Maes and Korte, just plain wrong

There are two reasons one might be "wrong" about something; ignorance or deceit.

APS School Board President Paula Maes and member Kathy Korte were just plain wrong when they told the Citizens Advisory Council on Communication, that APS answers legitimate questions about the public interests and their public service.

They averred, in a District and Community Relations meeting, that any citizen with a legitimate question, can have that question answered by APS' Student, School and Community Service Center, link. They were wrong.

They were wrong out of ignorance; they really believed what they were saying even though manifestly untrue, or, they were wrong deliberately; part of an effort to deliberately mislead stakeholders.

Their bluff was called, link. Legitimate questions were asked of Toby Herrera, who runs the Service Center.

In January 2005, the school board voted to remove the role modeling clause from their own code of conduct.

In no case shall the district standard for employees be less that that prescribed for the students as published annually in the district Student Behavior Handbook

1) I would like to know why Paula Maes voted to strike the accountability of adults as role models of the student standards of conduct; the Pillars of Character Counts!?

During a policy and instruction committee meeting on Aug 16, 2007, Paula Maes announced that she would never agree to any audit that individually identified corrupt and incompetent administrators.

2) I would like to know what Maes meant, and if she still feels the same way about protecting the identities of public servants who have betrayed the people's trust.

To which Herrera responded;

I am sorry, but I cannot help you in getting an answer to the questions posed below. Our office, the Student Service Center, does not work on the Code of Conduct, HR or Personnel issues. Additionally, the questions presented by you are questions I would not have the ability to answer. Only Ms. Maes, if she chose to, could answer why she voted as she did on any issue, what she meant by any statement she has made, or how she felt or still feels on any issue.

Right, like Paula Maes will ever "choose" to explain why she and they abdicated from their obligations as the senior most role models of APS' student standards of conduct.

Another question was asked;

In February 2007, it was revealed that there was a scandal in the APS Police force leadership. The scandal was investigated by at least three entities, personnel, the APS police themselves, and at least one private investigator.

Why won't the leadership of the APS release the ethically redacted versions of all investigations related to the scandal?

Please note; my question is "why?" not "how?". I have been informed already that APS' lawyers believe that the law allows them to keep the findings from public knowledge; my question is why would they want or need to.

To which Herrera responded;

Our office, the Student Service Center, does not work on Personnel issues. I recommend that your contact the Custodial of Public Records, Rigo Chavez chavez_ri@aps.edu, or the APS Chief Operations Officer, Brad Winter winter@aps.edu, with this concern. I will be forwarding a copy of this message to both of them for their consideration.

Neither Winter nor Chavez of course, has responded.

No matter what Korte and Maes
have to say to the contrary,
the leadership of the APS does
not respond candidly, forthrightly
and honestly to "inconvenient"
questions about public interests,
or about their public service.

Never have; never will.




photos Mark Bralley