Dan Patterson, trainer, at right, going through training materials with Katrina Bustillos, Ben Potts, Claudie Thompson, Priscilla Lucero and Alex Brown.

Other committee members present include, from left, Christine Chavez, Justin Wecks, Ben Duran, Bustillos and Potts.

By Margaret Hopper

Dr. Dan Patterson of New Mexico School Board Association's Support Services was back in Silver City Monday, October 10, 2016, to instruct the combined community and school staffing committees on how to support the process and develop questions for the candidates in the coming meetings.

He outlined his credentials for the committee members, stating two past retirements in the education field, and noted that when New Mexico had no procedure for a superintendent search, (the only state without one), he was able to develop one through SBA about ten years ago. Since then, he said, various boards had used that system to hire 25 to 30 superintendents, as well as 200-plus administrators in other fields.

He began the training shortly after 3 p.m., although he had waited briefly for two community persons who did not arrive. Of the five designated, Priscilla Lucero, Council of Governments, Alex Brown, City Manager, and Justin Wecks, former Silver City Education Association officer, were there. Heather Hansen and Dr. Michelle Diaz were not.

From the school committee, Katrina Bustillos, SCEA and La Plata teacher, Ben Duran, Grade 5 teacher from Stout, Christine Chavez of Cliff Schools, Claudie Thompson, Silver High, and Ben Potts, Director of Technology, were present for the training.

Patterson was careful to inform those on the committees that they were needed to help the board receive input on the candidates, but would not make the final decision. They were to ask only GǣlegalGǥ questions, about qualifications, skills and abilities, to help the board determine who could properly run the district and meet educational needs, as well as represent the district to outside entities and organizations. They were not to ask about family issues or whether that person had private opinions in a number of areas.

He explained how easy it was to misjudge and eliminate a good candidate by already having a personal favorite in mind, by not reading the resume or listening to what the candidate was saying. Being distracted or giving negative body language or misusing a candidateG