Questa Schools Get Detention
State suspends board, citing fistfights and other violations
The list of alleged violations is colorful — fistfights among school board members, a closed-door board meeting to discuss “immoral” or “inappropriate” activities by school district officials, and one board member hitting his own son in a school parking lot.
Those are among the findings about the Questa School Board that led state Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera this week to suspend the board and appoint a member of her staff to immediately assume all of its “duties and powers.”
But board members singled out for criticism in Skandera’s written notice of suspension dispute the findings. “It’s all false allegations,” said board member Matthew Ortega.
Skandera’s decision, dated Tuesday, also scheduled a Nov. 5 meeting in Taos to give the
Questa School Board members a chance to “show cause why the suspension should not continue and be made permanent.
Skandera’s reasons for giving the school board the boot include:
Questa School Board meetings, based on notarized statements to the Public Education Department, “are so chaotic that security or police officers have been required” and have included fistfights among board members. Staff members say board members, during meetings, have publicly accused them of “being involved in immoral or illegal activities.”
The board violated the state Open Meetings Act in an executive session where three unnamed board members “stated that the former Superintendent had engaged in immoral activity and one of the Board members stated that this Board member (sic) was engaging in inappropriate activities with one of the District’s teachers.” These topics are not among the limited personnel matters that can legally be discussed in closeddoor sessions, Skandera’s suspension notice says.
Three board members — Tammy Jaramillo and Matthew and Daryl Ortega — pressured former superintendents to fire school employees, in violation of state law that leaves personnel matters to the superintendent.
“The PED has been informed that Matt Ortega struck his own son in the parking lot of the school and harassed the principal, Valerie Trujillo, for reporting it to authorities,” Skandera’s notice reads. The department was informed that Matt Ortega’s harassment of staffers and efforts to supervise their work got “to the point that he was banned from coming on campus.” Matt Ortega also had a district electrical line dug up, causing unnecessary expenses “and a week’s delay in the education of children at the affected school.”
Minutes show that Daryl Ortega voted in August on a resolution related to his contract to provide plumbing and electrical services for the district that predated his service on the board, “a clear conflict of interest.”
Allegations disputed
Daryl Ortega said Thursday he in fact did not vote on the resolution and also said he had a waiver for the contract that is allowed under the state procurement code.
Jaramillo said the PED’s allegations are false. “I think the PED made this decision prematurely,” she added. In apparent reference to the assertion that she and the Ortegas have meddled in personnel matters, Jaramillo said: “I do believe in holding people accountable.”
Matt Ortega said the allegations about him are retaliation for his bringing up “hot topics” like nepotism in hiring for the district, which has about 500 students, and the cost of maintaining a small school in Rio Costilla. It’s all part of an effort by board president Bernie Torres to get him off the board, Ortega said. Torres couldn’t be reached for comment.
Ortega said it was “totally false” that he beat his son. The state Children, Youth and Families Department investigated and “didn’t come up with anything,” he said.
He also said there have never been any fistfights at board meetings. He said a former board member did once attack him in town. “He threw the first punch,” Ortega said.
Matt Ortega and Jaramillo both said they don’t know what the PED was referring to in its finding about an improper executive session discussion about immoral or inappropriate activities. “I have no idea where that’s coming from,” Jaramillo said.
Roy Herrera, the third Questa superintendent in three years, resigned in August. Lester Beason, retired after serving as a superintendent in New Mexico and other states, has been hired as interim Questa superintendent.