GREELEY — Billie Martinez Elementary School has been in the academic basement for so long, even the school’s leader has lost track of the time.
“I think it’s been, oh, five, six years or maybe even longer,” principal Paul Urioste said.
But those days appear to be over. Martinez has emerged from under every federal and state academic sanction, including possible conversion to a charter school.
The 42-year-old Urioste — who took over at Martinez in the fall of 2006 — is being credited for the school’s revival. Last month, he was named the state’s first Title 1 Principal of the Year by the Colorado Department of Education.
Urioste was picked from principals at more than 600 schools in Colorado, all considered impoverished. At least 96 percent of Martinez’s 514 students get free or reduced-price lunches.
But Urioste, who as principal helped Madison Elementary in Greeley make similar improvements, said poverty is simply an excuse.
“I never bought into that. Kids can learn no matter the circumstances.”
Billie Martinez in 2006 was in its fourth year of “corrective action” under stipulations of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. That law — which has been in effect for a decade — can penalize schools for not meeting certain academic standards over a period of time.
Last year, the school met its federal reading goals for the first time in nearly a decade. And over the past two years, the school’s state reading scores also climbed significantly.
Visiting pupils at home
Urioste’s tenure at Martinez coincided with new leadership in Greeley- Evans School District 6 that called for each school to teach the same curriculum. That made it easier to teach standards to students at Martinez who move frequently in and out of the district, Urioste said.
He had teachers meet almost daily to discuss test results and plan academic interventions for poorly performing students.
The school’s teachers, as well as Urioste, also visited the homes of students to meet with parents to encourage academic achievement.
“A lot of the parents at first didn’t know what these visits were all about,” Urioste said. “But they quickly got on board. They want their children to do well.”
Urioste also encouraged a clarity of purpose in the classrooms and hallways of Martinez, said Emma Ramos, a third-grade teacher who also taught at Madison Elementary.
“I like his management style,” Ramos said. “You always know exactly what to expect from him and you know what is expected of you.”
“There is nothing wishy-washy about it,” Ramos said.
“It is evident that students are at school to learn and teachers are there to teach,” said Kathi VanSoest, director of Priority Schools at Greeley 6. She nominated Urioste for the award.
A lackadaisical pupil himself
Urioste admits school was not much of a priority while he was growing up in Las Vegas, N.M. “I could have ended up here or there or anywhere; school just wasn’t that important.”
But a couple of teachers took an interest in him and kept after him to continue his schooling. Finally, while student teaching, he realized education was the key to his future.
“When you see a student suddenly get it, it lights you up and you realize this is what you want to do,” Urioste said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
