Estancia school board weighs meal support expansion, leave policy clarifications, and admissions updates
The Estancia Board of Education approved expanding meal support to cover meals for student-athletes during summer sporting events and all-day tournaments. The board also debated changes to family medical leave and tightening admissions and immunization policies during its August 11, 2025, meeting.
Superintendent Cindy Sims and Estancia principals reported enrollment finished with 555 students enrolled in the school district. The Estancia Middle School and High School gained 18 new students and lost 10 preexisting students. The elementary school reported a gain of 23 students and a loss of 18 pre-existing students. There were 35 students enrolled in Estancia’s pre-kindergarten program and 29 enrolled in the kindergarten program.
Administrators reported that school staff members gave positive feedback on education consultant Kevin Honeycutt and asked whether he could return for hands-on work with students.
Programs, events, and early-year operations
Estancia principals reported the roll-out of the in-school Yondr phone pouches has gone better than expected, with few disciplinary issues and distractions for students. Custodians also observed a sharp drop in vaping-related bathroom meetups and hallway traffic during class, which administrators linked to reduced phone coordination between students.
Meal support policy: summer and all-day tournaments now covered
The board revisited policy language differentiating single-game events from all-day tournaments and whether coverage should extend to summer programming. The board voted 3–2 to cover summer meals and all-day tournaments.
Administrators previously estimated roughly $20,000 in added costs to cover increased meal rates during the school year.
During the discussion, officials also floated a broader rough figure of $30,000 if the school district includes summer coverage, pending budget coordination with athletics and finance.
Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) policy discussion
The board reviewed aligning local practice with 12 weeks of FMLA rather than a legacy count of 60 days, noting a four-day week makes 12 weeks equivalent to 48 days. Counsel advised to follow statutory weeks, not days.
Members discussed removing the optional end-of-semester clause used to keep grading continuous, with a preference voiced to return teachers sooner and allow brief overlap with substitutes.
Administrators recommended explicitly allowing intermittent leave for serious health conditions, consistent with past practice. The board voted in favor of the 12-week-based FMLA policy. It did not vote on the intermittent leave, and it sought an explicit policy document addressing overlapping substitute teacher coverage with a teacher returning to work.
Admissions and immunization policy tightening
Staff recommended expanding the policy language to specify satisfactory evidence of immunization. They also wanted clear admissions criteria district-wide, not just at the high school level.
Administrators recommended clarifying proof of residency requirements, including use of a notarized affidavit of shared occupancy when standard documents are not available. This issue stemmed from particular students (not discussed by name) having behavioral issues that factored into admission questions. Board members discussed these changes under Policy 303 (Admissions & Attendance), but the record did not clearly capture the final vote outcome.
Athletics eligibility note
The board heard concerns about pulling 8th-graders up for athletics, with administrators suggesting such moves do not benefit development and that any exceptions should be formalized for future discussion. A board member asked to place the matter on the next month’s agenda for open discussion.