Stakeholders, trustees reflect on how to move forward
MARFA — The Marfa ISD School Board voted on Monday to remove Teresa Nuñez as president, replacing her with trustee Philip Boyd. All were in favor with the exception of Boyd, who abstained from the vote. Nuñez will remain on the board.
Nuñez was facing public pressure to resign from the board or to give up her role as its leader following the August arrest of her daughter Rebecca Ontiveros, a Marfa Elementary teacher — who has since resigned — facing accusations of an inappropriate relationship with a male high school student, a second-degree felony.
While some have stated that it is unfair for Nuñez to be punished for the actions of her daughter, others have urged the School Board to make a change in leadership for a variety of reasons not limited to Ontiveros’ arrest. The board also faces a new challenge in dealing with the Tuesday arrest of welding and music teacher Juan Martinez on charges of indecency with a child and improper relationship with a student.
Marfa Education Foundation (MEF) Executive Director Abby Boyd — Philip’s spouse — addressed trustees during the public comment portion of the Monday meeting, stating that while MEF is “deeply committed” to supporting the Marfa ISD community, “regular and transparent communication” must become the board’s priority. MEF is a nonprofit organization that helps augment the district’s programming; this year they are set to donate approximately $513,000 to MISD.
“We all share the same goal, a thriving school system where every student has the opportunity to succeed and teachers feel supported,” Abby said. “At the same time, as partners, it’s important to acknowledge the concerns of the community and offer some recommendations for a path forward.”
At issue is a lack of information sharing, Abby said; the district website is devoid of teacher and school board member contact information, among other requirements. School Board meeting dates, meeting agendas, updates on board progress and district job openings “should be shared widely,” including on social media, she said.
Personnel matters — including the “public perception” of a lack of certified teachers at the district and nepotism hires — are also of concern and need to be actively addressed, she said.
“There is a recurring concern from the community about the qualifications of our teachers. We recommend creating a clear pathway with deadlines for current and future educators to become certified,” Abby said. “Questions about hiring processes, practices, fairness and potential nepotism must be addressed openly.” (Interim Superintendent Arturo Alferez told The Big Bend Sentinel last week that all teacher candidates go through a hiring committee that then makes recommendations to the board.)
The overall state of the district and perception of how its leaders are handling serious, systemic issues — some of which plague other rural districts across the region and the state — was also brought up. “Building trust often begins with admitting our shortcomings,” Abby said. “We have a failed bond effort, dangerously low reserve funds, a poor report card from the state, declining enrollment and concerns from MEF’s donors about leadership. You need, the school board, to turn that narrative around by taking steps that rebuild trust.”
“Some of our funders have offered to fund consultants that come and help the school board make strides in addressing some of these concerns,” she added. “You don’t have to do this alone. MEF stands ready to support the district in moving forward.”
When reached for comment Tuesday morning, Nuñez said that she was “okay” with the board’s decision to remove her as president. “Being the board president — the title — doesn’t define me as a person, and I’m okay with moving forward,” she said.
But she affirmed that the board is making positive changes and “moving in the right direction,” on several of the issues Abby raised despite what some may think. Nuñez argued that the community is at fault for only showing up when there’s “drama in the school.” The past two board meetings have had unusually high attendance. She said people need to support Marfa’s student population by attending sporting events, plays and more.
“What needs to change is the community needs to come together and celebrate the kids’ achievements, the teachers’ achievements,” she said. “Come out and support the school in the good times, not just the bad times.”
“I wish the community would get more involved in the school process,” Nuñez said. “I really do.”
School Board elections have been canceled for the past four years due to too few candidates applying for the positions. The next election will not be until May 2026.
Nuñez said that while the School Board’s communication on personnel matters is somewhat stifled by their attorneys, trustees could improve on sharing other types of information.
Regarding teacher certifications, or lack thereof, she said that is a personnel matter — therefore often discussed in closed session — but both principals and Alferez work with teachers on plans to obtain their certifications.
She argued that a teacher’s success isn’t necessarily hindered by a lack of certification, and given how difficult it is to attract educators to Marfa — a rural outpost in short supply of affordable housing and high-paying jobs — MISD can’t really afford to be picky.
“We’re lucky to have these teachers, because if we didn’t have these non-certified teachers, we would be lost,” Nuñez said. “We wouldn’t have teachers to fill in those positions.”
Alferez, who has been the head of the district for two years now, is working towards obtaining his superintendent certification, Nuñez said. In the meantime, she said, she wishes the community would appreciate the effort he puts in versus focusing on his credentials.
“He does so much for our students,” she said. “He’s trying so hard — the hours that he puts in, day in and day out — to make sure our school and our students have what they need to succeed, but unfortunately the community only sees that he’s not certified.”
Nuñez said the district is trying to manage their finances responsibly by cutting extraneous expenses like travel when possible, shuffling staff around when there’s vacancies to save on salaries and paying off their loans early in order to start rebuilding their savings account. She said the district’s finances continue to be hamstrung due to annual recapture payments — funds the district sends to the state because it is considered to have “excess wealth” per student due to the combination of low enrollment and high property values.
Philip Boyd was chosen to lead the School Board, she said, in part because he is not an alumnus and does not have children in the district. “Philip, I have all the faith in him. I told him I would help him,” Nuñez said. “All the board members, we’re going to help each other to move forward on this.”
Still, she said the change is not a cure-all and continued to urge more public engagement moving forward. “The community was asking for change,” Nuñez said. “Just because we change presidents, is the bond gonna pass now? Is our financial situation gonna get better by changing a president? We’re such a small community. The community needs to change and get more involved.”
Philip Boyd — who serves professionally as the vice president of science and research at the Dixon Water Foundation — was appointed to the board in December of 2024. He told The Sentinel on Tuesday that while it’s been a “tough few weeks” for trustees, it was “important to hear that feedback” on school issues.
He said he agreed to lead the board into the future with the help of fellow trustees, all of whom offer important perspectives as alumni, current Marfa ISD parents, or both.
“We all agreed that we were there for public service, and we all agreed that we were there for the students and for the school,” he said.
“If [me becoming president] was the way for us to take steps forward through this, then I was willing to do that out of service and happy to do that because we do have a lot of work to do,” he added.
Before Ontiveros’ arrest and the issue of Nuñez’s role on the board took center stage, the School Board was in discussions about defining a new vision, mission and goals for the district, Philip said, components that provide a “framework” for governing and oversight that will eventually be made public.