Superintendent Haugen was back in the saddle after a lengthy period of being a stay at home Dad. The residents of the Gadsden Independent School District became united after Haugen was suspended with pay.

What started as an apparent power grab, elected members of the GISD Board of Trustees formed a faction that requested Haugen to terminate the employment of some staff and teachers.

The State of New Mexico had made changes to the State's educational institution charter "giving the Superintendent authority for hiring and firing" indicated Haugen. Haugen didn't mention it but it is easy to see where in the past the Board could do just about anything they wanted and in some rural areas that meant that some board members were without the proper qualifications to make competent personnel decisions.

When Haugen refused... the Board suspended him and then went ahead with his termination. The recall effort had been building and prior to the termination a Recall Election was authorized and enforced by the New Mexico Supreme Court.

After Haugen's termination, four members of the Board of Trustees were ousted from office and the State appointed four new members. The new Board quickly offered Haugen his old job back... and things are "focused upon the future now" as things get back to normal. "When I used to go to board meetings... I had a pain in my chest because of all the tension" said Maria Saenz, only one of the five board members not ousted.

Thus when Haugen refused to do

  (Photos: Brax - Valley Publishing Company)

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