Brooks should be held accountable for the APS Fleet Management scandal, but he won't be

A recent internal audit of APS' Fleet Management Department revealed procedural flaws that leave it open to theft. The audit followed the arrest of a department manager last summer for stealing parts to sell online.

The audit revealed inadequate standards and accountability in the department; the public interests were not protected.

There have been at least four audits of as many departments in recent years; one following a scandal in the Maintenance and Operations Department, one following a scandal in the APS Police Department, one in the Finance Department, and now the latest, in the Fleet Maintenance Department. Each audit reveals the same thing;

• inadequate standards
• inadequate accountability and
• poor record keeping

APS Supt Winston Brooks is APS' Chief Administrative Officer. He is responsible for APS' administrative standards and accountability. The buck stops on his desk.

He has had three years to root out corruption, incompetence, and the practices that enable them in the leadership of the APS, yet according to KRQE; "the door is still wide open for thieves ..."

Why? Why after three years of Brooks' leadership, are there departments in the APS "wide open for thieves"?

There are two possibilities;

1. Winston Brooks can not create honest accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence (because he is incompetent or, the task is impossible).
2. Winston Brooks will not create honest accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence.

In truth, it is the second. When the Meyners Auditors pointed to the lack of standards, accountability and adequate record keeping in the Finance Division, they revealed that APS has never had adequate standards, accountability and record keeping. The leadership of the APS has been a good ol' boys club since day one.

When the Council of the Great City Schools audited APS' Police Department, they found that the leadership of the APS has consistently failed to correct findings from previous audits; nothing ever changes.

It is so bad at this point;

• they are hiding evidence of felony criminal misconduct by senior APS administrators in their police department,
• they are denying due process to whistle blower complaints against administrators and school board members, and
• they have all abdicated their responsibilities as role models of the APS Student Standards of Conduct.

By any reasonable definition of the concept, there is an ethics and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS.

It is unknown to the community and interest holders
because the establishment media steadfastly refuses to
investigate and report upon the scandal.

By establishment media, I mean;
Editor Kent Walz and the Journal,
News Director Sue Stephens and KOAT TV,
News Director Julie Szulczewski and KOB TV, and
News Director Iain Munro and KRQE TV.

They are in cahoots with the corrupt and the incompetent
in the leadership of the APS. They can no longer be trusted
to report on the truth.

This is why we need an immediate independent standards and accountability audit of the entire leadership of the APS. The ethically redacted results of the audit need to be surrendered to the public record. The audit will reveal a system wide lack of standards, accountability, and record keeping.

The audit is opposed by the leadership of the APS.

APS Board Member Paula Maes spoke for the entire
leadership of the APS when she said,(we)

"... will never agree to any audit that individually identifies ..." corrupt or incompetent administrators or board members.

For as long as the scandal is keep secret by the establishment media, the leadership of the APS will continue to insulate each other from the consequences of their corruption and incompetence.

APS will continue to foster public corruption and
incompetence instead of efficiency and effectiveness.