Superintendent's contract extended

The Tucumcari Public Schools Board of Education approved a one-year contract extension for superintendent Aaron McKinney.

QCS photo: Jerrene Bradley

Tucumcari Rotary club members Richard Randalls and Amy Pospichal met with Lucinda Roybsl at the Elementary school on August 15 to deliver 300 color coded headphones that were donated by the club

The board went in to executive session for five minutes before emerging and voting to extend McKinney's contract in open session.

"I have always appreciated all that the board does," McKinney said.

McKinney yearly salary as superintendent of Tucumcari Public Schools is $109,200.

In other business at the meeting:

• Sterling Fluharty of Southwest Political Services of Albuquerque presented the board with three redistricting maps being considered by both the Tucumcari school district and Mesalands Community College.

Fluharty said Mesalands officials did not want to vote on a map until the Tucumcari school board had a chance to review them. The three maps attempt to keep population equal between districts, while trying not to significantly alter demographics of each district.

"We need to be on the same page as Mesalands when it comes to this districting issue," said board member Marion Payton. She explained that Tucumcari is too small of a community to have two separate school districting maps.

McKinney said he will meet with Mesalands president Mildred Lavato to discuss the redistricting options, and a joint session of the boards could be scheduled to come to agreement.

• The Tucumcari Rotary Club announced it had purchased 300 headphones that will be used with the computers at Tucumcari Elementary. The Rotary matched a grant of $1,500 to pay for the headphones, which will allow students to concentrate on lessons on the computer without distraction.