Longtime Albuquerque Public Schools educator Scott Elder, who has served as the district's interim superintendent for the past nine months, has been selected for the job on a permanent basis.
The district says in a news release that the school board chose Elder after a national search that began nearly a year and a half ago when then-superintendent Raquel Reedy announced her retirement.
The district was forced to pause the search in March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic forced schools and businesses to shut down.
The search resumed in November and Elder was named one of four finalists. After one of the four withdrew, the Board interviewed three finalists last week:
Elder has had a long career in the Albuquerque district as a teacher, principal and district administrator.
The other finalists were Ignacio Ruiz, assistant superintendent for Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV; and Bolgen Vargas, a self-employed consultant and former superintendent of Rochester City School District in New York.
Elder was the district's chief operations officer when schools were closed in March 2020. He helped the district transition from in-person to remote learning.
He now is leading preparations for re-opening schools for all students on April 5 as dictated by the New Mexico Public Education Department.
Elder has committed to making classrooms culturally and linguistically responsive. Under his guidance, the district initiated an equity plan that outlines a dozen steps to achieving racial and education equity and reducing barriers for students and parents. This includes more culturally responsive instruction, improved hiring practices, better resource allocation and access, improved school climates, and anti-racism training for staff.
Elder’s family has a long history with Albuquerque schools: his mother worked for the district for 20 years, his grandfather was a school board member off and on from 1945 through 1969, and his great-grandfather reportedly was also a board member, starting in 1892.
Elder has receive a bachelor’s degrees in political science and Spanish, and master’s degrees in secondary education and business administration from University of New Mexico.
