Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The Tucumcari school board heard a sales pitch last week from representatives of the New Mexico School Boards Association to help the board search for a replacement for its retiring superintendent.
TPS superintendent Aaron McKinney gave the board verbal notice last month he intends to retire on Jan. 1 after 18 years of guiding the district.
McKinney has signaled his retirement date might be fluid because he wants the ongoing baseball and softball ballparks redevelopment project to be substantially finished before stepping down.
Tom Sullivan and Linda Paul, superintendent search consultants for the association, offered their services to the board during a special meeting on Oct. 2. McKinney was not present.
Sullivan and Paul, who gave a PowerPoint presentation, said the board alone could conduct a superintendent search, which gives it the highest degree of involvement and is the least expensive. However, the board could miss critical parts of the search process, they said.
Another option is for the board to hire a professional headhunter, but that would cost “tens of thousands of dollars,” Sullivan said.
Using NMSBA search consultants would retain board involvement but minimize mistakes and avoid possible lawsuits, Sullivan and Paul said. They said the association’s five search consultants all are retired superintendents.
Sullivan said he didn’t want to give a cost estimate for using NMSBA consultants without knowing what the Tucumcari board’s wishes are. When pressed, Sullivan estimated the fees and costs associated with a search would be between $10,000 and $15,000.
Sullivan said the search would include background checks on candidates, including consulting national sex-offender lists and checking for criminal and civil cases.
Sullivan and Paul recommended forming an advisory committee of no more than 15 residents to help the board during the search. They recommended community surveys to help set priorities.
Answering a question from board President Heather Gonzales, Sullivan said he would recommend beginning the search on Jan. 1 if the board planned to have a new superintendent in place by July 1, which begins the new fiscal year for most New Mexico schools.
The board apparently isn’t considering only the NMSBA for a superintendent search. Education consultant David Willden of Sandia Park, a former Raton superintendent, is on the agenda for a work session before the board’s next regular meeting on Oct. 16.
After the presentation, the board met for an hour in closed executive session to discuss personnel. About 30 minutes of that was with assistant superintendent Dave Johnson and administrative assistant Veronica Hernandez. The board took no action when open session resumed.
Board members during earlier meetings have suggested that Johnson serve as an interim superintendent before the full-time superintendent takes over.