Grading rules, public money and unanswered questions
Good Sunday morning from Organ Mountain News.
It's Damien, checking back in.
From how students are graded to how public money is spent, this week's reporting examines decisions that could shape everyday life across Southern New Mexico.
We're looking at a proposed Las Cruces Public Schools grading policy, new developments surrounding Project Jupiter and city decisions involving downtown property and vacant buildings. We're also digging into a former police officer's criminal history and highlighting an opportunity for residents to help identify dangerous roads.
Some decisions are still taking shape. Others have already been made. And some stories require looking back years to understand how we got here.
Let's get into it.
Las Cruces Public Schools is considering a grading policy that would prohibit teachers from lowering students' academic grades for late assignments, absences or disciplinary problems. But our review of district regulations found that much of that approach is already in place.
Existing rules allow zeros for assignments that provide no evidence of learning, while generally requiring a minimum score of 40% for completed work that falls short of mastery. They also establish makeup-work deadlines and multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate what they've learned.
The proposed policy would explicitly separate academic achievement from attendance and behavior. But it leaves an important question unanswered: How would existing assignment deadlines work if teachers cannot penalize late submissions?
Our reporting examines what's changing, what's already required and what the district still needs to clarify before adopting the policy.
Damien Willis
Here’s what you need to know today
Project Jupiter's power problems: Oracle gave reporters a tour of its massive data center under construction near Santa Teresa, touting a projected $13 billion economic impact and thousands of construction jobs. But the buildings still lack power, the proposed natural gas fuel cell plant remains unpermitted and a redesigned power system has raised fresh questions about emissions and transparency. Searchlight New Mexico's Julia Gentin examines the promises and unresolved questions.
A $455,000 purchase, but no plan: Las Cruces city councilors approved purchasing the former Shook Tire property on North Main Street, although the city has yet to identify a specific use for the site. Organ Mountain News reported the proposed purchase before the Oct. 19 vote because residents deserve to know how public money may be spent while there's still an opportunity to weigh in — not just after decisions have been made. Read what our examination of the city's plans and appraisals uncovered.
Former officer's child sexual assault conviction upheld: The New Mexico Court of Appeals affirmed former State Police officer Ronald Jackson's conviction and 18-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting his young stepdaughter. But Organ Mountain News uncovered another chapter in Jackson's past: a 1999 sexual assault prosecution involving a female jail inmate. That case was ultimately dismissed after the alleged victim died. Our examination of court records reveals the history behind the latest ruling.
Vacant buildings, hefty bills: Las Cruces city councilors unanimously approved a new registry targeting properties left vacant for at least two years, with annual fees climbing as high as $8,000 for commercial properties. City officials say the program could encourage redevelopment, but it also gives administrators broad authority to determine which properties qualify. Organ Mountain News examined the fees, exemptions and enforcement powers before the Oct. 19 vote. Here's what property owners and neighbors should know.
Worth knowing
Doña Ana County residents have until Sunday, Nov. 1, to identify flood-prone roads, damaged roadways and other transportation hazards through the county's Route Ready initiative.
The county is asking residents to share locations where flooding, drainage problems or unsafe road conditions make travel difficult. That feedback will help officials identify priorities for future road improvements.
Residents can participate by marking problem locations on an interactive map or completing a brief survey, which takes about three minutes.
The deadline is just one week away, making this an opportunity to flag trouble spots before the county closes its public input period.
Read our report on the Route Ready initiative and how to participate.
From the newsroom
There's something I've been thinking about as we've worked through this week's stories: Good journalism shouldn't just tell you what happened. It should help you understand what's happening while there's still time to have a say.
Consider the Las Cruces City Council's decision to spend $455,000 purchasing a downtown property without a specific use identified. We published that story before councilors voted — not because we knew what the outcome would be, but because residents deserve to know how their money might be spent before the decision becomes final.
The same principle applies when Las Cruces Public Schools considers changing its grading policies. Parents, teachers and students should have an opportunity to understand what's being proposed, how it differs from existing rules and what questions remain unanswered.
But there's another side to accountability journalism.
This week, we examined the appellate ruling upholding former State Police officer Ronald Jackson's child sexual assault conviction. That reporting involved more than explaining a court decision. It meant going back through decades of court records to uncover an earlier sexual assault prosecution that ended without a conviction.
That kind of reporting takes time. And time is one of the most expensive resources in a small newsroom.
At Organ Mountain News, we don't have a staff of reporters dividing up the work. We follow government meetings, examine court filings, review public records and work to make complicated developments understandable to the people they affect.
We also believe you shouldn't have to pay to read any of it.
But keeping our reporting free doesn't mean it's free to produce.
If you've found value in our work, I'm asking you to help sustain it with a contribution to Organ Mountain News.
A monthly gift is especially helpful. It provides dependable support for the reporting we do today — and the stories we haven't uncovered yet.
Independent local journalism works best when it can ask questions before decisions are made, keep asking afterward and follow the evidence wherever it leads.
That's the kind of newsroom we're building. And your support helps keep it going.
To everyone already helping make this work possible: Thank you. I mean that.
Damien Willis
Founder & Editor,
Organ Mountain News
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