Española School District Superintendent Eric Martinez added a new member to his executive team when he increased one director’s pay to nearly six figures, reflecting a promotion to associate superintendent.
Shortly after taking over as the District’s top administrator, Martinez renewed Dierdra Montoya’s special education director contract, July 1, for School Year 2016-2017, at an $80,364 annual salary. Then he promoted her to associate superintendent of Special Education and Federal Programs, increasing her annual salary to $90,000.
The District’s Chief Records Custodian and Human Resources Specialist, Crystal Garcia, said the first contract was signed during the Superintendent’s routine contract renewal period, and the other came later, and was back-dated to July 1, to reflect Montoya’s new role as the head of the District’s Federal Program Department.
Montoya has worked for the District since earning her 1985 bachelors degree in elementary education from New Mexico State University. Six years later, in 1991, she earned a masters degree in special education from the University of New Mexico.
The life-long Northern New Mexican said she stayed with the District for the entirety of her 31-year career because she loves the community.
“My focus has always been supportive,” she said. “Wow, I love this District and I am very passionate about this community. I will work to be supportive in any capacity.”
She said the need to be flexible is paramount for her or any other administrator’s success, given how often the District’s needs change.
The former Española School District student spent 21 years in the classroom as a teacher, and five years as an instructional coach, before moving into administration, where she has been for the past six years.
Montoya said the special education department has had great success, under her watch, in meeting the benchmarks outlined in the District’s strategic plan.
“We continue to remain in compliance with our 22 indicators,” she said. “I believe because the Special Education and Federal Programs were in good standing, I was given additional programs.”
As the associate superintendent, Montoya will now be responsible for all the District’s federally-funded programs, which means she will be responsible for making sure the District stays in compliance with the various Title initiatives, including the Title I initiative that targets at-risk children; Title II professional development, Title III English Language Learner Program and Rural Low Income programs.
However, she wasn’t the only District employee to see a pay increase.
Martinez agreed to a $4,643 per year pay increase for Facilities Director Adán Cordova. The increase isn’t a raise, but rather, a reflection of Cordova’s years of service.
There was a discrepancy between the number of uninterrupted years Cordova has worked in the public sector. Between his time at the state’s Game and Fish Department and the Española School District, Cordova has accrued 19 years of public service.
With the increase, his salary went from the $70,000 last year, to the $74,643 he will earn this year.
Martinez approved Cordova’s increased salary, after he requested it via an Aug. 26 email.
“At the direction of the EPS Human Resources (HR) Department, please consider this my request to be placed properly at Step 19 on the salary schedule,” Cordova wrote in the email.
As the facilities director, Cordova is responsible for overseeing maintenance at any one of the District’s 13 schools and numerous other properties.