San Juan School Board names new member after 19-year veteran steps down

by David Boyle
News Director
Members of the San Juan School board appointed a new board member, approved a salary increase for staff and an appraisal of the old Blanding Elementary building at their latest meeting.
Members of the San Juan School board approved Donald Mose III to be the new board member representing District Five at the May 14 meeting. 
The appointment came after interviews with two applicants for the position, including Mose and Terry Whitehat. Mose will represent the district that included Navajo Mountain, Oljato, Monument Valley and large portions of western San Juan County stretching to the Blanding area. 
Board members and administrators thanked the applicants for a willingness to serve on the school board. Mose will replace outgoing board member Nelson Yellowman, who served on the board for 19 years and is the currently longest-tenured board member.
Yellowman said he is resigning from the school board in part because he retired from his job several years ago but is unable to start drawing on state retirement until he completes his school board service.
Yellowman served as the board president from 2009 to 2013. While on the board in 2009, the district approved design and construction of a new elementary school in Monument Valley, as well as new elementary schools in Monticello, Bluff and Blanding in process as well as the Montezuma Creek elementary gym and navigating through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yellowman was also part of the first Native American majority school board in district history after the election in 2024.
Speaking briefly at the meeting Yellowman offered thanks. “I just want to say thank you to the stakeholders, the parents, the students of this county. I enjoyed serving our students and working with the staff.
“I did my best. Gave it many years. I am kind of tired. So I wish the best of luck to the school district and the students. Thank you again.”
In a conversation with the San Juan Record last month, Yellowman said he enjoyed his years of service on the board, “including funding, capital projects, instructional development, and - worst all all - the pandemic. We had to paddle through the rough waters on that one.”
Yellowman’s resignation will take effect on May 31, with the appointment of Mose to begin June 1 and last through December 2026. An election is scheduled for the board seat in November 2026.
At the meeting, members of the school board also approved an employee compensation increase for the upcoming school year.
Recommendations included increasing the educator salary adjustment by $1,446 and a 5.25 percent base salary increase for all employees. The activity salary schedule for coaches and advisors had a proposed 10 percent increase, as well as separating athletic directors in their own category.
The administrative salary schedules removed the business administrator from the salary schedule to allow the district to negotiate while hiring a new business administrator. Additionally an increase in range for assistant superintendents was part of the proposal.
Members of the school board also moved forward with plans to address the question of the old Blanding Elementary School.
Business Administrator Tyrel Pemberton said the new Blanding Elementary School is ahead of schedule, with exterior work nearly complete and interior work progressing.
The district still has a decision to make for the current Blanding Elementary School. If the new build timeline holds, the 2025-26 school year will be the last for the old building.
In a previous meeting, members of the board asked for additional information including a rough estimate on the cost to demolish the old building, as well as the cost of an appraisal of the building.
A general estimate put potential demolition costs at $800,000, while an appraisal is estimated to cost about $3,000. With more information in hand, members of the board authorized the business administrator to proceed with an appraisal of the current Blanding Elementary building.
Pemberton shared an update on other capital projects which have been delayed. The secure entryway projects at Montezuma Creek Elementary and San Juan High have been delayed as the initial bid process yielded a single response.
The district plans to cancel and rebid to ensure competition. The Montezuma Creek project will likely be pushed to 2026, while the district is holding out hope the San Juan High project could start possibly late summer 2025.
Members of the board also received a report about a drastic cut in funding for Johnson-O’Malley (JOM) program funding. District Heritage Language Director Brenda Whitehorse reports a 92 percent reduction in funding throughout the Navajo Nation.
The program helps fund educational support for Indigenous students, including supporting cultural, language and regular academic learning opportunities. Whitehorse asked the board to support a letter advocating for additional funding be sent to the Navajo Utah Commission, as well as Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren.
Board member Yellowman asked where the cuts were coming from. Whitehorse sharing her understanding that the funds are being cut to not only public schools but also schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A decrease in BIA funds may reflect a decrease in commitment from the federal government, which Yellowman added was an issue.
“Well, if that’s the case, it seems to me like the US government is contradicting our treaty rights by discontinuing federal funds for education.”
Members of the board approved drafting a letter in support of maintaining Johnson O’Malley funds.
Members of the board also performed a review of the preliminary budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 with final approval to come before the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year.
During presentation staff noted a decrease in average daily membership across the district and added the certified tax rate will be adopted to maintain consistent revenue in the district.
Federal revenue is expected to decrease due to the ending of ACE grant funding, a reduction in JOM funds and the expiration of ESSER funds, related to a federal aid package passed during the pandemic.
Among the budget proposal includes spending building reserve funds to complete the Blanding Elementary project and proposing an increase in funds by about $100,000 for bubble teachers, which is aimed at providing flexibility in staffing at schools to deal with fluctuating enrollment numbers and keep critical programs operating in the district.
Members of the school board also adopted an updated paid postpartum and parental leave policy required by the Utah state legislature.
The updated policy provides three weeks of leave for eligible employees who give birth or adopt a child.