For the last year, members of the Santa Fe Public Schools community have been taking a hard look at public education, a process called Reimagining. The facts are evident. Reimagining means facing reality. Call it rightsizing — a necessary consolidating of resources that is long overdue

As reporting from New Mexican reporter Margaret O’Hara underscored, the reality is inescapable. The district has too many buildings for too few kids, a fact that is unlikely to change anytime soon. Her articles were published last week, both in a front-page story (“Thinking smaller,” Sept. 24) and in a special section (“Classrooms at a Crossroads,” Sept. 24).

The conclusion is clear: Lower enrollment is the new normal.

That will mean fewer dollars for the district — New Mexico’s funding formula for education follows the child. Decisions must be made, and soon, before the district faces a budget crisis. Too often in the past, as O’Hara’s stories showed, a crisis prompted excruciating decisions.

This time, district leaders have time — not much — to make choices.

Here’s what Santa Fe faces: The district’s enrollment has declined by more than 2,000 students over the last decade, a more than 14% loss. It’s not going to improve, either. Kindergarten numbers are down some 32.2%, a result attributed in large part to declining birthrates. Only some 11,800 students are enrolled today, compared to 14,473 in 2013-14.

Declining enrollment isn’t the only challenge. School buildings are deteriorating and, in some cases, require millions of dollars in work at schools that are barely half-full. Of the district’s 28 schools, only the two traditional high schools — Santa Fe and Capital — are at or over 90% in terms of capacity, along with perennial favorite Piñon Elementary School at 94%.

The Reimagining process identified one place to find students — at the middle grades, when many parents find alternatives for their children other than traditional public schools. Both Milagro and Ortiz middle schools only are about half-full, although many students return to attend high school. One focus going forward, then, will be reaching out to families to find out why students aren’t attending traditional middle schools and finding programs to retain them.

Veronica García, the former superintendent in charge of the Reimagining process, believes schools can develop magnet programs and reach out to families with younger students. Gone are the days when families sign their children up for the school down the block; schools are competing for students, and that competition is fierce in the middle grades.

In undertaking Reimagining — at a cost of around $170,000 so far — the district has focused not just on facilities, but on ways to improve education and choice. To bolster enrollment, a greater emphasis on helping all students master two languages is one possibility. Offering environmental education at a middle school is another. Already, the high schools are matching students with real-world internships and providing classes that offer both academic and career paths.

More work awaits participants, but there’s one big achievement in place. The Board of Education has adopted a policy outlining how the district will deal with possible closures or consolidations. That’s important because the general policy isn’t about closing school A or school B; it’s about defining circumstances under which the district might consider closing a school. The need to use the policy is fast approaching.

The Community Review Committee, made up of citizens who help advise the board on spending bond dollars, currently is considering whether to shift money from other projects to E.J. Martinez Elementary School and the old Capshaw Middle School campus, now home to an online school. Both facilities need millions in repairs, and E.J. Martinez likely would need to be rebuilt were it to remain open.

A key takeaway: Don’t spend millions on buildings without a plan to fill the seats. If the children have grown up and moved on, the life of the school is likely over, and it’s time to repurpose or sell the building. Some schools in decent condition can be rented to private or charter schools. Other locations could become preschools.

Much remains to be debated and decided. But the process has gathered facts and figures — looking closely at what’s happening on the ground — so that when decision time comes, board members and the public are prepared.

One thing is certain: Change will be hard and perhaps unpopular. But the clock is ticking for Santa Fe’s schools — and future.