Alamogordo school board invites four candidates to round 1 of superintendent interviews

The Alamogordo Public Schools Board of Education on the evening it reconvened at 7:29 p.m. voted to invite four applicants to proceed to round 1 of superintendent interviews and directed search consultants to notify the candidates and thank them for their participation.

The action came after the board met in closed executive session beginning at 3:32 p.m. under the New Mexico Open Meetings Act to review qualified applicant information. "No action was taken by the board during the executive session," President Cadwalader said after the board returned to open session.

By motion and unanimous voice vote, the board voted to invite Dr. Fabiola Cantu, Michael Crabtree, Dr. Vernice Gutierrez and Nicholas Woganmouth to advance to round 1 interviews. The board then moved to direct the district's search consultants to contact all candidates to inform them of the board's action and to thank them for their interest and participation in the search.

Board members recorded their roll-call votes to enter the executive session earlier in the meeting: President Cadwalader, Vice President Murphy, Secretary Danakos, Member Wright and Member McMurray each answered "aye," and the board convened in closed session at 3:32 p.m. The board reconvened the open session at 7:29 p.m. and confirmed that no formal board action had been taken while in executive session.

On next steps, the board reviewed the interview schedule the search committee had proposed: round 1 interviews will begin at 10 a.m., round 2 interviews will also begin at 10 a.m. on the agreed dates, and the board expects to move to final contract negotiations and to name a superintendent on April 16. The meeting adjourned at 7:31 p.m.

The board's actions advance the district's superintendent search by narrowing the pool for initial interviews; the board did not discuss or disclose evaluation scores or other deliberative materials in open session.