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Education: School Board Extends Holder's Contract

Posted on: Friday, 8 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

Instead of hiring a new superintendent, the Pecos School District offered current Superintendent Dr. Harrell Holder a one-year contract, extension which he accepted.

The decision to offer Holder a contract came in a 3-2 vote by the school board. Vice President Lenore Roybal and board member Victor Ortiz voted no.

"I felt we had great applicants and Dr. Holder hadn't really applied," said Roybal.

Ortiz had similar sentiments. "I have nothing but good things to say about Dr. Holder," he said. "But I was kind of disappointed in the whole superintendent search process."

Roybal's reaction to the search was similar. "We spent two days with applicants and thought we had a new beginning," she said. Yet, "I think Dr. Holder's a great man. I'll never have a difficult time working with him."

The three "yes" voters, Grady Barrens, Jose Ortega and board President Dorothy Armijo, could not be reached for comment.

The offer came as a surprise to Holder, who had intended to either retire or, if offered the job, fill the superintendent vacancy for Espanola Valley Schools.

When the Pecos school board heard of his intention to potentially work in Espanola, Holder said they asked him to stay.

Holder said he does expect to retire when his contract with the Pecos School District ends on June 30, 2006.

Besides, Holder has what he considers unfinished business in the Pecos school district which he'll now have the opportunity to complete. He said he's looking forward to entering a partnership with Northern New Mexico Community College, by which Pecos juniors and seniors will be bussed to the community college for vocational electives.

Holder also wants to finish remodeling the gymnasium used by middle and high school students and add on some middle school classrooms.

By selecting Holder, the board rejected six other finalists for the position: Ramon Acosta, David Cockerham, Roy Herrera, Wayne McCullar, Dwight Myers and Sonya Raftery. Originally, 19 individuals applied for the job.

Source: The Santa Fe New Mexican

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