Office of the Superintendent

Cody Diehl
Superintendent
(505) 324-9840
cdiehl@fms.k12.nm.us

Michelle Blades
Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and the Board of Education
(505) 599-0795
mblades@fms.k12.nm.us

Isaac Gamboa
Director of Athletics & Activities
(505) 324-9840 ext. 3208
igamboa@fms.k12.nm.us

Rick Horacek
Director of Leadership/Principal Supervisor
(505) 324-9840 ext. 1560
rhoracek@fms.k12.nm.us

Dale Bode
Safety & Security Supervisor
(505) 324-9840 ext. 1545
dbode@fms.k12.nm.us

Roberto Taboada
Public Information Officer
(505) 599-0771
rtaboada@fms.k12.nm.us

Lauryn Gonzales
Media Specialist
(505) 324-9840 ext. 1511
lagonzales@fms.k12.nm.us

August 5, 2025

Dear FMS Families and Staff, welcome to a new school year!

I want to thank you for choosing Farmington Municipal Schools. We are committed to partnering with you to ensure your student makes the most of every opportunity.

We’re excited for what’s ahead, with new courses in high school and improvements to existing ones in middle school that will help every student succeed. We’ll also offer students a much-needed financial literacy class as an early graduation requirement. In elementary, we have built STEM Labs where our youngest students will use engaging tools, resources, and activities, like coding, circuitry, and design projects, to inspire curiosity and creativity. We are also building a preschool that will house both of our academies, allowing for expansion and improvement of the Career and Technical Center. We’ll have more in academics, career and technical education, languages and culture, and history.

This year, we’re also going phone-free in all schools to help students focus and learn without distraction.

Research and national conversations highlight the growing concerns around youth mental health and excessive smartphone use. Our goal is to help create a healthy balance: using technology as a tool, and avoiding it as a distraction. You can find details about this change and online safety resources on our website.

We can’t wait to see everyone on August 7, 2025. Here’s to a great year ahead!

Cody Diehl

Superintendent

Farmington Municipal Schools

May 26, 2023

Dear students, families, staff, and community,

I wanted to share some highlights from this past year and exciting plans for the future. It has been an incredible experience witnessing the amazing things happening in our district during my first year as Superintendent of Farmington Municipal Schools.

We've had some fantastic events and activities, such as our new Jr. Chef Competition, college signings, science fairs, spelling bees, and various competitions and performances where our students and teachers truly excelled. It's been heartwarming to see how our efforts to inspire elementary students to pursue art and music programs in middle school have resulted in exceptional performances by our middle and high school students.

These are just a few examples of the great work happening in our schools. Our dedicated staff has been working tirelessly to implement new and effective teaching methods for reading and writing. They have also introduced new reading materials and engaged in collaborative professional development to ensure our students continue to grow academically.

Looking ahead to next year, we have exciting plans to establish two community schools that will offer our families more services. We are also finalizing plans for a new preschool and making changes to our CATE center to meet the ever-growing demand for technical and career readiness. Additionally, we will be upgrading and repairing our facilities, including building new playgrounds and replacing roofs during the summer.

I also want to express my gratitude to the Farmington Police Department, Fire Department, and Office of Emergency Management for their exceptional efforts. They play a crucial role in helping us to keep our schools safe, especially considering the increase in reports of threats. These collaborative partnerships between our institutions have resulted in minimal disruption to learning time.

As the school year comes to an end, I want to wish you all a wonderful summer. I am thankful for your continued support and partnership. Together, let's keep Farmington Municipal Schools shining brightly.

Sincerely, 

Cody Diehl

Superintendent of Farmington Municipal Schools

September 30, 2023

Dear Farmington families and staff,

On Tuesday, November 7, 2023, you’ll have a unique opportunity to invest in the future of our youth by voting on two critical “Mill Levies.” Supporting education today lays a strong foundation for a robust Farmington economy, ensuring sustainable growth for years to come.

The first levy, HB33, aims to secure essential funding for our students’ safety and technology needs. The second levy, SB9, focuses on modernizing our schools by covering critical maintenance and improvements. These levies do not raise tax rates.

HB33 helps us to maintain our one-to-one laptop initiative, which facilitates the integration of technology into student learning. This program prepares them for the real world and enhances their research skills, presentation abilities, and competitiveness for college and employment.

Technology extends beyond the classroom; it is the bridge that connects us with our families, law enforcement partners, and first responders in times of emergencies. It ensures that we swiftly and accurately share transparent, up-to-date information with our families. Moreover, technology safeguards our students by expanding video camera surveillance, equipping teachers with emergency radios, and fortifying the security of school entrances.

The second levy, SB9, ensures that our schools remain safe and inviting to learning. This funding is directed toward addressing essential repairs and replacements like HVAC systems, lighting upgrades, new carpets, and more. Just as families in our community renovate their homes, our school maintenance teams continually upgrade our facilities to support a first-rate learning environment.

We deeply appreciate the long-standing support of Farmington voters in our local elections. This November, remember to vote on public school capital improvements and public school buildings. Our success is your success, and together we can continue to build a brighter future for our community.

Sincerely,

Cody Diehl

Superintendent of Farmington Municipal Schools

July 1, 2022

Dear FMS Staff,

Today is my first day as your Superintendent. I am honored to be in the role of Superintendent and am looking forward to connecting with each of you to continue our work and partnerships, while we invest, innovate, and strengthen Farmington Municipal Schools.

First, I want to thank Dr. Eugene Schmidt and the Board of Education for their trust and willingness to share their expertise with me. Your leadership in the district is simply invaluable to our educational community.

Now a little bit about me. My wife and I are Wyoming natives. We have lived in Farmington for more than 20 years and raised our children, now all college-aged, in this community. I hold a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University, along with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Prescott College. I’m in my 27th year in education, a rewarding career where I have taught mathematics, coached baseball and basketball, and served as a high school administrator. I have proudly spent my last 7 years with Farmington Municipal Schools. These experiences have made me a strong advocate for our students and public education.

In my previous role as Executive Director of Support Services, I regularly visited with and listened to teachers, district leaders, staff, parents, students, and community members. In my role as superintendent that will continue. If there’s one thing you should know about me today, it’s this: I believe in Farmington. I also believe that each of us wants what is best for every one of our 11,000 students. We want Farmington Municipal Schools to be the very best place to learn, teach, and work. And I believe that by working together we can become an even greater community. I look forward to getting out in the community and saying hello, both to old and new partners.

You should know that my focus will be on the Marzano High-Reliability Schools framework of Safe, Supportive, and Collaborative Culture, Effective Teaching in Every Classroom, Guaranteed, Viable, and Equitable Curriculum, and ​​Standards Referenced Reporting Systems. The framework values culture, community, best teaching practices, collaboration, and equity as viewed through the goals/pillars of success that follow. I will also continue the work of fostering a positive culture and stability at Farmington Municipal Schools, including our students' and staff's social-emotional well-being.

Thank you in advance for your partnership and your support. I truly look forward to partnering with our students, staff, families, and community members to ensure a bright future for all of our students.

Sincerely,

Cody Diehl

Superintendent of Farmington Municipal Schools

July 30, 2022

A message from FPD Chief of Police Steve Hebbe and FMS Superintendent Cody Diehl regarding our partnership to keep schools safe.

August 09, 2022

I'm excited to begin my tenure as Superintendent of Farmington Schools. As our students return to the classroom, I want everyone to be excited and ready for the new school year. 

Together we'll continue to make our schools places where every student feels safe, valued, and held to high expectations, where our families want to send their children knowing they'll be safe and expected to become future leaders of our community.

Because we believe teachers collaborating around learning and results is critical to student success, we are providing teachers with dedicated time for student-focused professional learning communities, or PLCs, during Monday early release. Go to our website to see our full calendar and more information.

What does more dedicated time mean? It means all teachers will be supported and monitored by their principals as they identify priorities in learning, design instruction, analyze student work, respond to student needs for remediation and enrichment, and reflect on effective teaching. 

By strengthening PLC practices with time, support, and clear expectations, FMS intends to improve student growth and academic achievement outcomes.

In my previous role, I regularly visited with and listened to teachers, staff, parents, students, and community members. I will continue to do that. You will see me regularly in our schools and at many of the events and celebrations at Farmington Schools. I want your thoughts on how we can improve our school culture and systems. So, make sure you let me know how we are doing when you see me. 

Thank you in advance for your partnership and support, and I look forward to working with you to reach these goals and making FMS a source of pride for our entire city, county, and state.

Have a great school year!

Cody Diehl

Superintendent of Farmington Municipal Schools

August 19, 2022

At Farmington Schools, we believe that success goes beyond test scores. We are committed to ensuring your child feels safe and supported and is provided opportunities in and out of the classroom to build strong relationships, make responsible decisions, and manage themselves to achieve their goals.

The district continues to provide opportunities for the performing arts, fine arts, out-of-school time programs, athletics, and activities that enrich and extend learning beyond the classroom. 

There is a social worker, counselor, and nurse in every building to aid in the health, wellness, and social-emotional learning needs of our students while supporting their overall success and goals of the schools.

No matter your role, whether you work for FMS, you are a parent or guardian, or a community member, we will work hard to make sure everyone has a voice. We will gather input and make decisions that have the most significant impact on student outcomes and that build on our successes.

I trust that you are as excited as I am to once again be a part of our amazing school communities.

Thank you for your partnership and your support.

Cody Diehl

Superintendent of Farmington Municipal Schools