KRQE shines penlight on APS waste; Journal underdoes them

KRQE's veteran investigative reporter Larry Barker has dug into the squandering of our treasure by the leadership of the APS, link.  He managed to uncover a million and half dollars worth of waste; roughly equivalent to stumbling into a forest and finding a tree.  The Journal coverage, link, was far kinder than Barker's; headlining the new kitchen while Barker headlined the (relentless) waste of tax dollars.

APS has never had an audit of their spending of our money, that did not have "findings".  The finding of inadequate standards, inadequate accountability to such standards as their are, and poor record keeping; the trifeca of corruption and waste.

Barker's piece featured the outgoing Chief Operations Officer Brad Winter.  You will laugh as you watch him try to spin the loss of a $1.6M as an overall savings of $9M.

A few years back, APS decided to abandon their digs on University Blvd and move into the "twins".  The made a commitment to taxpayers at the time; they would occupy half the building and rent out the other half to help pay the bills.

APS' edifice of the squandering of the public trust and treasure.

Then the stampede began, link, and now the building is budging with administrators, their staffs and their publicly funded private police force to keep the people out.

They have spent a lot of money in there.  On the board room alone, in response to a public records request, Brad Winter produced records of spending on their utterly unjustifiable new board room totaling nearly $400K. In stark contradiction, the Journal was reporting at the time, link, that spending was $500K over budget.

Winter still will not produce a candid, forthright and honest accounting of spending at 6400 Uptown Blvd, link.  KRQE will still not ask him for it.

The Journal has long since abandoned it's obligations to investigate and report upon the standards and accountability scandal in the leadership of the APS.

Korte, moments after attacking a blogger

School Board Member Kathy Korte appeared in Barker's report.

She indicated that APS really doesn't have this kind of money to waste.

They don't.

Never the less, last Wednesday, Korte and the rest of the board decided apparently, to not settle the complaints I've filed against them in federal court.  Their apparent decision is going to cost taxpayers a bundle in frank waste.

APS misled Rob Nikolewski of NM Capitol Report into reporting that APS had spent only $250K in defense of Marty Esquivel's ego, link. 

The truth is, they've spent three times that at the very least.  If they actually take this thing to trial, taxpayers will be out six times that amount by the time the dust settles.  They and taxpayers are headed for an ass handing.

Anyone who actually looks at the evidence and understands the law, cannot help but come to that conclusion; regardless of however much manifestly conflicted testimony they are able to assemble.

The APS School Board has a Code of Ethics, albeit, by their own admission, utterly unenforceable.  Their first ethic reads clearly and unequivocally;

Make the education and well being of students
the basis for all decision making

Yet the board will continue to spend in their own interests;
on their own "legal"defenses. The spend from operational funds; money that would otherwise be spent in classrooms.

And spend, and spend and spend without any oversight at all.
Not from KRQE for whom Esquivel works.
Not from the Journal run by APS and Esquivel's good friends.

There is a manifest need for an independent standards and accountability audit of the entire leadership of the APS; school board members and senior administrators alike.

If they had adequate standards, if they had honest, actual accountability to them, they would point to them proudly, not hide from questions about them.

The "credentialed" press has a clear obligation to investigate and report upon standards and accountability in the leadership of the APS either way.  It is manifest Journalistic malpractice; another utterly unenforceable code of ethical conduct.




photos Mark Bralley