Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
The Clovis Municipal Schools board of education Tuesday approved a timeline for hiring a new superintendent.
The board also approved the resignation of Superintendent Rhonda Seidenwurm.
Seidenwurm announced earlier this month that she would resign effective June 30, 2010.
During the meeting, the board also agreed to release Seidenwurm from her contract, which extended until June 2011.
The superintendent position will be posted Wednesday until March 1.
The timeline is subject to change, the board agreed, because there may be circumstances and variables over which the board has no control.
Vice President Mark Lansford suggested the board hear the public on the issue of hiring a new superintendent.
The board set a Feb. 23 meeting to provide the public with a chance to express their suggestions to the board.
The meeting on Feb. 23 will be a regular board meeting held at 5:30 p.m. at the central office board room at 1009 Main St.
In other business, the board:
• Recognized Renie Smith as teacher of the year for 2008-2009.
Smith, head of the English department at Clovis High School, said she was surprised and humbled by the award.
Smith has been a teacher for 30 years, including four years as a substitute, in the Clovis district. She has taught English from seventh through 12th grades.
“Very often teachers anymore get bad publicity. We get the impression from the public that they think we go in at eight and get off at two and have all summer off, that it’s a cushy job. It’s the most challenging job out there. I don’t think we get the accolades I think we deserve,” Smith said.
Smith’s father retired out of Cannon Air Force Base and she has lived here since.
• Approved requests for travel for the Marshall Middle School Sparklette drill team, Yucca Middle School dance team and the Clovis High School Freshman Academy student council.
• Approved a resolution requesting the Legislature authorize no new program of any kind relative to public school operations, including new additional start-up charter schools, until all existing public school programs are fully funded.
• Approved kindergarten through eighth grade language arts and seventh and eighth grade foreign language textboook recommendations.
• Approved a request to use a construction manager at risk for the new middle school.
Deputy Superintendent of Operations Joel Shirley said a construction manager at risk will allow the district to obtain a quality project at a better price.
• Approved receipt of a $469,351 grant from the Public School Capital Outlay Council to be used to replace the roof on the lecture, band and choir halls at Clovis High School. Shirley said the roof hadn’t been replaced since 1958.
