San Jon schools to shop for new bank

SAN JON — Board members vocally authorized the superintendent of San Jon Municipal Schools to shop for a new bank this summer after she described rude or indifferent treatment by Citizens Bank of Tucumcari to the district’s new business manager and administrative assistant.

During the board’s regular meeting April 11, superintendent Janet Gladu said her administrative assistant, Stormi Sena, was “livid” about her treatment at the bank while making deposits from the school carnival.

The district’s new business manager, Bryan Runyan of K12 Accounting of Albuquerque, said making deposits and transfers on behalf of the district to Citizens Bank were “very difficult.” Board member Cynthia Lee, also a clerk for the Village of San Jon, said “there was not a valid reason why this changed” for the district.

Runyan, bringing up the prospect of the district moving its money to another financial institution, identified Cooper Glover, executive vice president and director of Citizens Bank’s Tucumcari branch, as telling Runyan the bank “doesn’t care” if it moves its money and “we’d be OK without it.”

“The discussions I’ve had (with the bank) are not what I’ve been used to,” Runyan added.

Board member Brian Watson said he was at Citizens Bank earlier that day, and Glover was “very concerned” of the possibility of San Jon withdrawing its money.

Gladu said Glover was “backtracking.”

“Remember, this is a public document,” she said, holding up a copy of the meeting agenda that listed “Changing/Switching District Financial Institutions” as an item.

The Quay County Sun in an email to Glover described the discussions of the board and requested comment. Glover responded: “Since 1948, Citizens Bank has taken pride in providing good quality customer service that operates in the best interest of the customer as well as the bank. We appreciate San Jon Schools and the relationship they have with us.”

The original Citizens Bank was founded in Tucumcari. It merged with First National Bank of Claude, Texas, in 2004 and kept the Citizens Bank name. Citizens Bank also has locations in Amarillo, Claude and Tulia, Texas.

After the meeting, Runyan estimated the San Jon district has about $1.5 million in Citizens Bank.

Board member Jeremy Wade Allen voiced support for Gladu looking for a new bank for the district; Watson said he was reluctant.

Options for the district in Tucumcari include New Mexico Bank & Trust and Wells Fargo. Logan also has a New Mexico Bank & Trust branch, but that is scheduled to close in December.

Gladu said she also would research whether the district could use a credit union, though she expressed doubts about that.

If a banking switch is made, it probably wouldn’t be until July. Because school would be out of session, the district would be writing fewer checks at that time, Runyan said.

The district last month hired K12 Accounting, which Runyan owns, for $115,455 a year through June 2023. Gladu tried to find another local business manager after the previous one, Julie Lafferty, resigned in March but no applicant was qualified.

K12 Accounting has 22 employees, and it performs business manager roles for the Alamogordo and Lordsburg school districts, plus several charter schools.

In other business:

• The board approved state-mandated 3% teacher and staff raises for the final quarter of fiscal year 2022, totaling a little less than $13,000. Gladu said that money would be paid in June.

• The board voted to set a budget work session for 6 p.m. May 11, with its regular monthly meeting moved to 6 p.m. May 24. Allen requested the date changes because of work conflicts.

• The board approved an increment salary schedule, which mainly involves sports coaches. After discussion, they agreed assistant coaches would receive a $750 stipend from the head coach’s $3,750 or $4,000 stipend if the head coach chose to have one.

• The board approved the 2022 senior trip to Amarillo on May 17. Graduating seniors presented an itinerary, budget, activities and list of the places they would go.

• Gladu said the district soon would talk to an insurance adjuster about repairs from a roof leak that damaged the floor of the high school’s main gym. In a follow-up email, Gladu stated the leak developed during a storm March 29.

• Gladu said the district likely would buy a Flex Farm hydroponic system that would allow it to feed the entire school with its own vegetables. It also would give instructional value for agricultural, science and other classes. If it is successful, she said buy a second unit.

• Gladu said she will try to obtain grant money to set up a NASA space camp next summer at San Jon.

• She said San Jon’s graduation will be 6 p.m. May 20.

• The board voted to allow the San Jon boys basketball team to play only junior varsity games in the 2022-2023 season. (See story in the Sports section.)

• Board President Frank Gibson asked Gladu whether the district could build an outdoor basketball court with regulation-size baskets. Runyan said funding probably could be found through federal coronavirus relief funds, state capital outlay money or bond issues. Gladu said she would work on that.

• High-school English teacher Dawn Bilbrey and fourth-grade teacher Alyssa Walker gave presentations on their instruction methods.

Bilbrey talked about assigning the oft-banned Harper Lee novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” though she said she’s encountered little resistance from students’ parents to the novel in her 20 years of teaching. She said her students are dedicated readers, though they need to develop their analytical and grammar skills.

Walker set up a class store where students earn pseudo-money through an incentive-based point system. They balance their own checkbooks and are subject to fines if they make mistakes on their accounts. She said students learn decimals, money management, life skills, customer service and self-confidence.