my report on the board meeting

It was an odd meeting; there were a lot of people there because they were worked up about gradegate. An equal or greater number were there to pay their respects for young APS graduates who have lost their lives in service to their country.

Two powerful and unrelated emotions awkwardly sharing a space.

The public forum was powerful, really powerful.

Those who were not there, missed a number of eloquent and powerful speakers.

Those who will watch the board meeting on TV will miss them as well. Paula Maes doesn't want the cameras rolling when constituents "get in her face".
and they did.

The public forum is a unique opportunity for citizens to petition their government face to face. That which happens at public forum is the stuff of public records. An incontrovertible videotape record of the public forum is obligatory.

If there were a videotape you could see how the board behaves during the public forum.

Marty Esquivel arrived after the public forum; due to circumstances beyond his control.

Robert Lucero never once looked up from his "paper work" except to get up and walk over to chat with Paula Maes on and off the dais. Five times he left the dais, three times he left the room entirely. If a person were trying their hardest to be rude; they could do no better than this. Paula Maes rarely looks up. Gordon Rowe is paying more attention. Others come and go.

On the whole it is pretty disgraceful, and speaks to the fundamental disrespect that some of these people, mainly Maes and Lucero, have for the great unwashed.

The "fireworks" began when it was time for open comments from board members.

During comments, Beth Everitt released her latest version of the investigation of the gradegate. I will wait until I read hard copy of the parameters before I discuss it. On its face, it sounded reasonable. Albeit it would require the presupposition that there exists a public servant who can conduct an impartial investigation of the APS; and I will concede that premise; begrudgingly.

The awkwardness crept into the business, when board members Gordon Rowe and Marty Esquivel had to preface their controversial demands for impartial audits of the leadership of the APS; with an appropriate display of respect for the other business of the evening, the acknowledgement of price of freedom in terms of fallen APS graduates.

Marty Esquivel can speak for himself, and I have no record; but it is my recollection that he said that he was willing to take a look at Everitt's proposal for the investigation; but if it didn't meet the sniff test; he would continue to insist on an independent and impartial audit. Independent even of the NMPED; whose Secretary is on the record in defense of Beth Everitt based solely on Everitt's version of events.

Mr. Esquivel proposed that the Council of Great City Schools, or some other qualified agency, do an impartial audit of the entire administration of the APS; including the board itself.

The real opposition to such an audit, beside Everitt's, will come from Maes and Modral who really, really need to keep the public records of the relationship between APS and Modral, from public knowledge.

Joining them will be Robert Lucero. He announced that he is willing to forgive Everitt her past sins and judge her on how she behaves from now on.

Robert Lucero's nose is so far up Beth's tiny hiney
that if she doesn't start skipping every now and then,
he can't breathe.

So far the teams in the school board battle between good and evil are matched.

Marty Esquivel and Gordon Rowe will stand for transparent accountability in the administration of the public schools, and,

Paula Maes/Modral, and Robert Lucero, will stand for the continued covert, sometimes illegal, but always unethical evasion of accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct, even the law.

Rooting for team evil, will be every board member and administrator in the APS who has a record of corruption and or incompetence, that will be exposed by a cleansing audit;

...and no one else.



yet to pick a side in the battle between good and evil;

Mary Lee Martin, Berna Facio, and Delores Griego,

the Journal, and the Trib.