Families United for Education APS Board Candidate Town Hall 2015

Families United for Education is sponsoring a "town hall" meeting around the APS School Board election, link.

The families who united,
united for a reason.

At some point, they must have asked the leadership of the APS;

Can we sit and talk?  Is there some place where we can sit down and talk openly and honestly about the issues that are important to us?

The School Board's response meant no.

So they "united" in the hope that were there enough of them, the board would relent and offer them a seat at the table where decisions are made.

The School Board's response means no.

The FUE, ATF, SWOP, OLE, PTEC and PTA and Interfaith are in the same boat; all struggling to form coalitions powerful enough to get the school board's attention.

The playing field is not level; there is no coalition powerful enough to level it.  Especially from the outside.

The largest and most powerful influence group of all ; the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, does not have a seat at the table.  Why in the world would anybody else expect to be given one?

When the question is;

Do I have a seat at the table?

any answer except yes means no.

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Currently, the APS School Board Audit Committee has a couple of community members who sit as members of the committee.  The board often leaves the seats empty, but the seats are there.  When and if they are there, the community members participate as equals at the table; none more powerful than another.

Families United for Education could have a seat at the table.

Every stake and interest holder  group could have a seat at the table.

All they have to do is;

Convince the board to have round table discussions at their District and Community Relations Committee every month.

I wrote "convince"; I meant insist.

The terms of service on the APS  School Board are the prerogative of the people; not of school board members.  They don't tell us how our input will be limited; we tell them how our input will be addressed.

It is up to the people to elect school board members who really want community members to have a seat at the table.

It is up to the people to elect school board members who will fight for their seat against an enormous oligarchy; a bunch of good ol' boys and girls, bent on holding on to the power they have usurped.

It is up to the people to elect school board members who will obey the fourth in their own Code of Ethics;

establish open and honest two-way communication with communities and community members.

As far as I have heard, read or know; no other candidate in any district has expressed their support for regular, open and honest two-way communication between the school board and the community members they serve.

No one has proposed "round table" discussions at District and Community Relations committee meetings.  Nor in any other venue.

The candidates could be asked during the town hall tonight;

Are you willing to point to a time a day and a place where stake and interest holders will join board members and senior administrators in open and honest two-way communication of legitimate issues?

Instead, we are to be asked;

1. If elected, how would you strengthen relationships and capacity with families, teachers, school and district administrators, and community partners?
2. If elected, how would you create safe and welcoming environments that honor the various cultures of students and families?
3. If elected, how would you expand communication with families, community partners and schools in a culturally and linguistically responsive way?
4. If elected, how would you cultivate equitable systems?

and

Yes or no; If elected, would you attend an anti-racism training?

Yes or no; If elected, would you attend the next FUE meeting to learn how we can partner?

According to "the rules";

... Yes or No Questions will not have opportunity for further elaboration

I am offended by the hamfisted and unnecessary disrespect for anything I might want to say.

Had I opportunity for input, I would be happy to answer their questions candidly, forthrightly and honestly.  I don't; I will right now.

If elected, would you attend an anti-racism training?

If the tone of the training is going to reflect the same disrespect for my input as "the rules" do; probably not.

It is fair to point out; there is no training they could offer that would further strengthen my resolve and commitment to fight for them, for their seat at the table where decisions are made that affect their interests.

If elected, would you attend the next FUE meeting to learn how we can partner?

I would be happy to attend a meeting just to meet them.
If I spoke, I would disappoint them.
I am convinced that any meeting whose objective is;

to find a way to gather together enough partners that the APS school board will finally have to sit down and talk to them,

is a waste of their time.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but

• there are not enough partners,

• there have never been enough partners, and

• there will never be enough partners to make the school board participate in two-way communication against their will.

It simply is not going to happen.  Recently, the board cut off the president of the teachers union during public forum, link. midway through her remarks.  They are not impressed by any amount of power less than their own.

As a school board member,
I will try to not do things
that are a complete waste of time.

I would rather spend time, our time,
sitting at a round table engaged in
open and honest discussion in a
collaborative effort to solve the
problems we simply must solve.




photo Mark Bralley