My response to Maes' letter

I am writing my response to APS School Board President Paula Maes unauthorized rejection of the Citizens Advisory Council on Communication's petition for standing before the school board.

I write for no one but myself. The petition speaks for itself, as will I suppose, anyone who signed the petition and has now received a copy of Maes' letter.

Her original letter is posted on Scribd.com, link. It is classic APS; a crappy copy in a hard to cut and paste format that can't be conveniently linked to. It should be posted on their award winning website.



Her letter is italicized.

August 17, 2011

The letter was actually post marked on the 23rd, arriving on the 24th. Typical APS communication; dated early, mailed later. First class postage was paid.

Dear Community Member:

Thank you for your interest in a Citizens Advisory Council on Communication and for taking the time to sign the petition in support of it.

Currently, there are several parent and community groups working in collaboration with the district to develop better ways to engage the community in educating our students and to establish more methods for meaningful communication. One of many examples is a group of engaged parents that has been working on a parent engagement policy. Also, the district has been involved in a partnership with the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County to develop a community schools model that brings community services into a school and helps families develop a communication process that works best for their community.

I have asked, via email, APS Executive Director of Communications Monica Armenta to communicate with interest holders by publishing everything they might want to know about the several parent and community groups working in collaboration with the district to develop better ways to engage the community in educating our students and to establish more methods for meaningful communication to which Maes pointed, on the district's award winning website.

Why should CACoC members have to surrender their interests to anyone's consideration except the politicians and public servants who have the authority to accept or deny their petition?

While working on a parent engagement policy is all well and good; it is not the expressed interest of the CACoC, which has expressed no interest at all in anything except working to establish open and honest two-way communication between the leadership of the APS and the community members they serve.

Similarly, develop(ing) a community schools model that brings community services into a school and helps families develop a communication process that works best for their community; is a worthy endeavor perhaps, but not one the CACoC has expressed any interest in.

It isn't up to the leadership of the APS to tell the CACoC what they are and are not to be interested in.

Much work is going on in the district around community engagement. The model that you propose will be taken into consideration when the board and administration look at air the ideas brought forward regarding community engagement.

The CACoC does not propose any model for them to consider. How can the consider a model which has not been proposed? The CACoC has petitioned for support in their effort to develop a model, not to defend one.

Why should the CACoC have to wait for good faith and prompt attention to their petition until the leadership first "... look at air the ideas brought forward regarding community engagement."? Whatever in the hell that means.

Petition delayed is petition denied.

One of the first opportunities that you might be interested in participating is the upcoming community meetings where the Board of Education and Superintendent Brooks will gather community input about the direction for the district, including academic achievement, stewardship, communication and engagement, and any other topics that attendees would like considered. The board and superintendent gathered community input when they developed the "Celebrate the 8" goals in 2008, and they would like continued input as they reexamine the goals for the district plan for the future.

How many times do we have to pay these people to gather community input? It's an annual parade. Enough already. How can they spend a million dollars a year on communication and still not know what the community input is?

The CACoC doesn't need any more public input to legitimize their petition; the legitimacy of the petition is self-evident.

Again, academic achievement, stewardship, communication and engagement, and any other topics that attendees would like considered are not the expressed interests of the CACoC. There is no good and ethical reason to compel the CACoC to entertain any agenda other than their own.

Maes supposes that CACoC members might want to participate in upcoming meetings. That, would be an understatement.

A question is begged; What are Maes' rules for the public forums at the meetings? will there even be any?

The dates of these seven meetings are:
September 1
September 7
September 20
September 29
October 3 (tentative)
October 18
October date pending

The dates of these seven opportunities for CACoC supporters to rally in support of open and honest two-way communication between the leadership of the APS and the citizens they serve;
September 1
September 7
September 20
September 29
October 3 (tentative)
October 18
October date pending

A meeting will be held in each of the seven board districts. The complete listing of meeting locations and times should be ready In the next few days, although most likely the majority of meetings will be held from 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.

Again, thank you for your desire to improve communication with the district. We look forward to your continued ideas and participation at all cur community meetings.

"We look forward to your continued ideas and participation at all cur community meetings." Is she kidding? The school board deliberately and expressly forbids the asking of even the most legitimate of questions at all of their community meetings.

Maes has also signed off on Marty Esquivel's illegal restraining order; the one that provides for my arrest if I attempt to "participate" in any board meeting, any where.

Maes does not have individual authority, even as the School Board President, to respond to the petition, much less to blow it off.

If you have any additional questions, you may contact the Board of Education Services Office at 880-3737, or you may use the board's e-mail address boarded@aps.edu.

If you have any objection to Paula Maes unauthorized rejection of the CACoC petition, you may contact the Board of Education Services Office at 880-3737, or you may use the board's e-mail address boarded(at)aps.edu.

Sincerely,
Paula Maes
President
APS Board of Education




photo Mark Bralley