‘Reaching new heights’ Final beam placed at future Heizer Middle School Andy Brosig/News-Sun It’s not everyone who can say they watched their new office grow from the ground up. Eligio Gonzalez, principal at the current Heizer Middle School on East Stanolind Road in Hobbs, can. He’s seen the progress on the 126,000 square foot, $90.5 million school building on the …

Mill levies, GO bonds on November ballot   Denise Marquez/News-Sun In addition to the candidates seeking a variety of offices across the county, some Lea County school districts are seeking voter approval to continue funding mill levies and general obligation bonds to support their work in the coming year. Hobbs voters are being asked for an up-or-down vote on a …

Using seniors to help seniors Caleb A. Gallegos/News-Sun When you’ve been teaching for 62 years, along the way you’re bound to learn a few clever tricks — including how to use high school seniors to help senior citizens in a way that fulfills two needs with one deed. Long-time Hobbs educator Wilma Brooks, who teaches at the Hobbs Alternative School, …

Investing in our teachers: Building excellence from within   Gene Strickland Hobbs Municipal Schools superintendent At a recent meeting of the Hobbs Municipal School Board, I stood proudly in front of Board Members and our community and congratulated three of our elementary school teachers for completing their National Board Certifications. These certifications, which are voluntary and extremely rigorous, are the …

Project addresses traffic flow at College Lane Elementary Andy Brosig/News-Sun It’s all about timing, they say. And a change in the timing of a project to improve traffic flow at College Lane Elementary means different parts of the work will be done at different times. Doug Young, assistant superintendent for operations for Hobbs Municipal Schools, explained the changes to the …

Chronically absent HMS, other districts struggle to get kids to school to learn Andy Brosig/News-Sun Making sure students are in the classroom where they can learn is an ongoing battle parents and school officials fight every day. And, in some cases, it’s an uphill battle, local school officials say. In Hobbs, for example, students miss an average of 17 days …

Hobbs Schools enrollment continues rebound Andy Brosig/News-Sun There was a marked increase in the number of students attending Hobbs Municipal Schools this year from last year as enrollment continues to rebound from lows experienced during and immediately following the shutdown of schools by the governor in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. LaShawn Byrd, HMS deputy director for data analysis, presented …

Hobbs Schools enrollment continues rebound Andy Brosig/News-Sun There was a marked increase in the number of students attending Hobbs Municipal Schools this year from last year as enrollment continues to rebound from lows experienced during and immediately following the shutdown of schools by the governor in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. LaShawn Byrd, HMS deputy director for data analysis, presented …

Hobbs Schools continue enrollment growth Andy Brosig/News-Sun The number of students enrolled in Hobbs Municipal Schools increases yearly, continuing trends of recovery from lows brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. LaShawn Byrd, deputy director of data analysis for the district, presented preliminary numbers on 40-day attendance in the district during the HMS Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. As of …

HMS gets $800K from Lea Commissioners to boost campus security Andy Brosig/News-Sun Campuses in the Hobbs Municipal School District will be getting a security boost in coming weeks thanks in part to the largess of two Lea County Commissioners. Each year, depending on the state of the county’s budget, commissioners receive discretionary funds, a pot of money they can use …