LCPS defends the qualification of its administrators after report states some lack proper licenses

Las Cruces Public Schools officials said they are confident their administrators are qualified, despite a report on Tuesday from the Las Cruces Sun-News which stated four administrators don’t hold necessary licenses.

The Sun-News reported that Vicki Campos (Executive Director of Virtual Learning), Will Manning (Director of Purchasing), Melissa Zuniga (Finance Department Controller) and Matthew Dawkins (Director of Information Technology) do not have the proper licenses according to New Mexico Public Education Department’s database (NMPED).

ABC-7’s I-Team searched all four administrators on the database, and Manning, Zuniga and Dawkins did not have licenses. Campos does have a license, but she does not have the Level 3A Administrator License that NMPED said is required by the state.

“We believe that everyone has the requisite credentials in education, not everyone needs — not everyone’s dealing directly with students, and doesn’t need an educational license,” LCPS Chief of Staff Taryn Landin said. “Some of those people are on the business side or the financial side, so there are other licenses that they would have that would not come through the public education department.”

ABC-7 called all four administrators. Manning was the only one who answered. He said he felt he was qualified and that he had never heard from HR that he wasn’t.

Proper Licenses:

An Executive Director of Online Learning — Requires Level 3A Administrator License

A Director of Purchasing (finance) — Requires School Business Official Level 2

A Finance Department Controller — Requires School Business Official Level 2

A Director of Information Technology — Requires Level 3A license with an endorsement of Information Technology Director

Still, Landin said the district’s human resources department is required to check to make sure all these administrators are qualified.

“We have a report we have to make to the state that codes all of our employees and makes sure that certain positions do have to have licenses and others don’t. Through that state report we are certifying and verifying that information,” Landin said.