Nava to hold top Gadsden job for at least a year

Two weeks after it made her the interim chief, the board of the Gadsden Independent School District decided Thursday to strip “interim” from the title of now-Superintendent Cynthia Nava, also a state senator from Las Cruces.

Nava will have a one-year contract to head the district, the board decided on a 4-1 vote at its Thursday meeting. That will allow the board time to conduct a full search for a new superintendent who will be hired next summer. Nava can apply for the job.

The Gadsden board’s goal, according to a news release, is to have “a seamless transition.” The majority of board members, the release states, support Nava and are “confident that she will build on the success of her predecessor and keep the district consistent during this time of transition.”

Should she apply for the job next summer, Nava has been given an edge over other applicants, as long as she meets expectations this school year. She has been working for the district for 26 years and, before being named superintendent, was the deputy chief and already filling in when former Superintendent Ron Haugen was out.

Nava also chairs the Senate Education Committee.

Gadsden is one of the larger school districts in the state, with 14,000 students and 26 schools.

Update, 3:20 p.m.

As deputy superintendent, Nava was paid just over $104,000 annually. Her new annual salary is about $125,000, according to the school district.