Teacher moonlights as hunting guide

GALLUP (KRQE) - A Gallup High School teacher appears to be using sick days to moonlight as a hunting guide near Chama in possible violation of teacher’s union and school board policies.

"No, people are not supposed to do that," said Gallup-McKinley School District Superintendent Raymond Arsenault. "Personal days could be used, for example, as a hunting guide because he has the opportunity to do that. But sick days would be an abuse and would not be tolerated."

The teacher’s name is Jeff Taylor and he’s taught shop at the high school since 1989. His time cards show that during the past five years, he has taken sick leave for about a dozen days each school year.

And during those five years, he’s taken less than one day a year of vacation of time, according to the school district’s time card records. Last September, for example, he worked only half the month.

But, according to those time cards, Taylor’s sick leave almost always comes in the fall, and is nearly always on either side of a weekend.

As it turns out, Taylor has been getting paid by the Chama Land and Cattle Co., to guide hunters who pay big bucks to hunt on a 36,000-acre ranch in northern New Mexico. The ranch’s general told KRQE News 13 that Taylor has worked for him for about 10 years and generally guides two or three hunts a year that average five days each.

Tourists pay $1,000 a day to stay at the Chama Land and Cattle Co., lodge and hunt on ranch property.

While Taylor is away from the classroom, taxpayers get charged twice. First they pay for Taylor’s $50,000 a year salary. Then they pick up the tab for the district to hire a substitute teacher, which can cost the district up to $1,500 a school year for Taylor's two weeks of absences.

Joe Menini, the Gallup school board spokesman, said Taylor has been sick.

"I know he has cancer and had sick leave with that," he said.

And that may be. Still, the teacher’s union contract clearly states that "absences have a very negative impact on the students' instructional programs."

The district is now investigating to see if Taylor has documentation to back up his sick leave.

"If that occurred, that individual will reimburse the district because in difficult financial times we don't have the money for that," Arsenault said.

Taylor did not get back to us for a comment about the allegations.