New TPS board member chosen

The Tucumcari Public Schools board on Thursday chose Jehu "J.D." Knapp to fill the last six months of Bo Wallace's term after he resigned last month.

After the board unanimously approved Knapp's appointment, board President Heather Gonzales said Knapp would serve the rest of Wallace's term through Dec. 31. She said Knapp could opt to file for the November election next month.

Knapp will be sworn into office during the board's next meeting in August.

Wallace, who had served in District 5 in the southeastern part of the school district and was vice president of the board, submitted his resignation letter that was effective June 5.

"I enjoyed my time spent on the board and hope that my service in the past three years has been valuable to the district," he stated.

Reached by phone Friday, Wallace declined to disclose why he stepped down.

Knapp, a Tucumcari High School graduate and a CenturyLink network technician in Tucumcari, wrote a June 12 letter to superintendent Aaron McKinney to express his interest in filling the vacancy.

Knapp stated his family has lived in the Tucumcari area for generations that has "provided me with past knowledge of the district but most importantly the people who live here."

"I care about what happens in our schools," he wrote. "I am always eager to reach out and discuss topics that affect our schools with parents, teachers and those who share my interest.

"I enjoy serving my community. I believe those who hold positions that oversee our schools and children should share similar goals and values of the parents of our community. I am excited about the opportunity to work with the current board members and help them pursue goals to make our schools better for our students."

During a telephone interview Friday, Knapp was asked what prompted him to apply for the position.

"I'm just eager to serve my community, honestly," he said. "I just want to make sure the kids have a voice. I see a lot of what's going on around the country, and I still have a simplistic, Mayberry view of Tucumcari. Being raised here my whole life, I want to make sure we maintain a safe place for the kids in our community."

Knapp, who has a daughter who recently graduated from THS and another daughter about to enter kindergarten, said he "probably" would file for the November election for a four-year term but was not positive he would do so.

In other business:

- McKinney said during his superintendent's report the baseball field was "starting to take shape." He said the baseball diamond has been graded, and the contractor would start on the softball field next.

McKinney said the contractor told him the project was forecast to be complete by October, "maybe ahead of that."

Lights for the ballparks were erected last week. A City of Tucumcari donation of $400,000 in lodgers tax funds mostly paid for those.

The ballparks redevelopment project was part of a $3 million bond issue approved by district voters in 2019.

- The board went into a 45-minute closed executive session to discuss McKinney's salary for the coming school year but took no action.

The board called McKinney back into the discussion room twice and summoned business manager Monica Martinez once.

McKinney, who said he wants to retire on May 1 after 18 years of overseeing the district, is paid about $145,000 a year. He remains under contract through mid-2024.

- The board elected to not make any policy changes regarding donations from local marijuana dispensaries.

McKinney compared those licensed facilities to Love's Travel Center, which has been a longtime giver of school supplies to the district but also sells alcohol.

Gonzales said the marijuana dispensaries have said they won't directly sponsor an athletic team. She said principals of those businesses are reluctant to give donations to the district under their company's name and would opt for individual donations instead.

- The board approved its annual IDEA B grant application for disabled students to the New Mexico Public Education Department.

- The board approved its annual fuel contact with Tucumcari Oil Co. for $4.538886 a gallon for unleaded gasoline and $3.6905 a gallon for diesel, plus taxes.

- During public comments, Lisa Montoya objected to a student health survey containing sexually explicit questions. (See other story in this edition.)

- During board member discussions, Jerry Lopez said he was "excited" about the high school's new football coach, Tarik Embrack, and that he was seeing "a lot of momentum" with the program.

- The board's meeting was rescheduled twice due to the lack of a quorum. Gonzales apologized for that, adding: "Sometimes life just happens."