APS Senior Administrator Missing!

In the entire APS there is not even one senior administrator
whose job responsibility it is to address the problem of
student discipline;

the single largest problem facing teachers in their efforts to
educate children.

No where is there even a written Discipline Philosophy;

a compilation of agreed upon principles that address
the behavior of children, and the District's response
to that (mis)behavior;
the only foundation upon which sound policies can be
written and enforced.

No where is there a single administrator who can be held
accountable for the District's abject failure to address such
an important issue in any meaningful manner.

No where is there any leadership of any kind in addressing
the most direct solution there is to; reducing class room
disruption, and bullying, and vandalism, and truancy,
and drop out rates, and ...

No single success in the APS that will raise test scores
higher, or improve student achievement more,
or narrow achievement gaps, or increase attendance,
or increase graduation rates.

Do you have any idea, how many kids don't go to school
everyday because of the bullying alone?

And when these poor kids fall behind academically, as they
inevitably will; they will become trouble makers themselves,
and/or eventually drop out.

I cannot think of a legitimate agenda in education that does
not move forward on the day that students start behaving
themselves in classrooms, and at school;

whether they want to or not.



Where is an administrator when you really need one?

If only Zsombor Peter could be convinced

that the refusal by the leadership of the APS, to respond
candidly, forthrightly, and honestly to any questions
about;

• administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct, or about
• administrative standards of conduct and competence, or about
• administrative accountability to any standards of conduct and competence

is newsworthy.


Any refusal by a public servant,
to answer any legitimate question about their public service
is newsworthy.

It is in fact the major justification for the very existence of
the Fourth Estate. wikilink

And still, no answer to the question.

Of late, I have been the subject of a great deal of personal
abuse in public forums, and in comments on this blog.

Yet in all of that abuse,
no one has ever advanced any reasoned argument that
controverts any of mine.

No one in the APS;
no senior administrator, no board member, no member of
their million dollar a year Communications Department.

No one will answer the questions except by trying to belittle me for asking them.

I cannot make sense of it.


The leadership of the APS steadfastly refuses to offer any
candid, forthright and honest response to any question about;

• administrative role modeling of the student standard of conduct
• administrative standards of conduct and competence, or
• administrative accountability to those standards.

and somehow I am the bad guy.

How can their refusal be interpreted as anything but a vindication of everything that I have ever written about role modeling, or standards, or accountability?


How are they able always to keep attention on the messenger, and off of the message?


Except in the interests of those

• who would escape the obligations of role modeling,
• who would maintain meaningless standards of conduct and competence, and
• who would escape accountability to those standards,

... no matter what?



Perhaps if I were not standing alone;
I would not appear to be so "crazy".

"Darren White broke the law."

If you read Mark Bralley's latest essay;
"Trouble in Lobo Land. It's "NOT" irrelevant." link
you can come to no other conclusion.

So now what?

The local media is done with it. They got their one or two
news cycles out of the scandal; and now they're off to other
stories.

So who is going to follow up on the fact that Darren White,
a Congressional Candidate, who is also the senior law
enforcement officer in the Rio Grande Valley,
and a couple of senior political appointees to the University
of New Mexico, broke the law?

The law, State Statute 10-16, has been in effect since at
least 1978. It is called the Governmental Conduct Act.

When I asked a clerk in the records office of the
Second Judicial District Court, how many complaints
have been filed under the law; she replied;

"None.
Apparently it has never been necessary."

I would beg to differ. It has been, and is necessary.

So who will do anything?

According to the statute; the burden seems to fall upon the
State's Attorney General's Office.

10-16-14- A. The secretary of state may refer suspected violations of the Governmental Conduct Act to the attorney general, district attorney or appropriate state agency or legislative body for enforcement. If a suspected violation involves the office of the secretary of state, the attorney general may enforce that act. If a suspected violation involves the office of the attorney general, a district attorney may enforce that act.

10-16-14-E. Subject to the provisions of this section, the Governmental Conduct Act may be enforced by the attorney general. Except as regards legislators or statewide elected officials, a district attorney in the county where a person resides or where a violation occurred may also enforce that act. Enforcement actions may include seeking civil injunctive or other appropriate orders.

We'll see if Gary King will do anything at all.
Being a cynic that I have become, I think not.

Should public servants have private lives?

The right to privacy is a constitutionally protected human right.

It is a right that cannot be abrogated except by a warrant.

Public service does not create a warrant to invade another human being's privacy.

The only "legitimate" reason to even want to try to invade a public servants privacy, is an interest in determining whether or not, based on their private lives, public servants are worthy of our trust.

If their public lives were not secret; if there were honest transparency in public service; trustworthiness would not play; it would make no difference.

Accountability is 100% fatal to corruption and incompetence.
If there were accountability there would be no need to trust.

Trustworthiness is a distant second place to accountability
in holding public servants to any standard of conduct or competence.

We have no legitimate interest in even one second of a public servants private life.

We have every interest, and every right to know about,
every single second of their public service.

The very worst thing that any public servant can do,
is anything that they do in secret.

Shine the light of day into their offices;
not into their bedrooms.

Submitted in the hope of a vigorous, yet courteous, debate.

The "principled resolution" of a complaint.

If one person files a complaint against another, that complaint sees a "principled resolution" if the complaint is adjudicated fairly and impartially, without even the "appearance" that the complainant or accused has any undue influence on the adjudication.

The least powerful can file a complaint against the most powerful, and justice will be done.

There is no "culture of fear of retribution or retaliation".

Students in the APS are taught that their very character depends on their willingness to pursue a principled resolution of a complaint made against them.

With the removal from the APS Employee Code of Conduct of the phrase;

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

the leadership of the APS can no longer be compelled to promise a principled resolution of a complaint that is made against them.

And they do not. They do not provide a principled resolution of any complaint made against them.

They like it that way.

That is why they removed from their own code of conduct, the phrase;

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

And that is why every effort must be made to reinstate in the code of conduct for the leadership of the APS the phrase and the expectation that;

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

This is not just about role modeling.

Although that reason alone, ... is reason enough.

Winston Brooks "power goals"

The quotation marks are not mine - I assume that
Winston Brooks has added them.

The story has shown up on KRQE link, but in less I missed
it, not in the Journal.

It is obvious that they will be the next set of goals for the
APS simply because Winston Brooks has the power to say
that they are; as opposed to being the next set of goals
because the best interests of students and taxpayers
influence APS goal setting.

At the risk on being accused of not giving Winston Brooks
"a chance", there are a least a few issues that are on the
table by Brooks choice and are therefore, fair game.

According to KRQE the goals are;

1. Three-year academic plan - Brooks wants to develop the plan with measurable targets by the end of the 2010-11 school year. He wants to focus on improving student achievement, narrowing achievement gaps, increasing graduation rates and improving attendance. Administrators will work out the plan and present it by the end of September.

2. Build confidence in APS - Brooks wants the administration to improve relations between the school district and the community, media, other organizations, business and government. The plan for that is due by mid-October.

3 (tie). Create a communication plan - Brooks wants the administration to develop a communication and evaluation plan between the district and the community, media, school board and others. The plan for that is due by mid-October.

3 (tie). Schedule board training workshops - Brooks wants to train the school board on the role and responsibilities of a school board, creating a more student-focused organization. The first workshop is due for mid-November.

5. Review and enhance facility upgrades - Brooks wants plans for facility upgrades to be completed and publicized by mid-October.

6. Improve the district's money management - Brooks wants a "transparent, sound and effective financial stewardship plan" with well-documented processes in place, with reports due every quarter starting with the 2008-09 school year.

7. Transition APS from site-based management to district-based management - Brooks wants the plan to include fair distribution of resources. The plan is due in the spring.

8. Enhance school crisis plans - Brooks wants a template for crisis management provided to all school and non-school sites, and wants those sites' administrators to create and file a crisis plan based on that to the district offices.

I am compelled to take issue with at least three;

1. build confidence in the APS.
2. create a communication plan
3. transition from site based management to Uptown based management.

The goal to build confidence in the APS, and to create a communication and evaluation plan between the District and stakeholders; has not, does not, and will not include a "no holds barred" town hall meeting. Monica Armenta's million dollar a year, Communications Department, will continue to spin the focus away from "inconvenient truths". The bottom line is that they never have, will not, and will never answer "certain questions"; questions like; how much did taxpayers pay for Brad Winter's new board room.

Is your confidence built? Do you feel that there is real
communication with the people who spend a billion of your
tax dollars every year, about how they are being spent?

The transition from management by among others,
more than 6,000 teachers, who between them have 70,000
years of teaching current experience, expertise, and education;

to decision making by a handful of administrators with no
current teaching experience, no objective justification for
their promotions to the positions they hold, who bear the
manifest mistrust of employees and stakeholders; and
who refuse to answer any legitimate questions about their
public service, and

who are exactly the same people that were driving the train
when it left the track in the first place.

No public input will be sought on any of the goals.

Because Winston Brooks has the "power" to ignore stakeholders.

But hey, let's give the poor guy a chance? ??

Think of APS as an auto repair shop

People who take their cars in to be repaired are dissatisfied
with the service they receive. There are manifest indications
of serious problems;

• As many as 60% of the cars that are taken in for service simply disappear before they are fixed.

• When the government administers their No Car Left Behind tests; there are significant indications that satisfactory repairs are not being made.
  

• A recent audit by the Council of the Great City Auto Repair Shops revealed that the top mechanics were evaluated by a system that was "subjective and unrelated to their promotions"; that they did not have to demonstrate by any objective means, that they had even minimal competence for their positions as top mechanic.

• A recent audit by the Meyners Auditors of Auto Repair, found that there were very few adequate written rules than governed their business. And, that top mechanics could ignore the rules at will, and that adequate records of the financial side of the APS Auto Repair, were not being kept.
• There are no meaningful standards of conduct and competence for the top mechanics
• and they are only accountable to such standards as there are, by other top mechanics.
• If you are upset with the care given your car, you can only complain to another of the mechanics.
• Auto repairs, despite the deficient quality, are charged to you at top dollar.
  

Realize that no matter how well your car runs when you
take it into the shop for service;
it will come out out of the shop, running less well.

Realize that if somehow; mechanics were honestly accountable to meaningful standards of conduct and competence,

then every car that went into the shop
would come out of the shop running better.


Realize that all you have to do to change the rules in the
APS Auto Repair, is to stand up to them and demand;

Honest accountability to meaningful standards of
conduct and competence.

Meaningful standards and honest accountability.

Insofar as public service is concerned;

Meaningful standards of conduct and competence;

The standards of conduct and competence are the prerogative of the public, not the public servant.

Yet as simple a term of public service as transparency, does not exist.

It does not exist because the terms of public service have been determined by the servant and not the master.

Honest accountability;

A system that is impartial, beyond the undue influence of even the most powerful public servant. Adjudicated according to an agreed upon set of principles.

It was not the public which included among the terms of public service; legal weaselry as a readily available means of escape from accountability, for public servants.

Where;

If one has the strategic luxury of overwhelming numbers and resources, one reasonably attacks everywhere at once; shock and awe. link

If one is attacking alone; it is prudent to attack at Achilles heel. Considering federal government, state government, county government, city government, and the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education,

which is Achilles heel?

When?

I watched a movie last night called the Great Debaters. It is the true story of young Negroes on a debate team, that ultimately became national champions.

At one point in the movie, the team is debating whether or not Negroes should be allowed to attend state colleges.

The heroine wonders; when is the right time to do the right thing?

And concludes;

"The right time for justice, is right now."

... always.

If one believes that the public interest is served by holding
public servants honestly accountable to meaningful
standards of conduct and competence;

and is inclined to do something about it;

the place; is the leadership of the APS, and

the time; is right now.

You are probably the butt of a lot of jokes in APS.

You are a crazy old fart. Go get some Prozac or something.
Your claims are ambiguous you old bag.
Give it up old man.
I know some of Ched's old students. Trust me, they were
not very impressed.
Ched did not follow all the pillars of his stupid
character counts program either.
Nobody seems to care what you have to say anyways.
You got what 10 votes when you ran for school board?
You act like you know so much but yet you are not even
part of the system.
You are so full of it.
You are just a crazy old man. You really need a shrink.

A few of the things that Scottishman (sic) had to say about
me on a pair of Topix Forum threads I had begun. link link

I am encouraged by the fact that neither he, nor anyone
in the APS, can substantially refute anything that I have
ever written, and have nothing to bring to the discussion in
the way of a substantive rebuttal.

And by the fact that I occasionally run into former students
and they make a deliberate effort to come talk to me and
tell me how much they enjoyed my classes.

Still, it hurts a little.

And I have to wonder, why am I standing up alone at the
public forum, at school board meetings.

Scottishman (sic) cannot understand;

there needs to be meaningful standards of conduct and
competence for public servants within
their public service;

and honest accountability to those standards by an
impartial system powerful enough to hold them
accountable even against their will.

And that the school board is a reasonable place to
start because they are comparatively powerless and
the stakes are so high.

Scottishman (sic) cannot, or will not, understand.


Does no one else understand either?

If you buy; that you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.

How can you buy that taking him there more times, sooner
will make him drink?

The leadership of the APS has extended the school year for
disadvantaged students. link

The solution, however good it feels, is specious.

Any gain shown by those students by means of "testing"
will disappear over the next three years; they will be
indistinguishable from the rest of the kids in their class.


More time in school is not the answer, because the problem
is not that students do not spend enough time in school;

it is that while there,
they do not want to learn.

We should be paying attention to the fact that students
are not willing and excited participants in their education.

Too often, they are not even cooperative in their education.

And when that problem is finally laid on the table for public discussion,

we just might find a way to get kids excited about school again.


In the mean time we will do things that look good
in order to keep stakeholders happy.

We will create the impression that "test scores" will improve
if we just keep doing the same thing, more times, sooner.

Another day, another Darren White scandal

The latest scandal has to do with UNM basketball coach,
Steve Alford selling himself to help fill Darren White's
campaign war chest. Alb Journal link sub req.

You know that there is meat on the bone in a scandal,
when the subject of the scandal, Darren White,
cannot defend his position except by deflecting attention
from it.

Darren White's response to the allegation that Steve Alford
has prostituted himself inappropriately on behalf of White's
campaign was;

"... the controversy over the fund raiser is the work
of Democratic "political bosses".

He offers no defense of the conduct itself.


And, they say that you can tell a great deal about a man,
by the company he keeps.

If there ever were a "political boss" to be ashamed of; it is
Darren's boss, Allen "my way or the high" Whe.

If there were any defense of any allegation made against
him, why will Darren White not offer the defense?
Instead he can only stonewall the allegations.

Consider the questions that Darren White will not answer;
positions that can be defended only by hiding them;

• the threats made against Joe Carraro, Mark Boitano and Janice Arnold-Jones. link
• the actions of Allen Whe and the disenfranchisement of republicans at their state convention. link
  
• the credible allegations of election fraud. link
  
• his continuing failure to address candidly, forthrightly and honestly, his vote of no-confidence by his subordinates in the NMSP.
  
• his refusal to clear up once and for all, any issues of subordinate confidence in Darren White as a leader of wo/men, by submitting to another vote of confidence.
  
• the continuing failure to respond candidly, forthrightly and honestly, to allegations about vote buying. link
• his steadfast refusal to surrender an ethically redacted version of the truth about the illegal use of his sophisticated and "secure" criminal data base, by senior APS administrators.
  
• his refusal to participate in a debate in front of voters
• and his refusal to participate in a town hall meeting, there to answer legitimate questions about his public service, candidly, forthrightly and honestly.
  

Martin Heinrich and I do not share a political philosophy.
I can work with that.

Darren White will always be the subject of one scandal or
another, because he will always be for sale to the highest
bidder; anyone who can help him remain the center of
attention, anyone who can help him keep his seat in
congress.

I can not work with that.

"It is a public document ... but it is our policy not to give it to you."

The editors of the Journal are much exercised, link sub req

that a public servant told APS school board member
Robert Lucero that he would not be given a copy of a
public record; that he was told by a public servant;

"It is a public document,
but it is our policy not to give it to you"

On the other hand;

The editors of the Journal are not much exercised over
the fact that if they asked Robert Lucero for the public
record of the spending of tax dollars at 6400 Uptown Blvd

Robert Lucero would say;

"It is a public document,
but it is our policy not to give it to you"

... and why is that do you suppose?

Who decides; who decides?

Someone else first posited;

The most important decision that a group will make is
when they decide how decisions will be made.

It should also be their first.

Who decides what book a teacher will use to teach reading?

The answer to that question is now, very uncertain.

Winston Brooks' headlong rush into consolidating power and
resources under his direct control; has cast a huge shadow
over the rights of stakeholders to participate meaningfully in
decision making that affects their interests.

There is a need for a statement from Winston Brooks.

Who decides; who decides?

I suspect that Winston Brooks will not offer any answer
at all, to that very fundamental question.

Because it is the nature of people like Winston Brooks
to never draw a line anywhere; never concede that anyone
else has any power, or rights, in any situation.


Because in every situation, people like Winston Brooks
must maintain the option of exerting their will, over the will
of any other stakeholder. He needs the final decision
to be his and his alone.

He will not share control over power and resources,
if he has any other choice at all.

We will see if I am right or wrong.

We will see if Winston Brooks will offer any candid, forthright
and honest response to the question; who decides; who decides?

My money is on; no, he will not.

Winston Brooks has not taught in a public school classroom since 1977

There are between 6,000 and 7,000 teachers in the APS.
Between them they have

• 70,000 years of current teaching experience,
• the education, experience and expertise to make sound decisions, and
  
• intimate knowledge of their students, their schools, and their communities.
  

Winston Brooks' plan is;
cut teachers out of the decision making process entirely;

along with every other APS stakeholder,

in favor of a decision making process that includes
only himself and a handful of other senior administrators,

none of whom have any current teaching experience at all.

This plan makes sense where, exactly?

except in the leadership of the APS
and on the Planet Crack?

Robert Lucero "Someone we can count on."

So reads Robert Lucero's re-election flyer.

The post office's failure to deliver the flyer before the
election has now earned Mr. Lucero what he loves most;
three articles about Robert Lucero in two days of coverage
in the Journal; link and link and link and sub req.

Robert Lucero;

"someone we can count on."

Count on for what, exactly?

When a motion was put before the board several years ago,
a motion that if passed, would have required the creation of
a policy requiring APS administrators and board members
to "tell the truth", Robert Lucero tabled the motion.

He claimed at the time, that he wanted to do research in
other school districts; to see how other school systems were
handling the issue of responding to legitimate questions with
candid, forthright and honest answers.

He, after these several years, has still not completed his
research. The motion is still tabled.

So can we count on Robert Lucero to tell the truth?

We cannot.

Robert Lucero steadfastly refuses to explain, defend, or
even acknowledge his decision to remove language from
his own code of conduct which read;

in no case shall the standard of conduct for adults be
lower than the standard of conduct for students.

Can we count on Robert Lucero to stand up as a role model
for students?

We cannot.

When the public corruption and criminal conspiracy in the
leadership of the APS (police department) first became
public knowledge, Robert Lucero made his way onto TV news
to proclaim that his buddy Gil Lovato, was the victim of
groundless claims by a disgruntled former employee;
a claim we now know to be itself, groundless and untrue.

Can we count on Robert Lucero to stand aside when one of
his cronies is under investigation for even criminal
misconduct?

We cannot.

Robert Lucero will not explain,defend or even acknowledge
his opposition to a full scale forensic audit of the entire
leadership of the APS.

Can we count on Robert Lucero to protect the public
interests in the public schools from public corruption and
incompetence?

We cannot.

Can we count on Robert Lucero to show up at a town hall
meeting and to provide candid, forthright and honest
responses to legitimate questions?

We cannot.

All of which begs the question; for what exactly can we
count on Robert Lucero?

Apparently nothing; except running full speed in the
direction of a news camera or reporter, for more news
coverage of Robert Lucero; and if he is really lucky,
his picture in the news.

my pleasure.
Photo by Mark Bralley


cc Robert Lucero upon posting

"You can't just tell the truth; you never know how someone might want to use it."

Former APS Superintendent, and West Point graduate,
Peter Horoscak.

In response to my argument that teachers (and by extension,
all stakeholders) have a right to know the truth about what
is going on in their schools.

By the same logic, in today's APS,

Brad Winter does not have to tell stakeholders the truth
about spending at 6400 Uptown Blvd.

because you never know how someone might want to use it.




Why would APS Superintendent Peter Horoscak speak so
forthrightly about such an indefensible position?

Because that is what happens when these people find
themselves in a position where they cannot get away with
a lie, and they cannot avoid having to respond to
a legitimate question.

They get all flustered and sometimes actually give a candid,
forthright and honest answer.

Offered in support of my argument that APS stakeholders
deserve a town hall meeting.

How can senior public servants simply refuse to show up at
a place where senior APS administrators and board members
cannot get away with a lie, and they cannot avoid having to
answer legitimate questions about their public service?


What does KOB TV have to gain by keeping the issue of a
APS town hall meeting secret from their viewers?

and KRQE?

and KOAT?

and KKOB?

and of course, Zsombor Peter and the Journal?



cc upon posting to all named; except Zsombor Peter who has indicated that he has no interest in reading even another of my "silly" posts.

The squandering of public trust and treasure

is newsworthy.

And I can think of only two reasons that Zsombor Peter
will not investigate and report upon the unjustifiable and
indefensible spending at 6400 Uptown Blvd.

Photo; Mark Bralley

He is a coward; unwilling to accept the consequences that
will accompany his expose;

or he is corrupt; willing for some reason to continue the
cover up of spending at the Uptown Administrative Complex.


cc Zsombor Peter upon posting; except that he
has indicated that he has no interest in reading
even another of my "silly" posts.

No money for raises for Educational Assistants

Negotiations will begin soon, between the APS and groups of
employees.

One group in particular has been in the news; the EAs.

They are looking for what looks like a much deserved one
dollar per hour raise.

They will be told by Bob Woody, APS' Director of Human,and Director of Labor Relations that there will be no dollar raise.

He will tell them that there is no money for their raise.

Which simply isn't true.

APS started with a billion dollars; more than enough for
decent raises for the EAs.

The truth is that there is no money left for their raise.

Bob Woody will come to his conclusion in his office,
a walnut paneled office; and not Lowe's or Home Depot
paneling. Not the kind of paneling EAs or Teachers can afford;
but rather, much more expensive custom paneling with
ornate molding to dress it all up.

This is not about Bob Woody.

In my only interaction with Mr. Woody; he could not have
been more professional, more courteous, or more helpful.
He may in fact, be one of the best faces of the
administration of the APS.

It is about funding priorities.

It is about the fact that while students are sitting under
leaky roofs, and money is being saved by eliminating fire
safety inspections, the leadership of the APS is able to
find money for sprucing up senior administrative offices.

It is about priorities.

And in a different school district,
EAs would be getting well deserved raises, and
the Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations,
would have to deal with the fact that there is no money left
for fancy wood paneling for his office.

There never has been a more important funding priority
than renovating 6400 Uptown Blvd. They have never
stopped adding on.

They have spent so much money there, that they will not
tell taxpayers, how much money they have spent there.

Not even is response to a request for public records under
the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act.

cc Bob Woody upon posting

What goes around, comes around

The Journal has a lengthy article this morning about APS
board member Robert Lucero's treatment by the USPS.
link sub req.

It seems he spent thousands of dollars on a political flyer,
and then paid the post office hundreds of dollars in postage.

It was delivered days after the election.

His treatment, for which he wants our sympathy,
is exactly the treatment he (the leadership of the APS)
offers anyone who files a complaint against one of them;

he got the runaround and no satisfaction of his complaint.


Perhaps there is justice after all.