Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
The search continues for the next Portales schools superintendent as the last pair of community meetings with candidates are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Portales Municipal Schools Director of Instruction David Van Wettering will lead this week's meet-and-greets and Grady schools Superintendent Ted Trice will follow.
The community meetings were scheduled by the Board of Education of Portales Schools to receive input from parents and the public on its selection of the next superintendent from among four finalists.
Portales Superintendent Randy Fowler is retiring in June and board President Alan Garrett said the board would like to make a decision before then.
Meet-and-greets for Elida Municipal Schools Superintendent Jim Daugherty and Henry Montano, director of federal programs for Portales schools, were held last week.
Van Wettering, a native of the Denver area, began his trek into education 22 years ago, serving in Aztec for his first year and then with Portales schools for the rest of his career.
"My love for children, that's what it's all about," Van Wettering said on the longevity of his job.
He's worn several hats in the district from being a teacher at Lindsey-Steiner Elementary, principal at Valencia Elementary and assistant principal at Portales High School.
He says that experience has helped him develop relationships with the community's families.
"I know the community in general from being a principal," Van Wettering said. "We got a lot to be proud of. The parents are the reason we have good kids."
Van Wettering said Portales schools were fortunate to be under Fowler's guidance and he wants to continue to build a strong school district.
"It's just one more way that I can help make a difference for kids," Van Wettering said. "I want to ensure kids are provided with a solid foundation for life and not just with education but with life skills."
Trice said he has 30 years of experience in education as a teacher, coach and an administrator. Most of his experience was in Texas communities and he's been serving as Grady's superintendent for the past five years.
"I've had administrative experience in elementary and high school," said Trice, a native of Texas. "I've taught at all three levels, I think it qualifies me. I have a pretty good understanding of the curriculum."
He adds that his Grady experience will look favorable on his resume because working with a smaller school district has its benefits in regard to overseeing nearly everything from technology to budgets.
"I've got an excellent job, good staff, and a great school board and a community that supports me," Trice said. "I think that shows that we've had a good fit here with me."
Trice said he is also a fan of Fowler's leadership and thinks because of him, Portales is a progressive school district.
"That's something that's going to be hard to follow," said Trice, complimenting Fowler. "I think he's made a lot of progress and I'd like to continue to build on that success."
