Letter to the Editor

I must begin with the statement that this is personal letter. I am not writing representing any organization or company.

In the September 1, 2015 issue of the Silver City Daily Press, a guest column by Senator Howie C. Morales and Jessica S. Martinez called for New Mexico school districts to stop looking outside the state of New Mexico when hiring school district superintendents. The article basically calls for one-year contracts for district superintendents. The article further states that by doing this, it will €œallow school boards to regain control of their hiring procedures, finances, and contract negotiations. €

Let €™s be honest, the local school board currently has control of their hiring procedure. The truth is, there are some people that simply do not like the person hired by the school board members. Frankly, local people can currently apply for the position of superintendent when there is an opening. There is no law that prohibits this. It is up to the members of the school board, the people elected by the voters, to make certain they hire the best person for the job. If the school board members do their due diligence to investigate and vet the superintendent applicants, or if they use a head-hunter type company to bring the best and brightest candidates to the table, school districts will hopefully hire talented school district administrators, no matter where they come from.

Presently, even here in Silver City, the school board can and should be involved in understanding their budgets. They should have a good understanding of how the district is financed. They should be aware of what accounts are dedicated funds. They should have a clear understanding of the expenses of their budget before they approve it. If these people don €™t have a clear understanding of the finances and topics they are voting on, then don €™t re-elect them.

As for this idea of one-year contracts for school board superintendents, why would a talented executive be interested in applying for a position with such a ridiculous term-limit? This would simply become an example of how New Mexico isn €™t the €œland of opportunity," but Texas, Arizona, or Colorado have opportunities for the best and brightest. Using the Senator €™s rationale, maybe he would support one-year terms for all elected officials. I am aware elected officials don €™t get replaced during the middle of their terms (unless they get arrested for something pretty darn serious or they die) and they definitely don €™t get paid off for the balance of their term. But it would be nice to get rid of them after one year if you don €™t agree with them or like how they conduct themselves... which is basically what some people in Grant County would like to do with our current school district superintendent.

It is always good that citizens are concerned about quality education for our children, the safety and infrastructure of our schools, and the talent of the professionals chosen to teach and administer the education process. But one-year terms for superintendents... this is not a good idea.

Scott Terry
Silver City, New Mexico