An angry group of citizens addressed the Re-1 School Board on Tuesday after school board president Steve Hinton refused to hear more than one speaker on behalf of a teacher and coach who was not re-hired this year.

The school board had voted on May 16 to not renew the contract of Montezuma-Cortez High School teacher and girls basketball coach Phil Baca for the 2000-01 school year. Several members of the community were in attendance at Tuesday’s school board meeting to protest that decision.

After staff and board reports were heard, community members were allowed to address the board. After a short introduction of Baca by Tim Lanier, Hinton asked the audience if the supporters of Mr. Baca all wanted to communicate the same general idea.

"If everyone has the same message, it is not worthwhile to hear redundance," Hinton said. He agreed to hear Baca speak on his own behalf, but said that he would not hear anyone else.

Baca began his presentation by asking that the board be objective.

"I ask that the board be open minded, as Mr. Hinton has assured me it will be," he said.

Baca spoke to the board for about ten minutes, during which he stated three main reasons why he thought the board’s decision not to renew his contract was unjust. Baca explained that he is a good classroom teacher and basketball coach and that the board’s decision to "terminate his employment adversely affects (his) opportunity to earn a livelihood." The former teacher and coach also said that he had good teaching and coaching evaluations from his supervisors. Baca supported his case with letters and comments from his colleagues and students.

During the May 16 Re-1 board meeting, at which Baca’s contract was not renewed, five female athletes, who wished to remain nameless, stood before the board to speak against Phil Baca. Hinton only allowed one student to speak at that meeting, after asking if all the girls shared the same view of the situation.

When Baca finished his explanation, Hinton encouraged other citizens who wanted to address the board "on any other issue" to do so.

Gary Tanner attempted to advance on the podium to represent Baca, at which point Hinton said that he was not going to hear any more discussion on the issue.

"I’m not going to allow it, Mr. Tanner. I’m not going to allow it," Hinton said. "The board has already taken action on this issue. I’ve listened. The board has listened. I’m sure that (the school board members) are asking questions in their own minds. They can contact Mr. Thompson or myself to bring it up as an action item at the next meeting."

Several members of the approximately 40 member audience demanded that Tanner be heard and asked questions about the appropriate procedure of the board.

"I have a question of procedure," said Reva Rowley. "(Hinton) said that he was going to be open-minded, and then he contradicted himself. He only said he wouldn’t hear redundancy."

When asked if Hinton had the legal right to hear only one person on a particular issue, Bill Thompson, Re-1 Superintendent said, "It has been the approach of this board, and other boards that I’ve worked with, to ask for a spokesman from the group. It’s not an uncommon practice."

Hinton said in a phone interview Wednesday that he had been very clear that he would not hear from everyone at the meeting regarding the Phil Baca issue.

"I talked to quite a few of them before the meeting. They were welcome to be at the meeting, but as we’ve experienced in a large group, what is said by one means more than a whole lot of redundance (would mean)," he said. "People say the same things after one or two speak. I told them at the start that I would hear one person and Mr. Baca. We listened to quite a few people anyway, through their letters."