Board authorizes legal review of Santa Fe County MOU after debate over polling at high school

The Pojoaque Valley Public Schools board on Sept. 24 authorized the superintendent and board president to work with legal counsel to review a draft agreement from the Santa Fe County clerk that would use two district sites as voting convenience centers for the Nov. 3–4 election.

The authorization came after an extended debate about whether using the high school as a second polling site could increase security risks, confuse voters and expose the district to liability because the county had already publicized the high-school location while a signed, board-reviewed MOU was not in hand. "I remain concerned that the high school site is a threat to security," a board member said, citing risks of inviting the public into the campus core and the difficulty of securing multiple sites.

Other trustees urged a prompt legal review and formal documentation. In support of authorizing the administration to proceed with counsel, a trustee moved that the board "authorize our administration and our board president to the extent necessary to work with legal counsel to evaluate the draft MOU that was provided by Santa Fe County on September 4, to determine if we are comfortable in signing it," and to allow the administration to sign if legal counsel approves. The motion was seconded and carried.

Board members said they want clear answers from the county about how the sites will be set up and communicated to voters. "They assured us that it was going to be communicated to the constituents," the chair said, but trustees said they would follow up after the election and ask for written commitments on site layout, security and public notice.

The authorization does not itself execute a lease or release legal obligations; it directs district staff and legal counsel to vet the county draft and, if counsel finds it acceptable, to confirm the district's participation. The board also directed administration to copy the board and legal counsel in follow-up communications to the county clerk's office.

The matter grew out of a county request earlier this year; trustees noted the county had at one point listed only the high school and later revised materials to include the middle school. Several trustees asked the district's legal team to seek an executed, mutually reviewed document before future elections, and one trustee asked that the district memorialize concerns in a follow-up letter if the county proceeds without addressing them.

Next steps: legal counsel will review the county draft, administration will negotiate or request clarifications as needed, and the board plans a follow-up meeting with the county after this election cycle to resolve longer-term arrangements.