"Interim superintendent has lofty goals for school district"

(link)

According to Susie Gran and the Trib,
Linda Sink's goals are to;

•Hire a chief business officer and auditor.
•Negotiate with school police officers to increase wages.
•Develop a strategic plan with the teachers' union to support struggling schools.
•Create the 2008-09 district operating budget.
•Support the district during the Legislature.
•Focus on the instructional master plan for reading and math strategies.
•Prove success in student achievement.

Each is reasonable and worthy.

Not one represents any attempt to mitigate the effects of, or even acknowledge the existence of corruption and incompetence in the leadership of the APS.

Conspicuous in its absence, is any mention of the issue of the abject lack of accountability in the leadership of the APS.

Governor Bill Richardson, when he was trying to help pass a $316M bond issue; conceded that the leadership of the APS has an earned, statewide reputation for its lack of accountability.

Mayor Martin Chavez tried to take over school board seats in order to rectify what he described as a lack of accountability in the leadership of the APS.

The President of the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, Terri Coles is a long time critic of the lack of accountability.

The Council of the Great City Schools wrote that administrative evaluations in the APS are subjective and unrelated to promotions or step placements.

The Maintenance and Operations Department was wracked by a corruption scandal.

The APS Police Department was wracked by corruption and incompetence; the truth of which is yet to be released by the leadership of the APS.

The Financial Department is wracked with corruption and incompetence.

Their record of litigating for themselves, exception even to the law, is so full of corruption and betrayal of the public trust that they must keep it secret, even in further violation of the law.

Everywhere there is an audit; corruption and incompetence are exposed. Underlings may or may not be held accountable, and no one in the leadership of the APS is ever held accountable for anything.


There is every good reason to commence an immediate audit; not the least of which is restoring public faith in the public schools.

There is no ethical reason not to do an audit. none.

If there is, no one has suggested it, and I cannot imagine it.

There is a simple test of courage and character.
To date, no member of the leadership of the APS
has passed the test. Not one; not even the
President of the Character Counts Leadership Council,
and the President of the APS Board of Education,
Paula Maes.

Beth Everitt couldn't pass it.

Now it's Linda Sink's moment of truth.

Ms. Sink,

As the senior administrative role model for the 89,000 of this community's sons and daughters in the APS, are you willing to hold yourself honestly accountable to the same standard of conduct that you demand of students?

Are you willing to model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts, a widely recognized, accepted and respected code of ethical conduct?

Will you shoulder, or will you shirk your obligation to model and promote honest accountability to a meaningful standard of conduct; under a system over which you have no control, and which will hold you accountable even against your will?

Any answer except yes, ... means no.