Flores taking Kingman post

Tuesday, May 3, 2005 | 10:52 a.m.

Maurice Flores, superintendent of the Clark County School District's east region, said he will take the helm of Kingman Unified School District in Arizona this summer.

Flores is set to retire in August after 33 years with Clark County schools. The east region has the district's highest percentage of Hispanic students, with a total enrollment of about 60,000.

Located in northwestern Arizona, the Kingman school district is only a fraction of the east region's size, with 7,307 students and 10 campuses.

"I think I'm going to make a big difference," said Flores, 60. "With a smaller school district, you can see results much more quickly.

Flores said he's also looking forward to overseeing 26 administrators, 408 teachers and 478 support personnel.

"Clark County is growing so fast and there's so much turnover that's it's sometimes difficult to get a handle on who your people are," Flores said. "The teachers are the most important people in the schools and at this (Kingman's) size you can really have a personal touch."

Flores, who earns $115,236 annually as the east region superintendent, said he hasn't yet negotiated his salary with Kingman officials.

Nestled between the Cerbat and Hualapai mountain ranges, Kingman is about 75 miles from Flores' Boulder City home. His daughter and grandchildren also live in Boulder City, so the Kingman job will not prevent Flores from visiting them regularly, he said.

Flores said he believes he is leaving the east region in "excellent shape." The district is currently searching for his replacement.

At Thursday's School Board meeting, a group of about 15 Hispanic parents expressed disappointment with Flores' management of the east region and also singled out Clark County Schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia and Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Agustin Orci for criticism.

Flores said he was disappointed that none of the parents who showed up at the meeting had ever attempted to speak with him personally or visited the east region office.

"We can't solve a problem if we don't know about it," Flores said.

Roger Short of the Arizona School Boards Association, which coordinated Kingman's search for a new superintendent, said 14 applicants were considered. The retiring superintendent, Mike Ford, earns $111,000 annually, Short said.