Española Valley High School’s new volleyball coach has many close ties to the community — but he also has family connections on the Española School Board.
Damon Salazar, whose hiring was approved July 6 by new Española School District Superintendent Janette Archuleta, is the nephew of Board Vice President Joann Salazar.
Joann Salazar, who was elected in 2007, confirmed that Damon Salazar is her nephew on her husband’s side but said she did not influence his selection in any way.
“(Damon) never asked me to do anything and I had no input at all,” Joann Salazar said. “He got his job fair and square from the committee.”
State anti-nepotism law prohibits a superintendent from hiring certain people in the immediate family of a school board member — specifically, a board member’s spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law or father-in-law. Everyone else is free to apply and be hired, including brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins.
District Athletic Director Theresa Flores, who recommended Salazar for hire, said she was not aware that he was Joann Salazar’s nephew. The School Board did not influence her decision, Flores said.
“I haven’t talked with them since the Board meeting after I got hired, where they congratulated me,” she said.
Flores said she wants to move past the comtroversy.
“The longer it goes on, the more it hurts the kids,” she said.
Damon Salazar declined to comment.
“All I’m worried about is getting the girls ready to play volleyball,” Salazar said.
Salazar was chosen over one other applicant, David Scott of Tohatchi, who has seven years of head coaching experience in New Mexico high schools. Salazar has never held a paid volleyball coaching position at the high-school level, though he volunteered as an assistant under former head coach Sam Estrada.
Salazar has also coached younger players in the Arriba Volleyball Club for 10 years.
The hiring committee consisted of Flores and two parents, Gilbert Serrano and Luann Cordova.
Serrano said one factor in his decision was that Scott had been at three different schools in seven years.
“We don’t want someone who is here just a year or two, decides they don’t like it and leave,” Serrano said. “People don’t understand how much time Damon puts in with those girls, and he’s already taken them to a camp.”
District records custodian Frances Frazier tried to provide Salazar’s and Scott’s applications July 9 in response to a SUN request, but the only application found on file for Scott was for a secretarial position at Española Valley High School.
Scott said July 13 that he had been contacted by the District and asked to send another copy of his coaching application. It could not be found and the District wanted one on file, Scott said.
“I said, ‘What for, you made your choice,’” Scott said. “I’m not interested any more.”