Clovis schools superintendent to retire

CLOVIS - School board members on Tuesday discussed the forthcoming retirement of Superintendent Jody Balch, whose career in education stretches across four decades.

"You know when it's time," Balch told the Clovis Municipal School board at their regular meeting. He told The News on Friday that he always intended to serve five years as superintendent when he took the position in July 2014, and aimed to make that a reality with retirement this summer. He said he doesn't have immediate work plans following, but was "ready to do other things" like getting back into his golf game.

After 39 years in education, the board was sad to see him go but wished him well. Balch, a Clovis native, had previously served as principal at Bovina High School, Yucca Middle School and Clovis High School before first retiring in 2009. He came back on in summer 2011 as CMS' Director of Operations, according to its website, then in early 2012 served two years as Deputy Superintendent.

Board member Paul Cordova said he was himself a student when he first got to know Balch, and has only continued to be impressed with the administrator's service "from fighting for our board in Santa Fe" to attending football games.

"I respected you then, and I respect you now," he said.

When thinking on Balch's time serving CMS, Board Vice-President Cindy Osburn said "duty" was the word that came to her mind.

"The kind of duty that's like a moral imperative," she said. "I think you've sacrificed some of your family life, and I know your golf game..."

Balch told The News he wanted to give the board plenty of time to find his successor, and board president Terry Martin said he hoped they could start that process next month.

"We've got our work cut out for us," added board member Shawn Hamilton.

Also at Tuesday's board meeting:

• Approval of two alternative education proposals: the CMS iAcademy would offer a hybrid of class days and virtual school for middle and high school students who have left the district in recent years but still live in the area, while the Early College High School program from Clovis Community College's extended learning program would allow students to graduate CHS with an associate's degree, certificate or license.

With board approval now, applications for both programs will be submitted to the state and start next school year if approved. Board members said they were excited at the idea of both programs.

• Shawna Russell presented on the Every Student Succeeds Act, which requires by law that the district collect and report "per pupil expenditure data by school location site." The board approved participation, which would not only show variances in individual spending on students across schools within the district but also compared with other districts. Russell said for Clovis "this will show that disparity" in funding across the state.

• Approval of a travel request from Upward Bound for the group's "senior cultural trip" to Orlando, Florida in March.

• No public comment in the meeting, which lasted less than an hour and included all board members present.