Home › Living › School City
Albuquerque Public Schools board at odds on superintendent search
More School City
- Suspect beef called back from schools
- Measure requiring high school proficiency test awaits New Mexico governor's signature
- Albuquerque's Lenore Wolf has dedicated her life to kids
MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES
-
ABQTrib.com to remain available
08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008 -
Congressman is indicted
08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Series of attacks target Green Zone
08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Iran is defying U.N., agency says
08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Waterboarding approval probed
08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008
TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*
- Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
- Is Rome Burning?
- Ominous Skies
- The Road to Invalidation
- Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.
STORY TOOLS
SHARE THIS STORY [?]
More School City
- Suspect beef called back from schools
- Measure requiring high school proficiency test awaits New Mexico governor's signature
- Albuquerque's Lenore Wolf has dedicated her life to kids
MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES
-
ABQTrib.com to remain available
08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008 -
Congressman is indicted
08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Series of attacks target Green Zone
08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Iran is defying U.N., agency says
08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Waterboarding approval probed
08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008
TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*
- Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
- Is Rome Burning?
- Ominous Skies
- The Road to Invalidation
- Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.
STORY TOOLS
SHARE THIS STORY [?]
The school board faced its first major test on Aug. 3 as it began to define the process for hiring a new Albuquerque Public Schools superintendent.
Where, when and how to search for the next superintendent are questions the Albuquerque Board of Education wants to answer but none of those answers emerged on Aug. 3 from a morning meeting.
Instead, members debated the merits of a national search versus a statewide hunt.
They agreed only that community involvement will need to come first, so the board will have a clear picture of what the public wants in its next superintendent.
"We need grassroots involvement," said member Dolores Griego. She said the process should not go forward without tapping community groups.
On Aug. 10, the board will consider ideas for involving the community in the search.
The Aug. 3 meeting was the first for the board to consider a timeline and other details for finding a replacement for Superintendent Beth Everitt, who in July announced she will step down when her contract ends June 30, 2008.
In-state talent, including state Education Secretary Veronica Garcia and Rio Rancho Superintendent V. Sue Cleveland, should be considered first, said Albuquerque Board of Education member Robert Lucero.
"I'm very positive I don't want a big national search," Lucero said before the Aug. 3 meeting. "I'll be advocating for a statewide search."
Senior board member Mary Lee Martin disagrees, saying the public wants the board to go national.
"Most people have said to me we ought to see what's out there," Martin said.
Member Marty Esquivel argued for a national search and a search firm to help find the best candidates.
"A lot of people tell me they want a quality person," he said. "Why limit your possibilities?"
Lucero also mentioned Brad Winter, a Northeast Heights city councilor and the district's executive director for facilities, and Manzano High School Principal Tim Whalen as prospects.
Whalen, a longtime administration in the district, said he's considering the prospect; Winter said his first priority is getting re-elected to the City Council.
Garcia and Cleveland have been mum on whether they will apply for the position, but they are widely considered the top potential candidates.
"If some of them don't step up, then we could go to the next level," Lucero said. "But the local talent would know what they are getting into. We need to find somebody in the state that understands our politics, the media and this community."
In an interview, board member Gordon Rowe said he wants to look regionally. He was not at the Aug. 3 meeting.
"Local is not enough," Rowe said. "We need to do a search. I'm not interested in someone who is available although I haven't ruled out in-house candidates."
Cost estimates range from $40,000 to $100,000 for a typical search, according to the Council of Great City Schools, which has provided a guide for the selection.
Board members prepared for the Aug. 3 meeting by reviewing a maroon file folder with 32 pages of guidance from organizations such as the New Mexico School Boards Association and the Council of Great City Schools.
Board President Paula Maes has said she would like to have the next superintendent selected by December, or as soon after as possible, to give the new boss time with Everitt before her departure.
But Lucero said he's not interested in paying two superintendents at the same time. Lucero said the person who's hired should be an experienced executive who doesn't need much transition time with Everitt.
The council also offered the names and contact information for search consultants.
The council said seven superintendents were promoted internally in 45 recent searches. Three superintendents were appointed by mayors and 35 were selected with the help of a search consultant.
