SFPS considers keeping superintendent another year
School board is set to evaluate García’s performance this week
The marriage between Santa Fe Public Schools and Superintendent Veronica García may continue for at least another year if the school board approves an extension of her contract — and the first step toward potentially renewing those vows happens Thursday when the school board conducts her evaluation.
Thursday’s special executive meeting agenda includes one “possible” action item regarding the superintendent’s contract — though at least one school board member said it is unlikely the board will take action on the issue. However, the agenda also makes it clear the board plans to address her evaluation behind closed doors.
For her part, García said Monday she is “open” to staying on at least a year beyond her current contract, which ends in the summer of 2019. “Continuity is important,” she said. But she said she had not yet begun discussions with the five board members about that possibility and that the board must first conduct the evaluation before that dialogue could begin.
At least three board members — Lorraine Price, Maureen Cashmon and Kate Noble — said they could not comment on whether the board might take any action following the closeddoor discussion about García’s job performance.
And though board member Steven Carrillo said, “nothing is going to happen with that contract Thursday night … the school board needs to evaluate her first,” it seems clear the board members are at least open to talking about an extension.
The district is just entering its lengthy budget-building process for the 2018-19 school year and will have a clearer picture of that budget once Gov. Susana Martinez signs legislation approving that fiscal year’s budget, an action she is expected to take before March 7. Cashmon said she feels it would be “premature” to approve any new contract with García until that budget is announced.
So far, the school board has shown considerable support for García, 66, since hiring her in the summer of 2016 on a temporary basis to succeed former Superintendent Joel Boyd.
Shortly thereafter, the board voted to give García a two-year deal.
Last February, the board unanimously voted to extend that contract, at $180,000 a year, through June 30, 2019. If the board does approve another one-year extension and García accepts, she will end up serving the district at least as long as her two immediate predecessors — Boyd and Bobbie Gutierrez.
For the most part, Garcíta’s tenure has been devoid of the controversy or criticism that often followed Boyd as he implemented a series of fast-moving initiatives to raise graduation rates and expand programming, particularly at the high school level.
Still, district discussions last year about possibly closing schools to save money generated pushback and criticism, as did the district’s decision to merge the student populations of Capshaw and De Vargas middle schools into one new middle school called Milagro — though that action began during Boyd’s tenure.
But the district’s graduation rate, released last week, did dip by 2.4 percentage points from last year, to 68.9 percent. García said that is because the district is tightening up its credit recovery process and because she wants to make academic rigor, and not just graduation rates, a focus for graduates.
García started her 40-year education career at Albuquerque Public Schools in the mid-1970s. Before joining the district in 2016, she served as executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group New Mexico Voices for Children, headquartered in Albuquerque, and served as New Mexico’s first Secretary of Education under former Gov. Bill Richardson.
Speaking about the possibility of extending her contract earlier this month, García said, “I want to finish up 2019-2020. Four years is a good round number and will give us time to finish up some of the work we are doing. It would be nice to have that extra time.”