Charter schools backfill

Can charter schools backfill into schools with declining enrollments?

It makes too much sense mathematically, to not ask.

Why won't APS respond?

APS Leaders model only hypocrisy

As role models for 98,000 of our sons and daughters, do the leaders of APS have any responsibility to model accountability to the standard to which they hold students accountable?

Because if they do; they aren’t.

The new, lower standard of conduct written and adopted by APS Leadership as their standard of conduct says, “Employees of the Albuquerque Public Schools shall serve as positive role models for students and set good examples in conduct…”

“Positive role model” and "good example" are muddy standards. They are made to order for those whose interests lie in evading accountability.

When the leadership of APS holds students accountable to a higher standard than their own;

And when they cannot demonstrate by their record, honest accountability to any standard of conduct at all;

And when they have refused for the tenth time to accept honest accountability to a meaningful standard of conduct;

And when they removed “…in no case shall the standard of conduct for an adult be less than the standard for students…” from their own code of conduct;

I would argue that they are not “positive role models”; that they are not setting a “good example”.

The senior administration, the board and Modrall don’t have to argue anything at all; because they are not accountable; to anyone.

By their record, they cannot show accountability even to the law.

They cannot show a system in place in the APS where a senior administrator or board member is subject to a principled resolution of a complaint made against them.

Ten times they have refused honest accountability to any meaningful standard of conduct.

What more proof do you need?

APS Board Policy G.10

"The Superintendent or the Superintendent's designee will maintain a system of evaluation for all personnel in compliance with the laws of New Mexico and the standards and procedures adopted by the State Board of Education."

According to the APS Website, the policy was last reviewed: April 2001

In October of 2003, in an impartial audit of APS after the M&O corruption scandal, the Council of Great City Schools wrote that administrative evaluations were “subjective and unrelated to promotions or step placement…”

The comment was offered by way of criticism.

Has anything changed since the audit? They have failed to produce any pubic record that says that they have changed anything at all.

Can the Superintendent, or the Superintendent’s designee, be held accountable for not maintaining a system of evaluation that protects the community from Administrative incompetence and corruption?

Sure they can. And a pint of Häagen-Dazs serves four.

Mayor Chavez lets APS Leadership off the hook. Why?

Mayor Chavez claims an interest in increased accountability in the Leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools. He claims it a lot.

The Leadership of the APS is currently refusing to be held accountable to any meaningful standard of conduct.

All Mayor Chavez has to do to make APS Senior Administrators and Board Members accountable; is to give the newspapers the go ahead to write about the APS ethics scandal.

When they finally tell the truth; there will be accountability in the Leadership of the APS.

But the Mayor won’t give them the go ahead. Why not?

Would a major improvement in the accountability picture in the APS interfere with the Mayor’s interest in assuming personal control over the public schools?

Or am I being too cynical?

APS’ Character Counts plan

We will teach students that their character counts.

They will then inspire their teachers to embrace character and courage and honor.

The teachers will inspire their principals, who will inspire the superintendents, who will inspire the board.

How could it possibly go wrong?

Looking past the haircut

There are two unresolved issues at Rio Grande High School.

I will begin by acknowledging no personal experience at that school. I will bow to any controverting fact.

The first issue yet to be resolved; who is in charge at the school, the staff or the students?

At a school where prohibited behavior is permitted; the rule breakers are in charge.

Which is not to imply any adult at the school willingly accepts that situation, or is not doing everything they possibly can to change it.

The second unresolved issue is whether or not there will be a manifest gang presence at RGHS.

There are actually three issues.

The first two exist because of the third. There is no APS District Discipline Philosophy.

Discipline policies in the District are not based on any common discipline philosophy. If there were a well thought out, comprehensive philosophy, they could show it to you.

What do the Superintendent and Board intend to do about the issue of a manifest gang presence on school campuses, District wide? What do they intend to do about the issue of the permission of prohibited behavior, District wide? What do they intend to do to regain their control over school campuses, District wide?

It would be grossly unfair to hold individual schools staffs or staff members culpable for this lack of direction.

The responsibility for this lack of leadership falls squarely on the Board and the Superintendent.

Each of whom refuses to be held honestly accountable to any meaningful standard of conduct regarding their character or their competence.

Again, and again, and again, and …

Public servants are accountable to the public

I will never forget the evening the Trib editor wrote, “I hope the legislature does the right thing” with regard to ethics reforms.

Since when does the master “hope”, that the servant will do as they are told?

The master’s wants are crystal clear; an end to corruption and incompetence in public service.

Corruption and incompetence exist because for hundreds of years, the masters have “hoped” that the servants would protect them from corruption and incompetence.

The first ethical use of power is to eliminate the possibility that the power can be abused; to protect the interests of those whose power it is.

The first intelligent abuse of power is to eliminate accountability for the abuse of power.

By crippling the mechanisms of accountability, and by corrupting the standards.

Like when the Leadership of the APS removed; “…in no case shall the standard for the adult be lower than the standard for students…”, from their code of conduct.

Take your best shot

You may ask any ethical question of me; simply post it here as a comment.

I promise an ethical response.

Or I will resign my candidacy.

Why do I keep asking the same question over and over?

I have been asking this question since 1994; the year I was trained in Character Counts.

It is my absolute conviction that we must raise the next generation of adults to embrace accountability to a meaningful standard of conduct. It is the principle we illustrate when we tell children about George Washington and the cherry tree.

The principle cannot be taught by the story alone; it must be taught by our personal example as well. Or our children will learn from a different example; dodging accountability.

The Albuquerque Public Schools senior administration and board members are not accountable to any meaningful standard of conduct; even the law.

Prove it, you say.

They have never denied it. Prove it to yourself; ask any senior administrator or board member to show you the record that they are accountable to any standard.

The only thing that they have to show is a record of dodging accountability; a record of spending enormous amounts of money on lawyers whose goal is to forestall, forever, accountability even to the law.

In the offices of Modrall are two sheets of paper. Between them they are evidence of perjury; a fourth degree felony.

The APS senior administrator, who perjured himself, has never been held accountable for his misconduct.

His immunity, and immunity for other senior administrators and board members, was purchased with public money; unwitting taxpayer support for education.

The Leadership of the APS has the will and the wherewithal to dodge accountability even to the law.

Show this post to anyone in APS. Ask them to deny any part of it.

They won’t. They will stonewall.

I keep asking the question because unless and until they answer it; nothing will ever change.

The private lives of the APS Leadership

I was asked today, by what right do I force my expectations on the private lives of APS Leaders?

The answer is that I don’t. I could not care less about the private lives of board members and superintendents.

They enjoy the same human right to privacy in their personal life as anybody else.

My expectation is that in their capacity as public servants; when they’re spending pubic money and wielding public power; that they be honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct.

And it is precisely that accountability which they are rejecting.

Power and honest accountability vary inversely.

Powerful people can break the rules; and then dodge accountability. APS leaders have broken the rules and are dodging accountability.

Consider what you have seen with your own eyes.

Nine times the Superintendent and School Board Members have been asked to hold themselves honestly accountable to the same standard that they established and enforce upon students. Nine times they have stonewalled the question.

By their history, and by their stonewalling; APS Leaders have indicated that they are unwilling to be held accountable to ANY standard of conduct; even the law.

As senior role models for 98,000 students, and as the stewards of the public trust and treasure, and as public servants;

Are APS Senior Administrators and Board Members honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct?

They would like you to believe that they are.

So who are you going to believe; APS Leadership, or your lying eyes?

“…fear of retaliation or retribution is part of the culture…”

Let me tell you a story about that culture and what it feels like for a teacher in the Albuquerque Public Schools.

The Principal lied to the President of his Student Government about an issue before the government. The Principal told the lie to escape accountability for a decision that he had made.

The teacher attempted to hold the Principal accountable for his misconduct. A complaint was filed with a very senior APS administrator. He told the teacher that “…it doesn’t hurt a kid if their Principal lies to them…” and to stop filing complaints about the principal, except through APS channels.

The message was “stop making complaints”; because APS did not and does not offer a channel for the principled resolution of complaints against administrators or board members.

If they did; they could show it to you.

A “hearing” of the Principal’s objections to the teacher’s efforts to hold him accountable; was scheduled.

Notice of the hearing, a letter, was delivered to the teacher at his school, right after school, in front of students and colleagues. The teacher was greeted by a uniformed police officer, a Sergeant of the APS Praetorian Guard. The office door was immediately closed to allow the whispering and the rumors and the gossip to begin.

As the teacher walked into the hearing, he was handed the results of the “hearing”. In fact, the letter which was placed in the teacher’s personnel file; and later used in an effort to fire him; was dated several days before the “hearing” took place.

The letter is one of a number of public records that are evidence of ethical and criminal misconduct by senior administrators and board members.

And that’s why you will never see it. Even if you file a public records request. Unless you think you can beat Modrall in court.

Anyone who thinks that they can beat Modrall in court fails to comprehend the advantages of an unlimited supply of lawyers and a pipeline to unwitting taxpayer support for the best education for their children.

They once had a State District Court Judge tell the teacher, when he had complained that the lawyers from Modrall had deliberately misrepresented the truth, “…it’s not my job to decide who’s telling the truth…”

That also is on a public record that you can’t have.

They have established ten times that they are not going to willingly accept honest accountability to a meaningful standard of conduct.

In effect, "No, we will NOT be held honestly accountable to any meaningful standard of conduct. As a matter of fact, we will not to be held honestly accountable to any standard at all."

They're getting away with it; because I can’t stop them alone.

It’s time for someone else to stand up

If we want our children to grow into adults who are willing to hold themselves accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct; we are obligated to show them what that looks like.

I am not the only person who has said that.

It has been said by Michael Josephson, the founding father of Character Counts.

And by Senator Pete Domenici, who helped to write the Pillars of Character Counts.

And by Mayor Martin Chavez, a founding father of Character Counts in Albuquerque.

And by the Character Counts Leadership Council.

And by the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.

And by every person who has told a child about George Washington and the cherry tree.

None of whom will stand up in front of the Board and ask them the question.

As role models for 98,000 of our sons and daughters; will you hold yourself honestly accountable to the Pillars of Character Counts; a widely recognized, accepted and respected code of ethics?

The Leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools has dodged accountability to the same standard of conduct to which they hold students accountable. They will not admit to, nor can they prove by their record, accountability to any standard at all.

If I am wrong, if I have misunderstood this somehow; then tell me how.

Otherwise, help me get it done.

Start sending emails to the people who should be standing up for character counts. Ask them to either defend it or renounce it.

Ask them to defend the Leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools, or defend the Pillars of Character Counts.

It’s time to kick this ball onto the field. Indict them or acquit them.

You pick a side when you don’t pick a side.

“What I'm after is accountability”,

says Mayor Martin Chavez.

“What I’m after is accountability”,

Says Ched MacQuigg; the guy who keeps asking APS Leaders to answer the same question.

Will you hold yourself honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct?

“Seems unlikely” says the Administration, the Board and Modrall.

They didn’t actually say that that. Actually they didn’t say anything. They stonewalled. Like we all don’t know what that means.

Mayor Martin Chavez and I are after accountability in the Leadership of the Albuquerque Public Schools.

We should be standing together at the next board meeting. But we won’t. Perhaps he doesn’t want to be seen with me.

Mayor,
If you will assure me that you will go to the next board meeting and ask the Leadership of the APS if they, as role models for 98,000 of our sons and daughters, and as the stewards of the public trust and treasure, and as public servants; will hold themselves honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct; then I will not.

Let me know what they say.

The Journal’s agenda for the APS

It would appear that the Journal is four square in support of Mayor Marty’s plan to take over control of the APS.

How else would you explain two pages of coverage of how mayors can fix ailing school systems, and still not one word about the upcoming school board elections?

Fixing the school board will go a long way toward fixing the school system. Fixing the school board requires a robust discussion of the issues before it is too late to do anything about them. On December 20th, it will be too late to fix what’s wrong with this board.

What’s wrong with the board, and the District, is an almost complete lack of accountability for senior administrators and board members; all and each of whom refuse to be held accountable to any meaningful standard of conduct.

According to the Journal, Mayor Martin Chavez said, “What I’m after is accountability.” If he really wanted APS accountability he would be standing up at the next board meeting when the adminstration and board refuse, for the tenth time, to answer the question; will you hold yourself honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct?

I doubt that the mayor wants to answer the question either.

And the Journal sure won’t be bringing any attention to the question.

The citizens of Albuquerque are on the verge of losing direct control over their public school system.

Somebody should do something.

Talk about the emperor’s clothes.

Political power and honest accountability vary inversely.

A situation diametrically opposite the need.

Yet no one will talk about it.

Your cost.

The principle is that public servants are accountable to the public; and accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct.

I can think of no other way to demonstrate support for the principle; except to stand up in its defense.

It is my conviction that, if enough people stand up for the principle, APS Leaders will find them selves honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct; even against their will.

Before they ask us next February, for a hundred million more tax dollars.

If, as stewards of the public trust and treasure, they are still unwilling to be held accountable; there is a good chance that voters won’t trust them with any more of their hard earned money.

Which will not be good for the kids. Or the community.

The Leadership could find itself accountable as soon as the next board meeting; Wednesday December 6th.

If enough people show up.

The cost of their accountability is that you have to show up.

If you can’t be there, find someone to take your place. It’s all about the number of people who will actually walk their talk.

You are standing up only for the principle.

I am running for a seat on the board. I will ask for personal support only once; election day, February 6th, 2007.

I will neither solicit, nor will I accept, nor will I represent that any demonstration of support for the principle, is support for me according to any interpretation.

If you have ill will for me, and that ill will is based on rumors; I would ask that you consider a very few points. I represent that I am the victim of deliberate efforts to destroy my reputation and my credibility. That possibility is entirely consistent with an impartial audit of the Albuquerque Public Schools which revealed that “…fear of retribution and/or retaliation is part of the CULTURE…” (emphasis added)

There is no evidence that as the steward of the trust of students, their parents, and the community; that as a teacher, I have ever done anything for which I need to be ashamed. It has been my relentless demand, from the very first, that all evidence be made immediately public. It has been the equally relentless effort of APS Leadership to prevent that outcome. Polygraph testing has always been on the table; my table anyway.

I will stand on the evidence. All of it.

Beyond that I would ask you to imagine that everything that you have heard about me is true. Even though it isn’t. This is about the message. It is not about the messenger.

This is about how many people will go to the board meeting and stand up to hear an answer to the following question.

As role models, as stewards of the public trust and treasure, and as public servants; are you willing to hold yourself honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct?

Letters to the editor; July 27th, 2006

The following represents an email exchange between myself and a local newspaper editor; quoted in significant part.

Dear editor,

I am preparing to distribute what I represent to be undisputed facts regarding the APS ethics scandal.

Among those facts I will include the following:

(your newspaper) has been asked on a number of occasions to investigate and report upon the scandal and has not done so.

This represents your opportunity to dispute that fact.

To which he responded:

I respectfully disagree with your analysis. The XXXXXXX covers Albuquerque Public Schools more aggressively than any media outlet in this city -- and not just from the boardroom. I'm sorry our work doesn't meet your wishes, but I'm confident we have done a solid job on education in this city. Not perfect, of course, but certainly better than you portray.

To which I responded:

Are you suggesting that you have investigated the following facts and reported upon them?

1. Students are currently accountable to a widely recognized, accepted and respected code of ethical conduct; the Pillars of Character Counts.
2. Students are required by the Student Behavior Handbook, to “model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts.
3. Board Members and Administrators are not required by any written policy to “model and promote the Pillars of Character Counts”
4. The Board removed language from the Employee Standards of Conduct which read …in no case shall the standard for adults be lower than the standard for students…
5. Neither the Board nor the Administration is currently accountable, by board policy, to any code of conduct that uses the word “ethical”.
6. A motion was placed before the Board which would have, as a matter policy, required the Board and Administration to obey the same truth telling requirements as students. The motion was disposed of by Robert Lucero without public discussion or vote by the board.
7. A motion was placed before the board which would have, as a matter of policy, required the Board and Administration to hold them selves honestly accountable for ethical misconduct. The motion was disposed of by Mary Lee Martin without public discussion or vote by the Board.
8. APS procedural directives once provided for outside impartial investigation of complaints made against administrators; they no longer do.
9. The Whistle Blower Policy passed by the Board, does not protect individuals who expose ethical misconduct by Administrators or Board Members.
10. The Board, by and through its attorneys at Modrall, have denied a “principled resolution” (the truth of the allegations was never adjudicated) of complaints of ethical and criminal misconduct by Board Members and senior Administrators.
11. According to board policy (which requires students to model the Pillars of Character Counts) students are taught that “stonewalling”, ignoring legitimate questions, violates the requirements of the Pillar of Trustworthiness.

To which he replied:

I think I've said all I'm going to say, Mr. MacQuigg. I stand by the body of our work.

To which I replied:

I believe if you ask (your education reporter) if she has ever explored these issues with the board; she will have to tell you no.

To which he did not reply.

Stonewalling? You be the judge.

Stonewalling? You be the judge.

Stonewalling is what you have to do when your record makes it impossible to tell a lie that will withstand any scrutiny at all.

The following questions have been asked of APS Leaders. They have not been answered. A distinction must be drawn between a response to a question, and “answering” the question. There have been responses. There have been no answers. Even in response to public records requests made under the NM Inspection of Public Records Act.

• How much money do the Tribune and the Journal make off the APS annually?
• How much money does the Modrall Law Firm make off the APS annually?
• Have dollars allocated by taxpayers for the education of their children, been used instead to enable senior administrators and board members to dodge honest accountability even to the law?
• Did taxpayers buy administrators and board members immunity from allegations of felony criminal misconduct; “get out of jail free” cards?
• Why did APS Leaders remove the stipulation from their own code of conduct which read; “…in no case shall the standard for adults be lower than the standard for students…”? And then lower the standard of conduct that applies to them selves?
• Why did a complainant’s right to impartial outside investigation of complaints against administrators suddenly disappear from APS Procedural Directives? And under what circumstances?
• Why did APS Leaders deny protection in the APS Whistleblower Policy, for those who expose ethical misconduct by administrators and board members?
• Why did APS Leaders, by and through Robert Lucero, kill a motion before the board which would have required administrators and board members to answer questions with the truth; not by stonewalling, not with half truths, but with the truth?
• Why did APS Leaders, by and through Mary Lee Martin, kill a motion before the Board which would have created for board members and administrators honest accountability to the same code of conduct that they enforce upon students?
• Why did APS Leaders deny a principled resolution of allegations of ethical and criminal misconduct, including felony criminal misconduct; allegations of which they were subjects?

In all fairness, shouldn’t the Journal and Trib be asking these questions?

And then reporting upon the answers?

Before it’s too late for voters to do anything about it?

Role modeling and accountability

It has been awhile since I articulated my thoughts on these issues. With your indulgence then:

A principle is relatively worthless if it does not inspire defense. If no one will stand up to defend a principle; it follows that the principle is apparently unimportant.

Consider the following principle: community best interests are served by setting and enforcing standards of conduct with respect to driving an automobile. Among them; don’t speed and don’t run red lights.

There are at least three kinds of people. Some people don’t care about the principle one way or the other. Some people will stand up in support of the principle by paying for radar guns and red light cameras. Some will stand up for their interests by buying radar detectors and photo defeating covers for their license plates.

98,000 of our sons and daughters in APS will grow up to be one of those three kinds of adults.

Schools are the perfect place to influence the development of children into adults. We can raise them to embrace personal accountability. Or, we can teach them the value of radar detectors and photo defeating license place covers.

Our choice.

Consider another principle: the best interests of the community are served by raising children who grow into adults who are willing to draw a line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. And who are then willing to hold themselves accountable, honestly accountable for straying across the line.

Standing in diametric opposition to that principle are senior role models in APS who steadfastly refuse to hold themselves honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct.

What ever accountability they cannot dodge with their radar detectors and license plate covers, is handled by their lawyers; who are paid for by tax payer support for the education of their children.

They will ultimately teach children to behave the same way.

Don’t you agree? Or don’t you care?

Next Wednesday, December 6th, at 4pm, at the corner of University Blvd. and Coal Ave; the Leadership of the APS will (not) look into the eyes of their constituents, and for at least the tenth time, they will refuse to hold themselves honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct.

They will do so in diametric opposition to the principle that states: Public servants are honestly accountable to the public; and to a meaningful standard of conduct.

If no one is willing to stand in defense of that principle; it must be unimportant.

I can’t do this alone.