In secret pay hikes for APS top administrators revealed

The Journal reports this morning, link, at the end of the week and when all the players are out of town, that three top administrators received pay raises last July.  Nowhere is it explained, must less justified, why that information was kept secret during contract negotiations and ratification with all the employees who weren't getting raises, and have not gotten raises, for several years.

When the teachers and others who work everyday with kids, signed their no raise contracts, they had not been told about administrators getting raises the district couldn't afford to give them.

Who knows, they might have voted differently on ratification.  I would have, were I in their shoes.

"Ellen Bernstein, president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, said the decision is sure to cause discontent among teachers in the district, who have not received raises in the past four budget cycles due to limited state funding.  

 Gee, ya think?

Where was the public meeting where teachers and others, could ask Brooks, face to face, to justify his decisions regarding their interests?  There wasn't one.  There never will be one.

Board member Kathy look out for your camera Korte echoed some of Bernstein’s concerns about teacher morale ...

when they find out they got stroked.

Where was she when the budget that raised their salaries was approved?  She did what about it, exactly?

When did Korte first find out about the raises?  Were they in the budget she approved?  If she knew about them, why didn't she tell her teacher and other constituents?  If she didn't know about them, why not?  Did she read the budget she approved?

APS Supt Winston Brooks argues that it isn't really costing taxpayers anything, because he will pay their raises with the money he saved when Ruby Ethridge "left" the district.  Were he even a little more candid, forthright and honest, he would admit, she didn't just "leave".  He drove her out and she is suing  him over it.  I've been told that one of the reasons he is going to lose, is that he never got around to attending required sexual harassment training for administrators; training he sorely needed.  His reputation as a bully and misogynist isn't going to help his case either.

When she and others prevail in court or settlement, there won't be any savings to give raises in the inner circle.

In the discussion prompted by NMSU President Barbara Couture's golden parachute, let's not forget to talk about Winston Brooks' promised safe landing, 150% softer even than Couture's.

A glance at APS' award winning website, reveals that the July raises are still not posted.  Anyone looking for current salary data, will not find it.

I used to tell kids, if you can't trust someone all the time, you can't trust them any of the time.  If they, the students, wanted other people to trust them some times, they had to be worthy of that trust at all times.

The leadership of the APS cannot be trusted to tell the truth,
ever.
Because when you ask them for the truth,
sometimes they won't answer answer at all.

When the question is;

In response to legitimate questions about the public interests 
and your public service, will you tell the truth, the whole truth 
and nothing but the ethically redacted truth?

any answer except yes, means no.

When the question is, in your communications with the community, will you be candid, forthright and honest,

stonewalling, means no.


There are questions the establishment's press should be asking,
won't ask,
and apparently never intend to ask.

That's really bad, on so many levels.




photo Mark let go of my camera Bralley