Steven Baca hearing delayed to give public more notice

The hearing for the former Ortiz Middle School principal J. Steven Baca was delayed in order to give the public more notice to attend. Baca’s attorney, Kate Ferlic, said he wanted the public hearing “because he feels like the community needs to know that the actions taken against him were wrong.”

Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Joel Boyd placed Steven Baca on administrative leave two weeks after Baca received the second highest score, a “highly effective” on his evaluation. Baca and Ferlic firmly believe he was placed on leave after Baca “raised concerns about the legality of the district’s principal evaluation system.”