Yesterday I met with our Student Government Association, and honestly, I walked in thinking it would be a pretty routine meeting. But this group of students? They really surprised me. They care deeply about our charter school, and it shows in everything they do.

They had put together an executive summary about our recent annual site visit from the New Mexico Public Education Department, and after reading it the first couple of times, I’ll admit—I was a little taken aback. There were a few points that caught me off guard, and yeah, I probably felt a bit defensive at first.

But the more I sat with it and re-read each section, especially their action items and next steps, something shifted for me. I started to see things from their perspective, and it hit me just how special this group really is. They’re not just students—they’re advocates. They kept coming back to themes like equity, transparency, and community, and they meant it.

In all my years in education, I’ve never really felt the need to open up about the behind-the-scenes work of being a charter school director, or how similar it can be to running a whole district. But after this meeting, I realized that maybe I need to start. My approach to leadership has to evolve to match the needs of our students, staff, families, and community.

I walked away with a much clearer picture of what needs to change as we start looking ahead to the 2026–27 school year. From improving communication so we’re more transparent to actually putting plans in place to tackle chronic attendance—these are things the students are asking for, and they’re right to ask.

Still processing it all, but one thing’s for sure—this won’t be the last time I reflect on that conversation. More to come…