Rio Rancho Superintendent Launches Horizon 2040 Strategic Plan

Robert Dodd, superintendent of Rio Rancho Public Schools, is driving a new strategic initiative called Horizon 2040. The plan aims to define the district's priorities for student, school, and district success. The name reflects the expected graduation year for the current preschool cohort.

Dodd described the initiative as his own concept. He stated that the goal is to update the district's framework to provide students with a clear path to success after graduation. He also aims to position the Rio Rancho district as a model for other New Mexico school districts.

The plan focuses on three specific areas: student success, school success, and district success. Community meetings are designed to help define what those goals look like in practice. Dodd emphasized that the process requires active participation from parents, teachers, and students.

"Community input is the key to this," Dodd said at a recent meeting at Rio Rancho High School. "If there's an area we'd like to get better at right away, it's more community input." The district held that session last week as part of a series of engagement events.

The high school gathering was the second of four scheduled public input sessions. The next meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Nov. 12 at Maggie Cordova Elementary, located at 1500 Veranda Drive SE. A virtual session will follow on Nov. 19. Dodd said additional meetings are planned for the following year to refine the strategic plans.

Dodd noted that the feedback collected so far has been useful. "They have some interesting things to say about what they'd like to see in the future," he said. "This is a plan that has to have life. We all have an obligation to ensure that whatever plan we come up with remains alive for these students for years to come."

The Rio Rancho Observer, a sister publication of the Albuquerque Journal, reported on the local reaction to these planning sessions. The district continues to gather data from these interactions to shape the final Horizon 2040 document.