Although neither the Española School Board or the New Mexico Public Education Department were pleased with Superintendent Eric Martinez’s job performance, he is slated to receive a hefty severance package.
Martinez is scheduled to receive more than $130,000 in an agreement to relinquish his duties as the District superintendent, effective June 30. The agreement is pending the approval of a district court judge and New Mexico Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera.
Under the agreement’s terms, Martinez would receive his entire $130,000 salary for the 2017-2018 School Year, as well as any annual leave he accrued during his eight months on the job.
Martinez hasn’t led the District since early March, when the Board voted to place him on paid administrative leave. Before the leave could take effect, he put in for time off, in accordance with the Family Medical Leave Act. He has been on paid administrative leave since April 10, when he officially returned from medical leave.
Since then, he has been on paid administrative leave, where he will stay until the agreement goes into effect. The arrangement guarantees Martinez will continue to receive his more than $5,000 bi-weekly salary.
Shortly after the decision, Board Vice President Yolanda Salazar said they opted to settle with the embattled superintendent rather than transfer him to another position, in order to avoid possible legal issues.
Board President Ruben Archuleta said the agreement will go a long way in returning the District’s focus back to the classroom.
“The Board and Mr. Martinez have entered into a mutual agreement, which allows the Board to move the District forward and hire a new superintendent,” he read from a prepared statement. “It is important that we return the community’s focus back to educating our students.”
Before reaching the decision, Archuleta said he and his colleagues did their due diligence to make sure they were acting in the District’s best interest.
“We visited all of our options,” he said in a Tuesday telephone conversation. “We spoke with our attorney and this is probably the easiest and cheapest way to settle.”
Board Member Pablo Lujan questioned the economics of the buyout, especially considering the current financial climate.
“I think paying the superintendent $130,000 is ridiculous,” he said. “This is the worst thing we could have done.”
He said the new Board ran on a promise of improving supplies and technology and “$130,000 can buy a lot of lap tops.”
Although Martinez failed to adequately follow through with the Corrective Action Plan Skandera demanded he draft in a Feb. 6 Letter of Concern she wrote to him, a Department official said they will not follow through with suspending Martinez’s District authority. If, for some reason, the agreement isn’t approved, Department officials will revisit their efforts to suspend Martinez’s authority.
However, Department officials said a separate investigation into the superintendent’s licensure is ongoing.
Specifically, the Department expressed concern regarding, among other things, Martinez’s failure to keep students safe and provide proper oversight of the District’s finances.
Department Public Information Officer Amy Hassenberg said she believes the District’s decision is a step in the right direction.
“Espanola School District’s previous Board hired a superintendent that has fostered an environment of fear, retaliation, low expectations and toxic leadership, leading to decreased student achievement and a district that was in place to support the adults and not students,” she wrote in an email, Monday. “We heard loud and clear from the community, that they wanted Martinez removed. The new Board has begun to implement positive changes to transform the district, beginning with a search for a new superintendent that is focused on students and improving their opportunities.”
The Board considered hiring a firm to conduct a superintendent search, but citing budget constraints, decided to establish a committee to help attract and vet possible candidates.