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EDITORIAL: It's now official. With a few strokes of the governor's pen, Rio Rancho essentially has everything it wished for on its legislative list this year.
Rio Rancho Public Schools can renew its status as a charter district, a program that would have ended June 30 without legislative action, thanks to a bill Gov. Bill Richardson ceremoniously signed Friday at Rio Rancho High School.
The district displayed vision and a can-do attitude when it sought charter status, which residents supported in an election five years ago, and the formula apparently has worked for the highly regarded school system. Charter status gives the district flexibility in matters as diverse as school-day length, staffing, curriculum and how textbook money is spent. The district still has to meet state quality standards, but it's allowed to achieve those standards on its own terms. In short, charter status gives the district more local control, and Rio Rancho has shown it can do well when given that control.
Other legislative action gives a great boost to the city's plan to build a downtown district in the scrub desert near the intersection of Unser Boulevard and the future Paseo del Volcan.
City officials expect to start work as early as May on Paseo del Volcan between Idalia Road and Unser, thanks to a $2.2 million legislative appropriation. Plus, the Legislature gave the city $600,000 to buy land for a new high school near the proposed city center and $250,000 for a parking lot at the future multipurpose event center.
Another bill allows the city to place a surcharge on tickets at the event center, which might not seem like much, but is the final piece of financing the city needs to ensure the success of the arena project. Rep. Tom Swisstack, D-Rio Rancho, deserves credit for convincing Richardson to sign that bill.
In all, it was a very rewarding session for Rio Rancho. City and school officials have every reason to be pleased.
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