School board candidates answer questions about Feb. 7 race
Voters — that is, those who actually show up and vote on Election Day — can have an impact on politics at all levels. Though the gargantuan presidential race of 2016 has come and gone, the communities of Northern New Mexico are again being asked to go to the polls Feb. 7 to elect their local school boards. In lieu of a candidates' forum, The Taos News invited school board candidates in competitive races in Taos County to answer questions about why they're running to serve their local school districts. Here are their answers:
Questa Position 5
Name: Joel C. Flory
Occupation: Highway maintenance worker for Questa Patrol
Educational background: Currently working on business/administration degree at UNM-Taos; graduate of Colorado Aero Tech; various trainings related to automotive and heavy equipment; and graduate from Palmer High in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Vocational training, qualifications and experience: I attend more than the required hours for school board trainings each year and have attended state legislation sessions concerning public school issues.
Do you have children? Do they currently attend public schools? If so, where? Yes, my wife and I have three children. Two of them are currently attending Questa High and our oldest graduated from Questa and is attending UNM in Albuquerque.
Have you run for public office before? Have you served on the local school board? If so, when? I currently serve on the school board as vice president. It has been a pleasure serving the community as a school board member for the last four years.
Why did you decide to run for the school board this year? I want to serve our community and continue to improve our children's education. In 2015, Questa was the only school in Taos County to have seniors graduate with their [associate] degree at the same time as their high school diploma. I was fortunate enough to be part of the board during that time. The school continues to be committed to dual-credit classes for students to advance their education.
What do you think you would bring to the board and district? I will bring stability to the board. The last thing I want to see is history repeating itself, referring to the 2012 board suspension. I want to offer ideas to help improve the education system and make the best possible decisions for the district and the students.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing Questa's schools? Declining student enrollment and the state Legislature cutting the budget for education are some of the biggest challenges the district faces.
Having too much square footage for your population is an issue. How should the board deal with this without sacrificing educational opportunities? One way to avoid sacrificing education, being more efficient with the use of heating and electricity.
What could the Questa school board do to improve the schools' performance given shrinking budgets and the district's reliance on emergency funding? As a board member, I will support the staff in their continuing efforts in educating our children. It is important to keep a positive attitude while the board makes the necessary adjustments to the budget.
How can the school board work creatively with the village to transition to a post-mining economy? The board continues to work closely with the village and the economic development fund to address this issue. Based on these discussions, the school would like to provide more vocational education training to students.
How will you avoid conflicts of interest? I have no relatives working with the district and my current employment doesn't work for the district. Always following the policy is the most important way to avoid conflicts of interest.
Name: Christy Arguello
Occupation: I work for the county of Taos as an outreach specialist for the health care assistance program.
Educational background: I am a Questa High School graduate, class of 1995. I have an [associate] of arts from Adams State University. I also have a bachelor's of science in business administration with an emphasis in legal studies. It is from Adams State University.
Vocational training, qualifications and experience: I have an advanced paralegal certificate, as well as certificates in victim's advocacy and alternative dispute resolution. I have eight years of clerical and administrative support experience. I have been a family photographer for about the same amount of time.
Do you have children? Do they currently attend public schools? If so, where? I have three children. Two of them are school age. One child attends Questa High School and the other attends Río Costilla Southwest Learning Academy.
Have you run for public office before? Have you served on the local school board? If so, when? No, this is my first attempt to run.
Why did you decide to run for the school board this year? I had considered running a few years back. However, I was completing my bachelor's degree and was worried I would not have the time [to] commit fully. This year, after much reflection and consideration, I felt I could make the commitment. I also believe it is time for new ideas and fresh perspective.
What do you think you would bring to the board and district? I have strong belief in the power of education. I believe education is the single most valuable asset we can provide our children. I have a strong sense of commitment to working on the issues that come to the table and willingness to find solutions in order to create a stronger district.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing Questa's schools? We are currently operating on emergency funds. We also have to take into account the current situation our state is in. Adequate funding is the greatest challenge we are facing. We are also in the midst of a major transition in our community since the mine closed. We have a few challenges that we need to overcome. We need to rally our voices as community members to our local and state government to quit cutting school budgets, especially small rural districts like ours. We don't have the same resources as larger and heavier-populated districts. I also believe that because we are in a rural area, we are poorly served by existing educational policies that address city-based demographics. The fact is we face different resource challenges as underserved rural communities.
Having too much square footage for your population is an issue. How should the board deal with this without sacrificing educational opportunities? We need to fill the square footage with more educational opportunities. It is time to get creative. One way would be to push for high-quality online instruction for adults and our traditional students as well. This could broaden the scope of educational opportunities available to rural students and help to alleviate staffing shortages. We have the technology.
What could the Questa school board do to improve the schools' performance given shrinking budgets and the district's reliance on emergency funding? It is time to get with the times. We need to leverage expertise from other organizations, businesses and employ research-based ideas that are new and innovative to create a higher-tech education in order to better prepare our students for both the workforce and college education. It is time that we employ and beef up current policies that will lead to continuous learning, higher student expectations and performance. Again, I think we can look at high-quality online instruction.
How can the school board work creatively with the village to transition to a post-mining economy? I have often wondered how we can provide new opportunities for our community. I know that the mine closure has had a significant impact on our schools, our economy and our resources. Our district had always counted on the mine in a variety of ways, including financially. Sadly, that is not the case anymore. However, I have done some research on public schools that provide adult education that includes online training, vocational training and certification programs. It would be great if our school board would encourage the use of school buildings by the community for a variety of uses that do not interfere with the educational process of our students and that are within the district and state policy.
How will you avoid conflicts of interest? We have a legal, ethical and moral duty to avoid conflicts of interest. The easiest ways to do that is with full disclosure, doing the right thing and [keeping] it honest.
Editor's note: Matt Ortega, also running for Questa's Position 5, was invited to submit answers to these questions, but did not respond to multiple requests from The Taos News.
Peñasco Position 3
Name: Amanda Bissell
Occupation: Program evaluator for Las Cumbres Community Services
Educational background: 2000 Peñasco High School graduate; 2004 Colorado College graduate – major in geology, minor in environmental studies; 2015 University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, [master's degree in] public health.
Vocational training, qualifications and experience: I have served as president on the governing council of a charter school, and this experience will be a strong foundation for the Peñasco School Board. I have also sat on the boards of multiple nonprofits, which have developed my organizational, communication and leadership skills. Additionally, I have served six years as a leader of the Picuris-Peñasco Community Coalition, requiring open communication, compromising and building community efforts with multiple stakeholders.
Do you have children? Do they currently attend public schools? If so, where? We have one child, a toddler, who we intend to send to school at the Peñasco Independent School District when she is kindergarten age.
Have you run for public office before? Have you served on the local school board? If so, when? This is my first experience running for public office.
Why did you decide to run for the school board this year? I was inspired to run for a position on the board because we want our daughter to go to school in the community where she lives. This position would allow me to best support and shape the kind of school we want not just for her, but for all students and families in our community.
What do you think you would bring to the board and district? For the past two years, I was employed by the Peñasco Schools and was able to see the strong potential our school has for success. This perspective, coupled with my experience in developing and implementing community-benefit programs, will provide a unique perspective to the board and district.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing Peñasco's schools? Challenges to our schools: Surviving in a climate of constantly changing state and federal policies which leave little room for local input and requires something new from teachers and staff every year. A strategic plan that guides the work of the school could create a buffer for staff and teachers while aligning the goals of the school with new mandates. Challenges to our students: Stress and angst from home impacts some students' ability to learn and affects the rest of the classroom. One strategy is becoming a "Safe and Supportive School," [a grant that can help schools] adapt curricula and behavioral interventions to better meet the educational needs of students who have experienced trauma. Challenges to our teachers: The challenges highlighted above create a burden for staff and teachers – leading to burnout – and detracts from a safe and positive school environment. More support for teachers is warranted to meet these ever-present demands.
What could the Peñasco school board do to improve the schools' performance given shrinking budgets at the state level? The Peñasco school board should lead a school and community effort to develop a clear vision and plan to create the best system for our students and staff. An important focus of this plan should include recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers and making school-wide changes to support this effort.
How can the school board work to attract more students to the district? The Peñasco district needs to dedicate time and resources to understanding why parents choose other options. Feasible initiatives need to be developed to address parents' concerns, as well as a plan on how the district can appeal to the broadest range of families in our community. The district is small enough that listening to parents and staff is a realistic endeavor that can help the district grow and meet the needs of students and families.
How will you avoid conflicts of interest? I will avoid potential conflicts of interest through transparency and clear boundaries. I will disclose any potential conflicts to the superintendent and fellow board members, abstain from votes when warranted and follow school policies when a complaint or concern is brought to my attention.
Editor's Note: Audry Medina-Dominguez was not able to turn in her responses by press time. We will publish her answers at taosnews.com when they are received. Though Mary Trujillo Mascareñas is running unopposed for Position 2 in Peñasco, she submitted the following letter to The Taos News.
"Mrs. Trujillo Mascareñas has served the Peñasco Schools as board member for two separate terms. It takes a team effort to bring out positive outcomes. Students are very important in this process. Parents need to be informed and involved. Teachers should always encourage and try to attend to student needs. Administration has a tough job, but one can witness their efforts to solve many concerns. Board members play a very important part in setting policies and creating workable budgets.
"Mary has always been a very active and concerned member of her community and surroundings. She attributes this to her parents Virgilio and Tonita Trujillo, who were very instrumental in guiding her three brothers, her sister and her. She is always proud to acknowledge that her dad was one of the founding fathers of the Peñasco Schools and Kit Carson Electric [Co-op]. Her mother was the first St. Vincent de Paul member she knew. As owner of the family general store, she helped many in need by providing food, clothing and money.
"She has served the Peñasco Schools as a board member, secretary and president. She has been elected to serve as Region II secretary on two separate terms. Region II is comprised of several school districts in Northern New Mexico. Marvin Jaramillo from Mesa Vista is president of our region. Emilia Vigil from Jemez Mountains is vice-president. Mary has been appointed to serve on the resolutions/legislative committee for two years. This year, she was part of the members that conducts the mock interviews for aspiring superintendent after the December annual convention in Albuquerque. She has been able to obtain some training to become a master board member.
"The New Mexico School Board Members Association, with headquarters in Santa Fe, includes all the 89 school districts in the state. Mr. Joe Guillen is the director and has served in an outstanding capacity for many years. Board members are encouraged to attend the trainings that are provided throughout the year. Mary has been presented the exemplary award and pin several times during her service as board member. This year she earned 39 hours of training. During her first term, she was sponsored to attend the Leadership New Mexico program in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
"Mary takes her responsibility of being a concerned and caring citizen very serious. She is a member of the Taos Planning and Zoning Commission, New Mexico Acequia Commission, New Mexico Acequia Association, Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area (founding member) and secretary for the Taos County Democratic Party. She was the first lady to break the barrier and was elected to sit as county chair when former Gov. Tony Anaya was elected. After that we have had two other women — Erin Sanborn and Helen Lopez.
"Mary is a member of the Guadalupanas-Pilgrimage for vocations. As an active parishioner at San Antonio de Padua, she served as Eucharistic minister and religious education teacher for many years. She continues to serve as lector and coordinator of the Fiesta Queen/Princess fundraiser for St. Vincent de Paul Societies. Her family and friends are always there to help.
"Ambrose, her husband, and Mary are very proud of their family — Bruce (Elaine), Antonette, Yonlanda (Steve) Carney, Ronnie (Lisa), Jessica (Pat) Rodarte. They have been blessed with eight grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Ambrose has been elected to the Kit Carson Electric Coop board of directors several times. They are always willing to give a helping hand to those who ask and are in need. This couple has been honored as living treasures in Taos County. Mary has also been named an Unsung Hero for her [involvement] in voluntary work [which] includes more than what is listed."
Unopposed
Only two races in Taos County are competitive. However, the following people are running unopposed. In Taos, both Mark Flores II and James Sanborn, current school board president, are the only candidates for their seats. In Questa, Jose Lovato, school board president, is the the only candidate to file for his seat, while Tammy Jaramillo, the only candidate for Position 3, will take over for outgoing school board member Bernie Torres. In Peñasco, incumbent Mary Trujillo Mascareñas is the sole candidate for her seat, while Sherry A. Archuleta is the only candidate running for the open Position 1.
