Plus other Marfa ISD personnel updates
MARFA — The Marfa ISD School Board voted on Monday to renew an administrator contract for Arturo Alferez for the 2025-26 school year. Alferez has served as the interim superintendent since the summer of 2023.
The board also approved a temporary interim superintendent stipend agreement for Alferez. It was not immediately clear what that agreement entails. As of October 2024, Alferez was making $85,000 annually.
In March, following advice from legal council, the board moved to place Alferez on an administrator, rather than an interim superintendent, contract. His initial administrator contract was set to end in June 2025. At the time, School Board President Teresa Nuñez said Alferez — who has been pursuing superintendent certification since October 2023 — was testing in April and they were waiting on results to see how to move forward with his contract for next year. Alferez also told The Sentinel he planned to test in April.
When asked this week what Alferez’s test results were, Nuñez declined to be specific, citing personnel matters. “I was advised by our attorneys not to discuss that part,” Nuñez said.
She said Alferez is still a part of the Region 18 superintendent certification program, has completed necessary hours and coursework and has until October 2025 to earn his certification.
“We’re still in the testing process on my side,” Alferez said.
Larry Lee, a leadership consultant with Region 18 who often works with Marfa ISD, said individuals enrolled in their alternative certification program have two years to complete instruction and to test to earn their superintendent certification. He said the test can be taken at any time after course completion and the test can be taken up to three times to earn a passing score.
Lee said they typically start cohorts in October. The program is hybrid, with 16 in-person days and additional online instruction. The two ways to get into the program include already having a principal certification or getting a waiver from the Texas Education Agency. Alferez received the waiver.
The board discussed another TEA waiver on Monday, one superintendents in training can apply for and receive that allows them a three-year temporary certification. Lee said the temporary certification allows trainees time to finish their requirements and sometimes educators pursue that route while they are going through the Region 18 program. But the move will require board support.
Alferez said the board “chose not to make that move until they deem it necessary to make that move.”
On Monday, the board also accepted the resignation of teachers Priscilla Serrano, Stacey Tucker and Oswaldo Luna, effective at the end of this school year. Serrano was an elementary school teacher and coached volleyball; Tucker was an elementary school teacher and Luna was a high school teacher and junior high sports coach.
The three teacher vacancies follow the resignations of counselor/student success coordinator David Natividad and Junior High and High School Principal Candy Dominguez earlier this year.
Alferez said Marfa ISD is hoping to attract new staff members and have posted all available positions on their website. He said in some cases it may be possible to move existing staff around if new teachers are not hired. He said so far there have been no applicants for the junior high and high school principal role.