Former Pojoaque Valley Schools superintendent Arthur Blea has been tapped to become the third superintendent of Española Public Schools in as many weeks.
The Española School Board unanimously approved Blea on Tuesday to replace Gloria Shuttles, who served two weeks as the interim superintendent and is now returning to her post as principal at Sombrillo Elementary, board vice president Pablo Lujan said. Shuttles took over Jan. 25 for Evelyn Maruska, who was placed on paid administrative leave for unspecified reasons. Maruska had sparked a dispute with the Rio Grande Sun weekly newspaper over the paper’s access to school campuses and district officials. In response, the Sun stopped covering Española high school sports, something the paper has resumed since Maruska was moved out. “We had a list of candidates but our main concern was finding someone with superintendent skills to lead our district forward,” Lujan said. “And we felt like Mr. Blea’s expertise … in special (education) was a major factor since that is an area of great concern for our district.” Blea, 64, will also hold the interim tag until the board determines if a permanent superintendent needs to be found, Lujan added. “We discussed it briefly at (Tuesday’s) meeting and I would like a month or two to evaluate Mr. Blea to see where he’s taking the district,” he said. “Then we can decide if we need to go out and do a full search or give him the opportunity to serve the district for the year.”
