Apparently, Mayor Marty Chavez is Corrupt.

Were he not; he would defend his apparently corrupt conduct.

If the subject of an APS Administrative Accountability Audit were publicly discussed; there would either be an audit; or the reason(s) not to conduct an audit would prevail after full and honest discourse.

There is no ethical reason not to conduct an audit. For more than a year, I have been demanding an honest and impartial accountability audit of the leadership of the APS. For as long a time, I have invited anyone, including Marty Chavez, to come up with even one good and ethical reason not to conduct the audit.

None has been broached; not one.

There is no good and ethical reason not to conduct an audit. The only argument at all would be the cost; but if it cost a million dollars; it would still be a bargain.

The only reason not to begin the audit, is to protect the incompetent and corrupt whose careers would end with the audit. There is no other reason.

Marty Chavez has a moral obligation to speak out on the audit. He acquired that obligation with his repeated and public attacks on the lack of accountability in the leadership of the APS. When it came time to put up or shut up; he crawled under a rock and has been hiding there ever since.

I suspect that his own administration, if audited, would come up far short. An audit of the administration of city government would likely reveal the same level of corruption and incompetence that permeates the leadership of the APS. It is the natural consequence of the lack of accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence, for public servants.

He would not be successful in keeping the subject, of accountability audits of public service, out of the public discourse of elections without the help of the media. If the Journal and the Trib, and KOB, KOAT, and KRQE were not in cahoots (questionable collaboration; secret partnership) with corrupt public servants; this subject would not have been kept deliberately secret though the last three elections.

Even as a bonafide candidate for the school board; I was not permitted to argue for an audit in either the Journal or the Trib. Despite their editorials encouraging voters to participate in the board elections, neither paper can produce a record of having covered a single relevant issue in the election.

This community is being betrayed by corrupt and incompetent public servants and by the media who enables their corruption and incompetence. If it were not true; someone would argue otherwise. They don't of course, because they cannot. There is no argument that can withstand any scrutiny at all.

Instead, they all just stonewall;
a coward's defense of an indefensible position.

Why will no one stand up?

Scandal after scandal wracks the leadership of the APS.

They are not isolated and unrelated incidents. They are the direct result of a culture that enables corrupt and incompetent people to assume positions of power and influence; people who will not provide the accountability necessary to expose and eliminate the corrupt and the incompetent.

The obvious cure is to have someone come in from the outside and audit accountability in the leadership of the APS; identify the processes that allow corrupt and incompetent administrators and board members to remain unidentified, and the problem to remain un-addressed.

Board member Marty Esquivel has laid the issue of an impartial accountability audit on the table. And there it sits. And there it will sit, until the audit is done or until
Mr Esquivel no longer sits on the school board.

There are obviously enough members of the leadership of the APS who are either corrupt or incompetent; or who are willing to tolerate corruption and incompetence, that it will be all but impossibly difficult to actually begin such an audit.

There are people of power and influence who are not corrupt, not incompetent, and who are not willing to tolerate corruption and incompetence. Aren't there?

Yet where are they; and why won't they stand up to be counted on the issue of the audit?

Where are the newspapers? Why won't they tell their readers about the controversy over the audit? Have Bill Slakey of the Trib, and Charlie Moore of the Journal, thrown in with the corrupt and the incompetent? Are they deliberately protecting them? Are they cowards; afraid to stand up and confront evil face to face?

Where is KOB TV? and KOAT TV? and KRQE TV?

Where is Mayor Marty Chavez? Is he silent on the issue of an audit because he wants to protect friends in the leadership of the APS, powerful friends who will lose their jobs after an honest audit? Is he afraid that his administration will be the next to be audited?

He has been a vocal critic on the subject of the lack of accountability in the leadership of the APS. He has proposed taking over (at least part of) the school board in order to instill some measure of accountability. Yet when the solution is staring him in the face; he is like a deer in the headlights, unable to move. Is he a coward; is he corrupt? Why won't he speak up?

Where is Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce President Terri Coles who has been as vocal a critic as the Mayor? Yet there she sits saying nothing; doing nothing to bring public attention to the subject of an audit.

Where are the City Councilors? They know about the audit. They too, have been asked to raise public awareness. They too, will do nothing.

The Character Counts Leadership Council knows that the leadership of the APS has betrayed the fundamental precepts of Character Counts by renouncing it as their own standard of conduct; yet they will do nothing. They are supposedly community leaders; but when it comes down to standing up; they are nowhere to be seen.

No other member of the school board will stand up in favor of an audit; Not Delores Griego, not Mary Lee Martin, not even Gordy Rowe; and especially not Facio, Maes, or Lucero. Yet if you asked their constituents, they would support an audit overwhelmingly.

One man, one public figure, one political leader, is standing alone. Mr Marty Esquivel is it. No one has the courage or the the conviction to stand beside him in calling for an immediate impartial audit of the leadership of the APS.

And as surely as night follows day; he will be quietly handed his ass by a bunch of corrupt and incompetent administrators and board members who don't want the record of their public service illuminated by an audit.

And it will all be watched by Slakey, Moore, Chavez, Coles, City Councilors, and every other influential Albuquerquean who is either too corrupt, or too cowardly to stand beside him.


Shame on them all.

Bouquets and Brickbats

A bouquet to Monica Armenta. According the APS website;

Armenta is among six distinguished alumni to be honored with the Zia Award recognizing their contributions in one, or many, of the areas in philanthropic endeavors, public office, service to UNM, community and volunteer activities, business/professional fields, or who have made a contribution to education.

A brickbat to the UNM Alumni Association
for honoring someone who makes their living
hiding the truth from the community.


I should join the association
just so I could quit in protest.

Monica Armenta has some "esplainin" to do

Why was Bill Moffatt's paid administrative leave kept secret from stakeholders?

Not that Armenta actually does any "esplainin"
she's more of a spinner, than an explainer.

The direct result of a difference of opinion
about what the word "communication" means.

Journal story reveals new info on latest scandal

The Journal (sub req) followed up on the Trib's expose of the scandal in APS' accounting dept. and added new information.

A letter from APS provided by Boothe's attorney said the leave was "pending an investigation of concerns based on your behavior and the manner in which you have conducted yourself which has caused a loss of trust and confidence in your ability to perform your duties."
It added that the district had "concerns regarding your ability to work productively with co-workers."

The Journal also offered that Moffatt's resignation had to do with the complaint filed against him, a fact that the APS Communications Dept had so far neglected to communicate.

After Boothe complained of the alleged harassment to Savage in June, Moffatt announced he would resign Sept. 1.

The real bombshell; APS didn't communicate to stakeholders that Moffatt had been put on administrative leave

But he was put on paid leave Aug. 1 pending an investigation of employee misconduct, and he retired on Aug. 31, district spokesman Rigo Chavez said.

A senior, and highly paid, APS administrator was put on paid leave as a result of allegations of misconduct and APS', also highly paid, communications department decided not to tell the community about it. How many other senior administrators are on paid leave as a result of allegations of corruption and/or incompetence?

The Journal article repeated the Trib's report of retaliation against the whistle blower.

Boothe alleges that Savage told her not to contact police about the alleged harassment. She claims that after she complained to Savage, officials retaliated by stripping her of responsibilities.

In a new twist on things, a discrepancy between stories comes up. The Trib reported that Boothe was put on leave 90 minutes after blowing the whistle on Moffat and Savage to the board. The Journal reports that the whistle blower was put on leave before reporting to the board.

Two APS board members said they were suspicious of the allegations in the lawsuit, saying Boothe e-mailed the school board about her allegations of misspending a day after she was placed on leave.

The opinion that I respect most, comes from board member Marty Esquivel;

"I'm not shy when it comes to calling the administration on mistakes," said board member Marty Esquivel. "This one raises a lot of questions about the integrity of the claims."

I would like to write now; more information to follow;
but I can't.

The likelihood is that very little information will follow.
How much do we know about what happened
in the leadership of the APS PD, nine months after
it's senior administrator was put on paid leave
for six months before he was canned?

So Why was Boothe placed on administrative leave?

According to the Trib; within 90 minutes of blowing the whistle on Bill Moffatt and Tom Savage; Lou Anne Boothe was placed on administrative leave.

Why? And by whose order?

According to APS Communications Director Rigo Chavez; Boothe was not placed on leave for alleged employee misconduct, and her suspension "has nothing to do with finances related to expenditures within the district." However, a personnel investigation has been started, he said.

So for no apparent reason, the whistle blower is separated from all of the records she would need to substantiate her claims against senior APS administrators. She is also made to look guilty in front of her peers. She was given thirty minutes to clear out.

When I was hustled out of my classroom for whistle blowing, the principal Wayne Knight came into my class room with APS Police Officers five minutes before my class of six graders would have been dismissed; and made it appear to them that I was being arrested; starting all kinds of groundless rumors from which, one does not fully recover.

By the time I got back into my classroom, after the kangaroo court had fired me; all of the evidence of incompetence and corruption that I had collected against Knight, was missing.

Whistle blowers are not treated very well at all
by the leadership of the APS;


deliberately, methodically, routinely.

Wouldn't want to be Charlie Moore

The wheels are coming off the APS train.

Sooner or later Moore and the Journal are going to have to write about the wreck.

Sooner or later he is going to have to write the words;
full scale forensic audit in the same sentence as the words; the leadership of the APS.

And then he is going to have to write about how he has known about this wreck in the making, for a couple of years and through at least three elections; and didn't tell voters.


Either that, or he will just leave out that last part.

"Savage told her not to tell APS police and not to seek an internal audit," according to the lawsuit filed against the district.

Another calamity in the leadership of the APS. Another department under the supervision of Tom Savage, in chaos.

You will remember that when the shit hit the fan over the corruption in the leadership of the APS Police Department, one of the first things Savage did was order employees to keep their mouths shut.

Now here is another scandal, and the whistle blower says Savage told her to keep her mouth shut. Is there a pattern of misconduct? How many scandals must there be before the community outrage is awakened?

Robert Lucero, of course, has offered his two cents worth;"This is not a Gil situation," board member Robert Lucero said of the accounting department. "I'm not worried about it, yet. I know the district is working on it, and we'll get some answers pretty quickly."

You will remember that the first thing Lucero did when the scandal in the APS PD became public, was to get on TV and proclaim that Gil Lovato was innocent and only the victim of lies made up by a "disgruntled former employee". It turned out of course that Lucero was talking out of his ass. He has never retracted his slander against the former employee who blew the whistle on Gil Lovato. That lie is still on Lucero's record.

And another APS whistle blower bites the benouche.

I hope someone starts paying attention to the APS ethics and accountability scandal before we run out of whistle blowers altogether.

How many scandals must unfold before Journal editor Charlie Moore thinks that the story has unfolded enough to assign a reporter to investigate and report upon the APS ethics and accountability scandal? The longer the Journal refuses to print the truth; the more obvious it is that they are deliberately hiding the truth from the community.

Read this article in the Tribune.
Demand an immediate and impartial full scale forensic audit of the leadership of the APS.


Before its too late.

APS Charges Fives Times As Much For Public Records

The Inspection of Public Records Act allows public entities to charge for the actual cost of xeroxing public records; not including labor.

APS charges five times as much as the city.

There is no ethical justification for charging many times what a copy actually costs; except to discourage people from asking for copies of public records.

Rigo Chavez when asked, declined to explain why APS copies cost fifty cents a page, or whose decision it was to charge that much.

He is the Director of "Communications" for the APS.

What does Monica Armenta do all day?

Who exactly, is she Executive Directorially Communicating with for a hundred four, five a year?

If she was any good at it, wouldn't we know?


Is her public service incompetent as well as corrupt?

If I were to tell you

that APS/Modrall paid me cash (read, unwitting taxpayer support of "education") in exchange for my agreement not to forward incontrovertible evidence of felony perjury by a senior APS administrator to the authorities:

would you believe me?

would it make any difference?


It was a bad thing; ....right?
... buying immunity from prosecution for felony criminal misconduct by a senior APS administrator, with public resources?

It would be exposed by an honest audit of APS/Modrall.

Lawyer Jokes

Consider the following:

Q. Why don't snakes bite lawyers?
A. As a matter of professional courtesy.

To the extent that that joke is funny, or even makes sense, it is because a prejudice exists regarding the kind of people who become lawyers, and the manner in which they practice law.

The prejudice does an obvious disservice to lawyers who are men and women of character, honor, and manifest courage. Lawyers like Marty Esquivel.

My experience with Modrall lawyers; Jennifer Noya, Alex Walker, George McFall and Maxmilliano Madrid, lead me to believe that they are exactly the kind of lawyers who give lawyers a bad name.

Madrid, in particular, is the most contemptible person and lawyer that I have ever had the misfortune to encounter.

That the APS is represented by lawyers of this ilk,
says something about the leadership of the APS.

A woman visiting her doctor, asks;
Doctor can I get pregnant from anal sex?
The doctor replies; Why of course you can dear,
where do you think lawyers come from?


...lawyers, at least in my opinion, like Max Madrid.

Update 3/12/10; my opinion of Marty Esquivel has diminished
considerably since I wrote this post; he now joins those lawyers
who give lawyers a bad name.

KRQE Poll, Is Student Safety APS' Number One Priority?

The results would indicate that the community says, no.

The number one priority is continuing to provide administrators and board members protection from accountability for their corruption and incompetence.

Everything else is secondary.

Robert Ashley was good

We are beginning to see how really good Ashley was at molesting children without their knowledge and at splitting town when he got caught.

He is most certainly not the only pedophile in the APS.

If we are going to catch people like Ashley before they hurt our children, we need to make sure that those that are charged with that responsibility are up to the task.

According to a Council of the Great City Schools audit, administrators are evaluated by a system that is subjective and unrelated to promotion or step placement. And that is how you end up with principals who hand evidence of pedophilia back to the pedophile.

An honest administrative accountability audit will identify incompetent administrators and the practices that enable them to achieve and maintain positions of power and influence.

For the sake of students, if for no other reason, we need to fix the system.

Is Modrall Corrupt?

duh!

check out the comment on Whose Fault Is It?

Monica Armenta's Public Service, Is It Corrupt?

Monica Armenta's public service is a public resource;
and as such, must serve the public interest.

Monica Armenta's public service does not include telling the truth about the public interests, in the public schools. Ipso facto, her public service is against the public interests.

It is categorically against the public interest, to deny the public, answers to legitimate questions about their interests in the public schools.

When public resources are used against the public interest;
it can only be for one or both of two reasons;
incompetence and/or corruption.

Monica Armenta's public service does not include scheduling a town hall meeting where she will answer legitimate questions about the public interests; honestly, candidly, and forthrightly. Which is against public interests, and is therefore corrupt or incompetent.

Unless one believes that Monica Armenta, in her capacity as a public servant, is simply unable to schedule such a meeting, and therefore incompetent;

One has to accept that the reason, that there will never be a town hall meeting, is corrupt.

If Monica Armenta's public service is beyond her control;
if she is "only following orders";



... her public service is no less corrupt.



Armenta has been offered an opportunity to refute or rebut this post.

Whose fault is it?

Susie Gran and Andrea Schoellkopf, education reporters for the Trib and Journal, write articles which skirt the issue of the lack of accountability in the leadership of the APS. They have never mentioned the ethics and accountability scandal that wracks the APS.

It would not be in either of their interests to ignore a story which will be a bombshell when it is finally investigated and reported upon. Nor is it in their interests to ignore the requirements of whatever code of journalistic ethics that binds them.

The next step up the food chain would be their editors, Bill Slakey and Charlie Moore. In fairness, they both dance under strings pulled by someone even further up the food chain.

But both have offered lame excuses for refusing to expose the ethics and accountability scandal;
and neither will deny it's existence.

So until either or them stops stonewalling the issue,
the blame rests appropriately on them,
if for no other reason than that they are covering for
the real culprits in the ongoing cover up.


Not that, that makes any difference to either of them.

Note: the Journal continues to deny my access to the public by refusing to include my blog in the list of "who's blogging"; which I consider cowardly at best;
corrupt at worst.

Accountability audit still a secret, in the Journal.

There were two articles in the Journal this morning
about the school board meeting last night.

Neither article mentioned the fact that the board passed a motion that created a committee to determine the form and function of the upcoming administrative accountability audit.

The audit is still languishing in a publicity vacuum.

You have to wonder, why?

What does Journal editor Charlie Moore have to gain by refusing to inform stakeholders about an audit that has the potential to eliminate forever, corruption and incompetence in the leadership of the APS; and ultimately in public service in general?

I struggle with this question a lot. I can think of no reason, other than the fact that there are politically powerful people in this community who don't like the idea of impartial audits of the conduct and competence of public servants.

Audits would clearly benefit taxpayers and stakeholders. There is nothing but an upside to identifying corrupt and incompetent public servants, and the practices that enable them.

Only the corrupt and incompetent have anything to fear from an audit.

So why is Charlie Moore protecting them?

Why is he stonewalling the question?


There is no "good" reason; no good reason at all.

Everitt checking out early?

In a Journal article (sub req), it was revealed that Everitt's no show, at the contentious board meeting where the issue of arming APS police officers was resolved, had raised the ire of a few school board members.

"We don't seem to be functioning with a superintendent who is focused." said board member Marty Esquivel. On a recent appearance on a radio talk show, Esquivel made reference to a leadership vacuum that had precipitated unnecessary problems with regard to the recent revelations of practicing pedophiles in two schools.

The Journal article also revealed that Everitt has accumulated four months worth of personal days. Apparently, she operates under different rules than teachers, who are not allowed to accumulated personal leave. (beyond 2 or 3 days)

Rigo Chavez is quoted as saying, she has only taken seven personal days since she announced her "retirement" in July.

Why aren't APS cops pissed?

I have been wondering why police officers in the APS PD are not angrier at Paula Maes for betraying their trust, on the issue of being armed 24/7.

I have concluded that they probably are pissed;
and we haven't seen any press on it because;

Charlie Moore is still "waiting for the story to unfold"

and Bill Slakey is still waiting for the pissed off cops
to "show up on his radar."


And me, I'm waiting for the return of dollar a gallon gasoline.

Be there, or suffer the consequences

Be at the board meeting at 4:45pm today, to stand up in support of a full scale administrative accountability audit;

or suffer the consequences.

Public Input Will Not Be Allowed

According to the agenda for the board meeting this afternoon, public input will not be allowed during the discussion and action on an administrative accountability audit; the single most important decision that the board will ever make.

According to the both Journal and the Trib,

... neither will public knowledge.

C. Consideration for Approval of an Administrative Audit (Discussion/Action)

The administrative accountability audit is on the agenda for the board meeting this afternoon.

The audit is a pivotal decision that will have a profound and lasting effect on the future of the APS.

After the decision, APS will be lead by individuals who are accountable for their professional conduct and competence.

Or, APS will be lead by the same good ole boys club; insulated and immune to the consequences of their corruption and incompetence.

The Journal and Tribune, by and through Charlie Moore and Bill Slakey, fully support the corrupt and incompetent in the leadership of the APS. They are committed to protecting their interests by suppressing the truth.

There is no other explanation for their deliberate refusal to inform stakeholders about a decision that will affect their interests.

There is only one reason to hide the truth.
It means something, if the only thing you can do is stonewall.

Even the most staunch supporters of the leadership of the APS will not deny that the administration of the APS is hiding corrupt and incompetent public servants. Any honest audit of the leadership of the APS will expose corruption and incompetence.

Monica Armenta, for all of her hundred thousand dollar bag of tricks, cannot find a way to spin a truth worse than the lie. She can't tell the truth; and there isn't a lie, that can survive even the most superficial scrutiny.

The corrupt and the incompetent in the leadership of the APS will fight against an audit like their jobs depended on it.

Charlie Moore and Bill Slakey will help them hide the truth from stakeholders with an equivalent vigor.

This shameful, and shameless betrayal of trust ends with an audit.

The audit begins the day after those who believe that the leadership of the APS should be accountable to meaningful standards of conduct and competence

finally show up at a board meeting
in numbers too big to ignore.

The Journal and the Trib Stand in Opposition to Honest Accountability to Meaningful Standards of Conduct and Competence for Public Servants

Stand is not exactly the right word.

Stonewall is a better word.

Stonewalling in defense of an indefensible position;
public servants should not be held accountable
for their conduct or competence as public servants.

Stonewalling, the coward's way of standing up
for something.

There is no legitimate agenda

that does not move forward on the day
that an administrative accountability audit begins.

• communication
• student retention
• test scores
• student discipline
• community involvement
• effective and efficient resource allocation
• site based management
• community confidence
• employee morale
• ...
  

I defy anyone to suggest a legitimate agenda that
does not move forward on the very first day that
administrators and board members find themselves
honestly accountable to meaningful standards
of conduct and competence.


Seriously, I defy you to suggest even one.

In the Public Interest

An immediate impartial administrative accountability audit
is in the public interest.

Opposition to an audit is a manifestation of self interest;
self-interest in diametric opposition to the public interest.



You pick a side, when you don't pick a side.

If APS Police were really going to be armed 24/7

The agenda for tomorrow afternoon's meeting would include a full board vote on a policy committee recommendation to adopt new policy.

It does not.

Oxymoron; accountable public servants

Given:

• It is impossibly difficult to hold public servants accountable for their conduct and competence as public servants; and that,

• The more powerful a public servant is; the more impossibly difficult it becomes to hold them accountable for their corruption and incompetence.

Consider for example the leadership of the APS.

Within the system, if you lodge a complaint against an administrator or board member, the complaint is adjudicated by a fellow administrator. As is any appeal. Even the appearance of a conflict of interest, and a potential for a lack of impartiality is ignored, deliberately.

In the legal system, if you lodge a complaint against an administrator or board member, you will come up against the Modrall Law Firm. The firm is related to the school board by marriage. They feed at a bottomless pit of taxpayer support for "education". They have no qualms about using loopholes, technicalities, and legal weaselry in an effort to win at any cost. They make a couple of million a year litigating exception to the law for APS administrators and board members.

It stands to reason;
If an organization lacks accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence; the organization will populate itself with people who will take advantage of than lack of accountability. The organization becomes riddled with people who are incompetent and or corrupt.

It stands to reason;
Corrupt and incompetent people will insulate themselves from accountability. They will create a system that they can manipulate to escape the consequences of misconduct.

It stands to reason;
Voters will never be offered the opportunity to vote out corruption and incompetence. They will never see a ballot choice that reads;

Should the terms of public service include honest accountability to meaningful standards of conduct; under systems over which public servants have no control.
Yes / No

The corrupt and the incompetent in the leadership of the APS will be exposed by an impartial administrative accountability audit. They will oppose such an audit as if their jobs depended on it.

If enough people went to a board meeting, and demanded an immediate and impartial forensic audit of the leadership of the APS; there would be an audit.

There will never be enough people, for so long as
Charlie Moore and Bill Slakey conspire with APS leadership
to keep the issue from public discourse.

They will continue to refuse to print the truth
for as long as they cannot be held accountable
for their corruption.

They will continue to refuse to print the truth
for as long as there is a privileged class, and
a great unwashed that tolerate their privilege.

Evidence Mounts Against the Alb. Journal

I have previously suggested that I thought that the Journal was discriminating against Diogenes' six.

In today's Journal, if you look up a story and look off to the right side of the page you will find "Who's Blogging".

Burque Babble wrote a post earlier than mine, on the same piece to which I had linked. Mario Burgos wrote a post later in the morning, on a different piece. My link to the story should have been noted between them and wasn't mentioned at all.

Which I regard as proof that the Journal is covering up a scandal in the APS, and they are trying to cover up their cover up.

What to do?

Nothing really; the Journalist's code of ethics
is completely unenforceable.

Marty Esquivel is the only public figure in the entire city

who is standing on the record in favor of an administrative accountability audit of the APS.

That says something about Marty.

And it says something about every other public figure.

That the story is yet to be printed,

says something about the Journal and the Trib.

Accountability is fatal to corruption and incompetence.

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday; it read;

Get Involved.
The World Is Run By The People Who Show Up.

If enough people show up at the Board Meeting next Wednesday and demand an immediate full scale (forensic) accountability audit of the administration of the APS; there will be an audit.

Public corruption and incompetence in the leadership of the APS will be exposed and eliminated.

Which is probably the single most important thing we can do to help the next superintendent successfully educate 90,000 of our sons and daughters.

Would you like to involve yourself in the search for the next superintendent?

This appears to be the place; http://www.apsinternal.com/

Thanks and a tip of the hat to one of Diogenes' readers.

Everitt pledges to communicate; again

In an effort to rehabilitate the APS superintendent's public image, beginning with a color photograph in which she is looking not nearly so haggard, Charlie Moore and the Journal published; Everitt to notify board of hires. Andrea Schoellkopf penned the Journal's spin;

"After a controversial series of principal reassignments, Superintendent Elizabeth Everitt has decided to inform board members before she hires someone for a school's top job."

"Everitt told the board Thursday she would personally let them know before she offered someone a principal job."

Also according to Schoellkopf,

"The hiring process "moves so fast" that board members have been left out of the information process, (Everitt) said."

"Maes said while she may express problems with a potential hire, that doesn't mean the person would be rejected."

"... Everitt would not say whether a board member could influence her choice."

Without the Journal's spin we have;

• "The glacial pace of administrative assignments makes it impossible to keep stakeholders informed.
• Paula Maes will express her concerns to the superintendent, who she honestly expects will then ignore her concerns in the decision making process.
• Everitt stonewalled the question; will input from board members influence your choices?

Board member Marty Esquivel was spot on;

"I do think it creates the opportunity for board members to meddle and interfere with her ability to choose a principal"

I have to agree. The consensus is;

• the board writes the policy that the superintendent administers on a daily basis.

• and, in order to avoid the appearance of undue influence; board members have forfeited their opportunity to participate in the day to day administration of that policy,even in the most seemly innocuous ways.
  

There is a clear line. The only thing missing

is any real accountability for crossing it.

Privilege will not be revoked at the polls.

Privilege was not born in a poll, it will not end in one.

Privilege is an accoutrement of power.

It exists as an exercise of power.

It will fall only to an exercise of greater power.

Historically, when privilege has fallen,
it has fallen to hordes of the great unwashed
who showed up at the palace, armed with nothing
but courage, and torches and pitchforks;

and didn't leave until they had a guarantee of
a full scale, forensic administrative accountability audit.

It is that way, still.

You will never be allowed to vote for accountability

There will never be a ballot question:

Should public servants be honestly and transparently accountable to meaningful standards of conduct and competence?

for the simple reason that, it would pass virtually unanimously.

Meaning every corrupt and incompetent public servant would be exposed to the consequences of their corruption and incompetence. It means that they would be out of a job.


And that's why they are never going to put it up to voters.

Two Decisions Will Be Made

In the very next little while, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education will make two very important decisions.

They will decide who will be the next superintendent of the APS.

And they will decide whether or not, that superintendent will begin an administration that is honestly accountable for their conduct and competence.


Charlie Moore and Bill Slakey have written about their belief that the public should involve itself more assertively in politics.

Yet, neither will do anything to involve the public in a unique opportunity to institutionalize transparent accountability in public service. They stand in diametric opposition to any reasonable understanding of journalistic ethics and responsibilities.


How can they possibly explain that away?

And why don't they have to? Why don't they have to explain,
or defend, or even acknowledge the allegation that
they are covering up information of interest to voters?

Information about an ethics and accountability scandal
in the leadership of the APS.

Stonewalling is a privilege of membership
in the privileged class

How is this explained away,
except as a privilege of membership
in the privileged class?



A membership that also requires no explanation, defense,
or even acknowledgment.

APS Communications Department; thy name is red herring.

This is not about a communications failure.

It is about a completely successful effort
to keep the public record of incompetence and corruption
in the leadership of the APS,

secret.

Qualifed Substitute Teachers

An oft suggested plan lies on the table gathering dust.

Every administrator and board member
(who can pass a background check)

should substitute teach one day a month.

Also perhaps newspaper editors, education reporters,
city councilors, and senior administrators in the NMPED;
everyone with an opinion, and no current experience.



And not in honors classes either.

"What we have here, is a failure to communicate."

The real question is why?

There are only two real choices;

the leadership of the APS is incompetent;
all of them together lack the necessary skill set
to communicate honestly, candidly, and forthrightly; or;

the leadership of the APS is corrupt;
their refusal to communicate is a deliberate choice.

Jolene Gutierrez Krueger (Trib columnist) wants to perpetuate the belief the leadership of the APS are only incompetent. She asks;
Is communication such an unknown skill at APS...?

She cannot possibly believe that the issue is one of skill.
Nor can anyone else; not really.

Why beat around the bush?

Anyone who continues to suggest that the cover ups are the inadvertent manifestation of innocent incompetence; only diverts attention from the deliberate intention
of the leadership of the APS;to hide incompetence and corruption from stakeholders.

What we have here; is a deliberate refusal to communicate.

Speculation about other causes serves no purpose,
but to enable their further refusal
to share the inconvenient truth with stakeholders.

DA Kari Brandenburg, Too Busy to Investigate the Leadership of the APS

The DA says she is too busy to complete her investigation of public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS.

She is not too busy at work though;
to give out her work phone number
to listeners to her radio show;

in case they missed recipe ingredients
and need to have them explained again.

Beth Everitt Made a Promise

When Everitt was allowed to resign rather than be fired;
she held a news conference to announce the decision.
During which, she promised stakeholders an audit;

an audit that would expose weaknesses
in the administration of the APS;

Weaknesses like the one that compelled APS "leaders"
to cover their own asses when pedophiles showed up;
instead of covering the asses of our little girls.

Beth Everitt has no intention of conducting an audit of the conduct and competence of her administration.

Paula Maes, Robert Lucero, and the Modrall,
have no intention of conducting an audit.

Delores Griego has no such intention.
Nor does Berna Facio.

The situation will not be investigated and reported upon by either the Journal or the Trib.

The following is an ad hominem attack; which in most cases should be avoided for good reasons. There are exceptions; this is one. When the worst choice is the only choice; it is the best choice.

Charlie Moore and Bill Slakey, or whomever they are,
that really call the shots at the Journal and the Trib;

are either assholes or asshats.

They are assholes because they know about the ethics and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS, and are covering it up deliberately.

Or they really don't know about the scandal,
in which case they must be asshats.

APS "Leadership Vacuum" is a Good Thing.

Marty Esquivel stepped in for the APS Communications and Community Relations Departments and for the rest of the leadership of the APS, on the Jim Villanucci show Friday afternoon.

He said that, the problems that APS is having,
are the result of a leadership vacuum in the APS.

He answered questions for an hour; honestly, candidly, forthrightly. For an hour, he bore the brunt of the community outrage with the leadership of the APS.
He was repeatedly commended by callers for having the
courage to do so.

He has created a huge problem for the corrupt and the
incompetent in the leadership of the APS.
Their secret is out.

There is a turd in the APS administrative punch bowl.


Marty Esquivel just pointed to it and said out loud;

Look everybody, there's a turd in the punch bowl.



Monica Armenta will earn her $104,500 this year

making sure that we all keep drinking the punch.


It's pretty disgusting
... if you think about it.

Andrea L. Trybus, Executive Director of APS Human Resources

appears to be the APS senior administrator responsible for screw ups following the exposure of practicing pedophiles in APS Schools.

As a matter of privilege; she will not have to explain, defend, or even acknowledge her failure.

She cannot be held accountable for her corruption and/or incompetence by any system over which she does not have undue influence.

It is unlikely therefore, that the leadership of the APS will do a better job the next time;


or the next, or the next, or the next.

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

I propose the following question as a filter for unacceptable candidates for the superintendency of the APS.

Are you willing to be held honestly accountable
as a role model of the student standard of conduct?

Any answer except yes, is no;
and disqualifies the candidate.


Doesn't it?

When I was running for the school board

I tried to create a circumstance where candidates for the board would have to respond on the record, to a very specific question; none would.

The question was; Within your public service,

Will you hold yourself honestly accountable to meaningful standards of conduct and competence, by a system over which you have no control, and even against your will?

I was never able to compel another candidate to answer the question. Nobody has ever answered that question but me.

What do you suppose is the chance of getting candidates for the superintendency to answer that question on the record?

Would they commit to annual accountability audits of their administration of the public trust and treasure in the APS?


My bet is that they will never be asked.

Point/Counterpoint misses the point

Trib columnist Joline Gutierrez Krueger, and Trib editor Phill Casaus had it out on the subject of APS' next superintendent.

Gutierrez Krueger's point was that the APS needs;

• A successful insider,
• who can charm and excite parents.
• who is a local champion in the fight for better education.
• who is energized, idealistic and able to finesse.
• who is about the business of education, not bureaucracy.
• able to work with school board members,
• charismatic and confident.
• on the job right here,
• whose credentials we can see for ourselves.
• someone we know, someone whose heart and mind and vision have been honed here.

Phill Casaus' counterpoint was that APS needs to search the nation for superintendent;

• of strength and vision,
• a newcomer with a set of fresh eyes,
• a smile,a grin and humor,
• a strong set of vertebrae,
• legs to run ahead of the approaching train,
• who espouses more flexibility for all schools,
• who talks about accountability from administrators,
• with personal warmth,
• long vision,
• a big-picture thinker,
• a bright, energetic, happy-to-be-here leader,
• with national stature, and
• worthy of a statue.

The real reason Beth Everitt got the boot is because she wasn't able to keep the district's miriad problems secret from the community. Too much dirty laundry was hung on the line for stakeholders to see. As a result, the administration of the APS no longer enjoys the confidence of the community, and Everitt is looking for a job.

A successful superintendent in the APS is one who can keep the community from learning about problems in the schools.

A better superintendent would be one who actually addressed the problems in ways that didn't have to be hidden.

Beth Everitt's superintendency is a failure because no one in her administration is accountable to any meaningful standards of conduct or competence.

It is a good ole boys club whose only redemption
lies in the fact that girls play too.

The best possible superintendent for the APS;
the one who will really improve education in the APS;
will be the one who will set high standards of conduct
and competence, and then enforce them.


S/he will have the moral authority to enforce standards
as s/he will be required to lead by example.

Even if the APS had a policy on handling incidents of employee pedophilia

Principals and other administrators are not really required to follow it.

Wherever there is written a policy that seems to be binding; one also finds at least a tacit weasel clause.

Sometime not so tacit. The most candid example is included in the student behavior handbook. The document seems binding; in particular the part entitled minimum mandatory consequences for student misconduct, except for the inclusion of the following statement in the beginning of the handbook;

"Nothing in the following is intended to prevent a ... principal or other administrator from using his/her best judgment with respect to a particular situation."

So in any "particular situation", a principal or administrator does not have to follow policy; and can use their own best judgment on how to proceed; even with employees who are pedophiles.

Best judgment does not require explanation or defense;
it is what it is; best judgment.
There is no review process.


And there you have it, in a nutshell.

Do as I say, not as I do.

According to a report from KOB TV; in response to the community outrage over the lack of communication
about the problems with their handling of problems
with substitute teachers.

Dr. Everitt will be meeting with all of the principals in the district Friday. She plans to tell them that they need to be more forth coming with any problems happening in their schools.

As the principals sit and listen to Everitt order them to expose themselves to the consequences of being honest and candid and forthright; they will also be reflecting upon the fact that Everitt is forthcoming about nothing when it comes to problems happening in her administration.

She is not forthcoming, for example,

• with respect to her spending at the Uptown Complex.
• nor is she forthcoming about her responsibility for the scandal in the APS Police Department.
• nor is she forthcoming about her participation in Gradegate;
• nor about the relationship with the Modrall Law Firm,
• nor about about her abdication as the senior administrative role model of the student standard of conduct,
• nor will she be forth coming about the of lowering of standards of conduct to except the leadership of the APS from accountability for ethical and criminal misconduct; including felony criminal misconduct.

And then the principals will ask themselves if they are willing to hold themselves accountable to a higher standard of conduct than the leadership of the APS.

The answer will be, no.


For the same reason the answer is, no
when you ask a student;

Are you willing to hold yourself accountable to a higher standard of conduct than your principal?

no equivalent gesture

eye on aps

Bob Clark Show Rips the Leadership of the APS

Callers were really steamed about the incompetence and lack of accountability in the leadership of the APS.

Host Bob Clark talked up only one solution;
voting them out of office; in a years distant election.

He failed to mention that the leadership of the APS could find itself honestly accountable to meaningful standards of conduct and competence, by 5:30pm next Wednesday afternoon;

if enough people show up at the board meeting
to demand an immediate, full scale, forensic audit of
administrative accountability in the leadership of the APS.



Sooner or later, it will happen.

Sooner or later, a radio talk show host, or a newspaper reporter, or a TV reporter is going to put the ethics and accountability scandal in sight.

sooner or later one of them is going to talk up the audit.
And then all hell is going to break loose.


The corrupt and incompetent in the leadership of the APS
have reason to be afraid,
... very afraid.

Mayor Marty Chavez and Terri Cole Have a Lot In Common

They are both influential public role models.

They are both purported advocates of Character Counts.

They are both outspoken critics of the lack of accountability in the leadership of the APS.

They both know about the possibility of an impartial audit which will identify virtually every corrupt and/or incompetent administrator and board member in the APS.

Either could get public attention paid to the issue of the audit.

Either could solve the problem by doing so.


Neither will.

On Funding Education Adequately

a positive solution on eye on aps

Test of Character

Ask any member of the leadership of the APS if they will open the public record of their public service.

If the answer is yes,
their record is likely one of character and competence.

Any answer except yes, is no.

If the answer is no,
their record is likely one of corruption and/or incompetence.

Another way of asking the question, would be to ask;

Are you willing to support an impartial full scale audit of administrative accountability in the APS?



Again, any answer except yes,
... is no.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire.

According to the Journal;

Superintendent Elizabeth Everitt said Wednesday the district is letting parents know if their children may have had contact with Ashley and will offer counseling.

Her decision was prompted by outrage with the district, by parents who were told that they would not be told if their children had had contact with the admitted pedophile.

Everitt had previously told them that this information
would be kept secret for "personnel protections" and "confidentiality concerns",and
"as required by the law".

Which turns out to be untrue; which turns out to be a lie.


Everitt said Wednesday the district had made "a mistake" and decided to release the information because it's a public record. She admits it is "a mistake" to violate the law.

She said the district will make sure to release public information as quickly as possible in the future.


She expects us to believe her.

$105,000 Isn't Enough For Monica Armenta

She isn't going to "take one for the team".

Rather than allow people to "get in their faces", the leadership of the APS hires flak catchers to bear the humiliation of defending the indefensible.

For forever, APS spokespeople have had to mouth
the most ridiculous crap like it was their own idea.

No more, apparently. Monica Armenta separated herself from the deceit and treachery surrounding the APS leadership's response, to the botched handling of practicing pedophiles in public schools.

Spokeswoman Monica Armenta said Tuesday that APS could not release Ashley's work history due to personnel confidentiality concerns.

Then she pointed out that those were not her words;
the excuse came from APS' Human Resources office,
and not hers.

A caller on the Villanucci show, who sounded very much like Monica Armenta, called to point out that Armenta shouldn't castigated for saying what she is told to say; for just following orders.

Villanucci then pointed out; or you could just quit. ...refuse to be part of deliberately misleading stakeholders.

Their shield of "personnel confidentiality concerns"
just got weaker.

They used to claim that the law "required" them
to keep secret their record of corruption and incompetence.

Yet, when all hell broke loose on a morning talk show,
over that ridiculous excuse;
they couldn't unload the records fast enough.

So either, they are lying about "personnel protections" and "confidentiality", or they are breaking the law to mitigate public outrage against them.

Either way, it is a story which stakeholders should read about in their Journal, or their Trib.


...but won't.

There Will Always Be Pedophiles In Schools.

Schools are a "target rich environment".
It makes perfect sense.

Having done all that can be done to make sure that you don't hire pedophiles in the first place; the problem is reduced to removing them from schools at a later time.

The record of the leadership of the APS; in identifying and removing pedophiles, is a record of incompetence.

According the journal this morning (sub req),

"An Albuquerque Public Schools substitute was allowed to teach for several days at other schools after a staffer caught him in a Madison Middle School girls' restroom, police said Wednesday.

That's because neither the police nor APS human resources officials initially were told what happened, school officials said. However, even after human resources was informed, he continued to teach several days".

Darren White is quoted;

"Allowing the substitute to continue to teach in APS schools was inexcusable and potentially dangerous," White said. "They need to completely revamp their reporting procedures for this type of behavior."

"We were a little concerned that after six days, we did not have his APS records."

Beth Everitt's "defense"

"We hold our teachers and people in schools to our highest standard," Everitt said. "If there's question about behavior, we need to address it. We take everything seriously."

Among the things she does not take seriously,
would be honest accountability to those standards;
even it it's smallest measure.

"We hope to get to the bottom of this,"
APS spokesman Rigo Chavez said.



Right, and I hope to get to the bottom of
a pint of Haagen-Dazs, in more than one sitting.

Its All Good at Atrisco E.S.

APS' spin, no harm done.

"No students or parents have reported that Ashley touched children inappropriately..."

The 63 year old self admitted pedophile's spin'

"... becoming sexually aroused by tickling girls' feet while they played on monkey bars ..."



So who are you going to believe, Ashley, or a bunch of eight year old girls?
in the Tribune

Post number 1270

It's Diogenes' Six's first birthday. Since, August 15th, 2006, I have written one thousand, two hundred and sixty-nine essays
in an effort to convince readers of only a very few facts.

It was and is, necessary to publish a blog, in order to reach the community. I have no other access. The media steadfastly refuses to investigate or report upon the issues I am raising.

Even as a bonafide school board candidate, I was denied access to the community through the media; even to the point where the Journal and Trib denied that access to the other candidates as well.

The public forum at school board meetings has been taken off the public record to deny me access to the broadcast public record. That broadcast public record was deliberately falsified to mislead stakeholders; at least ten times. (with no media coverage)

As a bonafide political candidate I attempted to exercise my right to speak on the record. I made four legal and ethical attempts to speak on the record. I was prevented from speaking, and removed from those meetings, by members of a publicly funded, private police force; a Praetorian Guard. The TV news people have film. Newspaper reporters witnessed it. It is part of the public record on videotape. (with no media coverage)


Robert Lucero disposed of a motion that would have required as a matter of enforceable policy; administrators and board members to respond on the record, to legitimate questions. (with no media coverage)


Mary Lee Martin disposed of a motion the would have created honest accountability for board members and administrators, to the student standard of conduct. (with no media coverage)

They lowered their own standard of conduct, over and over again. (with no media coverage)

They are using public resources to escape accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct. (with no media coverage)

The leadership of the APS (and powerful public servants in general) are not honestly accountable for their conduct and competence as public servants. (with no media coverage)

The privileged class (yes, there is a privileged class)
will do everything that they can to maintain their exception from accountability. (with no media coverage)

The privileged class will do everything they can do to prevent the first annual administrative accountability audit. They will be able to accomplish this. (with no media coverage)


My allegations are credible.

On my honor; no fact or allegation made in one thousand, two hundred and sixty-nine essays has been refuted or rebutted by any real evidence or sworn testimony.

I am the only principle, in my entire "disgruntlement" with the leadership of the APS, who has an offer of polygraphy without reservation, on the table.



... (with no media coverage)

School Bus Safety Response

A little girl alleges that she was raped on a school bus.

The complaint is being investigated by the APD.

Concerned parents will be relieved to know that the leadership of the APS has sprung into action.

"Albuquerque Public Schools spokeswoman Monica Armenta said Tuesday night that the district is aware of the (APD) investigation."

Journal (sub req)

Ethics Reform

Journal editors demonstrated their understanding of the need for ethical reform in state government in an editorial (sub req) this morning.

They continue to give no indication that they understand, or are even aware of, the need for ethical reform in the leadership of the APS.

The editors' position cannot be ethically justified.

It seems that Charlie Moore and the Journal
are simply covering up corruption, incompetence, and
widespread ethical misconduct in the leadership of the APS.

Monica Armenta's Rationale is "Ridiculous"

It will go down as the most monumental screw up in the history of APS "communications".

APS Executive Director of Communications,
Monica Armenta has announced that APS will not tell the community the names of schools where the admitted pedophile has taught; because the information is contained in his "personnel file", according to the Journal (sub req)

An local open government attorney's expert opinion on the rationale; it is "ridiculous".

It is worth noting that the "personnel file" excuse is the same one the leadership of the APS is using to hide the truth about public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS (police department).

Ridiculous, is a public servant earning over a hundred thousand dollars a year to deliberately deceive and mislead the public.

Self-Exception From the Rules

The chief privilege of the privileged class is that,
they are able to self-except themselves and each other
from accountability to the rules.

We should be talking about why we are tolerating it.

In particular, why should we have to tolerate self-exception by our servants?

Or are public servants not servant?

The terms of public in-servitude are the prerogative of the public; and not of the public servant.

A full scale forensic audit of the public interests in the APS,
is in the public interest.

And the people who are obfuscating the audit
are doing so in their own self interest
and against the public interest.


They are only getting away with it because they are able to keep it secret.

They couldn't get away with it ,with out the aid and abet
of Charlie Moore and the Albuquerque Journal.

And the Trib, and all the other media.

School Board President Paula Maes is the President of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association. Does that give her enough juice to control the media?

Are they just helping out of their own accord?

Is this the privileged class covering each other's asses?

Have they agreed that they cannot permit annual accountability audits of public servants?

Have they agreed among themselves not to tolerate public discourse on the subject of holding public servants honestly accountable to meaningful standards of conduct and competence?

As a matter of privilege, they need not explain, defend, or even acknowledge their position, in opposition to accountability audits and other forms of honest accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence.


Stonewalling. It is what you do when you can't tell the truth
and you can't think of a lie.

It is the only defense of an utterly indefensible position.


Monica Armenta cannot explain away the fact the the leadership of the APS has self excepted themselves from accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct. She can't tell the truth and there is no conceivable lie.

The Journal, Trib and others, simply cannot report credibly on the ethics and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS. Not without first reporting credibly on their failure to report credibly on that subject, here to fore.

What are they going to do? ...pretend they just heard about it?

They have all together, covered this up through at least three elections, mill levies, and bond issues.

There is only one reason to hide the record of the public service. And that is because the record is one of corruption and incompetence.

If there were a good reason to hide the record, then there is a better reason to make that reasoning public.

Ms. Armenta won't, because she can't. They are not hiding their record for a good reason. They are hiding it for a bad reason.

...a very, very, bad reason.


Either that or I am just another disgruntled former employee
(and crazy conspiracy nut).

You pick a side when you don't pick a side.

It's time to pick a side and cowboy up.

"The formation of character in young people is educationally a different task from and a prior task to, the discussion of the great, difficult ethical controversies of the day."

"If we want our children to possess the traits of character we most admire, we need to teach them what those traits are and why they deserve both admiration and allegiance. Children must learn to identify the forms and content of those traits." Bennett

If we really want children to grow to embrace honor and courage and character; some one has to show them what it looks like.

It is time for the role models to step up.

New reader poll

Should students be "required" to obey the rules;

or should they be "expected" to obey the rules;

or is it a distinction without a difference?

Beth Everitt Responds to Complaint

During the public forum on the arming of the APS police; a number of people suggested that the leadership of the APS was not doing enough to help kids stay out of trouble.

Everitt responded to that complaint on the district website.
See APS Prevention and Intervention Programs

Which proves that she can use that forum to answer questions if she wants to.

She could, if she wants to, answer another question;

Why are you and the rest of the leadership of the APS no longer accountable as role models for the 90,000 students and 12,000 employees in the APS?

School Board President Paula Maes

voted in secret to lower the student standard of conduct.

So did the rest of the board. But Maes case is different
because she also happens to be the President of the
Character Counts Leadership Council.

Lowering the student standard of conduct, especially without involving stakeholders in the decision, is indefensible. The decision was made in diametric opposition to fundamental principles of Character Counts.

She models hypocrisy before 90,000 of our sons and daughters.

Ask Ellen Bernstein.

The question has been raised and is now on the table.

Does the leadership of the teachers union have an obligation to stand on the record on the issue of the scope of the upcoming administrative accountability audit?



sidebar. The truth is that I feel that I,
and some very important principles, were betrayed
by the leadership of the union.
That feeling cannot help but permeate anything I might write in surmise as to their motivations or intentions on this issue.

Therefore, I expect that I will not write any more on this, than that.

The Case Against Charlie Moore and the Journal

Journal editor Charlie Moore is aware of the facts.

Robert Lucero disposed of a motion that would have required, as a matter of enforceable policy, that administrators and board members to answer legitimate questions; truthfully.

Mary Lee Martin disposed of a motion that would have held administrators honestly accountable to the student standard of conduct.

The board removed from its own standard of conduct; the expectation that they would be role models of the student standard of conduct by striking; in no case shall the standard for adults be lower than the standard for students.

The board approved a whistle blower policy that deliberately denies protection to most whistle blowers. Their is no protection for those whose expose ethical misconduct or incompetence.

The board recently adopted as its standard of conduct, a comparatively meaningless and completely unenforceable code of ethics.

More recently, the board lowered the student standard of conduct; in secret. They lowered to student standard as a means of lowering their own.

They did it in secret; without stakeholder participation or knowledge.

They have broadcast deliberately falsified public records to stakeholders.

They have moved the public forum off the public record; in order to remove from the public record, their refusal to answer legitimate questions about their public service.

In violation of (at least, the spirit of) the law
they are hiding evidence of public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS.

They can cite no system under which they can be held honestly accountable for their conduct and competence as public servants; not even the law.

They have been ripped by every single audit of their accountability as public servants. They can cite no response to those criticisms, save ignoring them.

They spend millions of tax dollars at the school board president' husband's law firm litigating against the public interest.

They are absolutely damned by their own record. Their only defense is to hide the record of their corruption and incompetence from public knowledge.

Only the corrupt and the incompetent have a reason to resist the exposure of the corrupt and the incompetent.

The Journal's only response,
by and through Charlie Moore,
is that they are waiting for the story to unfold.

The story is unfolded to about its end.

When the corrupt and the incompetent in the APS leadership
manage to avoid an impartial full scale, (forensic) audit,
through their guile and legal weaselry,
the story is over.

There is one chapter left and Charlie Moore is writing it;

...by not writing it.

The APS PD Will Remain Unarmed Indefinitely

Despite the fact that the overall decision by the school board, to arm police officers on duty, reflects the expressed will of the community;

Paula Maes, APS/Modrall, and top dogs at the newspapers, have decided that police officers will remain unarmed, until they decide otherwise.

The actual truth is that arming police officers is two public meetings away from reality.

Maes, Modral, and the media do not want to accept the consequences of their choice. So they have focused attention on a red herring; an issue that has nothing to do with the issue on the table.

They will wait; at the very least, until the legislature passes legislation allowing school districts to own their own police departments.

Being a bonafide police force is only an additional justification; it is not the only one.


Without impartial and honest news coverage, APS police officers don't stand a chance against Maes and Modrall.

I would suppose, there will not be another sick out.

What else can they do?
What do you do when evil owns the ink,
and all the printing presses?


What happens when you push people into a position
where the worst possible choice,
becomes the best choice,

because it's the only choice.

Eager to Place Blame, Journal Editors Blame the Wrong People

In their editorial, (sub req), the editors decided that a new principal and a new APS PD dispatcher will catch the flak for APS' mishandling of a creepy substitute teacher with a video camera.

The system didn't protect these little girls from a creep.

Monica Armenta says she didn't see, and wasn't aware of a previous report that there was a problem with this particular teacher.

Apparently, this was not the first time this gentleman has drawn attention to himself for inappropriate behavior around little girls. The question, why didn't the system act to protect children from further danger?, will go unanswered.

But someone has to bear the brunt of community outrage; so how about a police dispatcher with four months on the job? And an administrator with two weeks experience as a principal?

Sure, a mistake was made in returning evidence to the perpetrator. A fairly glaring mistake. But was it the most important aspect of the case?

The staff at the school called the BCSO for help; why?

Is it because the APS PD (at the administrative level), has a well earned reputation as a Praetorian Guard used in damage control for the district's image.

The annual statistical crime report ...may be inaccurate and possibly misleading. The team was advised that there is a prevailing culture of under-reporting incidents to improve the image of the district and individual schools.

According the recent Council of the Great City Schools Audit, the prevailing culture in the leadership of the APS is one that deliberately and routinely deceives stakeholders.

That would have been worth investigation and report.

Also worthy of investigation and report; why didn't the "system" pick this guy up? The people at the school site picked it up. Why was this guy allowed another opportunity to be alone with kids, after a red flag had already been raised about his conduct?

The record shows that Charlie Moore and the Journal won't investigate and report upon the ethics and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS.

Is it because they are just incompetent beyond belief;
or is it because, as seems increasingly obvious,
they are a party to the cover up?

The certainty is that, the leadership of the APS and the media have one very important thing in common; a privilege that they wish to protect; public attention to which, they do not want.

Neither is accountable to an enforceable
code of ethical conduct.

The community has no choice in the matter with regard to the media; what are we going to do; stop buying newspapers? stop watching local TV news?

But we do have a choice in the matter
when it comes to public servants.

The terms of public in-servitude include
accountability to the public; and to meaningful standards
of conduct and competence.

Some public servants won't accept those terms. They set their own terms of public in-servitude; and they don't include honest accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence;

except by systems circumstances, over which they have control.


The control of public resources and decision making power,
has been usurped by those to whom it was entrusted.

They do not intend to give it back.


Power and resources belonging fundamentally to the public,
are being used against the public interest;

To protect corrupt and incompetent public servants,
from accountability to meaningful standards
of conduct and competence.


And even in violation of the law.

According to School Board Policy and the Student Behavior Handbook

"Students are expected to adhere to any uniform dress policy which has been adopted at their school."

Board policy specifically prohibits sagging.

Yet if you go to any middle or high school in the APS; you will find students sagging.



This is not about sagging.

It is about the permission, of prohibited behavior.

It is about those charged with enforcing discipline policies,
ignoring their responsibilities.

It is about teachers with neither resources nor support
having to deal with chronically disruptive students
who longer respond to the authority of adults.

It is about students who are allowed do what they want,
rather than create a little turmoil.

Distinction Without a Difference?

Students used to be "required" to obey rules.

They are now "expected" to obey rules.

The School Board has made a policy change. (emphasis added, and, in significant part)

ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS

ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to attend school regularly and on time.

ACHIEVEMENT
Students are expected to achieve academically.

CITIZENSHIP

• Students are expected to be good citizens. Students are expected to: Model and promote the pillars of Character Counts.

• Respect authority, property, and the rights of others.

• Avoid confrontation and any activity that has the potential to cause a verbal or physical conflict.

• Maintain standards of integrity and responsibility.

• Maintain a safe school environment.

• Report any/all information/circumstances related to campus safety, problems (fights, weapons, or drugs on campus).

The question is; if the word expected was replaced by the word required; is there a difference?

If there is a difference, then it makes a difference
which word we use.

The leadership of the APS decided to replace the word required, with the word expected.

The difference between requiring good conduct and competence, and expecting good conduct and competence, is accountability.

The leadership of the APS does not want to be required to be honest and competent.

They would rather be expected to be honest and competent;

because it is easier for the lawyers of Modrall to protect them from allegations that they failed to meet expectations; than it is to defend them against accusations that they have failed to meet requirements, of conduct and competence.

Board policy used to require role models to model and promote higher standards of conduct and competence. Specifically, role models were required to model and promote the same standard of conduct that they established and enforce upon students.

Then the leadership of the APS changed board policy. They removed the language that read; in no case shall the standards of conduct and competence for adults; be lower that the standards for students.

The senior role models in the APS, are no longer required by board policy; to hold themselves honestly accountable as role models of the student standard of conduct.

They have adopted as their standard of conduct; a comparatively meaningless, and by their own admission, completely unenforceable code of ethics.

It can be argued that senior role models are accountable to the student standard of conduct by inescapable ethical and moral obligations.

They have solved that problem. They solved it by lowering the student standard of conduct.

They lowered the student standard of conduct by replacing requirement with expectation in order to lower again, their own standard of conduct.

They changed board policy in secret. Stakeholders were deliberately and methodically denied the truth.


Deceiving stakeholders is only the second worst thing they did.

The first, was changing board policy at all.

If we want, if we really want, our children to grow
to embrace honor and courage and character;
someone has to show them what it looks like.

There is a reason that the very first story we tell children
about character, and courage, and honor,
is the story about honest accountability
to a meaningful standard of conduct.

There is a reason that the first story we tell them,
is about George Washington and the cherry tree.


I wish there was something that could be done
to get Charlie Moore and Bill Slakey
to tell the people who trust them,

...the truth.

APS, Maes, Modrall; the Public Record

There is a public record of the manner in which APS and Modrall have spent public resources.

I have repeatedly stated that I believe: the public record will prove that the Modrall law firm has been paid in public funds to create exception to the law for corrupt and incompetent APS administrators and board members.

APS/Maes/Modrall steadfastly refuses to surrender the public record to public knowledge.

Exactly the kind of behavior that the New Mexico Inspection of Public Record Act, prohibits.

Yet they will not surrender that record even in response to a bonafide request for public records.



hmmm. Perhaps "prohibits" is too strong a word.

Character Counts!, ?, ??, ...Not!

If the interests of students were of interest to the leadership of the APS; they would be require students to model and promote The Pillars of Character Counts!

It is in fact board policy.

Well kind of. The Student Behavior Handbook used to read; Students are required to model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts. I just discovered that the wording has been changed. It now reads; Students are expected to model and promote...

If Monica Armenta ever catches up on her emails; perhaps she can email an explanation, a defense, or even an acknowledgment that the student standard of conduct has been lowered without public input; without communication from the leadership of the APS.

If you are among those who believe that the leadership of the APS, as the senior role models for 90,000 children, should be accountable the same standard of conduct that they establish and enforce upon students; you realize that by lowering the standard of student conduct; they have coincidently lowered their own standard of conduct.

Now the lawyers of Modrall no longer have to except the leadership of the APS from the "requirement" to model and promote accountability to a higher standard of conduct.

They have only to defeat accountability to that "expectation".


If Charlie Moore thinks it has unfolded enough; perhaps he could have the Journal investigate and report upon this.

If there is a blip on Bill Slakey's radar; maybe the Trib will print the truth before it dies.



tap, tap, tap. ...is this microphone working?

Dues

If you are a stakeholder you have dues. Among them; stand up for what you believe in.

At least that's what we are telling students.

We gave them T-shirts that on their front and back read;

Stand up for what you believe in...
...even if you are standing alone.

And then we let them.

Become a Communications Specialist

APS has an ad in the Journal. They are looking for a:
Specialist: Communications Community Relations. The job pays between $41 - $47K.

There is no indication whether you will be adding to the team, or replacing someone who is leaving.

Your job description; spin the truth.

Take the truth about all of the bad things that happen in the APS, and either hide it completely; or deliberately distort it to the point where stakeholders will not be upset.

You must be willing to participate willingly in efforts to skirt the requirements of open government laws.

It is a full time job.

You must be willing to work for and with people who sold their souls for between $41 and $105K a year.

Biggest perk; you'll get to hang out with Monica Armenta.

Downside; ...the devil owns your soul.

APS PD; Gravy Job?

(Note to readers: this is a repost. I have brought it to the top of the stack because of the gravity of the comments. The comments by Mr. Joseph Lopez deserve your attention.)

I've been asked if APS PD should be paid the same as city cops.

I am acquainted with a gentleman who served student safety in the APS. During the last hour of his career, he was beaten nearly to death in an APS high school parking lot. He is permanently disabled. Among other things he lost that day, an eye.

APS/Modrall is still trying to screw him out of a principled resolution of his complaint.

Did he earn fourteen bucks an hour that day?


...or twenty?

Darren White Broke the Law; Five Times At Least

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King's Office has determined that Darren White broke the law.

The Rio Grande Valley's High Sheriff sat down at his computer and passed himself off as another public servant; the BCSO custodian of public records, twice. He obfuscated the surrender of public records three times.

You have to wonder; why?

The short answer is; why not?

He has everything to gain, and nothing to lose. Although there are multiple counts of willful and deliberate violation of the law he has sworn to uphold; he will suffer no consequence. He cannot be held accountable for violating the law.

Because Charlie Moore's Journal, and Bill Slakey's Tribune won't report this story; and because it won't be on broadcast on TV, Darren White will not have to explain his misconduct. He will not have to defend his conduct. He will not even have to acknowledge that he has broken the law.

The public record that he is trying to suppress, is of felony criminal misuse of computers for which he was responsible. If the evidence shows that he knew what was going, I would suppose it might even cost him his job.

This is the same body of evidence that the leadership of the APS/Modrall is hiding; the results of a private investigation which apparently reiterates the evidence of felony criminal misconduct and a criminal conspiracy which includes the leadership of the APS.

This is the same body of evidence that is being hidden in the office of district attorney, Kari Brandenburg.

No one of them will answer a single question about that evidence. They don't have to explain why. They don't have to defend themselves. They don't even have to admit that the impartial investigation of the APS Police Department contains evidence of felony criminal misconduct.

They have everything to gain, and nothing to lose.