MARFA — Marfa ISD Elementary Principal Amy White tendered her resignation to Interim Superintendent Arturo Alferez this week after 15 years with the school district. White served as a teacher and coach before becoming the elementary principal eight years ago.
The school board formally accepted White’s resignation at a meeting on Monday. White will remain in the area, having accepted the position of high school counselor at Alpine ISD. She told The Big Bend Sentinel it was an extremely difficult decision but one she made to advance her career. “It’s been a tough decision, but I feel like this is an opportunity I can’t pass up,” White said. “Roles in this area don’t open up very often.”
Alferez said he was “shocked” to receive White’s resignation, but he is thankful for the role she played in bringing him to Marfa ISD years ago, and he supports her decision to move on. “I am happy for her,” Alferez said. “I told her that I would support her in any way, whether she’s here with us or in another school district.”
School Board President Teresa Nuñez said White’s resignation is a loss for the district. “I hate to see her leave, she’s been part of our school community for a very long time with the coaching and teaching, and then she went into this leadership role,” Nuñez said. “It’s a bittersweet moment.”
With White gone, the district will need to find a replacement for not only the elementary principal position, but also the high school principal position, which has remained vacant since the resignation of Luane Porter last summer.
Nuñez said the district has received three applicants for the high school principal position, and it is possible one of those applicants could be recruited for the elementary principal position. Alferez said the district hopes to hire a new high school principal within the next month and will post the elementary principal job soon.
White, who will remain with the district until late June, was emotional while reflecting on her long tenure with Marfa ISD. She said she’s had the meaningful experience of witnessing generations of students make their way through the local schools. Her ex-students have returned to work for the district as adults, and she’s taught the children of her previous students. “It’s like leaving a family, not a job,” White said. “That’s what makes it so hard.”
She said she will greatly miss the elementary school faculty and what they have built as a team. “It’s tough to leave my teachers,” White said. “Our building is a great place. We’ve worked together to make a safe place for our kids, a great learning environment.”
White said moving forward she is eager to expand her skills by becoming a counselor and by working under Alpine ISD Superintendent Michelle Rinehart, whom she admires as a leader. “I want to learn from such a great superintendent,” White said. “I think learning from her, for my future, can only be beneficial.”
Other MISD personnel news
The school board also accepted the resignation of elementary teacher and head football coach Edgar Ramirez on Monday. Ramirez has been with the district for six years and is moving back to his hometown of Presidio for a new job in health services.
This year, under Coach Ramirez’s leadership, the Shorthorns experienced a winning football season for the first time since 2017 and earned a bi-district basketball championship for the first time since 2012. He also rejuvenated the cross-country and track programs, resulting in several state medals and qualifiers.
Athletic Director Linda Ojeda said Ramirez “cared tremendously for the young athletes he mentored and molded into strong competitors” and helped set the precedent for a successful athletic program moving forward. “I’m proud of what Coach Ramirez has accomplished here as a Marfa ISD coach, as a member of our staff, but I am more proud of what he is doing now to benefit his family and hometown community,” Ojeda said.
The school board was also set to discuss the evaluation and contract of Interim Superintendent Arturo Alferez on Monday. Nuñez said the board voted to table the item until their June 3 meeting. Alferez — who did not have a principal or superintendent certification when he was hired by the district around a year ago — has been attending courses with the Region 18 Education Service Center to receive his superintendent certification from the state.
Alferez will have to complete the course, which he said ends in July, and pass a test before receiving his official certification.
Marfa Police Department officer Arturo Alferez Jr., who has been splitting his time patrolling Marfa’s streets and serving as the school resource officer along with officer Ian Martinez, is leaving his role to pursue other career opportunities. The school district and Marfa P.D. partnered to hire a school resource officer — now a state requirement for every public school campus — in the summer of 2022 and are subsidizing the role with grant funds. In a recent city council meeting, Marfa Police Chief Gilberto Carrillo said he is working to recruit new officers to fill the department’s vacancies.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Officer Ian Martinez is leaving the Marfa Police Department. Lieutenant Nichole Fuentes clarified that Officer Martinez has expressed interest in eventually pursuing a career with the Department of Public Safety, but has not formally resigned from Marfa P.D. Fuentes said the department is actively seeking a full-time School Resource Officer for next year in order to utilize Officer Martinez on patrol.