APS Warned About Records

In an article (sub req) by that title in the Journal,

An attorney representing Teresa Cordova warned the district not to release her son's records to those investigating the matter; including the state Public Education Department.

"The letter was sent 10 days after news of the grade change broke and days after one board member called for an independent investigation."

"Córdova stressed that the intent of the letter wasn't to stop any investigation."

Yet the independent investigation was never done.

Beth Everitt never answered a single question on the record.

The Educator Ethics Bureau still has not finished its "investigation".

Nor will it, ...ever.

Taxpayer's Paid for a Search for Ways for Robert Lucero to Get Around the Law

From a Journal editorial (sub req)

"School board member Robert Lucero has suggested withholding the names of applicants for superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools until the field was winnowed down. He and board member Gordon Rowe asked board attorney Art Melendres to research applicability of the law to a private search firm. "We might be able to get around some of the issues" that have forced other local governments to open up administrator searches, he said."

What he and Rowe were looking for was a way to get around some of the issues (like open government laws).

I resent the use of my tax dollars to pay lawyers from the school board president's law firm, to find ways for the leadership of the APS to break laws without being held accountable.

This is what I am writing about when I argue that the leadership of the APS is not accountable; even to the law.

This is what I am writing about when I argue that Paula Maes, Robert Lucero, et al, are using public resources (to litigate) against the public interest.

Journal Editors and I Are in Agreement

Last Thursday I wrote;

Secrecy in (the search for a new superintendent) process serves no legitimate purpose.

It serves only the interests of candidates who would deliberately mislead the stakeholders in their current situation.

This morning the Journal editors wrote; (sub req)

(A secret search for a new superintendent) "Seems like a process that would tend to select for sneakier administrators, which hardly bodes well for transparency and accountability during their tenure."

Journal editors are on the right track.

We await now, only their arrival at the station;
an investigation and report upon the scope of the upcoming APS Administrative Accountability Audit.

Conflict of Interest?

The leadership of the APS pays the Journal/Trib a lot of money every year.

When a request for the public records of public resources flowing into the Journal and Trib, was sent to Rigo Chavez, APS' custodian of public records; the requested records were not surrendered.

The Journal/Trib steadfastly refuse to investigate or report upon issues surrounding the complete lack of accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct, of the leadership of the APS .

They refuse to investigate and report upon, for example,
the controversy over the scope of the upcoming administrative audit. A number of the leadership of the APS are bound and determined that the audit will not audit the record of their conduct and competence as public servants.

Their record will not stand public scrutiny; they are in fact, damned by their record.

It is to their advantage that neither the Journal nor the Trib reveal that there is a controversy over the scope of the upcoming audit. So far, the Journal and Trib have obliged.

While the Journal and Trib are not accountable to any standard of conduct that prohibits their participation in situations that stink of a conflict of interest;
the leadership of the APS is.

...at least in theory.

No Comment From Monica Armenta

I received no response from Monica Armenta regarding the accuracy of the allegation that student athletes at Manzano High School have been conscripted into a student militia charged with breaking up fights between other students.

Two possibilities exist; 1) there is an ethical explanation for Armenta's failure to tell the truth about the accuracy of the allegation, or, 2) she is stonewalling.

If the allegations are true, she cannot admit that they are, nor can she deny them (if the draft was announced over the all call at MHS, there are too many credible witnesses to get away with denying that it happened).

The only defense of an indefensible position is to stonewall.

Why does something that happened at Manzano maybe two years ago, make any difference at this point?

In the first place, if the practice was in place two years ago, it might be in place now. Armenta has not denied that student athletes are currently having their personal safety placed in jeopardy by a categorically indefensible solution to the district's failure to provide adequate security at Manzano HS. If they are, it must be exposed and ended forthwith.

Even if the practice has ended, the fact that it ever existed reflects on the personal and professional judgment of a man who is reportedly on the short list to be the next superintendent.

The leadership of the APS, dba Monica Armenta.
owes stakeholders the truth.

Trib Editorial Rips the APS School Board

The Trib editors are upset that the APS school board has failed to bring the APS Police Department up to par. In their editorial, they point out, correctly, that the board had all summer to come up with a fix for "...dysfunctional school security policies; an ill-equipped and essentially defenseless police force; and a Police Department that is disintegrating before our eyes."

They cited "...the long-term student safety ramifications of this board's failure again on Thursday to take the school security bull by the horns."

The concluded that; "It's time for the APS Board of Education to act like adults elected, in part, to ensure the safety of our kids and schools."

So where is the problem? Why has so little been done?

Apparently no one knows; certainly not taxpayers, parents, and all of the other stakeholders in the community; ignorance for which the Trib, and the Journal are responsible in no small part.

When I write letters to the editors about their paper's failure to cover the underlying issues in the leadership of the APS; I am always reminded that they have no influence over those who decide which issues will be brought to the attention of their readers.

Perhaps what we need from the editors is an editorial that takes the rest of the Trib to task for their failure to investigate and report upon the issues responsible for the do nothing (but screw up) leadership of the APS.

Characteristics of the Next Superintendent

For what it is worth; my opinion on what APS needs the next superintendent to accomplish.

1. Restore community confidence in the leadership of the APS.
2. Maximize the amount of resources available at the educational interface by eliminating administrative waste.
3. Institutionalize transparent accountability in the administration of the public interests in the public schools.
4. Establish honest accountability for the conduct and competence of leadership, and then all APS employees by personal example.
5. Restore the authority of adults over students in schools.
6. Develop a district wide discipline philosophy.
7. Increase the level of community engagement in public education.
8. Enable and support site based management of schools; increase the meaningful participation of stakeholders in the decision making process.
9. Establish as the top administrative priority, the delegation of decision making power and resources directly to the educational interface.
10. Increase the level of student engagement in their education.
11. Increase the number and availability of after and outside of school activities for students.

Unchecked Power

means never having to say you're sorry.


No senior APS administrator has been held accountable for gradegate;

nor for the squandering of the public trust and treasure at the Uptown Administrative Complex;

nor for the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS PD;

nor for hiding the truth about that corruption and incompetence from stakeholders;

nor for the disenfranchisement of stakeholders during the principals shuffle;

nor for falsifying the public record of board meetings;

nor for routinely using public resources against the public interests;

nor for ...

APS Volunteers Will Need to Pay for Own Background Checks

In an article by the Journal's Andrea Schoellkopf, it is revealed that volunteers in APS schools will have to pay for their own background checks; $34.00.

Last year, almost 1,000 volunteers took advantage of a grant that paid for their background checks.

According to the article, "The head of the state PTA said she was not aware the funding had expired and was concerned about the impact on local schools."

Paul Broome, the mayor's education coordinator, said Chávez is trying to find money. "There's nothing in the budget to do it," Broome said. "I don't believe the parents should be responsible for this cost."

"We would love to have some more funding," said Patti Nabors, APS director of human resources operations. "APS does not have the funding to do it."

APS cannot come up with $34,000 dollars.

Unless of course, they want to underwrite an administrative soiree at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

"Rio Deserves Real Change This Time"

There is an op-ed piece in the Journal this morning; (link thanks to Natalie).

It is written by Barbara Armijo, unidentified except by name.

She writes about Rio Grande High School and the limited success that it is having in providing a high school education to students there.

The problem at Rio Grande, and at other failing schools, is people who attack problems by first coining a cute phrase to embroider upon their banner. APS' slogan is "Every Child Can Learn."

On its face, the slogan is nonsense. Consider the child who does not want to learn. Those who think that they can educate a child against the child's will are delusional.

I have believed for a long time that there is no such thing as "teaching". There is only learning. Those who function as teachers are there to facilitate learning; they are there to make learning as easy as is possible. In the end, learning is the responsibility of the learner, and if they don't want to learn, they will not. Consider the old saw; you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

So the students who don't want to learn are stuffed into classrooms with the students who do want to learn, with an absolutely predictable result; no one learns to their capacity.

At most, you can explain to a child all of the advantages of an education; you can try to make education fun and interesting. But you cannot motivate a child to want something that they don't want.

So what do you do with those who do not want to learn; who show up at school each day, not to learn, but to hang out and invariably end up causing trouble?

Perhaps I don't have all the answers to that question. But I do know that the question needs to be answered.

And I do know what isn't an answer to the question; to march under a banner proclaiming Every Child Can Learn (the same curriculum). And I do know that putting kids who don't want to learn, including chronically disruptive students, in the same class rooms with children who do want to learn, is done at the expense of the learning process for everyone.

In other parts of the world, they recognize this fact, and separate serious students from other students. It is not tracking. It is not racism. It is not class-ism. Students are not forced to become laborers if they want to become rocket scientists.

It is simply a pragmatic and realistic solution to a real problem.

Acccording to Armijo; "Another "basic" approach, throwing money at the problem, hasn't helped. Rio gets nearly $1 million a year on top of state per-student funding."

Neither has throwing more "leaders" at a problem.

APS' new plan; "Deputy Superintendent Tom Savage, who will spend "Mondays" at the school, and Associate Superintendent Linda Sink, are the latest educational makeover artists at Rio." according to the Journal.

Have we learned nothing from gradegate? Weren't RGHS Principal Al Sanchez and his colleagues doing much better before the leadership of APS stepped in to help?

The idea that problems can be solved by throwing more leaders at it, is manifest administrative conceit and arrogance.

How many teachers left Rio last May thinking; Jeez, if only Tom Savage and Linda Sink were here? How many left the first staff meeting this year thinking; Tom Savage and Linda sink are here; Oh fabious day, calloo, callay!

Has anyone asked a Rio teacher what they think they need? Perhaps instead of two new administrators; they would rather have seven or eight social workers, or twenty or thirty more campus aides.



It has been observed that doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result, is the essence of insanity.


Perhaps what they need at Rio, is some sanity.

Student Militia at Manzano High School?

The following allegation has been reported to me by a person who comments anonymously on my blog. I have no first hand knowledge.

Principal Tim Whalen, or anyone else from the APS may post a rebuttal if they so choose.

It was last year, or the year before, there had been a number of fights during lunch time at Manzano High School.

Vice Principal Tony Carrillo told the basketball and football teams that it was their duty to stop fights because they were role models; and that MHS did so much for them, they should give something back to MHS.

A few days later, Principal Whalen got on the loudspeaker during announcements and said basically the same thing.

Student athletes were uncomfortable and asked this teacher a number of questions:

• "Can we get in trouble if we don't break up fights?"
• "Can we get in trouble for fighting if we break up fights?"
• "What if they have knifes or weapons?"
• "Are they gonna train us for this?"
• "Are we expected to put ourselves in danger?"
• "Should we get involved if adults are already there?"
• "Should we help the adults with fights?"
• "How will they know if we're fighting or breaking it up?"
• "Do we leave the class to break up a fight outside?"

I would like to know if students at Manzano High School are, or ever have been asked by the administration to break up fights between other students.

I would appreciate a candid, forthright, and honest answer.



If any other teachers from Manzano, or other schools have first hand information on this issue; you may contact me with absolute anonymity through a comment on this post. I moderate comments, so you can still us the comment option even if you do not want your comment posted. Just let me know.

A link to this post has been sent to Monica Armenta for rebuttal.

What are you thinking?

It's lunch time at a local high school. There is a gang fight going on in the parking lot. There are two hundred high school students watching the fight and cheering them on. Some of them will throw stuff at you or spit on you
as you wade into the fight.

You are an APS Police Officer, unarmed and underpaid.

What are you thinking?


Who would trade places with them for the next hour

...for fourteen bucks?

Superintendent Search Open After All

According to the Journal, (sub req) Earlier this week, the board, at their regularly scheduled board meeting, approved a plan that would have made public only the names of the top three superintendent candidates.

Yesterday, presumably at the board's study session on the superintendent search, the board reversed its position, deciding to open up the search and make the names of candidates public.

Two days after voting to accept a search plan the would keep candidates names secret (even in violation of the law); Board President Maes said; "Regardless of what the law says, I think this board is feeling it needs to be an open process."

The article offered no explanation for the abrupt about face. I suspect that her lawyers informed her that they would not be able to except her from the requirements of the law; and now she would like people to believe that that was her an open search was her intention all along.

The change is none the less, welcome.

No meant yes, Maes says

According to KRQE with videos of the whole day as it unfolded.

Maes says she voted against the recommendations the APS Police were wanting; but was really voting for them.

The confusion stems from Maes motion which started out concisely but then deteriorated into a rambling explanation of pretty much all of the thoughts going through her head at the moment.

By the time the motion is expressed; everyone is hopelessly confused about what they are voting on.

Again Robert Lucero called the question and the committee chairperson did not take a vote to call the question.

It is time for the board to get some training in Parliamentary Procedure/Robert's Rules of Order so that the keystone cops routine for handling motions does not continue. They need a professional, or at least a capable parliamentarian to attend to their meetings.

Maybe someone could explain to Robert Lucero that when he wants to make a motion, he should say; I move, or I would like to make a motion, instead of saying I motion that ...

Paul Broome, the mayor's education adviser

according to the Trib, criticized the board for not resolving the gun issue and not endorsing the commission's work.

"This is a classic example of what the mayor has been talking about. This school board won't make the hard decisions. They put everything off. They don't take a stand," he said. (emphasis added)

Well if that ain't the pot callin the kettle black;

Marty Chavez doesn't have the balls to take a stand
on the scope of the APS Administrative Accountability Audit.

And he doesn't have the balls to take a stand
on the APS leadership's renunciation of the student standard of conduct; the Pillars of Character Counts.

Who is he to chide anyone on taking a stand.

Can You Believe ANYTHING Robert Lucero Says?

According to Robert Lucero, despite the fact that 26 of 33 APS Police Officers called in sick today; "There's no question our schools are very, very safe today."

According to KOB-TV Acting Albuquerque Public Schools Police Chief Steve Tellez Tellez, at a mid morning news conference, pointed out that school officers had to break up a large fight at West Mesa High School on Thursday using mace, two gang fights at Rio Grande earlier in the week, and another fight at Valley.

Robert Lucero you will recall assured us last January, that the charges brought against his buddy Gil Lovato were unfounded and simply the unsubstantiated claims of a disgruntled former employee.

Always one to take the high road, Lucero then said;
"It kind of reminds me of a child throwing a temper tantrum," he said. "The fact they could do this is incredibly childish."

Compare Lucero's response to Marty Esquivel's;
Board member Marty Esquivel said he didn't agree with the sick-out tactic, although he can understand officers' frustration with the gun issue. School police should realize there will be more discussion about the gun policy, he said.

"It's not over, although they seem to think it's over."

At some point, Robert Lucero's constituents need to recall him.

Sick Out; Ill Advised

There was a sick out, apparently, among APS Police Officers this morning. It would have been in response to the policy committee's decision to let APS Police Officers continue to confront potentially armed delinquents, themselves unarmed and underpaid.

For what it's worth; my opinion is that the sick out will probably have done more harm than good. The comments left on the story in the Trib bear me out. However, I have no need to convince anyone out of their opinion and into my mine, on this issue; so we'll just leave it at that.

Having said that, I must say that I absolutely understand the level of frustration that compelled their choice. I can't tell you how many committees that I sat on, under the impression that I and other stakeholders were participating meaningfully in making a decision that affected our interests, only to have an administrator make the decision based on his/her own.

Mike Houser, a former APS senior administrator explained it thusly; "There is a reason we give them the set of master keys."

It has been proved again, that the stakeholders are not being allowed to participate meaningfully in the decisions that affect their interests. The leadership of the APS has no intention of delegating any of the decision making power entrusted to them. They cannot delegate power without exposing themselves to accountability for their conduct and competence as public servants.

If there were site based management in the APS; there would be a full scale, comprehensive and impartial audit of the conduct and competence of the administration of the public interests in the public schools, underway.

But there is not site based management; there is not meaningful stakeholder participation in decision making; and that is why it is the leadership of the APS who will decide whether or not their conduct and competence as public servants will be audited.

Their decision is that they will not.

Their decision will not be overridden except by a large enough group of people who are willing to show up at board meetings to demonstrate their outrage.

A Local Blogger Has Suggested a Debate Between Monica Armenta and Myself

You can read about on the 'Burgue Babble.

The idea is not a new one, although I would rather not call it a debate.

I would rather call it; communication.

Accountability Audit in a Single Question

The first question in an accountability audit of the leadership of the APS is, is there honest and real accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct?

If the answer to that question is no; it means that it serves no purpose to identify problems, because they will not be remedied. There is no point in asking any other question.

That question can be answered relatively cheaply.

After about one day of investigation.


The only problem then would be getting
the leadership of the APS to release the result.

Two Steps Forward; One Step Back

On the agenda; the scope of the administrative audit (and other less important considerations).

Will the audit, audit the conduct and competence of public servants within their public service?

Marty Esquivel asks; how can you audit a department and not coincidently audit the person who runs the department?

Paula Maes says she will not allow Tom Savage, for example, to have his conduct and competence as a public servant be objectively and impartially measured and reported to the public.

She will not allow the senior administrator most responsible for the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS Police Department to be audited. She will not allow any corrupt or incompetent administrator to be audited. No record will be created that will allow any senior administrator or board member to be held accountable for their conduct or competence as a public servant.

No vote was taken on the scope; a step backwards. A clear win for APS/Modrall. Paula Maes and her husband's law firm have escaped the scope of an audit.

Two steps forward; Marty Esquivel will chair a subcommittee that will gather public input on the scope of the audit (and other less important considerations). He needs public support to take on Paula Maes, Modrall, et al. If there are public meetings on the scope of the audit, there is a greater likelihood of wide spread public awareness. The Journal and the Trib would at some point have no other choice except to tell their readers the truth about the controversy over the audit.

A step back; Robert Lucero, administrative apologist and representative of the corrupt and incompetent in the leadership of the APS, has insinuated himself into the position of co-chair of that committee. It will be no different than if Paula Maes was co-chair.

Robert Lucero who has never turned his back on the opportunity to say something public; will say nothing on the record about the scope of the audit.

Just as he will say nothing about his personal responsibility for killing a motion before the board that would have required administrators and board members to tell the truth, as an enforceable matter of policy.

Just as he will say nothing about his vote to remove the following from his own standard of conduct as a public servant, as the steward of a billion tax dollars a year, and as a senior role model for students;

In no case shall the standard of conduct for an adult be lower than the standard of conduct for students.


He and four other sitting board members voted to remove that phrase from their code of conduct. Now, students are accountable to a higher standard of conduct than the most senior role models in the district.

Now he and the leadership of the APS can not be held accountable to any meaningful standard of conduct, except under a system which they control, and never against their will.

Now there will be no principled resolution of allegations of ethical and criminal misconduct, including felony criminal misconduct by senior APS administrators and board members.

APS "Police" Department To See Little Change

According to the Journal (sub req); "The Albuquerque school board is considering keeping its police force status quo despite numerous recommendations for change"; endorsing "...a plan Thursday to continue the current police arrangement— an unaccredited security force— overriding two recommendations by its administration and a community commission that spent the summer studying the issue."

"I feel, quite frankly, we wasted a whole lot of time," said Paul Broome, education adviser for Mayor Martin Chávez and a member of the commission..."

Welcome Paul, to the world of teachers; invest a lot of time and energy in devising a strategy to improve things; only to have the administration do what they want to anyway.

Board President Paula Maes said, "We had a police department that works."; a Praetorian Guard that reports to the leadership of the APS, and doctors statistics to deliberately mislead stakeholders. Her sentiments were echoed by Berna Facio and Delores Griego. Griego made it clear that she would vote against nasty guns in schools no matter what the feelings of those she "represents" on the board.

Berna Facio expressed her belief that she, and the board, had been deliberately mislead about the number of incidents involving weapons confiscated from students and others on school campuses.

This impression is consistent with the observation of the Council of Great City Schools which reported that crime statistics were routinely manipulated to make individual schools and the District look better.

Her realization came into being after a veteran APS Police officer described the confiscated weapons in the APS Police vault; thousands of knives, pistols, and shotguns.

What struck me as I listened to the discussion; was the lack of preparation by board members for the discussion. Gordon Rowe confessed on at least two occasions that he had little idea what was going on because he had chosen not to participate in the discussions of the Community Safety Commission. It was clear that other board members interest in the issue was limited only to the issue of arming police officers 24/7.

In contrast, Marty Esquivel was clearly prepared; asking a number of pertinent questions based apparently on notes prepared well in advance of the meeting. Despite the importance of the issue; it was clear that board members would not have the opportunity to discuss the issue to their satisfaction; those with legitimate questions repeatedly begged for time to additional time to ask them.

Robert Lucero spent much of his time deliberately misleading the audience. He repeatedly insisted that, according to APS lawyers, if APS created an accreditable police force; it would be in violation of state law. Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White revealed the truth.

White reported that he asked Art Melendrez point blank; does NM law allow APS to set up its own police force? The answer; no. Does NM law prevent APS from establishing its own police force? The answer; no.

The fact that the law doesn't address the issue, is a far cry from Lucero leading people to believe that establishing a police force would violate state law.

Lucero continues to struggle to keep his mouth shut long enough for other board members to get a word in edgewise. He was reminded by other board members so many times that they were not finished and that he needed to wait his turn, that after a while their reminders to him began to draw snickers from the audience.

Several in attendance complained that the public at large was not adequately represented on the safety commission. I saw no indication that most board members were doing anything except voting their personal bias on the issue; with little or no regard for the feelings and interests of those that they represent.

Middle School Coolers on Fritz

According to an article in the Journal (sub req);

"Principal Cordoba Martinez said the evaporative coolers at Ernie Pyle have always been a problem at the start of the school year."

"It's been an ongoing issue for at least 12 years," she said.


During the same twelve year period no cooling problems have been reported at the Uptown Administrative Complex; the site of millions of dollars in unnecessary renovations.

Vandalism/graffiti cost over a half a million a year

According to an article in the Journal (sub req), It costs taxpayers about $600,000 a year to repair vandalism and to deal with graffiti on APS campuses.

Due in no small part to the failure of the administration to enforce district and school discipline policies; and to deal effectively with the chronically disruptive students who disrupt classes during the day, and vandalize schools at night.

APS Leaders Are Not Rolemodels

In the broadest sense, they are by definition,
role models; my point is narrower.

The leaders of the APS have never been accountable as role models. They have only allowed allowed people to believe that they were.

There is no evidence that any senior administrator or board member has ever been held accountable for failing to provide a good and positive role model for students.

If there were; it would be manifest.

There is ample evidence to the contrary;

and it is clearly manifest.

Board Votes for Secret Search

According to the Journal, the names of candidates for the superintendency will be kept secret from stakeholders.

Board Member Marty Esquivel, an expert in open government law says; the secrecy may violate state law.

Board President Paula Maes says; she'll ignore the law until the lawyers of Modrall can no longer except her from its requirements.

As her excuse she offered; other people are doing it.

That was the same excuse she used when she moved the public forum off the public record;

...other people are doing it.


Secrecy in this process serves no legitimate purpose.

It serves only the interests of candidates who would deliberately mislead the stakeholders in their current situation.

Do we really need another superintendent who is willing to deliberately mislead stakeholders in order to advance their own interests?

Torches and Pitchforks

Tonight, the leadership of the APS will vote to except from accountability; themselves, and the record of their conduct and competence as public servants.

They will vote to limit the scope of an administrative audit; in order to exclude administrators.

That audit has already been done. The Council of the Great City Schools audited the leadership of the APS and found no accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct or competence.

Their latest audit found that the leadership of the APS ignored the findings of previous audits. The system is unchanged. No steps have been taken to provide honest accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct.

If even one concrete step toward accountability has been taken; Monica Armenta could communicate it to you. She can't; none exists.

The leadership of the APS is damned by their record. Their only hope for survival is to except themselves and their records from examination during the upcoming audit.

It is time to clean the nest.

Whomever the new Superintendent is; s/he can be given an efficient and effective administration free of corruption and incompetence. It is as simple as an honest audit; and after the audit, transparent accountability to some meaningful standard of conduct, under a system over which they have no control; and even against their will.

There is every legitimate reason to conduct a full scale audit. There is not one single legitimate reason not to audit the conduct and competence of public servants.

The only reason to hide the corruption and incompetence; is to protect the corrupt and the incompetent.

They fancy themselves powerful enough to vote in a public meeting, to accept themselves from accountability.

The meeting will be sparsely attended; it is held in a place and at a time that is as convenient for the leadership of the APS; as it is inconvenient for working stakeholders.

The leadership of the APS is counting upon secrecy and apathy to minimize opposition this afternoon.

Despite an excellent editorial in the Journal blasting the unethical conduct surrounding the ACE; neither paper, nor any broadcast media outlet; has chosen to inform stakeholders that the vote that will be taken this afternoon,

... is likely the most important and far reaching decision that has ever been made in the APS.

If ever there was a fork in the road; this is it.

There comes a time when the great unwashed have no choice except to get together, armed with nothing but torches and pitchforks and do what needs to be done.


5pm, Uptown Centre, ...everyone.

Buried deep in the agenda for tonight's board meeting

is the draft plan for the superintendent search; quoted here in significant part;

• "Conditions of serving on the search committee is signing a confidentiality form,..."
• "Names of all applicants remain confidential until interviews with top (three) candidates";

( in apparent violation of the law; the NMIPRA.)

Even the Journal editors have taken a stand against secrecy in the process.

"We aren't trying to do anything on the sly,"

APS' Brad Winter said. "We thought we had community input. I apologize if that didn't happen."

"Many Chaparral Elementary School parents had never heard of School On Wheels until they found out Tuesday that a satellite location of the alternative high school was placed on the elementary school campus." according to the Journal article.

The issue is not so much whether or not high school drop outs should be placed in close proximity to elementary school students; as it is, the parents of the elementary students should have been part of the decision making process.

"The satellite ended up at St. Pius seven years ago when the district had tried to locate it at Chaparral. APS met with strong opposition from parents then as well." (emphasis added)

How exactly, does one "think" they had community input?

When APS apologized for not involving parents in the Chinese fire drill for principals, wasn't there some commitment made to rededicate themselves to appropriately involving parents in future decisions?

...screw up, apologize; screw up again in exactly the same way, apologize again;

and so on, ad nauseam.

gadfly

1. A persistent irritating critic; a nuisance.
2. One that acts as a provocative stimulus; a goad.
3. Any of various flies, especially of the family Tabanidae, that bite or annoy livestock and other animals.

I've been called a gadfly again; and I don't like it.

I feel they same about it as when the lawyers of Modrall refer to their victims as "disgruntled former employees".

There is nothing that I have done or stand for that warrants trivialization.

I am standing up for the principle that public servants are accountable to the public by means of honest and transparent accountability to a meaningful standard of conduct, by a system over which they have no control; and even against their will.

and if that makes me a gadfly; then so be it.

On the table Thursday afternoon:

There is going to be an audit.

The audit will be a full scale (forensic) audit of the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools;

or it will not.

Those in the leadership of the APS, the record of whose conduct and competence as public servants cannot stand an honest audit; will seek to except their record from audit.

...as a matter of personal survival.

Clearly, it will take an enormous amount of personal courage to stand up against Maes, Lucero, Modrall, et al; and to insist upon a full scale audit of the administration of the public trust and treasure in the Albuquerque Public Schools.

So far, the only people who have stood up against them have stood alone.

It is time for that to stop.


Someone else observed that;

"you can give without caring;
but you cannot care without giving."

You could show up at the meeting
without caring about what kind of audit is done;

But you cannot care about what kind of audit is done,
and not show up at the meeting.

There; to stand up for what you believe in,
for two minutes.


According to the agenda;
5:00pm, DeLay-Martin Community Room
APS Uptown Administrative Complex/Boondoggle
6400 Uptown Blvd.


Really, there is no equivalent gesture.

The Monica Armenta Thing

I figure that Monica Armenta owns the
Inn of the Mountain Gods scandal/fiasco.

In truth I don't know if she owns setting up a conference at the Inn of the Mountain Gods for administrators; paid for in large, by people who stand to gain, by gaining favor with these administrators.

Likely we will never know who owns it.

Just like we really don't know who owns gradegate.

I asked straight out, over two months ago,if board members new about the cover up, and they stonewalled the question.

Beth Everitt was never asked a single question on the record and under oath, even during the NM PED "investigation" of gradegate.

The impartial investigation of the gradegate scandal that was broached by Board Member Marty Esquivel, has been stonewalled ever since by Maes/Modrall et al.

Even the NM PED Educator Ethics Bureau is covering it up. What ever happened to the investigation of the charges made against Elsy Fierro?



The allegation is that; the appearance of a conflict of interest was created and then covered up; in violation of board policy and any meaningful standard of conduct.

Armenta, or whomever, could have said; the allegation is not true.

Or she could have said; you know you're right, I screwed up. I screwed up and am willing to be held accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct; under a system over which I have no control; and even against my will.

Which she didn't.

Nor did the new APS Director of Communications post any information at all about the meeting on the APS Website; the whole meeting in Ruidoso was kept semi-secret from stakeholders.

Instead of admitting or denying the allegation, Armenta's response was; Administrators got what they deserved.

("At some point, the public's got to decide whether principals and administrators are really valued as much (as other professions)," she said. "Our pool is getting smaller and smaller, and these people are some of the most educated in the community ... It's a double message constantly.")

That statement, depending on your perspective is either true or false. In neither case does it represent a response to the allegation that she (or, whomever) created the appearance of a conflict of interest.


There is only one reason not to tell the truth.

Armenta floats another red herring

According to the Journal, Monica Armenta is questioning the fact that people (like me) are questioning the administrative soiree at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

"At some point, the public's got to decide whether principals and administrators are really valued as much (as other professions)," she said. "Our pool is getting smaller and smaller, and these people are some of the most educated in the community ... It's a double message constantly."

Her objection is of course, another red herring.

If anyone in the community is undervalued, it is teachers, not administrators.

Armenta will say anything she can to shift the focus from the fact that administrators are not accountable for their conduct or their competence; which is the real problem the community has with administrators.

The Most Important Vote in the History of the APS School Board

On Thursday afternoon at 5pm, the policy committee will discuss and take action on the following agenda item;

Consideration of Administrative Audit / Peer Review.

The choice that will be made will determine the scope of the upcoming audit.

There are essentially two choices; one will keep the audit focused on the "system" only; the other will examine the both the system and the administrators that spend a billion tax dollars a year and guide the effort to educate 90,000 of this communities sons and daughters.

There is only one legitimate reason to select the former over the later; it will be marginally less expensive. The greater expense of a full scale audit is statistically inconsequential compared to a billion dollar budget; it is statistically inconsequential compared to the money that will be saved by identifying corrupt and incompetent administrators.

The real reason to limit the scope of the audit is to protect the personal interests of administrators and board members whose record is one of incompetence and/or corruption; a philosophically indefensible position.

Maes, Lucero, et al, have two choices; bury the real issue under red herring issues, and/or prevent the discussion of the issue entirely. They have prevented this issue from coming to the table for over a decade. This is the first time since the Board unanimously adopted Character Counts as their standard of conduct, that their lack of honest accountability to any standard of conduct at all has been slated for discussion.

Anyone who really cares about honest accountability in the administration of the public schools needs to attend the meeting, to look into Robert Lucero's weasely little face as he tries to prevent a discussion of an audit that will expose corruption and incompetence; the corrupt and the incompetent in the leadership of the APS.

If no one shows, he wins by default.

Nepotism in the Leadership of the APS

When the Council of the Great City Schools audited the administration of the APS in October 2003, they noted a problem with nepotism in the administration of the APS.

I was reminded of the issue by the op-ed Moises Venegas wrote. He and Nelinda Venegas are married.

What are the odds that a married couple would end up with very high paying jobs in the same organization if nepotism doesn't play?

I don't know enough about the administration of the APS to know about all of the nepotistic relationships, but I know of at least one other central office administrator who is the nephew of a former superintendent.

One thing that I do know for a fact; you will find no evidence that the leadership of the APS has even made any effort to investigate, document, or address the problem.

Which of course, is an even bigger problem.

No Man Can Serve Two Masters

In an earlier life, Marty Esquivel was a man and a lawyer who fought against corruption and incompetence in public service by fighting for open government.

Now he is part of a government body, the APS Board of Education, that is anything but open; keeping the truth secret to avoid accountability for corruption and incompetence.

Ironically, if he were not a not member of the school board, and therefore compelled to recuse himself, he would now be representing KRQE in their fight to force the leadership of the APS to surrender public records of the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS (police department).

Caught between a rock and a hard place; he is.

APS Superintendent Tim Whalen? Let's Hope Not!

Tim Whalen is the principal of Manzano High School and is supposed to be among those being considered for the open superintendency.

I often receive comments from readers about the problems they see as APS employees. This is the story related by one.

I have emailed Mr. Whalen regarding the facts of the allegation and received no response.

It is alleged that a member of the staff at Manzano High School spoke at the public forum at a school board meeting. He was concerned about the lack of coordination between the APS PD and APD.

Whalen apparently received a report from someone at the board meeting and took offense; apparently thinking MHS had been disparaged by the remarks.

It is reported that he came into a meeting of department heads and started "bitching out" this teacher in front of his colleagues for speaking out a public forum before coming to him (Whalen). He apparently threatened the teacher if the situation was repeated.

Again, I didn't witness any part of this; but I did ask Whalen for his side, and received no reply.

However unprofessional it was for a principal to chastize an employee in front of his peers; it is more frightening still that the teacher was chastized at all for exercising his right to free speech. While the teacher didn't disparage MHS directly; it would have made no difference if he had. A teacher enjoys the same rights as any citizen; including the right to speak out at a public forum and on any issue.

This is exactly the behavior the leadership of the APS likes in administrators; keeping the lid on the truth.

They hide if they can, the truth about administrative incompetence; as in the hiding of the truth about the over spending at the Uptown Administrative Complex. They hide if they can, the truth about administrative corruption; as in hiding the results of the investigation into the corruption in the leadership of the APSPD.

Whalen would be the perfect superintendent if the goal is to intimidate employees into not speaking out publicly about their concerns.

Not so perfect if the goal is to change things by looking at the truth and doing something about it.

Beth Everitt Will Be Long Gone

before her administration of the APS is examined in any detail.

When she resigned in July, she promised a half an audit of her administration.

A month later she has done squat.

She is still hiding the results of an impartial investigation of public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS (police dept).

She still hasn't provided an honest accounting of the money she allowed to be spent fixing up her Uptown Administrative Complex; including the half million dollar renovation of an unnecessary new board room.

She still has not held and APS administrator personally accountable for the screw ups in the APS PD, or in the Gradegate scandal at Rio Grande High School. And she never will.

What ever happened to the evaluation of Everitt that the board was supposed to have done?

She will just keep stonewalling all of the accountability issues until her contract expires. And then Robert Lucero, her full time apologist and ass kisser on the board; and her best friend Paula Maes will say, hey she's gone, why don't we just forget about it?

and then they will.

The New Superintendent Will Need Training

APS School Board President Paula Maes would like to have the new superintendent hired by December, so that Beth Everitt can "train" her replacement. I would expect that this person would will want to be paid for following Beth Everitt around for six months. I would expect that this person would expect to be paid $100,000 for their "training".

Which begs the most often asked question about the decisions that leadership of the APS make;

...WTF? ??

Marty Chavez wants to go to the head of the line.

There are a lot of people who are stakeholders in the decision regarding the next superintendent of the APS.

The board, if the really do intend to represent stakeholder interests, must some how figure out what the community really wants. I suspect the answer to that question is one of the direction that the district will take, more than it is one of what kind of superintendent they want.

In either case, the board is charged with expressing the will of the community; they are not expected to represent the will of a mayor. If fact, if they did so, it would be a betrayal of the public trust and of the public interest.

According to Susie Gran's article in the Trib tonight; the mayor thinks he should be part of the process; serving as part of an advisory group. He believes that he is entitled to have conversations with board members to discuss the criteria and characteristics of the next superintendent.

What Marty Chavez would really like is to appoint the majority of the school board.

Chavez believes it would be a positive step to give him more input in the decision than other stakeholders. He wants to step to the head of the line; because he is privileged.

He is no more qualified than any other stakeholder. His election to office does not carry with it any rights not specifically stated in whatever law applies his office.

Gran wrote that the school board will meet on Friday Aug. 10 to define the search and discuss options for community involvement. Ironically, the opportunity for actual community involvement in the discussion of community involvement is not provided.

The meeting will begin at 7:30, effectively denying participation to working stakeholders.

According to Gran, School Board President Paula Maes said. "I've always said we should have somebody from the Mayor's Office, the Chamber (of Commerce) and other community groups."

Apparently, she will tolerate the participation of the privileged class; but not of the great unwashed. Their thoughts and feelings on the future of the APS are of no concern to folks like Paula Maes, Robert Lucero, et al.

"It will take months before we make any decisions..."

District Attorney Kari Brandenburg, on her investigation into public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS (police department). It is only after her "investigation" is completed, that she can be compelled under the NMIPRA to surrender the public records now being secreted by her office and APS.

The District Attorney has had the results of APS' internal audit of the APSPD since May. There is no need for her office to conduct any investigations as her office was charged only with examining two already completed investigations to determine if criminal charges should be filed.

Never the less, she writes; "It will take months more to complete the "investigation" because "...it is complex and we are working on many other things, too."

If it takes six months for the crack staff at the District Attorneys Office to even decide whether or not a crime has taken place; what are the odds that they will ever convict anyone (defended by Sam Bregman)? Why not just admit that the "investigation" is as complete as it will ever be, that no one in the leadership of the APS will ever be held accountable under the law, and release the public records to public knowledge?

Brandenburg still will not confirm or deny whether or not the leadership of the APS turned over the results of the private investigation (Robert Caswell Investigations) into the corruption and incompetence in the APS PD. (Note: I have been informed that the impartial investigation was not done by RCI, but by another, unknown to me, private investigation firm.)

Similarly, APS/Modrall will not confirm or deny that they have turned over what must be evidence of felony criminal misconduct by APS employees, to the DA's office.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White also refuses to tell the truth about the criminal use of computers and data bases by APS employees doing illegal criminal background checks using BCSO computers on individuals including APS' Tom Savage's fiancee.


I smell a cover up.

School Board President Paula Maes

will never hire a superintendent who will audit the relationship between APS and the Modrall law firm; run by Maes' husband, as part of an annual audit of the administration of the APS.

She will be supported by at least, Robert Lucero, Delores Gonzales, and Berna Facio.

In the minority;

Marty Esquivel, Mary Lee Martin, and Gordon Rowe.


It appears that there may be no audit of APS/Modrall
or of any other aspect of the leadership of the APS.

The Journal Editors Weigh In on the Search for a New Superintendent

In an editorial in this morning's Journal, the editors expressed their opinion on the size of the net that should be cast in the search for a new superintendent.

The debate over the size of the net, a local or national search for the next APS superintendent, misses the point if the net is being cast in the wrong direction.


There is no empirical proof of any positive correlation between being a successful educator and being a successful administrator.

In fact, it could be argued that APS is poorly administrated exactly because the net cast to find administrators has always been cast into a pool of educators.

What if what the APS really needs, is a business manager who can turn the APS into an efficient and effective organization that supports the efforts of educators?

The net can be cast over every ocean of educators in the world; and still catch the wrong fish.

We need to be talking about whether or not APS will continue to be guided from administrative offices that are as far from classrooms as they could possibly be.

We need to be talking about moving public resources and decision making power as close to the the educational interface as possible and put at the immediate disposal of educators.

The discussion of net size is a red herring.

Continued focus on that issue instead of discussing site based management, serves only the interests of those who would maintain their positions of power and influence in the leadership of the APS. They will want to fill the office of the superintendent with someone

... who won't rock their boat.


They will be successful if people don't start paying attention.

Why I won't exercise my right to petition my government in a public forum that is not on the record.

The last four times that I tried to do that I was a bona fide candidate for the School Board.

I was acting well within legal and ethical standards.

I was removed on four different occasions by members of a publicly funded private police force acting illegally at the behest of Paula Maes.

I was actually threatened with violence.

Some of it was filmed by local media; I am going to say both KOB and KRQE; but I will bow to controverting fact.

Neither would broadcast the tapes.

I believed and still do, that it was do to the influence of Paula Maes, who happens to be the President of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association.

The Journal and the Trib were there; they chose not to report on any of the incidents; again I suspect, in deference to Paula Maes, Modrall, et al.

It was reported on the Internet by a respected local blogger.

I have ridden the horse of standing up at public forums for as far as I can.



Somebody else needs to saddle up.

How Many APS Administrators and Board Members Are Incompetent and/or Corrupt?

If the administration of the APS placed a priority on ferreting out incompetence and corruption; neither could be found in any significant amount. Accountability is fatal to incompetence and corruption.

In an organization that tolerates incompetence and corruption; after a century in business, every slot is filled by someone who is incompetent, who is corrupt, or who has guilty knowledge of the corrupt and the incompetent. Knowledge becomes guilty knowledge when an obligation to do something about righting a wrong, is ignored. It comes at the moment one realizes the correct path and takes another instead.

The supposition that the administration of the APS is filled with the incompetent and corrupt is substantiated by the Peter Principle.


The end to corruption and incompetence in the leadership of the APS comes in the form of an impartial investigation of the competence and conduct of APS administrators and board members.

No one, no one, has offered a legitimate reason not to conduct such an audit immediately. The audit is opposed only by those whose records cannot survive an audit.

They are so powerful, so entrenched, so connected that they will prevent the audit without saying a word. They will simply prevent the discussion from ever taking place on the record.

They have already made it impossible for a citizen to demand a discussion, on the record, at a "public forum".


They will not be stopped except by people who are willing to stand up for what they believe in for two minutes.

...a lot of people.

Food Thieves Caught

Two APS employees are accused of stealing food from poor kids, according to Jessica Garate's report on KRQE.

According to the report; two weeks ago APS hired private investigators from Robert Caswell Investigations Inc. who worked with APS police to find the suspected thieves.

My question would be, if the APS Police Department is a competent police force; why are tax dollars spent to hire private investigators?

Does the Albuquerque Police Department for instance, routinely hire private investigators to do their investigations for them?

The Little Documentary That Wasn't

Albuquerque Public Schools Character Counts!, APS Join-a-School, and the New Mexico Partnership in Character Education will debut “Character is the Heart of New Mexico” at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 6 at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History.

The documentary, directed and produced by Chris Schueler, is about CHARACTER COUNTS! and its impact on schools and communities across New Mexico.

Documentary;

A work, such as a film or television program, presenting political, social, or historical subject matter in a factual and informative manner ...

The documentary will not include the fact that virtually every adult that is promoting Character Counts as the standard of conduct for children and students; has rejected that same standard of conduct as their own.

APS Character Counts Leadership Council President and School Board President Paula Maes has methodically and deliberately stripped adult accountability to that standard, from every APS policy. The abandonment of Character Counts was necessary in order to evade honest accountability for a number of APS leader's ethical and felony criminal misconduct.

APS Character Counts has resisted every effort to inform the Character Counts Leadership Council of the blatant hypocrisy of their president Paula Maes and the leadership of the APS.

The Pillars of Character Counts are still the standard to which students are held accountable.

Anyone who has studied Character Counts at all;
knows that role modeling and leadership by adults is fundamental.

Mr. Schueler was informed that his "documentary" is misleading and untruthful. He said it was already 'in the can" and could not, would not, be repaired.


A follow up email to him, requesting information regarding who wrote and paid for the "infomercial" is yet to enjoy a reply.

What if Monica Armenta Didn't Tell the Truth?

Could she be held accountable?

To whom would you report her?

The superintendent? Hardly; keeping the truth under wraps is just what she needs. She really can't explain away the corruption in the APS Police Department. She can't explain why no administrator has ever been held accountable.

Nor can she explain the exorbitant spending in renovation the Uptown Complex while students are sitting in classrooms without roofs.

Nor can she really justify many of the principal shifts.

The School Board? Hardly; they just passed a meaningless and unenforceable code of ethics as the standard for their conduct and competence as public servants.

The Board is just as interested in hiding the truth as is the superintendent.


If an administrator breaks the rules; there is no one to report them to; no system under which complaints of misconduct will see a principled resolution.

If you go outside their system; if you complain to the state or the feds, if you take them to court, public resources are used to litigate their exception from accountability and duly earned consequences.



If it turns out that Monica Armenta is hiding the truth about the many conflicts of interest in the underwriting of the administrative soirée at the Inn of the Mountain Gods;

...there is nothing you can do about it.

Promise?

When one little kid makes a commitment to another; and the other wants assurance that the commitment will be kept; he asks; promise?

If the answer is no; the deal is off.

If you ask the leadership of the APS if they "promise" to hold themselves accountable for their conduct and competence as public servants; the answer is no.

If you ask them if they will conduct an honest and immediate audit of the administration of the public interests and resources in the public schools; the answer is no.



So the deal should be off.

APS Graphics Production & District Services: ACE Platinum Sponsor

The way it was explained to me by Monica Armenta; APS contributed 20% of the funding for the ACE, and private donors contributed the other 80%.

Is money from APS Graphics Production & District Services counted as part of the 20%, was the APS Character Counts donation counted as part of the 20%.


One way to find out would be to conduct an administrative audit of the leadership of the APS; systems and personnel.

In fact, it is probably the only way to find out.

Allison Engineering, Inc.; APS Vendor and ACE Sponsor

Remember when I suggested that maybe roofing contractors were paying for the administrative soirée at the Inn of the Mountain Gods?

According to an APS press release;

Allison Engineering, Inc. A Silver Sponsor; "will design the roof and parking lot improvements at La Cueva High School. The total estimated cost of the project is $5.5 million."

Why is APS Character Counts Paying for Rooms at the Inn of the Mountain Gods?

There was not one single administrator at the conference who is honestly accountable to the Pillars of Character Counts as their standard of conduct; neither as public servants, nor as role models for 90,000 students in the APS.

Many who attended the conference, led by Paula Maes, Board President and President of the Character Counts Leadership Council, have actually made deliberate and considered decisions to except themselves from that accountability by rewriting APS policies and standards.

Four board members at the soirée , Maes, Facio, Gonzales, and Martin, just voted, along with the rest of the board, Rowe, Lucero, and Esquivel, to adopt as their own personal standard of conduct as the most senior role models in the District, a comparatively meaningless and completely unenforceable code of ethics. They have deliberately and methodically abdicated their responsibility to model the student standard of conduct; the Pillars of Character Counts,

and APS Character Counts is rewarding them with rooms at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

How much money did they spend? Was it public money? Were they private funds donated to the APS Character Counts by people who thought they were buying lessons in character for their children?

Who authorized this? Was it the same APS administrator that is responsible for the APS Character Counts website? Apparently the only thing this administrator does for her salary as an APS Executive Director, is to make sure that the Character Counts Leadership Council never opposes the abandonment of the Pillars of Character Counts as their standard of conduct, by the leadership of the APS.


The children in the APS community are seeing a lesson in character.

Is it the lesson that we really want them to learn?


"Don't worry that children never listen to you.
Worry that they are always watching you."
Fulghum

Monica is Mum

"mum's the word;"
say nothing of the secret you know.

APS' new Director of Communications Monica Armenta was asked to do a fact check on a post about APS vendors underwriting the administrative soirée at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

She did not respond. Another email was sent, asking if it would be correct to report that she had refused to respond. Still no answer.

Are APS vendors contributing cash for the exclusive use of administrators who will later make decisions on the awarding of lucrative contracts to those same vendors?

Monica Armenta won't answer the question, and she does so with the blessing of the leadership of the APS. More than their blessing, they are paying her more than a hundred thousand dollars a year to spin the truth.

The truth is; there is more than the appearance of a conflict of interest; a violation of every stated policy of the APS.

The truth is; public servants are spending public money to cover up the squandering of public resources in the public schools; right under everyone's nose.

All of which begs the question that no one but me (apparently) will ask; not even the Journal or the Trib;

...W T F ? ??

the tail is wagging the dog

In a journal article this morning; it was reported that there is a split among board members regarding how far to cast their net in the search for a new superintendent for the APS. Some would search locally; some would engage in a more expensive and complicated nationwide search.

Yet, there is no consensus regarding the type of fish they are looking for. If they are looking for a rainbow trout; there is no point in casting your net into the ocean. If you a looking for sharks; you won't find many in local lakes.

I can think of a least two kinds of superintendents upon which the board might settle; those who have all the answers and expect the districts 6,000 professional educators to do as they are told, and those who recognize the inherent value of the 70,000 years of combined teaching experience in the district, and who will enable the success site based management.

It is an important question; a real fork in the road; site based management, or another superintendent that will continue to fill floor upon floor of administrators in the Uptown Administrative Complex; a place further from the educational interface (classrooms) than any other place or perspective in the district.

There is no administrator equally competent in both enabling the success of subordinates, and/or insisting that all important decisions regarding the spending of resources and decision making power reside at 6400 Uptown Blvd.

The fact that the board is talking about where to fish, and not about what to fish for, is proof that they have already made up their minds about what they are fishing for.

And all of the pretense about community involvement is just that, pretense.

You may approach the bench

Eduardo Soto sat in for Supt. Everitt at the board meeting.

During his comments on matters of information, Mr. Soto referred to the speakers at the public forum as those who had "approached the bench".

It is my hope that it was just an amusing slip of the tongue.

Robert (Lucero)'s Rules of Order?

The board of education claims adherence to Robert's Rules of Order during meetings.

In practice, they do what ever they want; Robert be damned.

Case in point; the board was voting to accept the two law firms to defend them against Gil Lovato and Sam Bregman.

There was some discussion about whether or not the board had to conduct a formal vote in order to legitimize their decision.

Robert Lucero, always anxious to cut (other people's) discussion short, "called the question".

“calling the question” when done properly should be a rare occurrence. If debate has dragged on longer than you feel is really warranted, you can “call the question,” at which time the chair has to immediately ask those assembled to vote to determine whether or not debate should be cut off or continue. The motion to call the question is itself not debatable. If two-thirds of those voting agree that the discussion should have died some time ago, they will support the call. Then, and only then, will the vote be taken on the question itself. (link)

Instead, Board President Paula Maes allowed continued discussion.

Lucero, reminded her that he was finished listening to other points of view and that the question had been called.

According to the real Robert's rules; the next vote taken was on calling the question; not on the question itself. They voted to take a vote, and then moved on to the next order of business without voting.

Since only one vote was taken; in effect, no vote was taken on the question.


If the board actually had a parliamentarian, as has been suggested by Board Member Mary Esquivel, these ignorant mistakes would not be repeated again and again.

Why does the board insist on the pretense of accountability to Robert's Rules of Order; when in fact at any given moment they will do whatever the hell they want to do anyway?

Yet one more example of the blatant hypocrisy that is the stock and trade of Paula Maes; et al in the leadership of the APS.

Yet another "appearance of a conflict of interest."

The leadership of the APS decided to have another law firm, other that Maes/Modrall, defend them against Gil Lovato and Sam Bregman.

The reasoning; apparently a number of lawyers from Modrall will find themselves on the witness stand.

Selected to defend David West, a co-defendant; Sheehan, Sheehan & Stelzner, P.A.

Listed as the "Director" of that law firm; Nann Winter.

When the law firm was asked if Nann Winter is related to APS senior administrator Brad Winter; they failed to respond to the email.

I am assuming then; that yet another APS vendor in their lucrative litigation business, has an undisclosed connection to the leadership of the APS.

...in diametric opposition to their supposed standard of conduct;

Rule # 7; avoid conflicts of interest, or the appearance thereof

Pepsi; a platinum sponsor of the ACE.

Pepsi is listed among sponsors of a semi-secret administrative soirée at the Inn of the Mountain Gods recently.

The people who signed the agreement to give Pepsi exclusive access to students and staff members in every APS school; were likely enjoying rooms at one of the most expensive casino resorts in New Mexico.

That represents the appearance of a conflict of interest.

I am not suggesting that Pepsi underwrote gambling, drunkenness, depravity and debauchery in order to gain favor over CocaCola in the decision to make Pepsi the sole provider.

I am just saying that there is the appearance of a conflict of interest; in particular since the people who put the conference together choose not to require donors to identify potential conflicts of interest on the record;

...in diametric opposition to APS' supposed standards of conduct.





(the following email was sent to Monica Armenta simultaneously with the publishing of this post.)

Ms. Armenta,
Would you be kind enough, and at your absolute convenience;

read this post and respond to its factual accuracy.

http://ched-macquigg.blogspot.com/2007/08/pepsi-platinum-sponsor-of-ace.html

Grateful for your time and attention.

macq

Hypocrisy to be documented

From APS;

Albuquerque Public Schools Character Counts!,APS Join-a-School, and the New Mexico Partnership in Character Education will debut “Character is the Heart of New Mexico” at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History.

The documentary is about CHARACTER COUNTS! and its impact on schools and communities across New Mexico.

“CHARACTER COUNTS! is a great program that started in Albuquerque Public Schools and now continues to spread across the country,” said APS Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Everitt. “I am always impressed how the pillars of character that the program teaches not only impacts the student’s education but the way they handle situations when they are in the community.”

The documentary was directed and produced by Chris Schueler, who has won 17 Emmy Awards. The show will be televised at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 7 on KOAT-TV.

"New Mexico schools have been at the forefront of promoting good character through the Character Counts program. When I learned about the six pillars in the early 1990s, I recognized that they were well-founded and something that everyone could get behind to improve not only our schools, but businesses and communities. I am very proud of the Character Counts movement in New Mexico," said Senator Pete Domenici, who continues to be a Character Counts advocate on a national and statewide level.


Not scheduled as part of the documentary is the part where Beth Everitt and the leadership of the APS have personally renounced the Pillars of Character Counts as the standard for conduct for the senior administrative role models in the APS.

You will not see the part where Pete Domenici was told that the leadership of the APS has renounced Character Counts and then said nothing.

Nor will you see the part where the President of the APS Character Counts Leadership Council, School Board President Paula Maes renounced her accountability to the standard as well.

Marty Chavez; Character Counts

There is an aphorism that I cannot get out of my head;

The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you've got it made.

Jean Giraudoux French diplomat

In 1994 I had the privilege of being among the first group of teachers trained in Character Counts.

We were trained by Michael Josephson, the founder of Character Counts.


It was a pivotal point in my life. Never before, not since, have I seen a possibility to actually stop the decline in the personal character of students. Individual character is the fundamental solution to every preventable obstacle to education.


There is a huge downside to teaching Character Counts; you have to teach by your personal example. Otherwise, every thing to teach is just more bullshit. You cannot expect a student to hold themselves accountable to a higher standard of conduct than you will hold yourself.

Every generation expects the next generation to be the first generation to hold itself honestly accountable to some meaningful standard of conduct.

Ever since George Washington accepted personal responsibility for chopping down a cherry tree; adults have been telling children that that is the standard of conduct that we expect them to embrace. Ever since, they have seen us fail to lead by our personal example.

It is not about being perfect; it is about accepting accountability for our imperfection.

It is about drawing a line in the sand; and giving not another inch, not even to our selves.

It is human nature to avoid accountability. When the speeding bus of accountability is inches from our face; everyone is looking for a way out. Many take it.

It is unrealistic to expect people to hold themselves accountable for their conduct and competence as public servants; in particular when there is a billion dollars a year lying on the table.

Sure there are public servants who have both character and competence. But they are not running the system. They are not in a position to change the system.

The system does not provide accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct.

There is no evidence of honest accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct.

The leadership of the APS holds students accountable to the Pillars of Character Counts; a nationally recognized, accepted, and respected code of ethics.

As role models; the leadership of the APS has a responsibility to model accountability to the Pillars of Character Counts. Yet, they have renounced their accountability to the student standard of conduct. They have abdicated as role models of accountability to a meaningful standard of conduct.


Which brings us back to Marty Chavez; and Senator Pete Domenici, and even Michael Josephson.

Each of them claims an allegiance to Character Counts. Pete Domenici actually is a founding father;
he sat at a table with 50 other people and wrote it.

Each of them has been told of the hypocrisy of the leadership of the APS.

Each of them has chosen not to step up and defend Character Counts. Each of them has chosen not to use their influence to draw public attention to the betrayal of the core values of Character Counts.

The people of Albuquerque don't know that the leadership of the APS has abdicated as role models of the Pillars of Character Counts. They don't know that public servants in the leadership of the APS, the stewards of a billion tax dollars a year, and the senior role models of 90,000 of our sons and daughters refuse to hold themselves honestly accountable to any standard of conduct at all; even the law.

The citizens of Albuquerque don't know the truth because the people who run the schools, run with the people who run the papers. You have no idea what the Journal and Trib are hiding from voters.

Sam Bregman and Gil Lovato were telling the truth when they said that when the truth gets out, there won't be a single senior administrator in the APS left standing.



So am I a conspiracy nut? Is it completely impossible to believe that someone at the Journal and the Trib made a deliberate decision not to tell the truth about the leadership of the APS?

The school board recently passed a completely meaningless standard of conduct for themselves. You can verify this yourself easily simply by reading it, and then asking your board member if it is in fact, completely unenforceable.

Should the community know about this situation? If they should, then the Journal and Trib should have a pretty good excuse for not reporting it. If they don't have an excuse, and they don't, then perhaps I am not a nut; and perhaps they really are conspiring to hide the truth from voters.


Mayor Marty Chavez could break the impasse; he could force news coverage of the truth. He will not.

United States Senator Pete Domenici will not.

Governor Bill Richardson will not.

Michael Josephson will not.

City councilors will not.

Terri Cole and the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce will not.

The Character Counts Leadership Council will not.

No member of the APS board of education will.

No member of the administration of the APS will.

No one in a position to draw public attention to this issue, will.


So it is up to the rest of us.

I appreciate attention to this blog. I received a particularly encouraging comment just this morning.

But it isn't enough.

As I see it, the only way the leadership of the APS will find itself honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct, under a transparent system over which they have no control; and even against their will;

is for an adequately large crowd of people to show up at a board meeting and demand immediate transparent accountability to a meaningful standard of conduct.

Perhaps if several hundred people demand an end to the stonewalling around the ethics and accountability issues, it can be ended.



We used to give a tee shirt to kids who "graduated" character counts training. On its front and back it read;

Stand up for what you believe in;
even if you are standing alone.

Children shouldn't have to stand alone. There should be an adult behind them offering encouragement, an adult beside them sharing the burdens, and an adult in front of them leading by their personal example.

The hardest part of standing alone is the wondering ...why?

It is enough to make one want to give up.


Obviously, I cannot do this alone. And not for very much longer.


On the table; an audit of the leadership of the APS.
The audit will either expose incompetence and corruption;
or it will not.

If enough people show up at the next board meeting, sign up for the public forum, and then demand and immediate and impartial full scale (forensic) audit of the leadership of the APS; perhaps the future of the APS will actually change direction.

On the other hand, if I am the only person standing up on this issue; the future of the APS remains the same; trying to educate children in a system riddled with incompetence, corruption, and the deliberate evasion of accountability for either.

You have to get to the board meeting.
You have to bring people with you.
You have to stand up for what you believe in.
You have to speak up.

There is no equivalent gesture.

If we really want our children to grow to embrace honor and courage and character; someone has to show them what it looks like.

It comes as no surprise, really

That Marty Chavez no showed the public forum at the school board meeting.

He could have shown up, he could have drawn some attention to the comparatively meaningless and completely unenforceable code of ethics recently adopted as the standard of conduct for the school board.

He could have drawn attention to an administrative accountability audit that won't audit administrators.

He could have drawn attention to the fact that the leadership of the APS has rejected the Pillars of Character Counts (the student standard of conduct) as their standard of conduct, and have abdicated as roll models for 90,000 of our sons and daughters.



Instead, he will pretend that he never got any of my emails about the public forum, that he was never challenged to walk his talk; and that at his moment of truth he didn't come up far short.

He will continue to pass himself off as a supporter of Character Counts, as a man of conviction, and as a man of character;

with no supporting evidence.

APS Accountability Audit; Equal Parts Sham and Shame

Taxpayers pony up a billion dollars a year to the APS.

They worry whether their tax dollars are being wasted.

As reassurance; the leadership of the APS offers the assurance of the personal trustworthiness of administrators and board members;

…and no real system of honest accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct for any of them.

Assurances of trustworthiness run a far distant second to real accountability when it comes to protecting the public interests, and insuring the integrity of public servants within their public service.

What ever else is true; it is true that honest and transparent accountability to a meaningful standard of conduct is fatal to corruption and incompetence in public service.

And it is true that, there is no reason to eschew honest and transparent accountability except to protect the corrupt and the incompetent from the consequences of their corruption and incompetence.

There really is no other reason. It is not too expensive; it is not unwarranted; it is not impossible.

The only downside is inescapable lethality for the corrupt and incompetent.

Honest accountability is fatal , only, to the self interests of the corrupt and the incompetent.

Yearly audits of the administration of the public interests in every corner of public service are not now customary, because public servants who do not want to be audited, do not allow audits.

APS Board Member Marty Esquivel has placed upon the table, for the first time in the more than one hundred year history of the APS, an impartial audit of the administration of the APS.

There are those in the leadership of the APS who will seek to limit the scope of the audit, only because their own self interests are served by avoiding an audit of their conduct and competence.

They would have an administrative audit that does not audit administrators; they would have no examination of the conduct and competence of administrators.

The prospect of an honest and impartial audit of the administration of the APS is being threatened.

There is only one reason to oppose an audit that will expose corruption and incompetence; and that is to protect the interests of the corrupt and the incompetent.

An audit is threat to no one who is not damned by the record of their conduct and competence as public servants.

Honest and competent public servants have everything to gain from any audit, any time.

An audit of procedures, and not of personnel; is not a step in the right direction.

It is an unequivocal “win” for those in the APS who do not want to be held accountable for their conduct and competence;

who have proved by their record that they are unworthy of trust; and that the public interests are not safe under their administration.

Whether or not the upcoming audit is a transparent, full scale, impartial forensic audit of the leadership of the APS, depends on who is more powerful;

those who would have the leadership of the APS held accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct, under a system over which they have no control; and even against their will;

or; those who would have the leadership of the APS continue the unethical and often illegal self-exception to honest accountability to any standard of conduct at all.


Mayor Marty Chavez could make a difference by showing up at the public forum tonight, and demanding a full scale impartial forensic audit of the administration of the public interests in the public schools.

Or he can side with those who would except themselves from accountability for their conduct and competence;


...by choosing not to stand to be counted
in defense of his purported belief that character counts.