Board names Higley's next superintendent

May 16—The Higley Unified School District (HUSD) Governing Board last week unanimously named Sherry Richards superintendent for the 2024-25 school year.

Previously, it rescinded its contract with Dr. Nate Carman.

The board's action on May 8 came on the heels of reports that Carman was put on paid leave for the rest of the school year in March by his employer, the Socorro Independent School District. A forensic audit disclosed a possible conflict of interest with Carman potentially manipulating contract awards to an architectural firm.

The board followed up with a unanimous vote to hire Richards, who was named interim superintendent last June after Dr. Dawn Foley abruptly resigned.

Richards, who was ready to retire, will now begin contract negotiations for the 2024-25 school year.

"Thank you for all you've done over the course of last year," board member Amanda Wade told Richards. "I appreciate your willingness to take this option with us. Your love for Higley clearly knows no bounds, and we are very grateful for another year with you."

Richards has been with Higley Unified since 2011, when she became a principal. She was named in 2017 executive director of elementary education for the district, a position she held until 2021, when she was named associate superintendent.

She holds a bachelor's degree in education from Texas Christian University and a master's in education from West Texas A&M University and earned her superintendent's certificate in 2022 from Northern Arizona University.

The board's choice of Carman as the next superintendent began unraveling in late March, and the board last week issued a prepared statement on its decision to rescind his contract.

"During the superintendent hiring process that we recently went through, applicants were asked to provide true, correct and complete applications, including disclosing ongoing reviews of possible misconduct," said President Michelle Anderson, reading from the prepared board statement.

"They were specifically asked to explain any current or past situations that might impact their application. The candidates were notified that misrepresenting or omitting facts could result in rejection of or dismissal from employment.

"Dr. Carman failed to disclose material facts during the hiring process. The search firm we used also failed to bring these facts to our attention. Had Dr. Carman provided us with correct and complete information we would have made a different decision and in our view his actions constitute just cause to rescind the employment agreement."

The district paid headhunter Ray & Associates $22,000 to do its superintendent search. HUSD did not respond last week regarding whether or not it plans to ask for a refund.

Carman was one of 30 job candidates vetted by Ray & Associate and one of two finalists. He also was one of three finalists for the superintendent job last year with the Peoria Unified School District.

His three-year contract with HUSD would have paid him an annual base salary of $210,000.

Carman did not respond to requests for comment from Gilbert Sun News, the Queen Creek Tribune's sister publication.

Before the vote, HUSD parent Taylor Francis urged the board to rescind Carman's contract.

He said that he remembered the October meeting when Ray & Associates and the district's cabinet members pressured the board to begin a search immediately for a new superintendent.

"The process was then rushed through the holidays, and then, after a less-than-perfect process, Nate Carman was announced as HUSD's new superintendent in the Feb. 21 board meeting," Francis said.

"The same Nate Carman, who appears to have been terminated from his former conduct as a superintendent, has been suspended until the end of his tenure in his current district and is leaving a district facing a $33 million deficit."

Socorro Independent School District reportedly was considering how to cut costs with a projected $41 million spending gap for the 2024-25 school year, on top of the $33 million deficit the district is already facing this current budget year. Socorro hired Carman in March 2022.

The Texas Education Agency took control of the district earlier this year and is reportedly doing eight separate investigations of El Paso's second-largest district with over 48,000 students and 50 campuses.

"While Nate Carman may have the potential to excel as superintendent here in HUSD, the uncertainty surrounding his past conduct and the financial troubles of his current district are considerable and must not be overlooked," Francis said.

He asked if the district can afford the risk of gambling with the future of its students and staff by entrusting such critical positions to someone with questionable credentials.

"I earnestly implore you, the board, to reconsider Nate Carman's contract and explore other options to ensure the best leadership for our school district," Francis said. "Our students and staff deserve a better superintendent, and you owe it to them to mitigate this risk."

The issue of Carman and contracts harkens to another HUSD superintendent, Denise Birdwell, who led the district from 2009 to 2015.

A grand jury in 2021 indicted Birdwell, accusing her of rigging contract bids and taking payoffs as she steered the district into leasing two buildings to house its middle schools from a nonprofit at an exorbitant price.

Her case is still making its way through the court process.