Bill Richardson Resurfaces on APS Split

"There's a widespread belief that maybe APS has just gotten unmanageable, too big, to have the type of management and oversight they need to be accountable," said Dan Serrano, President of the West Side Coalition.

According to the Journal (link, sub req), Bill Richardson and NM PED Secretary Veronica Garcia, have asked for $95K to study splitting the APS along the Rio Grande, and into two districts.

One district would have 81% of the tax base and all the school buildings and administrative complexes that it can use. The other would have 19% of the tax base, and 94% of the need for money to build schools and administrative complexes. On its face, the split seems unworkable. And unnecessary. Do we really need to build or buy another Administrative Complex for the West Side?

The issue is still accountability.

One could split the APS into twenty districts, and be
no closer to addressing the problem of accountability.

There is no causal correlation between the size of a district, and accountability. The relationship is coincidental,
and the argument is specious.

Accountability is the result of personal and institutional decisions to be held accountable.

Just as evading accountability is a personal (and only then,
an institutional) decision.

Institutions have no feelings about accountability;
individuals do.


The leadership of the APS cannot be held accountable
because they choose not to be held accountable.




If taxpayers really want accountability in the APS,
they should spent the $95K on the first five
APS Annual Administrative Accountability Audits.