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Students say superintendent search sidelined them; cite low turnout for contractor-led forums
Summary
Two student speakers told the Santa Fe Public Schools board that the superintendent search process failed to engage students, citing forum timing, missed school visits and turnout data from the district'hired contractor.
Two Santa Fe students told the Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education on April 24 that the district'led superintendent search process did not meaningfully include student voices.
The criticism came at the start of the public forum when Lehi Hanhansen, student body president at Santa Fe High School, and Lucas Robbins, a student board member for Mandela Eco and Desert Sage, said meetings and outreach were scheduled or conducted in ways that kept students from participating while the board prepares to select a superintendent.
Hanhansen told the board: "According to the February 27 board meeting minutes, you all spent around $60,000 contracting a PR firm, Carol Strategies, to gather feedback, analyze data, and conduct public forums. Beyond my own negative experience, across 7 forums, they were only able to engage 63 community members in person." He said the timing of the April 24 meeting ' at 3 p.m. ' excluded many students and working community members and urged the board to "look in the mirror" as it selects a new superintendent.
Robbins said students had reported problems with how the district solicited input. He said an online form intended to collect student responses did not reach some students because it was sent to a school-specific "Remind" inbox and did not reach students still using the Mandela email domain. Robbins asked the board, "Why then is there no student representation, the group with the most to gain or lose, present in this room?" and cited Board Policy 105 and the New Mexico Open Meetings Act in arguing that student participation at selection meetings would not be prohibited.
Both speakers urged the board to change logistics and outreach for future forums so students and teachers can participate without missing class. Hanhansen also criticized district policies and past leadership decisions in broader remarks, including the district'wide shift to standards-based grading and apparent turnover at Santa Fe High School.
The public forum also included an emailed comment from Jennifer Warren thanking Superintendent Garcia for assistance on substitute-teacher support and noting volunteer coordinator follow-up.
Why it matters: Students are the primary stakeholders in K-12 superintendent decisions. Board members will interview finalists in a set schedule announced the same night; several students said they had no realistic way to influence that stage.
Board response and next steps: The board moved into executive session later in the meeting to review candidate packets and select interviewees; no final hiring decision was made in open session. The board later scheduled interviews and public forums for the finalists as part of the selection timeline.
