Burnett’s contract is extended through ’05

Los Lunas

Superintendent Danny Burnett and top administrators of the Los Lunas Schools will serve the district until 2005, thanks to a new contract approved by the school board Tuesday night.

Members of the Los Lunas School Board unanimously voted to implement a new contract for Burnett, to follow his existing contract which lasts through June 30, 2002. The new contract starts July 1 and goes through June 30, 2005.

A number of administrators join Burnett in having their contracts approved through 2005:

• Bill Moffatt, deputy superintendent.

• Juliette Castillo, assistant superintendent of personnel.

• Priscilla Fernández, assistant superintendent of operations.

• Bill French, assistant superintendent for technology.

• Mike Ogas, assistant superintendent for special services.

• Judy Romero, assistant superintendent for curriculum.

“I appreciate the vote of confidence and look forward to another three years,” Burnett said Tuesday night. “This board has been so supportive. We will continue to provide the excellent programs we have developed over the last couple of years.”

Burnett’s current salary is $100,720, with Moffatt as No. 2 on the district’s salary schedule at $80, 312.

Moffatt said Burnett’s contract is a rare sight to see in New Mexico, in which a superintendents’ tenure is often short. “The continuation of his position is a credit to this board.”

Burnett has been superintendent of the Los Lunas Schools for the past four years. “In this state, the average life span for a superintendent is 18 months. He has already doubled the average life span of a superintendent,” Moffatt said. “Most school districts of this size pay more out there in the U.S.”

Moffatt will present the district’s budget to the school board at the April 2 meeting where he will also kick off a public hearing on redistricting. He says the final numbers for everyone’s salary won’t be decided until the state comes back with the final budget in June.

Bob Whorton, the new school board president, said he looks forward to the future. “What happened here tonight reflects our satisfaction with the administration in the district. I’m really appreciative of this school board. We’ve made a tremendous amount of progress in the last three or four years,” he said.