Legislators who spoke Wednesday evening with state Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia plan a wait-and-see approach before they decide whether to ask the state to take control of the Las Cruces Public Schools.
The school board placed Superintendent Sonia Diaz on paid administrative leave Tuesday night while it investigates allegations brought forward by staff members. The board plans a closed-door meeting on Tuesday to, hopefully, resolve the situation.
“Right now, everybody’s going to wait and see what happens on Tuesday,” said State Rep. Joseph Cervantes.
He said several legislators sat in on the conference call with Garcia to learn more about the process of state takeover. Garcia asked questions about whether there are allegations of improper use of money, and also said the Public Education Department has begun looking into the situation in
Cervantes said he wants to make clear that he isn’t alleging malfeasance or misfeasance by the board, but is concerned that its actions are undercutting Diaz’s ability to improve the district.
Cervantes said he and other legislators aren’t currently advocating that the state take control of LCPS, but, should Diaz leave the district because she is fired, forced to quit or quits on her own, “at that point in time the state should come in and help run the district until a new superintendent can be found.”
Sen. Mary Kay Papen said she is concerned about the instability Diaz’s departure might create, but is also aware of the concerns about Diaz’s leadership that some have expressed.
“I think we are in agreement that we want stability in the district. If that means having the state come in, then so be it. If that means we work things out with Sonia, that’s great,” Papen said.
Papen added that the legislators believe they have a responsibility to step in and help address the situation, but said they aren’t trying to control the district.
“I think we need to be cautious and thoughtful when we’re trying to get that stability,” she said.
You can read the state’s rules on takeover by clicking here.