SODA’s first week of school hits minor snags

August 19, 2009

Valencia County’s newest school — School of Dreams Academy — doesn’t have a bell to start or end the school day, but it has students, teachers and curriculum, the three most important elements of education.

School of Dreams Academy, or SODA, completed its first full week of classes yesterday, hitting only minor snags and seeing students quickly adapting to a unique education environment.

“It progressed much like we thought it would, with only a few glitches here and there,” said Principal David Yates.

As Valencia County’s only charter school, with seventh through twelfth grades, SODA opened on August 11 at its temporary location at the University of New Mexico Valencia Campus. Work at its permanent home at Riverfront Plaza in Los Lunas is expected to be completed by late September.

The school is occupying three rooms on the campus, having 118 enrolled students, or roughly 50 percent of those who applied.

“We have had some movement both in and out,” Yates said.

Having adequate class space has been a challenge. The university is preparing its staff and faculty for the fall semester and has shared space with SODA at times, moving students from a large room to two smaller rooms.

“I anticipate some challenges next week when we get college kids on the campus,” he said.

They had computer issues, including basic printing.

“It’s been frustrating at moments,” Yates said. “But all in all I feel like the tenor of the school is pretty positive.”

Students are taught using Education 2020, an online instructional program that offers core curriculum and elective courses. In addition, the school has six teachers focused on everything from Spanish and math to contemporary world issues and advanced literature.

In terms of finances, the most important days for the school are those days when the New Mexico Public Education Department will count the number of students the school has enrolled. Those counts occur on the 40th, 80th and 120th days of the school year.

The first count determines the amount of funding SODA receives for the remainder of this fiscal year. An average of the latter two counts determines next year’s funding.

How much money the school gets is critical to its continued operation. School officials expect to receive adequate funding for its operations and don’t expect to have any money already allocated cut from it because of the state’s high budget deficit.

“We’re safe because we’re new,” said Kenny Griego, the school’s vice president, who pointed out that legislators who will meet during a special session in October are likely to cut allocations made in 2007 and earlier, before SODA was getting state money.

While the school doesn’t have a bell, it’s got a ringing phone. It’s been the little accomplishments that build up to give the school its perseverance.

“I called 866-SODA and it rang right to your office, so it works,” said an elated Michael Ogas, one of the school’s founders.

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