HR details vetting, interview and onboarding steps; board asks for transparency on nepotism and hiring decisions

Human resources director Alejandra Burciaga (presenting) reviewed the district's applicant screening, interview and onboarding procedures and answered questions about transparency and safeguards.

Burciaga said the district's hiring platform (NeoEd) posts vacancies broadly and HR conducts initial clearance before applicants appear to administrators for interview. Committees for interviews must be odd-numbered and have at least three members; HR reviews proposed committee membership and the interview questions in advance to ensure appropriate representation (for example, bilingual representatives when hiring for bilingual positions). Committee members sign a confidentiality agreement before interviewing.

For scoring, HR described a force-rank approach used for about three years. Committee members compare candidates pairwise ("would I hire candidate A or B?") and the system assigns points to create a ranked list; the highest ranked candidate is normally recommended. HR said the forced-rank method reduces the chance that a single panelist can "tank" a candidate by giving low numeric ratings across many rubric items.

HR outlined pre-employment checks: fingerprint/background checks, and the New Mexico House Bill 128 questionnaire (staff called it a "do-not-pass-the-trash" measure) that asks previous employers about misconduct or investigations involving minors. If HB128 responses raise concerns, the district stops the hiring process and proceeds to the next candidate. HR described the onboarding steps: account and system access, vectors (mandatory policy modules), benefits enrollment, physical badge issuance and a probationary period (one year for hourly employees, two years for certified/salaried employees).

Board members asked several detailed questions. They requested: (1) a future presentation on "transparency in hiring decisions" that explains what information the public can see about hiring (HR said it would consult with the superintendent and legal counsel to determine what can be released); (2) clarification of nepotism checks and how conflicts of interest are detected and handled (HR said the application includes a disclosures section and HR reviews committees and documentation before interviews); (3) how bilingual roles are evaluated during interviews (HR said some campuses do require Spanish-language responses and that HR ensures bilingual committee members are present); and (4) whether having a standing interview panel would improve consistency (HR and Dempsey noted tradeoffs and possible complaints if certain employees were always on panels; HR agreed to explore the idea).

HR said current vacancy levels are low for this time of year (about a dozen teacher vacancies) and that broad recruiting and use of the hiring platform have helped keep vacancies lower than in nearby districts.

Board members asked HR to return with a transparency presentation that addresses nepotism policy and what aspects of hiring decisions can be published without violating personnel confidentiality.