On Wednesday evening last, Rep Janice Arnold-Jones exercised the right to petition one's government quite literally; she carried an actual petition, link. to the podium a public forum.
Arnold-Jones is all about leading by example; her own signature sits atop the petition.
"We the undersigned", are a group of APS interest holders. We are large enough in number and earnest enough in our interest, to warrant standing in the process and a good faith response to our petition.
Our interest is to establish two way communication between the leadership of the APS and the community they serve.
The need for and the value of two way communication between the community and the leadership of the public schools, are as unequivocal as they are self-evident.
The leadership's expressed commitment to two way communication is itself unequivocal.
- The district created 8 goals for themselves. The third of which is to open communication with the community.
- The school board's own code of ethics calls for the establishment of open, two-way communication process with students, staff, families and all segments of the community.
- School Board Policy K.01, reads (in significant part); The Board of Education recognizes that constructive study, discussion, and active participation by citizens are necessary to promote the best program of education in the community. To encourage this participation, the Board enacts the following policies;
Citizens Advisory Councils will exist to provide for greater community involvement in the educational planning process.
- Citizens Advisory Councils will exist to provide for greater community involvement in the educational planning process.
There have been Citizens Advisory Councils in the Albuquerque Public Schools before. It is our intention to avoid the pitfalls they encountered by entering the process carefully and deliberately.
The first thing we have asked for, is for the leadership of the APS to make a good faith effort to help us succeed on behalf of the community.
It is not our interest to push any issue or agenda except; the establishment of open, honest, effective and efficient two-way communication between interest holders and those who control their interests.
If the Citizens Advisory Council on Communication is successful; those wanting to talk about a particular issue; JROTC as an example, will find a forum to discuss their points of view in two-way communication with APS' decision makers.
Our expectation of their wholehearted support seems well justified.
There will be naysayers. Most of them, if you ask, will have a personal history of service on an advisory council. Most of their experiences have been unsatisfying, hence their negativity.
To them I say, these are different times and different people
and they are on a different mission. We will exist and persist because we are joined for one reason and one reason only; to provide better forums than ours, for the civil discussion of important issues of the day, with our politicians and public servants.
There will be open and honest two-way communications between the leadership of the APS and the community. The leadership of the APS will point to the day, the time and the place, where they will respond to interest holders legitimate questions.
Government will be transparent accountability to the people;
Lady Sunlight isn't backing down.
photo Mark Bralley
3 comments:
"she carried an actual petition, link. to the podium [of] a public forum." Was this at the APS school board meeting? What keeps them from just ignoring it?
Yes, it was at the regular meeting, August 10th.
It has been nearly a week, and they have yet to acknowledge their receipt; so in answer to your question; apparently nothing.
There will be other school board meetings and other public forums. They may want to forget about it, we don't.
I am more impressed with Ms. Jones insight regarding community issues and her demonstration of integrity in her dealings with the public. No, I am not on her payroll-- nor am I a Republican but I am a parent and taxpayer who is tired of government ignoring the people to whom they should be accountable. I am interested in seeing someone of her caliber represent us in Congress!
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