Meet the new boss, just the same as the old boss ... except without an interim tag.
The Higley Unified School District Governing Board appointed Sherry Richards as its superintendent for the 2024-25 school year May 8, moments after voting unanimously to rescind the contract of Nate Carman.
Richards, who has been with the district for 13 years, served as the interim superintendent after the resignation of Dawn Foley in June 2023.
Carman was appointed as the superintendent Feb. 21 after a monthslong search led by an educational search firm, Ray and Associates.
However, Carman was put on administrative leave March 25 from his job as superintendent at Socorro Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, after an external forensics audit identified him as having a possible conflict of interest regarding district purchasing decisions.
Before the vote, President Michelle Anderson read a statement noting that the district specifically requests applications be true and complete, include disclosure of any ongoing reviews of possible misconduct and that misrepresenting or omitting facts could result in dismissal from employment.
Carman failed to disclose the situation at Socorro ISD, and Ray and Associates failed to bring the situation to light, Anderson said.
“Had Dr. Carmen provided us with correct and complete information, we would have made a different decision,” Anderson said. “And in our view, his actions constitute just cause to rescind the employment agreement.”
Richards now will negotiate a contract for a superintendency that may only last one year. She was set to retire at the end of the fiscal year.
“I said this last year, we didn't really give you much of an option, and I appreciate your willingness to take this option with us,” Board Member Amanda Wade said. “Your love for Higley clearly knows no bounds, and we are very grateful for another year with you.”
Board Member Tiffany Shultz joked about Richards already having been through a retirement ceremony and having a beach vacation picked out.
“We can get you some beach music playing in your office,” she said.
Richards joined the district in 2011 as a principal and then was promoted to executive director of elementary education in 2017.
In 2021, Foley made Richards her associate superintendent, making her the logical appointment for the interim role when Foley resigned in 2023.
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here