The truth is going to be hard to hide.

There is a billion dollars lying on a big table every year.

The good ol' boys that run the APS spend all that money
by letting contracts to local vendors.

The vendors sponsor yearly administrative soirées like the
one at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

The good ol' boys did not, and do not enforce

"... financially sound policies and procedures ..."

upon themselves.

• They bypassed their procurement and contract processes.
• They allowed District Superintendents to spend more than $50,000 dollars at a whack, without involving APS Purchasing.
• They allowed less high ranking staff to spend less than $50,000 a whack, also without involving APS Purchasing.
• Requisitions and/or purchase orders may not have gone through appropriate authorizations.
• They didn't inventory their (our) fixed assets and much of our stuff has gone missing.

And now they are hiding public records; two pages from the audit, from public knowledge.


Do you think anything might have been stolen?

Do you think that good ol' boys like Tom Savage and
Brad Winter might be criminally negligent?
Perhaps even criminal?

This story will not hide forever.

Sooner or later Hector Balderas, or Gary King,
or Veronica Garcia is going to have to get off of their ass and
begin a full scale forensic audit of the administration of
public interests and resources in the APS.

Kent Walz, Michelle Donaldson, Rhonda Aubrey,
and Mary Lynn Roper will have no choice
but to report upon the corruption and theft.

If the Leadership of the APS is hiding criminal activity

revealed by the Meyners Audit,
are they not criminals as well?

Speculation is now in order.

APS Director of Communications Rigo Chavez has ignored
two requests for information on the missing two pages from
the APS Finance Department Audit.

APS Executive Director of Communications, Monica Armenta
has ignored a request for information on the two missing pages.

Meyners + Co. has ignored a request for information on the
missing pages.

APS School Board Member Marty Esquivel has ignored a
request for information on the missing two pages.


An independent audit was done of the APS Finance Department. There are 28 pages of violations of good accounting practice. Two of the pages are missing, and APS will not even acknowledge that they are missing, much less describe what is on them.


It is a good bet, I would suppose, that the missing two pages do not contain exculpatory evidence.

It is fair to speculate that they contain information that the leadership of the APS has an interest in hiding. Perhaps there is mention of criminal activity. Perhaps the Meyners Audit actually named names.

I would expect Rigo Chavez to hide the truth.
I would expect Monica Armenta to hide the truth.
I would expect that Meyners has been paid to hide the truth.


I am deeply disappointed that Marty Esquivel is part of their plot.

The news media have an unmet obligation.

In light of all of the recent scandals and revelations of incompetence and corruption in one APS Division after another;

the media have an obligation to ask every member of Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education why they are not demanding an immediate full scale impartial forensic administrative accountability audit of the public interests the APS.


They will not ask the question and report upon the answer.

Why?

Except that they are corrupt as well.

Kent Walz of the Journal.

Michelle Donaldson of KRQE.

Mary Lynn Roper of KOAT.

Rhonda Aubrey at KOB.

Brad Winter's Head to Roll.

Right, and a pint of Hagen daaz serves four.

Brad Winters is the APS Facilities Director.
He allowed meaningful fire inspections of APS schools
to remain undone.

He is the APS Facilities Director.
He should be able to tell you how much money you spent
on the APS Uptown Administrative Complex.

But he won't.

He could very well be one of the beneficiaries of the current
scandal in the APS Finance Department.

He benefits from a spouse whose law firm does APS business.

A situation her law firm would not acknowledge in response
to my inquiry.

Brad Winters will not be docked a days pay.
He will not be caned.

He has already announced phase two of fixing the mess.
We will no longer discuss who should have protected the
safety of our children, and did not.
Instead will will move along to;

"I am sure everyone wants to get about the business of fixing the problem."

No blood, no foul.

He will get what all APS good ol' boys get when they screw up.

He will get what Tom Savage got for knowingly permitting
and, or negligently allowing the public corruption and
criminal conspiracy in the APS Police Department.

He will get what Tom Savage got for knowingly permitting
and, or negligently allowing a few hundred million tax dollars
to go missing in the APS Finance Department.

Brad Allison got a third of a million.

Michael Vigil got a quarter of a million.

Gil Lovato got a half a year of paid leave.

There is a reason APS cannot fire a senior administrator
without giving them a boot full of cash.

Gil Lovato said that if the community knew what he knows,
there would not be a single APS senior administrator
left standing.

It is time for an independent forensic audit.

Someone needs to go into the APS and ferret out those
who have been helping themselves to the benefits of
unwitting taxpayer support of education.

The school board could end the good ol' boy corruption and
incompetence in the administration of the APS.

But they will not.

Because they are every bit as corrupt as the rest of the
good ol' boys that run the APS.

If there were any other explanation, they would publish it
here _____________________________________

What if Tom Savage really is a crook?

During the last decade or so, Tom Savage has been part of
the senior leadership of the APS.

During the last decade or so, a lot of the 10 Billion dollars that have flowed through the APS, have flowed through departments that Tom Savage either personally ran or over which he had direct oversight.

During the last decade or so, according to the Meyners Audit,
there has been a;

"Lack of enforcement of financially sound policies
and procedures in the APS Financial Department."

During the last decade or so, according to the Meyners Audit;

• The requisition & procurement process has been bypassed and the contract process not been adhered to.
• There have been District Superintendents who have encumbered the District for purchases or services greater than $50,000 without involving purchasing.
• Other District staff have encumbered the District by signing for purchases or services without involving purchasing.
• Requisitions and/or purchase orders for software or high cost items may not have gone through appropriate authorizations.
• Inventories for fixed assets have not been taken and the tagging system is not current.
• Equipment has been issued to various schools and classrooms and is missing.

Two pages of that audit are missing, and neither Rigo Chavez
nor Monica Armenta will give a candid, forthright and
honest answer about what is on them.

Are the vendors who benefited from these shenanigans the
same vendors who paid the tab for the administrative soirée
at the Inn of the Mountain Gods?


What if Tom Savage really is a crook?

Paula Maes, Modrall, and the School Board just paid a lot of money for an audit that did not mention Tom Savage by name.

They are going to pay a lot more money to the same company; Meyners, to make all the problems go away, and still not mention a single name of a single administrator who will be held honestly accountable to any meaningful standards of conduct and competence as a senior public servant.

Paula Maes made good on her promise that Tom Savage would never be the subject of an audit of his conduct and competence as public servant.

Paula Maes will not allow Tom Savage, any other senior
administrator or board member to be held accountable,
and she sure as hell is not going allow an audit that will
hold APS Modrall accountable.

The axis of the board, Modrall, and the administration
are still secreting the truth about Tom Savage's alleged
involvement the APS Peanut Butter Gate scandal.

And if Tom Savage is ever charged with any felony criminal
tomfoolery, Modrall and Paula Maes will make a bundle
litigating his exception to accountability for breaking the law.

Even the District Attorney cannot be depended upon
to intervene on behalf of stakeholders.

District Attorney Kari Brandenburg is hiding evidence of
public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of
the APS.

She has an obligation to prosecute felony criminal misconduct
and steadfastly refuses to do so.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White still refuses to
surrender a candid, forthright and honest account of
his own involvement in APS Peanut Butter Gate,
including the cover up.

It was Tom Savage's girlfriend who was the subject of one of
a number of illegal background checks done on a
secure FBI data base that had been entrusted to the
supervision of Darren White.



Tom Savage is the guy that told me that he couldn't tell
stakeholders the truth about what was really going on at
Albuquerque High School, because the Realtors in
the neighborhood would have his neck.

When the scandal in the APS Police Department was first
breaking, it was Tom Savage who ordered APS employees
to keep their mouths shut.





What if Tom Savage really is a crook?

What if he knowingly permitted and/or negligently allowed
one of the worst taxpayer screwings in the history of the APS?

Who will hold him accountable?


We know who will cover Tommy Savage's ass;
who is supposed to be covering ours?

Aren't our representatives on the school board supposed to be defending our interests?

The Meyners Audit; between the lines.

The impartial audit of the APS Finance Department
conducted by Meyners + Co link
revealed an institution ripe for plunder.


If it has not been plundered,
if a good part of a billion dollars a year has not been stolen,

by what miracle could that have taken place?

And Paula Maes says,

you are not going to audit Tom Savage,
you are not going to audit Modrall, and
you are not going to audit Paula Maes.

And this is OK with everyone because ...?

APS Audited; sort of

There have been at least three major independent audits of APS divisions; M&O, APS Police, and APS Finance Division.

Each revealed significant incompetence and corruption.

Each of those division directors reported directly to a more senior APS administrator.

In the case of the Police Department and the Finance Division, that would be Tom Savage.

No audit has been conducted that included an audit of Tom Savage's conduct and competence in his failure to prevent such wide spread and deeply embedded corruption and incompetence.

Paula Maes Modrall has stated on the record that
she has no intention of allowing Tom Savage
or any other senior APS leader (including herself!)
to be audited by anyone.

When I asked for any public record that revealed any change in policy after the audit of the M&O Division, the leadership of the APS could not or would not surrender a single record that they had done anything to prevent a recurrence.

A recurrence that then happened in the Police Department, and recurred again in the Finance Division.

This crap will not stop until there is a full scale forensic audit
of the entire leadership of the APS including Tom Savage
and Paula Maes and the Modrall.

Which will not happen as long as there is not a single board member with the character and the courage to stand up to Maes, Modrall, Savage, and the rest of the good ol' boys that run the APS.

Which will not happen as long as there in not a single board member with the character and courage to vote against the adoption of any meeting agenda that does not include a
candid, forthright and honest discussion of the ethics and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS.

Pages 26 of 29 and 27 of 29

HAVE BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT OUT AT THIS TIME

There is no explanation, defense, or even acknowledgment of the rationale for secreting these two pages from public knowledge.

The pages are missing from an independent audit of the APS Finance Division which revealed

• insufficient financial reporting,
• insufficient training and staffing,
  
• a lack of enforcement of financially sound procedures, and
  
• poor implementation of and set up of Lawson financial management software (the $26,000,000 computer system that the good ol' boys can't figure out how to run).

APS Communications Director, and APS Custodian of Public Records, Rigo Chavez has now failed to respond to two separate requests for some manner of explanation.

Open Letter to Monica Armenta, APS Executive Director of Communications

Ms. Armenta,

Two pages have been redacted from the APS Finance Division 2008 Project Plan
which was prepared for the district by Meyner + Co.

Pages 26 and 27 of 29.

Please provide a candid, forthright and honest description of the contents the missing pages and the rationale for secreting them from public knowledge.

This is not a request for public records, do not forward it to anyone.

Answer my question.

macq

APS Superintendent Winston Brooks at a loss for words.

He cannot even begin to explain, in words that a child can
understand, why he will hold them accountable
to a higher standard of conduct and competence than
his own.

So he won't even try.

Role model, schmole model.

Shame on you, Winston Brooks.

Winston Brooks Employment Contract

Winston Brooks' contract was hammered out in a meeting that was closed to stakeholders, and then approved at a board meeting where public input was not allowed.

1. Term 7/1/08 to 6/30/11.
2. Performance of Duties; yada, yada, yada
3. a. Cancellation of Contract; the contract may be canceled for good and just cause.
b. if Brooks is charged with a felony and which includes being under the influence of alcohol or another controlled substance, he is required to seek assistance from subordinates in the District's Employee Assistance Program. He shall direct the EAP to keep particulars secret from stakeholders. He will be allowed to resign rather than be terminated.
4. Resignation; He may resign without penalty provided he gives (90) days notice.
5. Required Documentation; He has to provide all of the proper certification, degrees and yada, yada, yada.
6. Annual Leave; 22 days off each year
7. a. Salary $250,000 a year, ($9,615.83 every payday)
b. a district car to use to and from work, $500 a month to pay dues to join community organizations, the cost of an independent review of his contract every year,
c. the board will pay his dues to professional organizations, travel, lodging, etc
8. Fringe Benefits; basically the same benefits enjoyed by all district employees, health, dental, etc
9. Retirement Annuity; an additional $1,250 dollars a month into an annuity, which increases $5,000 each school year.
10. Extension of Term; On or before January 31, 2009, the board will vote to extend, or not, the term of the contract.
11. Board Responsibilities; a. annual evaluations (which can be blown off at will, like they did for Beth Everitt last year)
b. unsatisfactory evaluations prompt an exchange of "writings" and time frames
12. District Goals, Measures, and Communication procedures to be established
13 Medical Examinations; yada yada yada
14. Liability and indemnity If Brooks is the subject of (even a legitimate) complaint, the district (Modrall?) will defend him at taxpayer expense. There is no qualifier.
15. Physical or Mental Disability; yada yada yada
16. Non-Renewal yada yada yada
17. Independent Counsel; from time to time to advise him on interpretation or applicability of the contract.
18. Arbitration. disputes will be settled by arbitration rather than litigation.
19. Severability clause; yada yada yada
20. Merger
21. Modification
22. Waiver of Breach
23. Governing Law
24. counterparts

yada yada yada

The only mention of Brooks' obligations as the senior most administrative role model of the student standard of conduct;

"Because such an occurrence would interfere with the Superintendent's responsibility to be a proper role model for students, should the Superintendent be charged with a felony which includes as an element of the offense being ;under the influence of controlled substances and/or alcohol, including charges which do not involve the Superintendent's conduct while involved in any District activity, he will be required to seek assistance from the District's Employee Assistance Program." (secret from stakeholders).

So there you have it staff, your obligation as a role model is to avoid being arrested for a felony while you are under the influence of drugs.

And by reasonable extension; the standard of conduct and competence for students is the same, no felony misconduct while you are high.

The student standard of conduct as written;

model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts;

a nationally recognized, accepted and respected code of ethical conduct and competence.

Students; your word for today is "hypocrisy".

Can anyone use the word "hypocrisy" in a sentence for the class?

Special Privileges For Robert Lucero's Friends

Speakers at public forum are allowed two minutes to speak.

It is an arbitrary number, having been reduced from three minutes.

It is barely enough time to make any point of substance.

Speakers are interrupted if they speak past the time limit.
I have noticed that speakers in suits are given extra time.

If you are cajoling a board member, you get extra time.

And if you are a friend of Robert Lucero, you get extra time.

When the President of the Teaching Assistants was not able to finish her presentation in the allotted two minutes, board member Lucero announced that he would like to ask her a question at the end of the public forum. His question; would you like to finish reading your presentation? After which the lady was given an additional two minutes or so.

I don't begrudge her the extra time. That isn't the issue.

The issue is that the rules don't apply to Robert Lucero.

Anymore than they apply to any of the good ol' boys
that run the APS.

Redacted pages, still a mystery.

APS' Rigo Chavez gave me a copy of the throughly damning APS Finance Division 2008 Project Plan. link

Two whole pages were left out of the package with no explanation except that

"pages 26 of 29 and 27 of 29 have been intentionally left out at this time"

I asked Rigo Chavez for some kind of explanation and he has not responded to my emailed question.

I sent another request for the same information this morning.

"APS Communications Department"
proudly bringing a whole new meaning to the word
communication.

Marty Esquivel can not even look me in the eye

I took an opportunity to address the school board last night.

The public forum is still off the record, so I chose to speak to the adoption of the agenda in order to speak on the record.

I encouraged board member Delores Griego to stand up for her belief that the board should have another discussion on school board ethics, by voting not to accept the agenda.

I encouraged board member Marty Esquivel to join Griego in voting not to accept another agenda that does not include a candid, forthright and honest discussion of the ethics and accountability crisis in the leadership of the APS.

Esquivel could not, or would not even look me in the eyes.

Then Mary Lee Martin, and finally Gordon Rowe.

Not one of them would vote against adopting the agenda.

There is a recurring opportunity for four members of the board to force a candid, forthright and honest discussion of ethics, standards and accountability, administrative role modeling, and the first annual Administrative Accountability Audit.

There is apparently, not a single board member with the character and/or the courage to stand up and demand that stakeholders be told the truth.

If there is another possible explanation for their failure,
I cannot imagine it, and not one of them will suggest it.

Shame on them all.

APS' underclass

The Public Forum consisted almost exclusively of Teaching Assistants "begging" for a reasonable raise. Although they have been slated for a 3% raise, they argued very well that a 3% raise on virtually nothing, is still nothing.

One lady has worked for APS for 15 years and seen her annual salary climb from $9K a year to $12K.

Winston Brooks will make 23 times as much money this year.

Winston Brooks will be tooling around for the next three years in a Lincoln Navigator link or Cadillac Escalade link.

I doubt that he will be limited to "official" use.

On the other hand, TAs who are required to use their own
vehicles for official business, are reimbursed 30 cents per mile, far less, 20 cents less, than is customary. link

Board members make more money for showing up to
a single meeting, than TAs make for a whole day of work.

It was one of the most moving public forums that I have ever witnessed.

Zsombor Peter, Abq Journal was there, and wrote today instead, about how the board voted to add another day to the school year by shortening the Thanksgiving break from three days off, to two.

Perhaps Peter is writing something in more depth, that could not be ready by deadline.

I hope so. Otherwise you would have to wonder if the guy has a heart.

Ensuring A candid, forthright and honest discussion of the ethics and accountability crisis in the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools

Ms. Griego,

If a candid, forthright and honest discussion of the ethics and accountability crisis in the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools is your honest interest;
you will have to vote not to accept another agenda which does not include that discussion.

Mr Esquivel,

To the extent that you represent my interests in the Albuquerque Pubic Schools, I insist that you vote not to accept another agenda that does not include a candid, forthright and honest discussion of the ethics and accountability crisis in the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools.

Mr Rowe,

If there is ever going to be a candid, forthright and honest discussion of the ethics and accountability crisis in the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools, it will be necessary for you to vote not to accept another agenda which does not include that discussion.

Ms Martin,

the legacy of your many years of service to this community depends on a candid, forthright and honest discussion of the ethics and accountability crisis in the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools.

Unless you vote not to accept another agenda that does not include that discussion;

the legacy of your service will be an administration that tolerates and enables corruption and incompetence.

Stakeholder constituents are owed a roll call vote on the acceptance of any agenda that does not include

a candid, forthright and honest discussion of the ethics and accountability crisis in the leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools.

School Board Member Delores Griego

has on two, maybe three, occasions indicated that she would like the board to discuss "school board ethics".

Her expressed interest is then ignored by the rest of the board.

Not even Marty Esquivel will second her emotion.

I would suggest to Ms. Griego, a more direct approach;
at the board meeting tonight, when the vote is taken to adopt the agenda, vote no. Vote against any agenda that does not include a candid, forthright and honest discussion of school board ethics.

Perhaps if she stands up for what she believes in,
Marty Esquivel might find the courage to do the same.

Which might inspire Gordy Rowe to grow a pair,
which might inspire Mary Lee Martin to stand up as well.

If four members of the board vote not to accept another agenda that does not step up the ethics and accountability crisis in the leadership of the APS

the remaining three board members; Maes, Lucero, and Facio, would have no way to keep the subject from coming to the table.

Inn of the Mountain Gods Soiree Comes Full Circle

Remember when a bunch of APS vendors underwrote the administrative soirée at the Inn of the Mountain Gods? link

Now we find out from the Meyners audit that those vendors might have benefited from a; "Requisition & procurement process (that) is bypassed and contract process (that is) not adhered to"; and a "Lack of and enforcement of financially sound policies and procedures."

Which begs the question; were any of the vendors who paid for the party at the Inn of the Mountain Gods beneficiaries of a requisition and procurement process that is not adhered to, and the lack of sound policies and procedures?

My guess would be yes.

Which begs another question; What if Meyners + Co found violations of the law during their audit of the APS Finance Division?

What is Meyners + Co. required to do with evidence of violation of civil or criminal statutes?

Are they required to report law breaking? Is there a bean counter code of ethics? Does it mean anything more than the utterly fectless lawyers code of ethics, or the journalists' code of ethics?

If APS administrators have broken the law, will Maes/Modrall be covering their asses and billing taxpayers $3-600 dollars an hour?

Who covers our backs?

Meyners + Co cannot be allowed to continue the cover up of the mess in the Finance Division. They have already indicated that they can, and will, produce a report of a financial crisis in the APS without naming a single administrator who should be held accountable for the mess.

I just looked up Meyners + Co. link
It turns out their offices are right next to Modrall's.
What a coincidence.

Corruption Possible?

From the Meyner audit of the APS Financial Department;

• District Superintendents have encumbered the District for purchases or services greater than $50,000 without involving purchasing.
• We were unable to locate any district wide policies and procedures that were updated and trained upon.
• Requisition & procurement process is bypassed and contract process not adhered to
• Other District staff have encumbered the District by signing for purchases or services without involving purchasing.
• Requisitions and/or purchase orders for software or high cost items may not go through appropriate authorizations
• Inventories for fixed assets have not been taken and the tagging system is not current
• Equipment that has been issued to various schools and classrooms comes up missing.
• New hire orientation is limited to signing up for benefits. There is no district-wide orientation explaining policies and procedures.
• Access (to programs, networks, vpn) is not always deleted when an employee leaves
  

Overall Meyners noted;

Lack of enforcement of financially sound policies and procedures in the APS Financial Department.

A profound lack of standards, accountability and record keeping.

I am willing to bet that some of the Billion tax dollars a year sent to the APS have been stolen and wasted.

What do you think?

"... the problem did not pop up overnight ..."

Good ol' boy accounting.

One of my readers once offered that if you are doing something illegal and will be convicted by a record of your conduct; just don't keep records!
One does not go to prison for keeping lousy books.

APS keeps lousy books on billions of tax dollars.

They have been keeping lousy books for generations.


I have in my possession a copy of the
Executive Summary Analysis of Finance Division
March 5, 2002, and of the
APS Finance Division 2008 Project Plan

They were surrendered without incident by APS' Custodian of Public Records, Rigo Chavez.

I am not an accountant. But if I were, and I wanted to set up They were surrendered in fact; promptly, professionally, and courteously.a system where taxpayers could be easily screwed out of a large part of a billion dollars a year, this is the system I would create, maintain, and defend as though my life depended on it.

"Meyners + Company, LLC (Meyners) was engaged by Albuquerque Public Schools to perform an analysis of the District's financial policies, procedures and financial reporting structure and develop a comprehensive project plan for the Division."

... for which they were paid some great deal of money.

In exchange for which they have offered up an analysis that doesn't name a single good ol' boy, and offers to fix the whole thing for a great deal more money.

... all while continuing to cover the asses
of the good ol' boys who are responsible for the mess.

As an example.

"The problems in the Finance Department did not pop up overnight."

That is Meyners' way of saying the problem has been around for a long time, but doesn't raise the issue of who might be responsible on the night the problems did pop up.

If the the problems popped up any one of the previous 1000 nights or so, they popped up on Tom Savage's watch. If they popped up during any one of the previous 33,000 nights; Tom Savage is responsible for enabling them for a 1000 more.

Paula Maes has made good on her pledge that she would allow no audit that would allow Tom Savage to be held individually accountable for his conduct and competence as a public servant.

Tom Savage will not be held accountable for APS' Peanut Butter Gate and the criminal misuse of Darren White's super sophisticated and secure criminal information data base, and the illegal background check made on Tom Savage's girlfriend.

No one in the APS Peanut Butter Gate scandal will be held criminally accountable.

District Attorney Kari Brandenburg has been sitting on the evidence for over a year, still unable to determine whether or not to prosecute high ranking public servants who have committed felony criminal misconduct.


In summary,

• APS has a financial department that is ripe for corruption and handles a billion dollars a year.
• The good ol' boy who owns the problem, is the same good ol' boy who owns the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the APS Police Department.
• He is being protected from the consequences of his corruption and incompetence by Paula Maes and the Modrall Law Firm,
• who regularly litigate against the public interest, and in defense of APS administrators and board members.
• Meyners + Company, LLC has an offer on the table to fix the whole finance department thing without a single good ol' boy's head hitting the floor.
• The offer will be accepted by the leadership of the APS.
  

And the Journal won't investigate and report upon it.

Neither will KRQE, nor KOAT, nor KOB, nor KKOB.

No member of the privileged class will be held accountable against their will; except by the privileged class.

And they like the way Tom Savage keeps their books.

Adult Humor. If it will offend you, don't read it.

Three gentleman are sitting on the porch having an animated discussion. One is arguing that he probably has the largest nose in the world. Another gentleman is arguing that he probably has the world's largest thumbs.

They decide to pursue the issue by going to the place where one can have Guinness World Records decided on the spot.

On the way, the third gentleman reluctantly admits that he probably has the world's smallest penis, and is interested in determining if he too is world record holder.

As they walk out of the place where Guinness World Records are adjudicated on the spot, each carries a sheet of paper.

The first reads his paper and says; "Here it is; I have the world's biggest nose."
The second reads his and says; "And I have the world's biggest thumbs."

The third reads his paper and says; "Who in the hell is Winston C. Brooks?"

When Winston Brooks attention is drawn to this post, he likely will not be amused.

Yet he can do nothing about it.

He cannot take umbrage without admitting that
he has read this post. And that he read my demand for a
candid forthright and honest admission of his intentions
regarding;

1. administrative role modeling
2. administrative standards of conduct and competence, and
3. an administrative accountability audit.

Since he has no intention of being honest with APS stakeholders on those three issues, or even of acknowledging their existence, he cannot respond to the joke either; and it will remain on the internet for eternity, popping up any time anyone googles his name.

Site Based Management That Fails

Site based management can and sometimes does fail.
When it does fail, the urge is to blame the site based management, and site based "managers".

In fact, if site based management has failed at any school in the APS, it is because the administration above the site based managers has failed.

Just because a school's management is site based,
doesn't mean that the leadership of the district can simply
wash their hands of their responsibility to oversee the public
interests in the public schools.

If a site based management team is "failing",
it is the responsibility of a site based administrator to
call attention to the problem and enable its repair.

Instead, one of two things happened;
the site administrator simply called off the process,
or sat back and allowed the dysfunction to continue,
destroying the legitimacy of the effort itself.

The leadership of the APS allowed well meaning and
otherwise qualified decision makers to fall into any one of
a number of pitfalls that could have been easily avoided,
if the ultimate success of site based decision making had
ever been the actual goal of the leadership of the APS.

In the APS, despite the fact that APS teachers bring some
70,000 years of teaching experience to the table,
site based decision making was a long hard fight.
The good ol' boys that run the system were, and are,
reticent to share their power.

The good ol' boys did everything they could to clandestinely
obfuscate the process. As but one example;
consider a school where a number of stakeholders have
gathered to make a decision.

Likely as not, there is not a single one of them who is trained
in facilitating a discussion, or in any of the other concrete skills
necessary to develop and hone consensus.

They were doomed from the start.
They routinely dissolved, unnecessarily, into interpersonal
squabbles and turf wars.

APS never had any intention of letting any stakeholder
group overrule a site based administrator.
Although participants were led to believe that they were
making decisions, they were allowed to make only certain
decisions.

When push came to shove, the final decision was always
the prerogative of the principal, who was always backed by
the central office when s/he usurped the decision making
power from a site based group.

Former APS Administrator and Human Resources "expert"
Michael Houser was asked straight out, how a dispute over
who owns a particular decision would be made.
He said; "There is a reason that principals are given the master keys to a school".

Site based management makes sense. But it has to receive
unqualified support from the leadership.
It never has, and there in lies the rub, and the failure of
site based management at sites where it has indeed, failed.

"Jessica Garate Naked"

If you google Jessica Garate's name, you will find links to
Diogenes' Six because I have used her name in my posts.


Someone googled "Jessica Garate naked" and ended up
at my place.



Sorry dude, no can do.

(Jessica's erstwhile fan found 0 hits.)

Where is the Albuquerque Teachers Federation?

The AFT used to stand in support of the right of teachers to
participate meaningfully in the decisions that affect their
interests; site based management.

Winston Brooks has announced that he intends to put an
end to teachers plotting the future of their own profession.

His mind is already made up.

Not one to make waves (even on behalf of teachers);
nothing yet link from Ellen Bernstein, union president.

Graduation rate goal to be established

It appears that the Journal will support Marty Esquivel's
effort to force Winston Brooks to set a goal for graduation
rates; up from 53% to something closer to the national average
of around 65%.

No one is talking about any intermediate or enabling goals
and objectives.

It is the enabling goals and objectives that allow the final
goal to be reached. If none are identified, or evaluated,
all issues become one.

Consider for example; chronically disruptive students.
I have not seen any figures that represent the effect of
chronically disruptive students on the graduation rate;
I suspect that it is significant.

Yet Winston Brooks will have no specific goal related to
student behavior at school.

The entire student body of the APS will continue to practice
prohibited behavior (sagging as but one example) with the
tacit permission of the leadership of the APS.

The effect of permitting prohibited behavior on the rate
of graduation, will not be measured or evaluated.

Nor will any other of the myriad of the day to day problems
the confront those who work at the educational interface.

Winston Brooks can't pass a bond issue in his own backyard.

It appears that Brooks is asking for a school bond issue that is being opposed almost 9 to 1 by Wichitans. link

Between that and APS' sorry reputation with stakeholder voters, at least we won't have to worry about tax increases for awhile.

The Wichita School Board and Winston Brooks are accused of a lack of integrity in their manipulation of the voting date for their bond election. link

One thing seems certain if you read a little about Brooks' tenure in Wichita, is that he doesn't seem to be a big fan of transparency.

Which means he should fit right in, in the APS.

Winston Brooks can run, but he can't hide.

Sooner or later, the elusive new superintendent will find
himself in a position where he can no longer hide, and
he will be asked for a candid, forthright and honest response
on three issues;

1. administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct
2. administrative standards of conduct and competence, and
3. accountability by administrators and board members.

What is Brooks' intention regarding an impartial an
administrative accountability audit that would expose the
corrupt and the incompetent in the leadership of the APS?

Will he conduct an audit,
or will he continue to cover the asses of the corrupt and
the incompetent good ol' boys that run the APS?


Brooks, like the current superintendent will hide from the questions for as long as possible.

The media will help. Both the Journal and KRQE had full blown interviews with Brooks and neither asked him about role modeling, or about standards and accountability.

Did it not occur to Jessica Garate to ask?
Did it not occur to Zsombor Peter to ask?

Did Michelle Donaldson tell Jessica not to ask?
Did Kent Walz tell Zsombor not to ask?

The bottom line is that neither asked,
and neither will.

But I will, and it will be in public, and on the record.

You can run, Mr. Winston Brooks,
but you can't hide; not forever.

Winston Brooks; deceptive and clueless

Winston Brooks sat for an interview with Jessica Garate.
link

Deception;
The interview began with Garate's first question;
what it the biggest problem facing the district?

Brooks dodged the question entirely.

The only problem he admitted to specifically in the whole interview, was our low graduation rate.

Winston Brooks' answer was neither candid, forthright nor honest.

Clueless;
When Garate asked Brooks want teachers want most from
him, he replied that teachers want the district to tell them
what to teach, and on what day it should be taught.

I think he is absolutely wrong in this belief; clueless in fact.

He believes that teachers want to end site based management.

Oddly, although he intends to end the practice,
he freely admits that site based management has been
extremely successful in some schools.

He admits that one of the greatest influences on the
drop out rate is that we have teachers who lecture all day
long, and who are "boring students to death".

His solution is to "raise standards and expectations".
Gee, if only someone had thought of that one before.

Lest I seem entirely critical; Brooks has some good ideas;
one of which is to spend some real money on technology
that students can use to further their own education.

But he doesn't have any better ideas than most of the 6 or 7 thousand people who work at the educational interface every day, and who will have no input in decisions that affect their interests and the interests of their students.

Winston Brooks will not be a role model of the student standard of conduct. He cannot model the Pillar of Respect while planning to eliminate autonomic decision making by those who have the skill set, the experience and the expertise to plot their own future.

Winston Brooks still will not respond to questions about an accountability audit, or about administrative role modeling.

He is obtuse, corrupt, or a coward.

Winston Brooks,
Elaborate upon;

1. administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct, and upon
2. meaningful standards of conduct and competence for public servants in your administration, and upon,
3. your system for providing principled resolution of complaints against administrators and board members.
   

Esquivel Continues to Disappoint.

APS Board Member Marty Esquivel was the subject of an article in the Journal this morning.

There was an opportunity for Zsombor Peter to write about the single most effective step that can be taken to cure the ills that affect the APS; an administrative accountability audit.

Instead, according to Zsombor Peter,
Esquivel would like APS to set some more goals.

Great, more goal setting. Why even bother?

First,
not reported in the paper, was Esquivel's suggestion that
the goals be determined by holding, you guessed it,
more meetings with stakeholders.

When a public servant is stuck betwixt a rock and a hard place,
they do one of two things; they form a task force to study
the issue, or they hold meetings to "gather stakeholder input".

Second,
the leadership of the APS does not set goals in the first place;
not real ones anyway. It smacks too much of accountability.

I defy anyone to name a single goal that APS has ever set,
where the failure to reach that goal, cost anyone their job.

In the APS, goal setting is an exercise in diverting attention.

Don't you suppose that one of Tom Savage's goals was
to prevent public corruption in the APS Police Department?

Don't you suppose that one of Tom Savage's goals was to
at least keep records on the spending of a billion tax dollars
a year?

He failed to meet either goal, and he still has a job.

Paula Maes said she will never allow an audit that will allow
Tom Savage to be held individually accountable for either
his conduct or competence as a senior public servant.

Marty Esquivel needs to stand up to Paula Maes/Modrall
and for an immediate administrative accountability audit
of the leadership of the APS.

There is no equivalent gesture.

If he is not willing to take out incompetent and corrupt
administrators and board members,

all the stakeholder meetings and goal setting in the world
will not make a wits worth of difference in graduation rates,

or in any other meaningful measure of progress in the APS.

Winston Brooks Visits for Four Days, Makes Four Grand

According to Linda Sinks weakly (sic) message;

Incoming superintendent Winston Brooks will be back in town Wednesday through Saturday, meeting with key constituencies around the city and speaking at several events. On Saturday morning he will attend a community event hosted by Garfield Middle School.

Brooks will earn a thousand a day for showing up and meeting with "key constituencies".

It is unclear who those key constituencies are. It is not the school board; Robert Lucero was not able to secure any assurance from Linda Sink at the last board meeting, that Brooks would have time to meet with the board.

It is not the public. None of the meetings have been announced in advance, with the exception of a Garfield Middle School community meeting on Saturday.

Sooner or later, Brooks will have to answer the question in public;

Superintendent Brooks,

Why will you not be held honestly accountable as the senior role model of the student standard of conduct?

He can't hide forever
can he?

Hey Ched, are you OK?

Yes, I am, and thank you for asking. I apologize for just dropping off the radar for awhile without explanation.

Sometimes the exceedingly thin prospect of actually changing anything about the leadership of the APS makes the investment in writing even one more post seem pointless.

The hiring of Winston Brooks, without any discussion of his obligations as a role model was the straw that broke the camel's back; at least momentarily.

In any case, I am feeling stronger and prepared to resume my efforts to bring some reform to the leadership of the APS.

Is it time to give up on Marty Esquivel?

He won't stand up and expose the ethics and accountability
scandal in the leadership of the APS.

He enables by his silence;

• an administration with no meaningful standards of conduct or competence,
• and an institution with no system for the principled resolution of complaints of the violations of such pitiful standards as there are.

He enables by his silence;

• the hiding of public records of public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the leadership of the APS (police department).

He enables by his silence;

• Winston Brooks to be hired as the senior most administrative role model of the student standard of conduct, though he will not be accountable to that standard of conduct by any honest measure.

Marty Esquivel has either to stand up in support of;

• administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct, and in support of
• meaningful standards of conduct and competence for public servants within their public service in the APS, and in support of
• honest accountability to those standards, and in support of
  
• an impartial administrative accountability audit of the administration of the APS
  
• before Winston Brooks takes the wheel.
  

or defend his refusal to do so.

You cannot attrit good ol' boys.

If they are not taken out en masse through fundamental
and sweeping reform; they will prevail.

"You pick a side when you don't pick a side." unk

Stonewalling isn't going to cut it any more.





cc Esquivel upon posting.

The Possibility of Another Dynamic in Play

I have never been able to take notes and attend to a discussion at the same time,so I don't.
This essay is based on my recollection of the discussion that I listened to, very carefully.
I will bow to controverting fact.

As I listened to the special board meeting Friday morning,

I came away with the distinct impression that Winston Brooks
is unavailable to the board, individually or collectively.

Robert Lucero would like very much to have some face time
with Winston Brooks. He figures that if the board is paying
Winston Brooks a thousand a day to drop by and visit APS;

Board members should have some time of their own.

Current titular head of the gob; Linda Sink informed RL and
board that Brooks has a lot of other stuff to do.

The new dynamic possibility then;

The good ol boys in the leadership of the APS
are not in the same club, and
the good ol' boys in the administration,
outweigh the good ol' boys on the board

It makes sense if you think about it.

The institution of the good ol' boys club in the administration
of the APS has been around for more than a hundred years,
carefully crafting all of their policies, procedures and
directives.

Board members come and go.

I went to the "special meeting" of the Board of Education this morning.

I had intended to voice my concern that they were about to
take action on a contract with Winston Brooks;
and that there were aspects of the contract
that would be unacceptable to stakeholders.

I suspect that the contract does not mention
Winston Brooks' obligation as a role model
of the student standard of conduct.

It is unacceptable for the Superintendent of the APS
to simply pretend no honest obligation as a role model.

Further,

I suspect that there is no mention creating meaningful standards of conduct and competence for public servants in the APS. Nor is there mention of his proving that intention by beginning an immediate impartial administrative accountability audit.

More importantly, his second year of employment is not
contingent on the administration of the APS passing its
second annual audit.


There is no reason to oppose an honest accountability audit
except to escape one.

Accountability to fatal to corruption and incompetence.

You cannot end the good ol' boy system except by ending
the good ol' boys.

That will happen over the vigorous resistance of
good ol' boys like Tom Savage,

and the most expensive litigation taxpayers can afford.


Is Winston Brooks charged with cleaning out the good
ol' boys club and Modrall?



Winston Brook's contract language is secret.
Stakeholders had no opportunity to read it before it was signed.*
It was written in a meeting that stakeholders were not allowed to attend. It was signed off on in a "special meeting" where public input was not allowed.


*My email to Marty Esquivel, asking for the draft language
on role modeling, and standards and accountability,
sent at around eight in the morning Thursday,
is yet to be answered.

Superintendent's Contract (Discussion/Action)

Special Meeting Friday, April 4, 2008 7:30 AM DeLayo-Martin Community Room

I. Call to Order A. Roll Call B. Adoption of Agenda and Approval of Minutes for March 19, 2008 Regular Board Meeting and March 14 and 22, 2008 Special Board Meetings (Discussion / Action) II. Special Issues A. Superintendent Contract (Discussion/Action) B. Superintendent's Visit / Future Visits (Discussion/Action) C. National School Boards Association Conference - Sharing Information (Discussion/Action) I. Goals Setting (Discussion/Action) D. Board Committees - Structure and Schedules (Discussion/Action) E. KNME General Manager Selection Update (Discussion/Action) F. Graduations/ Commencement (Discussion/Action) III. Superintendent Report IV. Board Reports V. Future Topics VI. Adjournment

Paula Maes is out, Mary Lee Martin is in.

School Board President Paula Maes /Modrall is no longer.

It would be naive
to suppose that good ol' boy influence over the leadership of
the APS has changed in any substantial manner.

It was pointed out during the meeting that
Mary Lee Martin has a many year long history of
trying to get the board to review and update district policies;

a so far unsuccessful history.

It must suck to be the person who has to nominate Paula Maes

Someone has to place Paula Maes' name in contention
for another term as the President of the APS School Board.

That poor soul will attach their name and reputation to the
recommendation that Paula Maes continue for another year
as the senior most role model for 90,000 of our kids;
in spite of the fact that she removed;

... in no case shall the standard of conduct for an adult
be lower than the standard of conduct for a student ...

from her own code of conduct.

That poor soul will attach their name and reputation to the
recommendation that Paula Maes continue for another year
as the senior most steward of the public trust and treasure

in spite of the fact that Paula Maes stands squarely
between the good ol' boys and an honest audit of their
conduct and competence as public servants.

That poor soul will attach their name and reputation to the
continuation for another year of the Maes Modrall dynasty;

another year of ethically indefensible litigation
at public expense and against the public interest.

another year of good ol' boys, good ol' boy rules, and
good ol' boy accountability.

What the hell,
it's only a billion tax dollars and 90,000 kids a year.

No big deal.


Worse than being the lackey that puts her name in nomination;
being the poor soul who then votes for her.

... that poor soul.

KOB TV News Director ID'd; it's Rhonda Aubrey

Thanks to reader Joseph for the ID.

It really wasn't about identifying her; it was about
her identifying herself; which she still has not done.

Rhonda Aubrey was copied a post in which it was pointed out
that TV 4 has not covered the scandal in the leadership of
the APS.

She was asked to identify herself and then to explain, defend
or even acknowledge that she is not covering the ethics
and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS.

She didn't and she won't.

There is only one reason to hide the truth.

Rhonda Aubrey is betraying the public interest to cover
Paula Maes' enormous ass, (metaphorically speaking).

Were there another explanation Rhonda Aubrey could
offer it even now.

Ms. Aubrey,
Why won't you investigate the ethics and accountability
scandal in the leadership of the APS?
Why won't you report on Paula Maes' refusal to begin
an accountability audit of the leadership of the APS?

Paula and Mary Lynn, Michelle, and Tommy

and the whomever is the cowardly puke at KOB TV
(who will not admit to being the news director)

have decided apparently,
that there will be no coverage of the upcoming election of
the president of the APS Board of Education.

Tommy Lang, if he follows past practice,
will order up a Kent Walz editorial, the day after
chiding stakeholders and voters for their lack of interest.

It's like, APS stakeholders have no right to participate
meaningfully in a decision that affects their interests.

... it's just like that.