Two legislators say the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education’s inaction at today’s meeting is disappointing.
The board scheduled Tuesday’s meeting a week ago, but one board member, John Schwebke, is out of the state on business and apparently wasn’t available by telephone. Another, President Sharon Wooden, is out of the country and apparently also not available by phone. Board Member Gene Gant, though he is in town, attended the meeting by phone.
Instead of resolving the situation today, Gant and board Vice President Chuck Davis voted to postpone any action and keep Superintendent Sonia Diaz on paid administrative leave for at least another six days. That came despite the protest of board Member Leonel Briseño, who said the board needed to move into closed session to consider taking Diaz off leave.
State Rep. Joseph Cervantes said that, “in government, inaction is action.”
“The message is, ‘We don’t want to meet. We don’t want to act. We don’t want to lead,’” Cervantes said. “It’s pretty hard to say that this is a positive step in the education of our children.”
State Sen. Leonard “Lee” Rawson agreed.
“I think it’s unfair, not just to Sonia, but to the staff and students, to not bring this thing to resolution,” he said. “I just wish they hadn’t put it off. I just with they’d get it resolved, because that’s unfair to the people of the district.”
Rawson said he has spoken to many people in the past week about the controversy surrounding Diaz, and said the situation is “affecting students more than most people realize.” Because of that, he said, the board needs to act.
“I think it’s unfortunate to leave the issue begging resolution,” he said. “They could have given some direction.”
Many legislators, without taking sides in the fight over whether Diaz is doing a good job, have said they are concerned about the board’s actions and may consider asking the state to take control of the district, depending on the outcome of the Diaz situation. Cervantes said the board’s inaction today “gives the legislative delegation further indication of where we need to go.”
Without naming Briseño, he did say, “We have to praise those on the board willing to show leadership and courage.”
Diaz said she didn’t want to comment on the board’s inaction beyond saying that she’s “terribly disappointed in the fact that the board did not act.”
“I’m anxious to get back to work and follow the directives that the board gave me,” she said.