Is Winston Brooks being honest about APS' admininstrative costs?

Local blogger and newsman Peter St Cyr caught up with APS Superintendent Winston Brooks, at the Roundhouse the other day, link.

I was struck in particular by one assertion attributed to the Superintendent.

St Cyr reports;

“I’ve worked in APS now for almost two years and I just don't find the waste that most people think exists there. In fact, our general administration budget is less than 1%. You can't cut that and balance any budget,” Brooks said.

Two points;

1. most people think there is administrative waste in the APS, and
2. "our general administration budget is less than 1%".

I heartily agree that most people think there is a great deal of administrative waste in the APS. That perception is so widespread and so deep, it may well cost APS a defeat in their upcoming $650M bond issue election.

For a few tens of thousands of dollars, APS could hire an independent outside auditor to audit the management of public resources by the leadership of the APS. An impartial report that, the leadership of the APS is doing a good job in the administration of the public trust and treasure, would go a long way toward dispelling the widespread perception that corruption and incompetence are leading to inefficiency and waste in the APS. It would go a long way toward ensuring the passage of the bond issue.

The leadership of the APS refuses, never the less, to commission that audit. Though it would nearly guarantee the passage of the bond issue, they will not even consider it. They will not even talk about it openly and honestly.

School board head honch' Paula Maes, is on record saying, she will never agree to any audit that individually identifies the corrupt and the incompetent in the leadership of the APS, not in the administration, and not on the school board.






School Board President Marty Esquivel insisted upon an independent audit; right up until the time Maes told him, no swingin' way.

Now he too, refuses to even discuss, openly and honestly, the subject of an impartial audit.

Why are they hiding something, except that there is something to hide?

For what reason except that that audit would not come back clean at all. The audit will instead point straight to the waste, and straight at those responsible for it.

On the second point, I wonder at the meaning of "general" administration. Usually, when an extra qualifier is added to a term, it is added to mislead the listener, to allow a deception, and to create some wiggle room and plausible deniability.

APS' actual budget is not available for public inspection. Despite a multitude of promises of "transparency", it simply does not exist.

If you ask Winston Brooks as simple a question as; how many tax dollars were spent on the still unjustified new boardroom?, your question will be ignored. He will turn away, He has no intention of telling the truth.

We are simply to trust him when he says less than 1% of the dollars taxpayers invest in the education of their children, is spent on "general" administration.

We are simply to trust the senior most administrative role model of the Pillar of Trustworthiness, though he will not even utter the words, the Pillar of Trustworthiness, and role modeling, in the same sentence.

The Pillar of Trustworthiness, one sixth of the APS Student Standards of Conduct, and by far the most important, requires telling the the truth; the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; including the whole truth about the costs of administration in the APS, and of course, the whole truth about spending at 6400 Uptown Blvd.

He will not tell the truth about spending, he will not tell the truth about the student standards of conduct, and he will not tell the truth about executive and administrative role model of those standards.

He does insist, none the less, that you trust him and and rest of the leadership of the APS, anyway.




photos Mark Bralley