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New Mexico school board elections attract numerous educators as candidates
January 23, 2014
By Abbey Smith
Twenty seats in the eight largest school districts by enrollment in New Mexico are up for general election on February 3, 2015. Candidates in these school board races include a number of both current and former educators, with at least eight candidates having worked as a classroom teacher or college professor. There are also multiple event and elections coordinators, college students and U.S. military veterans. Some other candidates include a business owner, a musical artist, an engineer, a children's book author and a marketing manager.
A total of 41 candidates filed to run for the 20 seats, leaving seven unopposed. One of those unopposed seats is still open, as no one filed to run for it. It will remain vacant after the election until the Farmington Municipal Schools Board of Education appoints someone to the position.
Four of those unopposed seats will automatically welcome back incumbents after the election, but two unopposed newcomers, Ramon Montano and Ryan Parra, will join the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education, as incumbent Carl Harper withdrew from the race. Newcomers are also guaranteed to win seats on the school boards of Albuquerque Public Schools, Las Cruces Public Schools and Santa Fe Public Schools. All three of those districts had one incumbent decide not to run for re-election.
Two districts with school board elections this year are in the middle of searching for new superintendents. Both Albuquerque Public Schools and Farmington Municipal Schools saw superintendents leave their districts in the 2014-2015 school year. Janel Ryan retired from Farmington Municipal Schools in December 2014 after suffering from a heart attack the previous summer. Winston Brooks resigned from Albuquerque Public Schools in August 2014. The Albuquerque Board of Education bought out his contract with two years remaining after Brooks was involved in accusations of intimidation and retaliation.[1][2][3]
Spotlight: Albuquerque Public Schools
In addition to searching for a new superintendent this election season, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education has collaborated with a neighboring community college on a new charter school building project, and district officials are working with experts and community members to combat the district's high truancy rate. Brad Winter, the district's interim superintendent, has also rolled out a new five-year plan for the district.
Three seats, from Districts 1, 2 and 4, are up for election on the board. District 1 incumbent Analee Maestas and District 2 incumbent Kathy Korte are both running for re-election. Maestas faces two challengers, Colt Balok and Madelyn Jones. Korte faces just one challenger, Peggy L. Muller-Aragon. District 4 incumbent Martin Esquivel did not seek re-election, leaving the race to five newcomers, Mark Gilboard, John Jake Lopez, Charles MacQuigg, Barbara Petersen and Sina-Aurelia Pleasant Soul-Bowe. All five of them either taught in the district, graduated from the district or have children in the district.
Candidates
Note: An (i) next to a candidate's name indicates incumbent status.
Footnotes
- ↑ KOB 4, "Search for superintendent triggers community survey," January 6, 2015
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "Former Wichita school superintendent Winston Brooks gets $350,000 buyout in Albuquerque," August 19, 2014
- ↑ Daily Times, "Farmington Municipal School District hires consultant to help in superintendent search," October 30, 2014
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