Gadsden board urged to delay appointment of permanent San Luis school superintendent
SAN LUIS, Ariz. – A group of residents here has called on the school board to conduct a search for the next superintendent of San Luis elementary schools rather than give the job to the person who is temporarily filling it.
The Gadsden Elementary School District’s governing board met privately for nearly an hour on Monday with interim Superintendent Lizette Esparza to discuss an employment agreement. But emerging from executive session, the board took no action,
The regular session brought residents Laura Herrera, David Lara and Gary Snyder before the board. They urged the board to delay a decision to allow other candidates to apply for the post.
Esparza is the daughter of current board member Guillermina Fuentes, and the three argued that naming the acting superintendent to the post permanently could be seen as a conflict of interest.
State law does not preclude the board from selecting Esparza, though Fuentes would be required to declare a conflict and abstain from voting on a permanent appointment. Fuentes likewise abstained from the board vote in March to name Esparza as interim superintendent, replacing the outgoing Raymond Aguilera.
“I am concerned by the recent decisions of the board, the first being naming as (acting) superintendent a daughter of one of the members,” Herrera said. “We must urge the board to reconsider and choose perhaps a better candidate for this position.”
Snyder said postponing a decision
on an appointment would allow the public more time to know Esparza and evaluate her qualifications.
Snyder in March began circulating petitions to recall Fuentes and board members Gloria Torres and Rosa Varela, citing as one reason the board’s vote to make Esparza the interim superintendent.
Lara urged the board to postpone a decision at least until after the next court appearance for Fuentes, who has been indicted by a state grand jury for allegedly commiting ballot abuse in the city’s primary election in August.
Lara said the district should launch a nationwide search for qualified candidates to be the next superintendent.
A fourth resident, Bruce Luna, did not attend the session but submitted written comments to board urging a delay in an appointment until Esparza can be properly evaluated as a suitable candidate for superintendent.
Esparza began her career in the Gadsden district as a teacher in 2001. She served as principal at Gadsden Elementary School, then Arizona Desert Elementary School and finally San Luis Middle School, before being named interim principal.
Esparza declined to comment in an interview in response to concerns raised by the residents.
Fuentes, who did not take part in Monday’s closed session discussion, said anyone who doubt’s Esparza’s qualifications “need only look at her resume to realize what she has accomplished, and that she is more than capable.
“These people are using the call to the public just to talk trash,” Fuentes added.
Luis Marquez, the president of the Gadsden school board, said in an interview that the board has the option of appointing a superintendent without undertaking a candidate search, but said it has made no decision regarding Esparza.
“Because it was an executive session, I can’t say what was discussed, but it is optional whether we open up the post” for applications. “All this has happened very fast. We had to have someone who could keep the district moving forward (following Aguilera’s departure), but we don’t have to be in any hurry to name a (permanent successor).”
Marquez said Esparza had done a good job in the post in the interim, adding that the fact she is the daughter of a board member has no bearing on her suitability for position.
“At the most it could be seen as bad by some people, but then no one will run for the school board if they have family members as employees in the district. The only way there would be a conflict would be if (the superintendent) were the husband or wife of someone on the board.”
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for July 12.