Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Search Survey

The APS Board of Education is looking for a new superintendent.

They would like the community to believe they are participating meaningfully in that process. Accordingly, stake and interest holders can participate in an online survey, link

The Board has identified two dozen “most important characteristics for the next Superintendent.” Should one not find on that list, characteristics that they believe are more important than the choices the board has offered, they may write in only one of those.

Conspicuous in its absence from important characteristics; “is a good role model.”

The omission is not accidental.

More than a decade ago, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education abandoned their responsibilities as role models. They voted unanimously to remove from their own code of conduct, language memorializing their obligations. They struck language reading; in no case shall standards of conduct for an adult be lower than the standards of conduct for students.

Since then, there have been double standards of conduct in the APS; higher standards for students than for their senior most role models. Board members and senior administrators, spending untold millions of dollars on cost-is-no-object legal defenses rendering them arguably unaccountable even to the law; the lowest standards of conduct acceptable to civilized human beings.

The board is planning ten community meetings. link

It is their intention that “role modeling” not come up in those meetings. It is their intention that “honest accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence” not come up in those meetings.

It is the responsibility then, of everyone who believes that role modeling and accountability to meaningful standards of conduct and competence are important characteristics of the next superintendent, to make sure that those characteristics are discussed, candidly, forthrightly and honestly, in those meetings.

At the very least, take the online survey and write them in.