School board swears in new member, debates bond election
Magistrate Court Judge Ernest Ortega was on hand at Wednesday (Sept. 12) night’s Taos Municipal Board of Education meeting as the board ushered in a new member and said good-bye to another.
“I am pleased to have the distinct pleasure of swearing in my old friend Roy Martínez. He is a man of great integrity,” Ortega said.
“I’d like to say thank you to the board and the community and I’m glad to be back,” Martínez said.
Interim Superintendent Rose Martínez recognized former board member and Roy Martínez’s predecessor, Gary Embler at the meeting, presenting him with a plaque of appreciation.
“Your presence has enriched the lives of students,” Martínez said.
“I won’t say anything more than thank you and I enjoyed my time on the board,” Embler said. Embler was forced to give up his seat on the board in mid-August when he was diagnosed with cancer.
In other business, the board also set a tentative date to choose a model to either join or keep Enos Garcia and Taos Middle School separated in the future.
Board Facilities Committee members Steve Ward and Bob Blair urged the board to come to a decision about the bond election and a professional building consultation as soon as possible.
“We need to know very soon if the board wants to go forward with that and how much money we want,” Ward said. “We need to develop these plans between now and January so we can show the public.”
“We may be coming back to you and saying we need a consultant,” Blair said. “Pretty soon it’s going to be beyond our expertise to put that together.”
Interim superintendent Rose Martínez said she was hoping the board would have a model chosen and a decision on a possible bond election for funding by Nov. 1.
By Chandra Johnson, Taos News, September 13, 2007