An email I received gives me an opportunity to clarify some things.  The email starts out:  "What do you have against Carl Montoya?"  Nothing, really.  Observing him Tuesday night at the board meeting, he seemed thoughtful, attentive, not combative.  He took written notes when offered suggestions.  He reminds me of that able second banana that many corporate CEOs seem to have, you know the ones that carry a notepad with them at all times to jot down the boss's instructions and suggestions.  They learn to write in tiny font so as to get as much information on a small page as possible.  Then, they follow through.  Carl strikes me as that sort of guy.  But, I do not want him as superintendent.
     I learned all I need to know about Carl Montoya as superintendent in his first few hours on the job when he suspended the Chief Financial Officer, Tony Fuller, before drinking his first cup of coffee.  A thoughtful, careful, discerning leader just assuming oversight does not make a huge personnel decision in his first hours of taking office.  He owes his constituents, his staff and his peers more than that.  Initially he probes, he questions, he carefully evaluates the needs  of the district.  He comes up with an evaluation, his evaluation, not someone elses.  Even if he decides a change is needed, he still waits until he has carefully evaluated a replacement.   Only then does he act.
     By making two important personnel moves in the first 48 hours of his new position, Montoya proved that he was not his own man.  He was simply following orders.  Perhaps, that is why even before the last board meeting Presas-Garcia declared Montoya a good "fit" for the job.  That's exactly what Montoya is.  He fits perfectly into the plans of those who want to control the district.  Do you really think that a district with a $500,000,000 annual budget does not deserve a careful nationwide or even statewide search for a superintendent.  The board majority does not.  They already have a "fit".