The Española Public Schools has a new chief operating officer and while he may be new to the school district, he’s no stranger to Rio Arriba County.
An undated letter was sent by Human Resources Specialist Nadine Gonzales to former Rio Arriba County manager Tomas Campos, offering him the position. She listed some contingencies of employment, which are:
• Sufficient state and federal funding;
• Materializaton of projected enrollment;
• Licensure status;
• Completion of any applicable PGP or performance-related requirements that may apply;
• Reassignment needs of the district;
• Completion of a formal contract of employment which will contain the specific expectations and conditions of employment and
• Any violation of board policy or law or other change in circumstances that impact your ability to complete the requirements of the offered position.
“Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, if funding is withdrawn or reduced during the fiscal year due to insufficiency or appropriations, the Board or school district shall be entitled to reduce the salary and benefits in order to address the funding deficiency and avoid deficit spending,” the letter further states.
Campos signed the letter on Feb. 7 and checked the “accept” box, indicating that he was accepting the position.
The job was advertised on the school district’s website. According to the job description, applicants could submit their applications beginning Dec. 20, 2023 through March 31, 2024. According to the letter Campos signed, he was offered and accepted the job about a month-and-a-half before the closing date.
Other applicants
According to an Inspection for Public Records request submitted to the district, asking for copies of all applications submitted for the COO job, only one other person applied. Arsenio Martinez of Ohkay Owingeh submitted his application on Jan. 2, according to a timestamp on the bottom of the application.
Under work history, Martinez listed only one job at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He listed two supervisors in Los Alamos as references.
Campos’ application
According to a timestamp on Campos’s application, he applied for the job on Jan. 10. His employment history includes his job as a comptroller/office manager at Nora Electric Cooperative in Chama, county manager with Rio Arriba County and as a business manager at the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. His most recent employment experience was listed as contractual work for the county from August 2023 to January, in which he helped current County Manager Jeremy Maestas with fiscal and management issues. He wrote that he was assisting with bond and federal money issues and reviewing HR policies and procedures as well as trying to move and close outstanding projects. According to the Rio Arriba County vouchers, the county paid Campos $8,755.30 from Feb. 1-29 for contractual services.
Under the portion of the application where it asks whether the applicant is related to a former EPS employee, Campos typed “Yes, Director.” It’s not clear to whom he is related.
Maestas and Sen. Leo Jaramillo are listed as references.
No comment
It’s unclear how much Campos will make in the position as chief operating officer. Two emails sent to EPS Superintendent Holly Martinez seeking comment about Campos being chosen for the position went unanswered. Why Campos was hired before the job closed was also questioned.
Likewise, an email to School Board President Javin Coriz asking for comment on Campos’ hiring also went unanswered.
An email sent to Campos on April 18, seeking comment about being chosen to fill the position and asking how he plans to keep the district on track financially, also went unanswered. The state took over the district’s finances in 2016 and suspended the board of finance that fall; it regained control in 2019.