Open letter to the Board

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education has a petition before them, link.

They have had it before them for a month.

Their only responses so far; an unlawful letter of gratitude for petitioners interest, and an invitation to attend a months long process with an entirely different goal.

Due process, at a minimum, requires public discussion and action on the petition in a public meeting that complies with the requirements of the Open Meetings Act.

By any honest and honorable measure, the petition has been denied due process.

One Board Member, President Paula Maes has taken it upon herself to write a letter in response to the petition. She has no authority to respond to the petition as an individual board member, President or no. School Board Policy on the authority of school board members specifically requires the board to authorize an individual response. The School Board has not given Maes the authority to respond to the petition. If they did, they did it in a meeting in violation of the Open Meetings Act.

There is a Policy Committee Meeting scheduled, link. The agenda is still not posted, nor will it be for as long as the law allows.

When the agenda is posted, it will not include the open and honest public discussion of a petition by a hundred citizens, for standing in their effort to facilitate open and honest two-way communication between the leadership of the APS and the community members they serve.

A public discussion of the petition will not take place for one or both of two reasons. There are only two reasons. If there were a third reason, someone could and would point to it.

School Board members will not talk about the petition because they lack the character and the courage to do so. Either they don't want to talk about open and honest two-way communications, which would be corrupt, or, they are afraid to talk about it publicly, which would be cowardice; individually and collectively.

If there is a third reason; someone point to it.

If they had the requisite character and courage;

Marty Esquivel would renounce his unlawful restraining order,
he would rescind the unlawful order he gave to the APS Police Department to arrest me, and he would respond to legitimate questions candidly, forthrightly and honestly in a public meeting that complies with the letter and the spirit of the Open Meetings Act.

Instead, he, Kent Walz and the Journal will evade questions about the petition and attack the petitioner(s). You watch.

This is about the message; the petition,
it is not about the messengers; the petitioners.

Esquivel has had a month to provide due process for the Council and has not.

School Board President Paula Maes has had a month to provide due process for the Council and has not.

School Board Vice President Analee Maestas has had a month to provide due process for the Council and has not.

School Board Secretary Kathy Korte has had a month to provide due process for the Council and has not.

Chairman District Relations Committee Lorenzo Garcia has had a month to provide due process for the Council and has not.

Chairman Capital Outlay and Technology Committee David Robbins has had a month to provide due process for the Council and has not.

Chairman Policy and Instruction Committee David Peercy has had a month to provide due process for the Council and has not.

These folks have three choices;

1. put the Citizens Advisory Council on Communication's Petition on the agenda of an open meeting. Allowing meaningful participation by interest holders, and then act, on the record, or,


2. provide some good and ethical justification for any other treatment of a legitimate and Constitutionally protected petition, which would constitute a good faith response and due process for the petition, or,


3. concede that the board lacks the courage and the character, individually and collectively, to discuss the petition openly and honestly.

cc board members upon posting, via the School Board Office.




photo Mark Bralley