Allen Weh, Jon Barela, rule of the gavel.

Civilized folks write rules for themselves.
It levels the field between the powerful and the powerless.

But if you are one of the powerful good ol' boys
you get to self except yourself from the rules.


This is Allen Weh.
(with Chris Saucedo,
second vice chairman
state rep party)

Weh is "explaining"
his position.

He is old school military;

ham fisted leadership
that falls short
of real leadership.



"Ham fisted leadership" is oxymoronic.

He believes in something called "the rule of the gavel" which
gives him the last word on everything. It is preposterous.
No one ever voted to give him the last word on anything.

Yet there are those who think that because they are powerful,
they can do whatever the hell they want to do.

Allen Weh thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants to do.
He thinks he can invent or suspend the rules at will.




Add to the picture; new APS School Board Member Jon Barela.
He appears to be backing Weh's play. He apparently believes
that there is a privileged class; a group of people who can bend,
break, make or ignore the rules without consequence.

Will Jon Barela bring more privilege to the school board?
Was he appointed to the board to enable the good ol' boys
to remain in power, and self excepted from accountability
even to the law?

Is he there to continue the cover up of the ethics and
accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS?

There is a simple test.

Mr. Barela,

Will you stand in support of honest accountability
to meaningful standards of conduct and competence
for administrators and board members,

or not?

Any answer except yes, means no.

Stonewalling means no.


cc Jon Barela upon posting.
No comment so far from Mr. Barela on his position
on an immediate impartial full scale forensic audit
of the entire leadership of the APS. link



Internet journalist and photographer Mark Bralley took the
photos and wrote two pieces on Allen Weh's leadership link
and on a previous occasion. link

Jon Barela's first test.

According to the APS news release; link

Barela told the board he was honored and humbled to be
appointed to the vacancy.

“I’ll work hard and I’ll always conduct myself with
the highest degree of integrity and openness,” he said.

In the first test of his integrity and openness,

Board member Barela,

A candid, forthright, and honest response please,
to the question of the need for an immediate, impartial,
full scale forensic audit of the entire leadership of the APS.

cc Jon Barela c.o. the school board office.

Jon Barela; new board member.

(Ex) Modrall lawyer and APS good ol' boy, Jon Barela
has been unanimously selected to sit on the board.
link

Co-incidentally two important tasks currently before the board
are;

1. preventing an audit of the APS Modrall relationship, and
2. preventing the exposure of the good ol' boy organizational structure that administers the APS.

Good call.

A test of Kari Brandenburg's personal integrity

DA Brandenburg,

Will you surrender an ethically redacted record of your actions
with respect to the allegations of criminal misuse of an NCIC
data base to criminally invade the privacy of APS whistle blowers?

Yes, means you have personal integrity.

No, means you do not.



cc Kari Brandenburg upon posting.

A test of Darren White's personal integrity

Sheriff White,

Will you surrender an ethically redacted record of
the use of your NCIC data base to criminally invade the privacy
of APS whistle blowers?

Yes, means you have personal integrity.

No, means you do not.



cc Darren White upon posting.

the criminal invasion of privacy

The right to personal privacy is a constitutionally guaranteed
human right. In order to invade one's privacy, it is required
that a warrant be obtained.

Imagine how you would feel to find that some one had invaded
your privacy. And that the invasion was a search for anything
that could be used to discredit you as a witness.

And that the need to discredit you was born of a need to defend
themselves against your allegation that
they had behaved criminally; felony criminally.

The APS senior administrators who used Darren White's NCIC
data base to harass and intimidate APS whistle blowers
are protected by lawyers such as those from the Modrall;
unscrupulous and unbound by even the law.

Imagine that the dollars that you unwittingly tax yourselves
in order to pay for the finest possible education for your
children,

are being used instead to pay shyster lawyers to litigate against the public interests.


They are making so much money litigating against the public interests that your tax dollars are paying increased insurance premiums; APS leads the pack in tax dollars spent on litigation.

They are making so much money that they won't tell you how much they are making.

They are making so much money because the system, according to the Meyners Audit;
has inadequate rules, and
has inadequate accountability to the rules, and
has being keeping inadequate records. Forever.

There are likely millions of tax dollars missing.

And the wife of the president of the Modrall,
who happens to be the head honcho on the school board, and
who happens to be the President of the NM Broadcasters Association, and
who happens to be the President of the APS Character Counts Leadership Council

says;

I will never allow any audit that individually identifies
any APS administrator or board member's incompetence
and/or corruption.

"... like for example; Tom Savage ...

The leadership of the APS is obstructing an immediate impartial
full scale forensic audit.

That alone proves the need for the audit.

Were that not proof enough, consider their steadfast refusal
to answer legitimate questions about the public interests.

They absolutely refuse to name a time, a day, and a place
where they will stand up and respond to legitimate questions
about the public interests in the public schools.

When asked;

Will you ever tell the truth?

Will you ever respond to every legitimate question,
candidly, forthrightly, and honestly?

their answer is no.


When asked will you hold yourself accountable for retaliatory
criminal invasion of a whistle blower's privacy,
their answer is

no.

Winston Brooks personal integrity is on the line

Winston Brooks is the Chief Administrative Officer of the
Albuquerque Public Schools. As such, he is reasonably
responsible for the conduct of his subordinates. In particular,
he is responsible if he is able to intervene in their misconduct
and chooses instead to ignore it.

Almost two years ago, it became apparent that senior APS
administrators were involved in criminal misconduct related
to the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the APS
Police Department, and in the criminal misuse of Darren
White's criminal background check system.

According to Rigo Chavez, none of the evidence of that
criminal misconduct has been forwarded to the District
Attorney Kari Brandenburg. This despite the fact that then
APS Superintendent Beth Everitt promised stakeholders
that she would turn evidence over to the DA's office for
Kari Brandenburg's determination of whether or not
criminal misconduct had taken place and whether or not
there would be criminal prosecution.

Since the statute of limitations is about to expire, and it looks
as though that is the plan to avoid criminal prosecutions;
it is incumbent upon Winston Brooks to offer some manner
of explanation of what is going on in order to reassure
stakeholders that the good ol' boys are not pulling a fast one.

If Winston Brooks chooses instead to ignore the whole thing,
then it becomes reasonable to assume that he is a willing
participant in the cover up of the APS Peanut Butter Gate
scandal.

It is not too much to ask of Winston Brooks,
some assurance that his administration is not directly
involved in the cover up of felony criminal misconduct;
is it?


cc superintendent(at)aps.edu
for whatever good that will do.

Still looking for the truth, letter to Rigo Chavez

Mr. Chavez,

In response to your letter of September 22, 2008.

1. Please identify who is actually in charge of each of the three investigations involving the APS Police Department. Please identify them institutionally (what/who do they work for) and individually.

2. Which of the three investigations is still under way?

3. Has any evidence related to investigations into the corruption in the APS Police Department been forwarded to any law enforcement agency at all?

4. You asked for clarification of my request for identification of any investigations that occurred as a result of any initial investigations. I feel like you are splitting hairs in an attempt to secret public records. In any event, what I mean is that APS admits to three investigations. If any of those investigations revealed information that lead to subsequent investigations, then those are the investigations that I mean when I say "investigations that occurred as a result of any initial investigations."

Please stop ignoring my absolutely reasonable request that you email the responses to my questions instead of wasting several days with regular mail.

Charles MacQuigg

Is Kari Brandenburg lying?

APS Rigo Chavez claims that APS never turned any evidence
over to District Attorney Kari Brandenburg.

Kari Brandenburg claims to be investigating that evidence.

Rigo Chavez says APS investigations are still ongoing.

Almost two years ago, the public became aware of what looks
and smells like public corruption and criminal conspiracy in
the leadership of the APS (police department).

APS Custodian of Public Records/Communications Director
Rigo Chavez was asked for a record of any evidence that
had been forwarded to the DA' office by the APS.

His response;

With regard to your request for a list of records that were
forwarded to the District Attorney's Office, no records
have been forwarded t the DA's Office because investigations are ongoing."

His statement seems to controvert what Bernalillo County
District Attorney Kari Brandenburg says. She claims
to be in the midst of investigations as well.

There is what is called a statute of limitations link.
After two years it will be impossible to file any criminal charges
against the APS good ol' boys who used Darren White's
sophisticated and supposedly secure criminal background
data base to harass APS whistle blowers and to do one of
the most intense criminal background checks possible on
APS Assistant Superintendent Tom Savage's then
fiancee.

Whatever is actually going on, it sure looks like the good
ol' boys are gaming the system to avoid the consequences
of felony criminal misconduct.

It sure looks like Kari Brandenburg is part of the cover up.

What kind of criminal justice system allows the bad guys
to investigate their own felony criminal misconduct and then
sit on the information until a statute of limitations frees them
forever from accountability for their criminal misconduct?

Darren White and Kari Brandenburg have some questions
to answer before they ask voters to re-elect them.

Put your opinion where the sun don't shine.

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education
will meet tomorrow morning. They are meeting to decide
who will fill the vacant school board seat in District 7.

Public input will not be allowed. link

I, and/or you,
will not have the opportunity to petition our government
on an issue of such fundamentally great importance.

I will not have the opportunity to suggest that the board
not appoint any candidate who is not willing to be held honestly
accountable as a role model of the student standards of conduct
and competence.

They will appoint their crony without the question having
ever been asked.

This is how the good ol' boy club got started in the first place.
link

When the crony is appointed, he will be given an incumbent
advantage in an election only a few months distant.

Please let us not forget that this appointment is unnecessary.

There is no demonstrable need to fill the vacant seat
except by election.

There is no reason to make this appointment except to grant
an incumbent advantage in cementing the board's defense
against an honest and impartial audit of their administration
of the public trust and treasure in the APS.

Gordy Rowe says it is alright to spare their crony
the hassle of election to the school board by eliminating the
election process from their ascendancy to the board.

I beg to disagree.

I beg you to disagree as well.


Really; I beg you to disagree as well.

The candidates for District 7

I will report on them in alphabetic order. This gives
Jon Barela an advantage over other candidates as his name
always comes at the top of the stack; a serendipitous and
plausibly deniable advantage that has not been lost on the
planners of the process which has been steadfastly alphabetical
with no apparent attempt shuffle the deck occasionally
to level the playing field.

Jon Barela is sharp, and experienced, and learned.
If he were not hooked up with the Modrall law firm,
and if he were not hooked up with the good ol' boys that
run the APS, he would be a worthy candidate for service
on the school board.

Unless and until he indicates otherwise, it is safe to assume
that he will join the leadership of the APS in their efforts to
resist any audit of the APS Modrall relationship. It is safe
to assume that he will also join the effort to protect the
good ol' boy organizational structure of the APS from exposure
and from remediation.

Arturo Candelaria is experienced. My misgivings with him
stem from the fact that if asked what are the most important
problems in the APS, he strays to issues like growth, which
while important are no where near the top of the stack of
issues that stand between teachers and the education of
students. He is already one of "them", sharing their priorities
and their stock answers to feed to stakeholders.

Kathy Frazier has a record of stepping up to the plate
and involving herself first hand in solving the problems
that came up while her own children were working their
way through the APS. Her candidacy falls apart when
asked what she thinks are APS' weaknesses; the failure
to keep abreast of growth, and the negative perception of
the APS in the community. She actually believes that the
negative perception should be addressed, not by dealing
with the very real and present problems, but by creating
"effective" communication with the community.

Michael Glenn Gibson is imho, the best candidate by far.
As an individual board member, he sees a responsibility
to communicate to stakeholders, along with accomplishments,
the "challenges" that face the district.

I spoke to him briefly, and he indicated to me that if elected
to the board, he would have no problem holding himself
accountable as a role model for students. He is the only
candidate so far willing to make that commitment.

He brings a skill set in business, that would serve to his
great advantage.

He strikes me as a man of some substantial character.

David Peercy is bright and articulate. He was unafraid to
answer a question about arming school police, by stating
that he didn't know enough specifics to voice an opinion
without hearing from the experts.

Interestingly, he points out that among the roles of members
of the board of education is to "respond to public queries in
Open Meetings.

That alone will disqualify him from further consideration by
the truth hiding leadership of the APS.

APS "Communication" is a red herring.

A red herring is;

something intended to divert attention from the
real problem or matter at hand; a misleading clue.

It comes from the practice of drawing a dead fish across the trail of an escaping miscreant to send the dogs on a false path.

Whenever the leadership of the APS finds themselves in a bind, they schedule a bunch of meetings to allow stakeholders to express their opinions on what is wrong in the district. It makes them feel like they have done something to fix the problems.

They haven't.

If those in the leadership of the APS don't already know what
the problems are, then shame on them for their incompetence.

And woe are those who actually believe that these "public
forums" serve any useful purpose except to distract
stakeholders from the lack of real progress in overcoming
the obstacles to education.

Any public forum that does not include the opportunity to ask
questions and expect candid, forthright and and honest
responses, is a red herring; a soporific for stakeholders;
a little something to make them feel better without doing
anything that actually makes anything any better.

Gordy Rowe gives candidates for District 7 a break

Exiting APS board member Gordy Rowe explained last night
why the candidate for his replacement will not stand for election.

He said last night that the election process is very grueling for
candidates, and he is happy to allow them to skip that process
and sit only for selection by the board.

I swear to God, then he said words to the effect that the
process should be considered to fill all school board vacancies.

School board candidates and voters will be spared the hassle
of the election process.

What a great idea. How could it possibly go wrong?

Board candidates avoid role modeling question

The leadership of the APS has managed to conduct yet another
public forum for candidates for high office in the APS,
without a single candidate having been asked a single question
about their obligations as a role model.

Since role modeling and educator are inextricably linked,
it is fair to ask why the concept of role modeling is never
discussed on the record by any member or prospective
member of the leadership of the APS.

I would posit one answer. I cannot imagine, nor can anyone
else suggest, another reason.

The leadership of the APS is accountable as role models
to standards of conduct and competence that are too high
for them to meet.

A nationally recognized, accepted, and respected code of
ethical conduct is a standard too high for the leadership
of the APS to hold themselves accountable to.

So they just won't talk about role modeling at all.

The responsibilities and obligations of role models of the
standards of conduct and competence that apply to students,
are hereby rescinded by and for the leadership of the APS.

My flyer for the board candidate public forum

I will make copies and attempt to distribute them to participants today.

As the senior role models of the student standards of conduct and competence, and as the senior public servants in the public schools,

should board members be expected to tell the truth?

Should they promise to present themselves personally
to answer every legitimate question about the administration of
public power and resources in the APS?

Should they promise to respond to every legitimate question
about public resources, and about their public service?

Should they promise to respond candidly, forthrightly and honestly?

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

We can’t just tell our children about George Washington and the cherry tree; someone has to show them what it looks like.

Upton Sinclair pointed out that;
we should not be so worried that our children are not listening to us; as we should be worried that they are watching us.

Someone has to show students and staff what it looks like to tell the truth.

Should school board members be required to promise
to tell the truth according to the same standards that they enforce up students?

Should the leadership of the APS be held honestly accountable
as role models of the student standards of conduct and competence?

Should they at the very least, explain in words a student can
understand, why students are accountable to a nationally recognized, accepted and respected code of ethical conduct;
and administrators and board members are not?

Should administrators and board members replace the language
that they removed from their own standards of conduct,
the language which used to read;

In no case shall the standard of conduct for an adult
be lower than the standards of conduct for students.

diogenes’ six
http://ched-macquigg.blogspot.com/

Journal (non)coverage of APS board race, true to form

The Journal has begrudgingly reported that there is to be
a school board candidate forum tonight.

The article contains not one word about even one of the issues
that currently confront the board.

It's almost like the Journal doesn't want stakeholders to
participate meaningfully in the election of school board members.

In fact, it is exactly like the Journal doesn't want to encourage
meaningful stakeholder participation.

Shame on the Journal, it really is a corrupt rag of a newspaper.

Board candidate forum tonight

According to an article in the Journal link sub req

candidates for the empty seat in APS District 7 will answer
questions from the public tonight at La Cueva High School.
in the performing arts center at 6:30 pm.

According to the Journal;

Those attending also will have an opportunity to ask
questions," APS board president Mary Lee Martin said.

In the past, this has meant that audience members could write
their questions down and hand them into the leadership of the
APS who would reword the questions to their liking before
posing them to candidates.

When they were trying to fill the superintendent's slot, they
would not allow/require any of the candidates to answer any
questions about the role modeling of the student standard of
conduct.

The leadership of the APS is actively engaged in weakening
the student standards of conduct, and in eliminating any actual
responsibility to be a role model for students and staff.

The heart of the problem lies in the fact that the leadership
of the APS has some information that they want to keep
secret from stakeholders. The information can only be kept
secret from stakeholders for as long as the leadership of the
APS can avoid actual accountability to any standard of conduct
that requires candid, forthright, and honest responses to
legitimate questions about the public interests in the public
schools or to legitimate questions about their public service.

It will be interesting to see if tonight, anyone of the candidates
is willing to be candid, forthright and honest with stakeholders.

My advice; don't hold your breath.

La Cueva is located at 7801 Wilshire Ave NE, in the northwest
corner of Wyoming Blvd and Wilshire avenue.
Wilshire avenue is five blocks north of Paseo Del Norte.

Gordy Rowe wasn't going to let me speak

I went to the Policy Committee meeting this morning at 7:30.
On the agenda; discussion and action on the two new codes of
conduct for APS athletic events.

Gordy Rowe was about to take the vote on whether or not to
pass the new codes.

I rose to inquire about my opportunity to speak.
I pointed out that the agenda included a public forum.

Gordy Rowe asked me if I had signed up to speak.

I pointed out that no opportunity had been provided for
me to sign "up". There was a sign "in" list, but no sign "up" list.

Then he wanted to know what I intended to talk about;
whether I wanted to talk about the codes of conduct, or
if I wanted to talk about something else.

Satisfied that I would talk only about the codes, he relented
and let me speak.

Then he told me that I had one and half minutes, 30 seconds
less than is normally provided to speakers at a public forum.

When I demanded to know why I was not being allowed the
full two minutes, he relented on that issue as well.

I began by pointing out specific problems in the two new codes.

I pointed out that in the codes, students and spectators
are "required" to praise opposing team members.

I pointed out that this law in particular was not going to be
enforced, and that there is a problem in general
with writing laws you have no intention of enforcing.

The permission of prohibited behavior is central to most of
the remediable problems in public schools.

I pointed out that the new policies offered no improvement
not even in its smallest measure, over the existing standards
of conduct, the Pillars of Character Counts.

And then I pointed out that the only reason that they don't
want to call any attention to the Pillars of Character Counts,
is because they don't want to call any attention to the
Pillar of Trustworthiness.

The Pillar of Trustworthiness is a standard of conduct which
requires that the leadership of the APS stand and deliver
candid, forthright and honest answers to every legitimate
question.

They do not want to tell the truth.
They want to hide the truth from stakeholders.

There is only one reason to hide the truth.
That reason is to protect the corrupt and the incompetent
in the leadership of the APS from the consequences of
their corruption and their incompetence.



Then they passed the new codes unanimously.


cc superintendent(at)aps.edu

Character Counts! or does it?

“Character counts!” is a declarative sentence with exclamation.

Students are expected to model and promote their belief that
their character counts.

On the table is a new set of standards of conduct.
They will be in effect at APS athletic events.
They will apply to students, and adult spectators.

There are standards already in place that directly address all
of the same issues as the new standards.
The new standards are no improvement over the existing standards.
They offer no advantage what so ever.

If students were actually required to comply with the existing
standards, the problems that the new standards are to address,
would not exist.

If spectators were actually accountable as role models of the
current student standard of conduct,
the problems would not exist.

So why a different set of standards?

It is to dilute the atmosphere of standards.

The leadership of the APS is prepared to take yet another step
away from accountability as role models. It is a deliberate step.

The leadership wants to draw attention away from the student
standards of conduct.

They need to draw attention away from the student standards
because they do not want to be held accountable to them.

The student standard of conduct is clear and unequivocal.
It is a nationally recognized, accepted, and respected code of
conduct. It represents a higher standard of conduct than the law.

The so-called “leaders” of the APS do not want to be
accountable to a higher standard of conduct than the law.

In truth, their record is;
they are not accountable even to the law.

They cannot argue that they should not be accountable
to the student standard of conduct.

Sooner or later they will have to admit that they are, in fact,
accountable as role models.

Accountability as a role model means accountable to the same
standards of conduct that they enforce upon students.

Another of the questions that the leadership of the APS will
never answer;

Why did you remove the following statement from your
own code of conduct;

In no case, shall the standard of conduct for an adult,
be lower than the standard of conduct for students.

Celebrate the 8

Winston Brooks has 8 goals to improve education in the APS.

In the September APS Perspective propaganda instrument,
Winston Brooks describes the "conversation" series of meetings
with stakeholders.

That’s why we are encouraging you to participate in the
Celebrate the 8! conversation Series, which will feature
seven community meetings held throughout the district
during the next couple of months to discuss our goals and
ways to implement them.
Watch for more information on the Conversation Series,
and plan to attend with open minds and suggestions for
making Albuquerque one of the premier urban school
districts in the country.

The truth of course, is that there is no conversation to be had
at any of these meetings. The leadership of the APS controls
the "conversation" by asking all the questions and allowing no
one to ask a question of their own.

This is not a conversation; it is patently dishonest to even
imply that it is.

Winston Brooks is a failure as a role model of the student
standards of conduct.


cc superintendent(at)aps.edu

Codes of Conduct come up for a vote tomorrow morning.

At a 7:30 am meeting of the Policy Committee, votes will be
taken on whether or not to approve new policies for students
and spectators at APS athletic events. link link

Neither policy represents any substantial improvement over
the current student standard of conduct, or over adults
spectators responsibility to be role models of the student
standard of conduct.

New policies are necessary only to deflect attention from the
current standards.

The problem with the current standards is that they require
honesty as part of the body of standards.

The leadership of the APS cannot find itself accountable to any
standard of conduct that requires them to tell the truth,

because they don't want to tell the truth,

about most things.

Darren White's deliberate deception

Darren White's latest TV ad proclaims that Darren White
resigned "when" Governor Gary Johnson proposed the
decriminalization of certain recreational drugs.

The word "when" can mean two things in this context;
if the meaning is "at the same time as", then Darren White
is telling the truth; his resignation was co-incidental with
Governor Johnson's public stance; they happened at the
same time.

The alternate meaning of the word "when" implies that
Darren White resigned "as a consequence of" Governor
Johnson's position.

However Darren White felt about Governor Johnson,
he had also just received an overwhelming vote of
no confidence by his subordinates in the NM State Police.

Darren White resigned, or should have resigned, because
he had lost faith with subordinates.

Darren White is ignoring the question of another vote of
confidence by his current subordinates in the BCSO.

If Darren White could actually pass a vote of confidence,
it would be a useful tool for his campaign.

But he can't, so he won't.

He won't even talk about votes of confidence.

Except in terms that are calculated to create false impressions
in voters.

If your public servant will not answer your legitimate question

they are not really your servant and
you are not really their master.

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

Whether or not public servants will present themselves personally to answer legitimate questions about the public interests and about their public service;

is our prerogative not theirs. "No comment" is not an acceptable
answer to a legitimate question about our interests.

APS' problems paying bills are not new

Editors at the Journal summoned the courage to write about a
problem in the APS, link sub req. They wrote about the fact
that local vendors are complaining that it can take as long as
four months to be paid for their goods or services.

The problem is not new.

APS has never had a record of paying its bills on time.
APS has never had a Finance Division that was competent.

According to the Meyners Audit;
the APS has never had adequate, financially sound, written down policies and procedures, and
the APS has never enforced all of the policies it did have, and
the APS has never kept accurate and complete records.

Because;

APS has always been run by good ol' boys, and good ol' boys
get better at their jobs only by coincidence.

There is no real and compelling reason for good ol' boys to
get better at anything, because there is no consequence for
being bad at anything.

They do not get fired for being incompetent.
They do not get fired for being corrupt.

And even if they do get fired, they leave with a quarter million
or so, in cash.

Any competent audit of the leadership of the APS will reveal
in every single department and division;
a lack of meaningful standards of conduct and competence, and
a lack of accountability to any standards at all, and
a lack of record keeping that could be used to substantiate
claims of corruption and incompetence.

APS problems are not new. They are as old as the organizational structure of the leadership of the APS; a good ol' boy system.

APS problems are not going to solve themselves;
in fact they are no going to be solved at all, for as long as
the number one priority is to protect good ol' boys from the
consequences of their corruption and incompetence.

Despite all of the problems in the APS Finance Division,
no one has been fired, no one has been demoted, and
no one has been disciplined.

Billions of tax dollars have been put at risk.
Likely, millions of tax dollars have been lost or stolen.

And no one has ever been held accountable for putting
public resources at risk.

No one ever will be held accountable, and that is why
things will never really get any better, and

APS vendors will continue to wait four months to be paid.

Mario Burgos has put up a video that you have to see

on school choice. Mario Burgos

Thank you Mario,
Mario in turn thanks; Stephen Kruiser

APS bus rides; one thousand dollars each

According to the Journal, link sub req.

"Brooks said he has been asked how much the bus tours are costing APS. He said the money comes from his and the school board's budgets. Miller said the tours cost approximately $1,000 each."

Frankly I don't believe it. I would bet there is more than a thousand dollars worth of suits there, not to mention the public relations tree slayer of a folder full of everything, and food, and a bus, and a bus driver, and, ...

I don't believe they are doing this for $1K each.


What bugged me about the bus tour in district 4 was that it
appeared that the buses don't stop at a certain kind of school.
Some schools get a drive by when the leadership of the APS
is out looking for things to do.

Again according to an article in the Journal link sub req

"Louis Tafoya, president of the West Mesa Neighborhood Association, complained to Brooks of gangs and unruly students in middle schools. He told Brooks both principals and district officials should spend more time out of the office observing school halls and classrooms"

The leadership of the APS doesn't get off the bus at the schools
where they each should be doing some regular substitute teaching.

Winston Brooks will not stand up and answer any questions
about "gangs and unruly students in middle schools".
He won't stand up and answer questions about gangs and
unruly students in high schools either.

In fact, he will not stand up to legitimate questions at all.


He does look good in a bus though. You can see him drive by,
smiling and waving to the gangbangers that run those schools.

APS Gina Hickman sez;

According to Andrea Schoellkopf and the Journal
link sub req; APS is having trouble paying vendors on time.
APS' new CFO said of the delays;

"It's very complicated, but frankly,
based on the very preliminary data,
I'm still not concerned," Hickman said.
(emphasis added)

One score and five years ago, I was teaching shop.

In order to buy supplies, I used an SPO Book;
Small Purchase Order.

There were useful vendors who wouldn't take the chits
because APS never paid their bills on time.

The preliminary data is in, long since.

The APS Finance Division is in chaos.
They have huge problems and a need to fix them without
admitting that they exist.

They won't tell you have much money they have lost.
It could easily be millions. There is a billion dollars on the table;
every year.

Gina Hickman knew before the Meyners auditors knew,
that the APS Finance Division was spending a billion dollars
a year

• without meaningful standards of conduct and competence, and
• without honest accountability to any standards at all, and
• without keeping records complete and accurate enough to send anybody to prison.

Gina Hickman did not blow the whistle.

Neither did APS bean counter; Michael Kimbrell.

They were there, they knew, they didn't blow the whistle.


Now she is APS Chief Financial Officer.
And he is APS Director of Internal Audits.

And are both in perfect position to cover up the waste and
theft of millions of tax dollars.

Winston Brooks sees no need to begin an immediate, full scale
forensic audit of the entire leadership of the APS.

In fact, he refuses to discuss it on the record.


Winston Brooks has a huge need to repair APS' image to
stakeholders; a huge need. He is blazing around the district
in a bus, along with all the APS dignitaries, busily trying to
restore public confidence in their badly tarnished leadership.

And all he really has to do is produce a clean audit.
If he could do that, all criticism would be proven false.

If Winston Brooks could produce a clean audit,
APS' reputation would be completely restored in one instant.

But he can't.

He cannot produce an audit which reports that there are
meaningful standards of conduct and competence, and
there is honest accountability to those standards.

Because meaningful standards of conduct and competence
for the leadership of the APS do not exist.
They cannot point to them.

And because there is no accountability; even to the law.

They cannot point to a record except of litigation against
the public interests, to protect good ol' boys from the
consequences of their incompetence and their corruption.

They cannot pass an audit.

If they could pass an audit they would, in a heartbeat.

But they won't even talk about it;
they won't sit still and answer questions about it;
they refuse to respond candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.

Why in the world would you let them get away with simply
refusing to be audited?

Paula Maes Modrall sez; no audit, no way,
and that's alright with you?

APS' Rigo Chavez, custodian and mental health expert

I have filed a number of requests to inspect and or copy
public records.

Some of the records have been compiled and are ready for
surrender.

I have a disability that interferes with my ability to accept
that surrender in his offices.

I suffer from ptsd and anxiety.

Rigo Chavez has taken it upon himself to be the state's
diagnostician of my mental health.


He writes;

"I have seen you at the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education meetings at the same location as our offices on numerous occasions most recently on Sept. 3, 2008.
If you are able to attend these meetings, you should be able to come to the same location to inspect records."

Coincidentally, yesterday afternoon I had a pretty much full
blown anxiety attack link in the lobby and in the public forum.

It was witnessed, it was on security cameras, and it was in
front of a board meeting.

Rigo Chavez will argue that I have publicly embarrassed myself
as part of a deliberate deception;
in order to "prove" my fake disability.

Though the legitimacy of the disability is well documented
in the public record.


All I want them to do is to accept a deposit, and then surrender
the records to me in order that I can take them away from the
stronghold of the people who destroyed my career and a
substantial part of my life.


The accommodation works for the legitimate agenda of the
state; less man hours will be spent, less effort will be expended.
It saves taxpayers money.

There is no legitimate agenda that is served by their insistence
that I come into their house to spend hours looking for
the truth hidden amongst the chaff.

The Attorney Generals Office is worthless.

Assistant Attorney General Zachary Schandler refuses to
acknowledge my letters to him.

The truth that I am looking for is, of public corruption and
criminal conspiracy.

Senior APS leadership used a sophisticated and supposedly
secure data base, owned by Darren White, to do illegal
background checks in retaliating against APS whistle blowers.

Then US Attorney David Iglesias (this is not about Iglesias)
said it was serious misconduct.

The evidence of criminal misconduct was given to
Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg.

Or maybe not. The leadership of the APS, lets call it
Winston Brooks, will not confirm or deny that the evidence
was ever actually handed over.

Neither will Kari Brandenburg.



I asked for any records of, the records that were turned over
to the DA. I want a list of the records which were surrendered.

Rigo Chavez writes;

"... these are also not subject to inspection under the Act
because they are "law enforcement records that reveal ...
individuals accused but not charged with a crime."
Therefore your request is denied."

This is pretty much the same excuse that Kari Brandenburg
used when I asked her for the public records that revealed
whether or not she has actually spent even one hour looking at
credible evidence of felony criminal misconduct, and she claimed
exception to the law.

In a few months, the statute of limitations will expire and
the good ol' boys will skate on the consequences of
felony criminal misconduct.

Former APS Police Chief Gil Lovato has said that
if the truth is ever told; there won't be a single senior
administrator left standing.

Winston Brooks has a choice; he can tell the truth about
the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership
of the APS (police department)

or he can continue to try to hide it.

If his choice is to continue to try to hide it,
he will enjoy the support of the mass media.
He will enjoy the support of the Albuquerque Journal.

There really is a privileged class here in River City, and
they really do cover each others asses.

There is only one reason to hide the truth and
it is against the public interest. They are hiding the truth
to protect a bunch of good ol' boys from the consequences
of their corruption and their incompetence.

All that Winston Brooks has to do to refute any of this is
to surrender the time, the date, and the place where
he will sit and respond to every legitimate question,
candidly, forthrightly and honestly.



cc superintendent(at)aps.edu, board(at)aps.edu
nmago

Rigo Chavez denies public records request

Rigo Chavez writes;

"The only report brepared by an outside investigator was one dealing specifically with allegations against former APS Police Director Gilbert Lovato. Because this report is a "memorandumwhich is a matter of opinion in Mr. Lovato's file, it is not subject to disclosure under the NM Inspection of Public Records Act. Therefore your request is denied."

From the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act;

In some instances, a record kept by a public body
will contain information that is exempt from the
right to inspect as well as information that must
be disclosed.
The Act requires the applicable records custodian
to separate out the exempt information in a file or
document before making the record available for
inspection.

The fact that a file may contain some information that
may not be disclosed does not protect all the
information from public disclosure.

In order to press the point, I will have to take APS Modrall to
court. They will make a mint litigating against the public
interest.

Anyone who doesn't think that APS Modrall will win in court
underestimates the power of Modrall, and a virtually
unlimited budget of taxpayer support for "education".

The leadership of the APS is either honest or it is not.

The test is to ask them to tell the truth.
If the answer is no, then they are not honest.

Any answer except yes, means no.

Somebody should do something.

None of the above

I can't help but think that we would be far better off if there
was an opportunity to vote; none of the above
at election time.

This business of voting for the lesser of two evils
wears thin after a while.

Why won’t Winston Brooks simply tell the truth?

Two weeks ago, I stood up a public forum and demanded
an honest to God public forum; a forum where the leadership of
the APS would stand up and answer legitimate questions;
candidly, forthrightly and honestly.

Winston Brooks led us to believe that, that opportunity would
present itself if only I went to one of his “district conversation”
meetings.

I did, and he didn’t.

I went to the meeting to ask a legitimate question.
He didn’t provide an opportunity for me to ask the question;
he did not make an effort to be candid, forthright, and honest.

There is only one reason that Winston Brooks could have for
refusing to respond candidly, forthrightly and honestly to
legitimate questions.

Winston Brooks wants to hide the truth from stakeholders.
Winston Brooks will not entertain questions about corruption
and incompetence in the leadership of the APS, because
Winston Brooks does not want stakeholders to know the truth
about corruption and incompetence in the leadership of the APS.

More importantly, Winston Brooks does not want stakeholders
to know the names of the corrupt and the incompetent
in the leadership of the APS.

Winston Brooks does not want stakeholders to know what
he does with corruption and incompetence when he finds them.

Winston Brooks does not want stakeholders to know the truth
about what he does with the corrupt and the incompetent
when he finds them.

The longer Winston Brooks hides the truth,
the more it looks like he is protecting the good ol’ boys from
accountability for their corruption and their incompetence.

Sooner or later, Winston Brooks will have to tell the truth.
Sooner or later, Winston Brooks will stand up to legitimate
questions and provide candid, forthright, and honest answers.

And when he finally does, not only will he have to tell the truth
about the abject lack of standards and accountability in
the leadership of the APS, but he will also have to tell the truth
about why he has refused to tell the truth, heretofore.

What good and ethical reason is there to keep corruption and
incompetence secret from stakeholders?

What good and ethical reason is there to keep the names of
the corrupt and the incompetent secret from stakeholders?



cc superintendent(at)aps.edu

Darren White and the RPNM hammer Heinrich

According to an unlinkable story in the Journal this morning,
Darren White and the Republican Party of New Mexico have
been hammering Martin Heinrich to release all business records
related to his paid lobbying career.

Martin Heinrich should tell Darren White that after he
releases the ethically redacted truth about senior APS
administrators criminally abusing Darren White's NCIC data
base, he, Heinrich, might feel more inclined to release
records of his own.

Seems reasonable to me.

APS school board planning to violate the law?

The New Mexico Open Meetings Act, link,
Sunshine laws generally require that public business be
conducted in full public view, that the actions of public bodies
be taken openly, and that the deliberations of public bodies be
open to the public.

"All meetings of a quorum of members of any board, commission,
administrative adjudicatory body or other policy making body
of any state agency, any agency or authority of any county,
municipality, district or any political subdivision, held for the
purpose of formulating public policy, including the development
of personnel policy, rules, regulations or ordinances, discussing
public business or for the purpose of taking any action within
the authority of or the delegated authority of any board,
commission or other policy making body are declared to be
public meetings open to the public at all times, except as otherwise
provided in the constitution of New Mexico or the Open Meetings Act."

It would appear that the board's intention to skip off to Houston,
or where ever, violates the Open Meetings Act.

Why can't the training take place here?

Why can't the training take place after the election?

Why won't the leadership of the APS answer any questions?

C. Board of Education District 7 Vacancy Update (Discussion/Action)

At the board meeting tonight, Jon Barela will move a step
closer to filling Gordy Rowe's empty seat.

This despite the appearance of a conflict of interest.

The board is filling a seat that could and should be filled
by an election only months away.

The incumbent will enjoy a significant advantage in the
real election in February.

The board needs to avoid an audit of the relationship between
the APS and the Modrall law firm. Jon Barela is hooked up
with the Modrall.

The board needs to avoid the discovery of APS' good ol' boy
organizational structure. Jon Barela is hooked up with the
good ol' boys. He helped pay for their little soiree at
the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

Gordy Rowe claims Jon Barela needs to be installed before
the board training. In fact, four board members may not
even survive the February election. (one can hope)

Jon Barela helps run the APS Foundation

The APS Foundation collects donations, according to its website,
to support;

Middle School Sports
Fine Arts
Classroom Mini Grants
Reading/Literacy
Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
Safe Schools/Healthy Students
Scholarships
Teacher & Employee Recognition
Homeless School Project

It also donated $2,500 to fund the administrators only
soiree at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

If the board is successful in installing Barela,
will it bode increased taxpayer support of administrative
soirees at even more expensive resort casinos?

It is a fair question.

It is yet another question that Jon Barela will not answer;
because they don't answer questions.

If the leadership of the APS won't tell the truth about every thing

how can you believe them about any thing?

Jon Barela is a manifestation of the "appearance of a conflict of interest"

School board policy prohibits creating the appearance
of a conflict of interest.

Damage is done by the mere appearance,
and it cannot be tolerated.

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education
has two priorities;

1. avoiding an honest audit of APS/Modrall, and
2. covering up the organizational structure of the leadership of the APS.

Jon Barela is hooked up with Modrall, and
he is hooked up with the good ol' boys that run the APS.

There appears to be a conflict of interest.


The process is already damaged.



Fortunately for school board head honcho Paula Maes,
her husband's law firm Modrall, and for the good ol' boys
the run the APS; the code of ethical conduct that
applies to them, is by their own admission;
completely unenforceable.

LINK

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

Every generation expects the next generation to be the first generation to hold themselves honestly accountable for their character.

Every generation tells the next, the story about George Washington and the cherry tree. And then leaves it at that.

1. meaningful standards
2. enforced absolutely
for at least the few hours a day that
they hold children accountable to those.


It is not power that corrupts;
it is the lack of accountability for the abuse of power that corrupts
absolutely.



The are refusing an impartial audit
because they can.

Two pages in the Journal on "Schools"

and still not a word on the process that will see Modrall lawyer
Jon Barela appointed to fill Gordy Rowe's empty seat on the
school board, thereby giving him an incumbent advantage in the
election only a few months away.

Thereby cementing the opposition to a full scale forensic audit
of the relationship between the APS and the Modrall.

Michael McNamara; Principal at Jefferson Middle School

Mike McNamara hosted the meeting at Jefferson MS Monday.

Before that, the last time I had seen McNamara he was sitting
across the table from me at an arbitration of my dispute with
the APS.

In my opinion, he was perjuring himself.

In the opinion of the arbitrator, a former New Mexico State
Supreme Court Chief Justice, the testimony of McNamara,
and of the Principal Wayne Knight,

"... lacked credibility in the face of controverting testimony
from any other witness.

And here he is, administrative role model of
the Pillar of Trustworthiness.

No wonder so many students make it through the APS with
no idea what it means to be a person of character, and honor
and courage.

Winston Brooks reneges on committment

At the public forum during the regular school board meeting on
September 3rd, I demanded that the leadership of the APS
stand and deliver honest answers to legitimate questions.

Winston Brooks "said" that I would have that opportunity at
any one of "... our upcoming 7 grassroots community meetings
that will be held this fall.

Well I went to one of those meetings yesterday at Jefferson
Middle School.

There was no opportunity to ask questions at all. All of the
questions were predetermined and were asked of those who
attended, and not by those who attended.

Winston Brooks is still unwilling to be simply honest with
stakeholders.

In his monthly Journal column this morning; link, Winston
Brooks wrote;

"That's what I am asking of ... each stakeholder
in the Albuquerque Public Schools; become part
of the process, have a voice in determining where
we are headed and - just as important - in the
process of getting there."

Just don't ask any questions.

Winston Brooks says he is going to change the way business
is done in the APS Financial Division. His goal number 6 reads;

Review, modify and maintain a transparent, sound and
effective financial stewardship with clearly defined,
consistent and well-documented processes throughout
the district.

Yet he will not take a single question on the failures in the
APS Financial Division that precipitated the changes he has
proposed. He will not answer questions even as important as;

Why were two subordinates who should have blown the
whistle on the shenanigans in the Financial Division,
but did not, then promoted to the two most senior
positions in what could be the cover up of missing
millions of dollars, and potential criminal misconduct?

Winston Brooks may indeed have his sights set on reforming
the leadership of the APS. But just as clearly, he intends to
do so without stakeholders finding out the truth about what
has been going on for generations.

He intends to protect the good ol' boys from the consequences
of their corruption and incompetence.

And if that is his primary goal, then every other goal is
secondary; including his purported goal of cleaning up the
APS Financial Division.

If stakeholders ask Winston Brooks if he will tell the truth,
and his answer is; no, why should we trust him?

If when asked if he will be a role model of the student
standard of conduct, the Pillar of Trustworthiness, and his
answer is; no, why should we trust him?

Any answer to either question except yes, means no.

Stonewalling, means no.

Refusing to stand and deliver candid, forthright, and honest
answers to legitimate questions, means no.



cc. Winston Brooks, @ superintendent(at)aps.edu

Consider the implications

If at every school in the APS, teachers are told that they are
not to contact the educational dignitaries,

the educational dignitaries will never hear the teachers version
of what is going on in the public schools.

For one, they will never hear that one of the biggest problems
in schools is the lack of discipline.

Administrators are responsible for the enforcement of
discipline polices.

The leadership of the APS has failed to maintain adult
control over schools.

And they don't want to be hearing from teachers about what
they think should be done.


A middle school principal decides to suspend contracts and
constitutions, and there is nothing we can do about it.


Except, show up somewhere, and
stand up for what you believe in.

Constitutional and contractual rights suspended at Jefferson Middle School

Teachers at Jefferson Middle School have a constitutional
right to petition their government.

They also have a contractual right to a duty free lunch.

Never the less, according to local blogger; Scot Key link
Jefferson Principal Michael McNamara has suspended
both the Negotiated Agreement between APS teachers and the
APS, and the Constitution of United States of America.

"The staff at my school has been informed that
we cannot eat with the VIPs, or join in their
"round table discussion" ..."

If only the leadership of the APS provided some venue that
guarantees a principled resolution of complaints against
administrators, perhaps a complaint could be filed,
and teachers would be allowed to exercise their rights.

No venue is provided of course, so no complaint can be filed
and teachers at Jefferson Middle School get the shaft.


cc superintendent(at)aps.edu

The New Mexico educators code of ethical conduct

requires them to behave ethically.

When the leadership of the APS deleted certain language
from their own code of conduct, they behaved unethically.

The language that they deleted had read;

In no case shall the standard of conduct for
an adult be lower than the standard of conduct
for students.

Students are accountable to a nationally recognized, accepted,
and respected code of ethical conduct.

The leadership of the APS has excepted itself from accountability
to any code of ethical conduct; by their own deliberate choice.

In truth, they are not even accountable to the law.

I reported Beth Everitt to the NM Educators Ethics Bureau.


The New Mexico Public Education Department, and its
Educators Ethics Bureau ignored my complaint.


It in not unethical apparently,
to hold students accountable to a standard of ethical conduct
higher than the standard of conduct for those whose job it is
to enforce that higher standard upon students.


If we really want our children to grow up to embrace character
and courage, and honor

someone has to show them what they look like.

Candidates for APS District 7 are invited to;

Conversations in APS School Board District 4,
which will take place Monday, 9/15/08, at 12:30 pm,
and at Jefferson Middle School.

the incumbent advantage

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education is set
to appoint a replacement for Gordy Rowe.

Whomever they appoint now will enjoy an incumbent advantage
when the seat comes up for (re)election on February 4th, 2009;
some four months from now.

Whomever they appoint now will also enjoy support of the
school board as by then, whomever they appoint now
will have become an indispensable asset.

In likelihood, the incumbent will be re-elected.

The Journal will ignore it all;
witness their coverage of this process heretofore.

And witness their support of the cover up of the ethics and
accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS.

And their coverage of Bill Richardson's testimony that the
lack of standards and accountability in the leadership of the
APS had earned the APS

"... a statewide earned reputation
for their lack of financial accountability."

And their coverage of Marty Chavez' testimony that the
lack of standards and accountability in the leadership of the
APS merited his personal appointment of school board members.

And their coverage of their former Chief of Police, Gil Lovato,
who said that when the truth gets out, there won't be a single
APS senior administrator left standing.

And their coverage of the Meyners Audit, which pointed out
that the leadership of the APS, with a billion dollars a year
lying on the table; has never gotten around to
writing down financially sound policies and procedures,
or following them,
or keeping books on it.

And their coverage of the promotion of subordinates who
should have reported the scandal, but did not,
to APS Chief Financial Officer, and APS Director of Internal Audit.

If there is a cover up of missing millions of tax dollars,
it makes a certain amount of sense for the good ol' boys
to put a couple of good ol' boys in positions to cover it all up.

Nor will the Journal report upon the fact that no one in the
leadership of the APS will stand on the record and answer
legitimate questions candidly, forthrightly and honestly.

Nor will the Journal report that Paula Maes said that
she will never allow any audit that individually identifies
corrupt and incompetent good ol' boys.

Nor will they report that Paula Maes' husband's law firm
is making millions of dollars litigating against the public interest.

Nor will they report that District Attorney Kari Brandenburg,
and Congressional Candidate Darren White are sitting on credible
evidence of felony criminal misconduct by senior APS
administrators and board members.

Nor will they report upon any of the other incontrovertible
proof of public corruption and incompetence in the leadership
of the APS; the need for an immediate full scale forensic audit
of the entire leadership of the APS and Winston Brooks' refusal
to begin the audit,
or explain, defend or deny his refusal.

Were any of the leadership of the APS accountable to the
standard of conduct that they enforce upon 89,000 of
our sons and daughters,

they would have to stop stonewalling, and start answering
legitimate questions; all of them.

The Journal does not find any of this, at all newsworthy.

Either that, or there really is a privileged class here in
River City, and they really do cover each others asses.


There are five people running for the empty seat.

The board would like to appoint the replacement.
Just like it used to be done. link.


Winston Brooks was hired without ever having to answer
the question;

Are you willing to be held honestly accountable
a sa role model of the student standard of conduct;
are you willing to be held honestly accountable
to meaningful standards of conduct and competence,
by an impartial system powerful enough
to hold you accountable even against your will

even for the measly few hours a day that
you enforce that standard of conduct upon students?

The leadership of the APS intends to appoint another crony
to the board, a crony who will not have to answer the question
either.

When I was running for the board,
my answer to the question was yes

and the Journal wouldn't print it.

5 apply for Gordy Rowe's empty seat on the school board

The Journal finally got around to covering the race to fill the
seat being vacated by Gordy Rowe. The Journal buried the
story in "Around New Mexico" on page B4, and does not
provide a link.

The candidates, according to the article are;

David Percy, a software scientist at Sandia Natl Lab.

Kathy Frazier, longtime parent volunteer, Arts in the School
coordinator and teacher. She apparently ran for the school
board seat in 2005.

Jon Barela, former Modrall lawyer, Intel community and
government relations manager, and co-chair of the APS
Foundation.

Arturo Candelaria, former Las Cruces assoc. superintendent,
former APS teacher, and human resources manager.

Mike Gibson, Director of the Associated General Contractors.


Re; Jon Barela and the APS Foundation. If you look up the
APS Foundation, you will find that they solicit donations

"... to support programs that help students and
teachers grow, develop and reach for their dreams."

If you dig a little deeper, you will find that they use donations
for another unmentioned endeavor; they also used the
donations to support the ACE conference at a posh casino
resort; the Inn of the Mountain Gods, along with a number
of APS vendors seeking lucrative contracts from the very
administrators who enjoyed the little soiree at a casino resort
far too expensive for most APS stakeholders to visit, ever.
link

According to the Meyners Audit, these administrators then let
contracts with (these same) vendors in excess of $50,000
"... without involving purchasing."

I would expect that these vendors will be supporting
Jon Barela/Modrall.

A brace of questions for Winston Brooks

Recently, the Meyners Audit revealed that; in effect, the
leadership of the APS, spending a billion tax dollars a year,

and has never had, ever;
adequate, written, financially sound policies and procedures.

And that they have never, ever, adequately enforced those
policies and procedures.

And that they never, ever kept adequate records.

More recently, there have been promotions in the APS Finance Division.

The two most senior positions have been filled. They have been filled by subordinates in the division.

Subordinates, who if they were competent, should have recognized the seriousness of the situation. Subordinates who if they were not corrupt, would have blown the whistle on the squandering of the public trust and treasure.

Unless there has been a miracle of biblical proportion,
millions of tax dollars have been wasted or stolen.

If there were in place a conspiracy to cover up public corruption,
what better positions to fill with a couple of good ol' boys than;
APS Chief Financial Officer, and APS Director of Internal Audits.

Mr. Brooks, you promised stakeholders that if you saw any
improprieties you would respond with an impartial full scale audit.

I suggest that the appearance of impropriety is so egregious
as to require a public response from you; a candid, forthright
and honest response to the issue of you personally,
and secretly, conducting the only investigation of what might be
the theft of millions of tax dollars.

Tell us why we are not going to get an immediate full scale
forensic audit of the entire expenditure of a billion dollars.


cc superintendent(at)aps.edu

More "secret" meetings; open to public?

What do suppose "Conversations in School Board District 4" means? link

It sounds like there will be a conversation;

an informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc.,
by spoken words; oral communication between persons;
talk; colloquy.

What does "in" mean? Are they talking about the location
of the conversation, or the topic of the conversation?

Apparently, the conversation is not supposed to involve stakeholders; you wouldn't even know that it was taking place unless you had gone to the APS website, clicked on a calender event, and then clicked on a District Relations Committee Agenda.

The "conversation" will be conducted in a time and in a place inaccessible to the vast majority of stakeholders. It will likely be attended by Marty Esquivel who represents APS School Board District 4; one would think.

An opportunity for any kind of "public forum" is not on the agenda. Perhaps that is because the entire meeting is intended to be a public forum. Perhaps it is because they have no intention of letting anyone "converse" but them; the more likely scenario.

It will likely be attended by enough administrators that an individual who shows up to ask an inconvenient question or two, will find that there just isn't time enough for those questions once the administrators have asked theirs.

If you click on the agenda for other District Relations Committee meetings on the page, you will find "conversations" in other districts beside District 4. A "conversation in District 2 is planned for September 18. A "conversation" was held in District 3 on September 8. On August 4, there was a meeting in District 1.

I am wondering if these are the tours where Winston Brooks assured us that if one throws oneself under the bus, and is not run over, they may get to ask a question or two.

Some being more likely to be run over than others.

Marty Esquivel used to be in favor of an audit, until he was against one.

When Marty Esquivel was first elected to the board,
he spoke out about the need for an administrative accountability audit.

Then school board head honcho Paula Maes said;

there will be no audit that individually identifies corrupt
and incompetent administrators or board members,
"... like for example; Tom Savage."

And now he doesn't look up from his laptop
if anyone is talking about an audit,

or about administrative role modeling of
the student standard of conduct,

or about honest accountability to meaningful standards of
conduct and competence for the leadership of the APS.


cc Marty Esquivel upon posting.

APS grassroots community meetings

When I stood up at a public forum during the 9/3/08 school
board meeting, I complained about the fact that there was
not one single member of the leadership of the APS who had
the courage and the character to answer legitimate questions
candidly, forthrightly, and honestly.

I asked them, when were they going to offer an honest to God
public forum.

Winston Brooks announced at the meeting, that there were
going to be public forums. He assured me in a follow up, that

I will ask our Board services dept. to alert you of our
upcoming 7 grassroots community meetings that will be held this fall.

Well, guess what; two weeks later, nothing from board services.

Still no opportunity to ask legitimate questions about the public
interests. Still no venue where Brooks or anyone else will stand
still long enough to be asked a question.

The answer is;

"Maybe if you spring out of a bush somewhere."

The question was;

Under what circumstances might you find yourself
face to face with Winston Brooks in order to ask
him a question?

cc superintendent(at)aps.edu

Candidates for APS District 7 have until noon

Candidates for Gordy Rowe's empty board seat have until
noon today to place their names into contention. link

There was no coverage in the Journal this morning, which
makes it formally too late for them to fulfill their very real
obligation to the community to advertise the slot, the process,
and the issues surrounding the filling of the empty seat.

The board has still offered no good and ethical justification
for filling the empty seat except by election, only a few months
distant.

There is a board training scheduled for October. We have
been told nothing about the training by Monica Armenta or
by anyone in the $1M a year "communications" division;
apparently the training is a secret.

Gordy Rowe, I think, said something about the fact that the
new board member would be appointed in time to attend
the training. Logic underscores the point that, if the board
was really concerned about "all" board member attending the
training, the training would be undertaken after the February
school board elections where four seats, including the one they
are unnecessarily filling, will come up for "re-election".

Apparently, the board expects that Paula Maes/Modrall,
Berna Facio, Gordy Rowe's replacement, and
Mary Lee Martin will be re-elected rather automatically.

And they probably will.

The Journal will offer as much coverage of the February
election as they have of this appointment; none.

Except that a day or two after the election, we will be treated
to an editorial harrumph about how Albuquerqueans should
be ashamed of the poor turn out for the election.

We may even hear from them next week, about what a
shame it is that only one candidate applied for the open
seat.

Shame on all of these people.

Nothing in the Journal this morning

that would increase public awareness of the opening on the
school board, or about the process that is being used to fill
the vacancy with a board member who will be sympathetic
to the board's need to avoid an impartial audit of the entire
leadership of the APS, and specifically of the relationship
between the APS and school board head honcho Paula Maes'
law firm, the Modrall.

The only candidate who's name has been bandied about so far,
is ex-Modrall lawyer, Jon Barela.

The "ex" part not all that important as;
once a Modrall type* lawyer, always a Modrall type lawyer.


*Modrall type lawyer - a lawyer who joins forces with lawyers
who defend the right of the leadership of the APS to except
themselves from accountability to any standard of conduct
higher than the law, and from accountability even to the law,
if by using loopholes, technicalities, and legal weaselry,
that exception can be litigated, even against the public interest
and at tax payer expense.

APS spent $102K on Gil Lovato suit

According to a report in the Journal's Metro section link;

Local law firms, the Bannerman law firm and, Sheehan and
Sheehan, were paid $102K (minus un-stipulated court costs)
to defend the school board and APS Police Sgt. David West,
against claims made by Gil Lovato. Lovato has since dropped
his suit.

For some reason, the Modrall law firm was apparently not
given a seat on this little gravy train.

Although, they did manage to keep the money in the family.
APS COO Brad Winter's wife, Nann is listed as a Director
at Sheehan and Sheehan, link.

The incestuous relationships between APS senior administrators, board members, and APS vendors are a blatant and egregious violation of APS School Board Policy which prohibits creating even the appearance, of a conflict of interest.

Since you can't search the APS website for "disclosures of
apparent conflicts of interest", it is unknown to me as this
time who in the leadership of the APS' husband or wife has
a controlling interest in the Bannerman law firm.

A search of their website, link, didn't reveal any names that
I recognize. I did find it amusing that they proudly proclaim;

95% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

That after all, is where the real money is.

APS is still keeping secret, the identities of the APS senior
administrators who were responsible for letting the public
corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the
APS (police department), get so out of hand that taxpayers
had to shell out $102K to its lawyers instead of hiring
three teachers, or eight educational assistants for the year.

APS fire safety inspections to resume

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) link, the APS and
the State Fire Marshall's Office have ironed out a plan where
APS students and employees will be protected by fire safety
inspections of all APS buildings, temporary and permanent.

Nothing from the district yet, on their decision to save hundreds
of thousands of dollars by canceling the inspection regimen and
then spending the savings on an unjustifiable new board room.