Board to mull 3 quotes for superintendent search firms

Tucumcari Public Schools board members will consider quotes from three executive-search firms to find a new superintendent.

Board President Heather Gonzales said during the board’s meeting on Nov. 20 it will make a decision on those bids at its regular meeting in December, with the superintendent search slated to begin in January.

Current superintendent Aaron McKinney has said he would retire on Jan. 1 after 18 years of leading the district. McKinney was not present during last week’s meeting.

School officials did not identify the bidders, though a board member mentioned one was from Omaha, Nebraska.

Another mentioned Tom Sullivan as among the bidders. In recent months, the board heard a sales pitch in recent months from Sullivan and Linda Paul, superintendent search consultants associated with the New Mexico School Boards Association.

The board also heard a pitch this fall from David Willden Consulting of Sandia Park, which included former House Municipal Schools superintendent as one of its principals.

Later in last week’s meeting, the board met for about an hour in closed executive session to discuss personnel matters with assistant superintendent Dave Johnson and administrative assistant Veronica Hernandez. The board’s agenda stated the executive session was for “the discussion of superintendent search.”

No action was taken when open session resumed.

Board members have discussed having Johnson serve as interim superintendent for a few months until a permanent superintendent is hired.

In other business:

— Johnson reported that substantial completion of the baseball and softball fields redevelopment project is scheduled for Dec. 8.

He said he was taking bids for constructing two buildings, including a concession stand, before McKinney’s departure.

Johnson said infield grass, bleachers and press boxes were removed from the project to save money.

District voters approved a $3 million bond issue in 2019 for the project, but inflation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic required cost-cutting. Even so, the district was forced to dip into its cash reserve for some expenses.

Board member Jerry Lopez said project alterations should have been brought to the board as a change order and voiced irritation about the lack of communication about those.

“I have a problem with that,” he said.

Johnson said some funds from a recently passed bond issue — earmarked for a new track surface at Rattler Stadium and climate-control units at the middle school — might be used for some expenses at the ballfields.

Lopez later asked that local businesses be solicited for donations to purchase bleachers for the fields.

— During discussion on a future repair to a middle-school sewer line, high school principal Nicole Bright-Lesly mentioned 17 of her classrooms had poorly working heating and cooling units.

Board members had previously blamed a geothermal system for the problems, but Bright-Lesly said the classroom units began failing when state-mandated MERV filters were installed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson said new climate control units for the high school probably would be added to the district’s five-year plan.

—Middle school principal Lendall Borden said the district soon would make available a Stopit app for students and staff.

The app, offered for free by the state, can be installed on smartphones and students’ Chromebooks. District technologist Patrick Benavidez was aiming for a Dec. 4 launch, Borden said.

Stopit serves as a tipline, with an option of anonymous messaging, to report bullying or mental health crises. With the latter, a crisis counselor can be alerted even on weekends.

— Borden said the middle school recently held its annual Turkey Bowl, sponsored by Fought Mechanical. A total of 18 turkeys were donated to area families.

— Special education director Dianne McKinney said she wanted to set up a sensory room for children with overstimulation problems. She said the local PTO has pledged to help with fundraisers to buy equipment for the room.

— McKinney said the district’s prekindergarten was “growing like crazy” and soon would have only two slots left. Enrollment was 33 in Pre-K, with eight more students about to be accepted, she said.

— Elementary principal Tonya Hodges said students’ academic progress was improving. She mentioned the Istation program undercounted students’ performance data last year and only recently corrected it.

— Hodges said the school’s Christmas program would be on Dec. 19 at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.