If the Española Military Academy’s Governing Board had little to say when it made an about-face decision to renew its charter with the state instead of the Española School District at a public meeting Sept. 24, it’s because Board members had already discussed the issue at length — individually and outside a public forum.
Board President Patrick Trujillo said as much when he opened the topic for discussion at the meeting.
“I have had discussions with most of you (about this),” Trujillo said.
Principal Steve Baca gave a presentation on the application process the Academy must go through to renew its charter with the state, but Board members did not discuss at any length their rationale for splitting off from the District.
Leonard DeLayo, president of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, said individual conversations outside a public meeting do not violate state open meetings law, but called the practice “suspect.”
But State Attorney General Gary King explained in his office’s Open Meetings Compliance Guide that the intent of the law is to make public the Board’s deliberations on public matters.
Trujillo insisted his conversations with other Board members were appropriate.
“It definitely wasn’t a deliberation. It was more of a ‘What do you think?’ sort of thing,” he said.