Esquivel's truancy problem solution illustrates APS' problem solving problem

In the Journal this morning, link, a report on a discussion that took place during the school board meeting Wednesday evening.  The discussion was not specifically listed on the agenda.

I only bring this up because the policy and procedural directive that School Board Member Marty Esquivel  designed prohibits open discussion amongst board members or any item not listed on the Board Meeting agenda.

In the statement they read at the beginning of public forum, they inform us that they can't respond to speakers when they are standing right in front of them during public forum, but, if you want to, you can hang around until the very end of the meeting, at which time  there is a time, the "only" time, when board members are "legally" allowed to respond to statements or questions raised during public forum.

Think about it, they can't respond to a question during public forum because the OMA won't permit them. but, the OMA does permit them to can respond later, to the same question, if they feel like it. 

Operational dollars paid to codify a dodge Esquivel and his lawyers designed, to enable them to escape the expectation of having to respond to inconvenient questions about;

• ethics, standards and accountability in APS

• the cover up of a cover up of felony criminal misconduct involving senior APS administrators, or about,

• their abandonment of their responsibilities as the senior-most role models of APS student standards of conduct.

According to Journal Reporter Jon Swedien;

Marty Esquivel wants his colleagues on the Albuquerque Public Schools board to consider throwing their support behind a proposal that would allow schools to strip habitually truant students of their driver’s licenses.

The board took no action.  Basically, Esquivel had an idea and it didn't fly for a number of good reasons; not the least of which; the unintended and yet to be considered consequences.

It is however, a good illustration of the APS two-step decision making process;

1.  a problem is identified (and immediately hidden as necessary until addressed) and then

2.  some school board member or senior administrator comes up with a "bright idea" and orders its implementation.

What we have is a relentless belief that the really good ideas flow down from on high, because school board members and superintendents know more than all of rest of us.

What is missing from the process, is the part where a school board member or superintendent reasons that there is a problem and that there are other places to look for solutions beside the "leadership" circle; a bunch of good ol' boys who haven't been in a classroom for decades if ever at all.

The pool of resources for decision making is vast.
APS teachers alone, for example, have between them
around 100,000 years of teaching experience, and
no seat at the table where decisions are made.

Upon election to the Board,
I will a fight for meaningful
participation by stakeholders
in decision making that
affects their interests.

All interest and stakeholders.

Marty Esquivel won't.
Never has, never will.




photo Mark Bralley