What was Winston Brooks thinking?

Winston Brooks has placed a highly controversial principal
in a highly controversial school. Why?

Certainly there must have been less controversial candidates;
at least as qualified as Linda Torres.

So why did Winston Brooks add more
controversy to a school
awash in controversy already?

The logical conclusion is that,
the controversy comes as a surprise to Winston Brooks.

He got blindsided by a "vetting" failure; a failure to
"... subject to thorough examination or evaluation".


Winston Brooks is not new to vetting failures.

Despite the vetting process, Winston Brooks promoted
to a senior leadership position, an employee of the
APS Finance Division; a man who never blew the whistle
on serious problems in the division; problems which likely
cost taxpayer hundred of thousands, maybe millions of tax dollars.

Two months later, Winston Brooks had to fire his new
Director of Internal Audit, when evidence was gathered
that demonstrated that he was spending half days floating
between a local casino and a porn shop.

This in nothing new in the leadership of the APS.
Sound vetting is not part of the promotion process for
good ol' boys.

Council of the Great City Schools auditors once wrote;

Administrative evaluations in the APS are subjective
and unrelated to promotion or step placement.

Brooks' has not ended the good ol' boys club that runs the APS.

He has joined it.

How else do you explain his refusal to begin an immediate
impartial standards and accountability audit?

Every audit that has ever been done on the APS administration,
has revealed inadequate standards and accountability.

The Meyners + Co audit revealed a lack of standards and
accountability that have cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Winston Brooks inability, or unwillingness, no make sure
that the good ol' boys get vetted before they are promoted,
will get little or no real press.

Brooks failure to properly vet Linda Torres
will not get the media play that the Kimbrell story received.

Not only is it less salacious, but the Journal's coverage is
limited to a few column inches in the Around New Mexico
section of the paper, under the innocuous title;
"Principal Returning To Lead Rio Grande" link

The release of information will controlled and carefully timed.

The RGHS story was released on a Friday, in order that
the story could die a relatively inconspicuous death over the weekend.

The Journal did report that Linda Torres is "controversial".

She is controversial not in the relatively benign "Gradegate"
sense, but rather, controversial in the sense of controversy
that uses words like; racism, abusive, and intimidating.


She is apparently part of a federal law suit including an allegation
that she had ordered the use of a stun gun on a student.
link

Perhaps none of the allegations about her past conduct are true.

But there are people who believe that they are, and they are
really worked up. link

Details will be kept secret.

The failure to properly vet Michael Kimbrell was kept
secret from stakeholders for months.

The only reason stakeholders found out at all was because
Larry Barker broke the story and the scandal became public.

Monday, when the Rio Grande HS community is
really up in arms over the appointment, the story will be
"old news" and the media won't cover it any more.

It's almost like the Journal is part of the cover up.




photo Mark Bralley