OWNERSHIP

Santa Fe Public Schools

SIZE AND FUNCTIONALITY OF SITE

The Piñon Elementary School site is 20 acres. The school was first opened in 1978 and had additions in 1991 and 2004. Total square footage is 66,521 sf in permanent buildings and 9,856 sf in portable buildings.

INFRASTRUCTURE (ON-SITE AND OFF-SITE)

The residential road leading to the school culminates in a cul-de-sac at the main school parking lot in front of the school. The extensive renovation in 2009 significantly increased the parking areas, and reworked the bus lanes to alleviate conflict between buses /parents/students. The entrance to the school has been moved to the south side of the site.

The play fields are now in astro turf, with all new play equipment.
All site surfaces have been renovated.

Portables line the east side of the site. A ramp negotiates the +10-foot drop down to the portables. The areas to the back and sides of the school are rolling hills filled with trees. The school site slopes toward the back, but the play area is leveled and tiered. Several playground areas, including the kindergarten equipment area, do not drain.

FLOOR PLANS

BUILDING CAPACITIES

The following school building capacities are shown in the chart below:

Design with portables (also called “building capacity”) is the generic enrollment average of PK to 6th grade students in a class times the number of classrooms in the school. The potential number of students per classroom is set by the minimum requirements for class size established by the New Mexico Public Education Department.

Program with portables (also called ''functional capacity'') is the generic enrollment average of PK to 6th grade students in a class times the number of classrooms in the school after the number of classrooms is reduced by subtracting rooms used for something other than general education times a loading factor of 95%.

Design without portables is the generic enrollment average of PK to 6th grade students in a class times the number of classrooms in the school if the school no longer has portables and if activities currently in portables are housed in permanent classrooms.

Program without portables is the generic enrollment average of PK to 6th grade students in a class times the number of classrooms in the school after the number of classrooms are reduced by subtracting rooms used for something other than general education and if all activities currently in portables are housed in a permanent classroom times a loading factor of 95%.

Enrollment 2010-11 40th Day is the number of students attending the school on the state reporting day of the 2010-11 school year.

Enrollment at Piñon does not exceed its design capacity; however, program capacity without portables is exceeded. At least a 6-classroom addition would need to be built at Pinon to allow the same number of students to continue to attend the school.

HISTORIC TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS FOR ENROLLMENT

Piñon Elementary School has steadily grown since 2000, but with the opening of Amy Biehl Community School, enrollment was significantly reduced and should now stabilize.

ATTENDANCE

Piñon Elementary School is located on Camino Los Caballos just south of Rodeo Rd. Students living in the Ocate Mobile Home Park, Ramuda Ridge, Nava Adé are also assigned to Piñon. Students are transported to school on 1 of 3 buses. Of the students living in the assignment area, 82% attend Piñon Elementary School. Of the total number of students who attend the school, 87% are from the assignment area.

See the following map.

RESIDENTIAL GROWTH PATTERNS

The Piñon Elementary School attendance area had encompassee many of the active residential development projects in the metropolitan area. Since the development at Rancho Viejo and the continuing development of the master plans in the Community College District are no longer in Pinon's area, impact from those subdivisions is less. The Las Solares subdivision is not active and should not cause substantial growth in enrollment.

CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS OF NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY

Piñon ES is a south side school with students from diverse backgrounds. Its families report 15 different home languages, and its students live in both developed and rural areas. The dynamic mix of ethnicities make Piñon a global snapshot of the best of Santa Fe.

CURRENT AND FUTURE PROGRAMS

Piñon ES is in a collaborative effort with the YMCA. Together, they developed a Family Resource Program, including after-school child care, evening classes in English as a Second Language for parents, and plans for future programs for both children and their parents.

The school also has business/community partnerships for computer classes for parents, Itty Bitty and Bit Bigger, recreation programs, Rotary Reads/St. Bede’s Reads, and Girls on the Run. It offers programs in visual and performing arts, music, sports, health programs, academic support programs (accelerated reading, Compass Learning), after-school program (YMCA), and opportunities for parent involvement (YMCA/Piñon Family Resource Center, School Advisory Council, volunteers in the classrooms and school, Open House Parent Fair for community agencies).

OPPORTUNITIES ANALYSIS

Piñon ES:
Should be included in a comprehensive plan to include preschools
Should be included in future partnership opportunities
Should be evaluated for future capital projects for the next bond issue and/or capital program

It is recommended that the district explore the acquisition of the adjacent property and develop a comprehensive master plan for inclusion in a possible 2009 bond issue for the acquisition of land and the redevelopment of this school. This redevelopment would include a joint school/park and trail system through the community.