"Elusive success", no barrier in APS administrative promotions.

APS' Rio Grande High School, by any reasonable measure, is failing a majority of its students. The root causes for that failure are beyond the control of APS administrators. Dealing effectively with those root causes is under their control; it is in fact, their job.

Failing to do that job effectively, is apparently no barrier to further promotion within APS' administrative ranks.

This morning's Journal, includes two articles; "Success Elusive at Rio Grande", link, and "Reforms and Stipends Seem to be Working", link.

Highlighted in the article, APS Associate Superintendent Eddie Soto. Soto is a former principal at the beleaguered school. His career there ended after a student riot.

A recent audit by the Council of the Great City Schools, revealed that "APS administrative evaluations are subjective and unrelated to promotion and step placement". Soto's promotion out of his failed administration; a case in point.

According to the Journal;

Eddie Soto, a former Rio Grande principal who is now an APS associate superintendent, said Rio Grande in the past didn't put much thought into the programs it was starting.
"We would just layer on program after program after program without any real strategic thought. ...," he said. "It was simply, 'Oh, it sounds good. Let's do it.' "

His reward for piling program upon program with no strategic thought; promotion to Associate Superintendent planning strategy district wide.

A more stunning example, former Rio Grande Principal Veronica Garcia, who also failed to right the ship at RGHS, and yet ended up being promoted to the Secretary of the NM Public Education Department.

Promotions appear to have more to do with "paying dues" than in successful administration of the school.


photo Mark Bralley