Carl Marano hired as TPS superintendent

The Tucumcari Public Schools board during a special meeting Monday evening voted unanimously to hire Carl Marano to be the district's next superintendent.

Marano, an assistant superintendent at Santa Fe Public Schools, has family ties to Tucumcari. His mother and brother live in the city, and his father Richard was the public-address announcer for years at Rattler football games before his death in 2021.

Marano will replace Aaron McKinney, who retired on Jan. 1 after 18 years of leading the school district.

Marano, his mother Agnes and another finalist for the position, Tucumcari Middle School principal Lendall Borden, were in the board room Monday as the final vote was taken.

A third finalist, Explore Academy assistant principal Anthony Branch, was not present.

Board member Jerry Lopez made the motion to hire Marano as TPS superintendent, and Robert Lucero seconded.

The result was unanimous, though board member Matthew Pacheco missed the vote by a few minutes because he said he was pulling a tooth at his Tucumcari dental clinic.

A news release by TPS read by board President Heather Gonzales stated the board chose Marano without dissent.

"Mr. Marano will begin his contract year on July 1, but plans to work some in the district before that time on a daily basis," the board's statement read.

It added the board "looks forward to the new vision Mr. Marano will bring to the District."

After the vote, Borden gave Marano a congratulatory hug. Board members and administrators gave Marano similar well-wishes.

Marano has served at the Santa Fe Public Schools in several capacities, including teaching, coaching, assistant principal and assistant superintendent for the past 26 years.

Board member J.D. Knapp said "we're happy to have you" and appreciated Marano's "uplifting" message he presented to the board during his interview.

"We have potential, and I'm glad you can see that," Knapp said.

"I look forward to working with you," Pacheco said. He said he has a child about to enter kindergarten, and he hoped he would graduate with Marano still in charge of the district.

Gonzales gave her congratulations to Marano and added, "We're very excited for change."

Marano will be paid $150,000 a year with a two-year contract.

Interim superintendent Dave Johnson said he called Marano last Monday with the job offer after the board's meeting and a closed executive session. Marano accepted it the next day.

Marano said after the vote he was "very excited" about his new position.

"I am ready to come to Tucumcari," he said. "I said it in the interview, my family's here. My mom, my brother. I get a little emotional because my dad passed three years ago. For a few years before he passed, he said, 'You need to come to Tucumcari.' He would always try to persuade me."

Marano said he went to his father's grave at Tucumcari Memorial Park several times after he applied for the TPS position and after the board interviewed him a week ago.

"I can just hear him talking to me and just saying how he'd be proud," he said. "Since he passed, it's been tough on my mom, and it's just a place I want to be."

Marano said understands that teachers and staff members might be uneasy about change.

"The first thing I want to do is come in and listen," he said. "We need to see what's working and what's not. I think listening to our stakeholders is so important. But a lot of times we forget about listening to the students, and I think that's No. 1."

A total of eight applicants applied for the TPS superintendent position.

(Monday's board meeting was after the Quay County Sun's print deadline. We'll have more details in the May 1 edition of the newspaper.)