OWNERSHIP

Santa Fe Public Schools

SIZE AND FUNCTIONALITY OF SITE

Sweeney Elementary School is located on 23.01 acres. The school was first opened in 1981 and had additions in 1984, 1995 and 2005. The total square footage is 67,357, with 4,608 square feet in portable buildings.

INFRASTRUCTURE (ON-SITE AND OFF-SITE)

The school building is located at the corner of the busy intersection of Airport Road and Meadows Road. The site is restricted by its long linear shape, with parking extending to the far northeast end of the site. The entry drive is very close to the intersection. There is a long, vacant and unlandscaped strip between Meadows Road and the drive lane. The school building is located towards the back of the site. The portable area behind the building has a dirt road and a steep drop in grade. The bus drop-off/pick-up area is inadequate and requires intense staff supervision. Students using the main walkway from the school must cross the bus lane. The site wall along Meadows Road creates a narrow sidewalk along the street.

The school has created a unique educational “wetlands” and greenhouse area. The “wetlands” area is not highly visible. Site landscaping is inadequate in areas. The main playground is a wide open, minimally developed area. A city-maintained park area is located at the south end of the site, with a sparsely grassed soccer field, a dirt track, benches and several trees. It opens onto the main playground area. (SFPS FMP Update 2003)

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 Sweeney does not exceed its design or program capacity. The assignment area for Sweeney has more than 640 elementary school students living within it. If all the students would choose to attend the school, enrollment could exceed program capacity with and without portables.

HISTORIC TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS FOR ENROLLMENT

Sweeney Elementary school attendance dropped in 2003-04 with the opening of Ramirez Thomas Elementary School. Enrollment grew substantially from 2004 to 2006, due to the large number of students living in the area and nearby growth. Sweeney was relieved again with the opening of Amy Biehl Community School in the 2010-11 school year. Enrollment will stabilize due to the high number of students attending schools outside the area.

ATTENDANCE

Sweeney Elementary School is located on South Meadows Dr. just south of Airport Rd. Students living in La Cienega and Cieneguilla are also assigned to Sweeney and are transported to school on 1 of 3 buses. Students living in the Sweeney Elementary School assignment area are allowed to attend a school elsewhere in the district and be transported to that school. Of the students living in the assignment area, 74% attend Sweeney Elementary School. Of the total number of students who attend the school, 91% are from the assignment area.

See the following map.

RESIDENTIAL GROWTH PATTERNS

No major residential developments were identified in the Sweeney Elementary School attendance area.

CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPACTS OF NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY

Sweeney Elementary is a large K-5 elementary school on the south side of Santa Fe. The school began as a small elementary school in 1980, and subsequent high growth has caused the school to grow to a large facility.

Sweeney has joint use of soccer fields with the city of Santa Fe.

CURRENT AND FUTURE PROGRAMS

The school has business/community partnerships with Foster Grandparent Program (FACT) with the city
of Santa Fe and Food Depot. It offers programs in visual and performing arts, music, sports, associated program that extends the curriculum (school newspaper), health programs, academic support programs (Compass Learning, accelerated reading and math, CELL/ExLL), Sweeney after-school program with tutoring, Spanish spelling bee, parent support program (Healthy Tomorrows Van), opportunities for parent involvement (PTC, volunteers in classrooms and school), and outdoor classroom.

OPPORTUNITIES ANALYSIS

Sweeney ES:
Should be included in the recent rezoning review
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

No changes are recommended.

Note that the school is adjacent to a park.