has a full-calendar-year’sworth of collaboration to look forward to with this group.
“I am delighted to be selected and represent GCCS as an educator that represents a region of rich cultural heritage,” shared Woodward. “As a Level III veteran teacher of 38 years I can speak from a position of experience, including during a global pandemic! I thoroughly enjoyed participation while serving as an NMPED State Ambassador during the 2019-20 school year and highly anticipate continuing to acquire new skills and knowledge from the leadership at NMPED. I hope I can benefit and support, in some way, pressing topics in the GCCS community with a positive impact.”
The Secretary’s Community Advisory met virtually for the first time on Saturday, December 11, and the group will continue to meet for regular meetings both virtually and in-person throughout the rest of the year. Woodward said that she has already benefitted from just the first meeting alone, adding that she had the opportunity to hear about other schools’ struggles regarding the pandemic. Hearing about issues with “connectivity and infrastructure” was no surprise to her, but Woodward said she was further informed and enlightened on the general “wellbeing” of these various entities throughout the pandemic. The NMPED high lighted some of the specific duties of the panel’s members as informing NMPED officials about resources specific to essential education programs and equity, making an effort to hear from others in their community in order to gain a diverse view of what the community’s needs are, supporting the leadership and initiative of the NMPED to make policies that benefit and elevate New Mexico public schools, conduct research on effective methods used in education and make recommendations based on such information, and finally, to share what they have learned and gained from this experience with community members in order to further encourage local involvement in public education.
“This is about adding seats to the proverbial table. It’s about sharing access, information and power with those who experience daily the impact of the decisions and policies made in Santa Fe,” said Katie Avery, the NMPED director of Strategic Outreach, via a NMPED press release. “No one is better equipped to inform the work of the Public Education Department than the communities we serve – we are grateful to those who responded to the invitation and [are] eager to get to work.” Woodward said she is ready to do just that, also sharing how beneficial this opportunity will be for GCCS: “Having the ability to have direct access to NMPED and "catalyze" the GCCS community is one benefit that has great potential. I especially look forward to sharing compelling stories and "bright spots" within the GCCS community. NMPED wants to highlight school stories. Currently, I have drafts in the making about students and programs at Cubero and Seboyeta Elementary Schools. In other words, I will have the opportunity to brag and elevate what is occurring in the GCCS district and community.”
The 38-year-veteran teacher concluded, “[H]aving this continuous ongoing dialog with teachers, students, parents and community members will be extremely enlightening in a larger platform. These collaborative sessions have the potential to explore innovative solutions to many concerns in education… I love learning and this is one of the best professional learning experiences that I could participate in.”
Community members that would like to engage with Woodward regarding the GCCS community, its needs, and its stories can reach her at debra.woodward@gc cs.k12.nm.us.