Oma on Board: November 2013

APS forming "Social Media Task Force". You cannot be serious!

The leadership of the APS has decided to rewrite the district-level social media policy and guidelines. The current policy, link,Employees need to be mindful of their internet website postings even if done off duty and off District property. Do not engage in social networking during the duty day. Do not disclose personal or contact information, or post photographs of employees without their permission. Never post a photograph...

Journal gets one right but, talk is cheap.

More accurately, Journal staff writer Winthrop Quigley gets one right, link; Civil discourse needed in education debate.A number of people get that civil discourse is necessary in the education debate. They get as well, that civil discourse is needed in every public policy debate.There is not now, civil discourse in policy debates. That can only be because the people with the power to control the discourse, would rather prevail...

APS; shameless spending

The leadership of the APS burns through well over a billion tax dollars a year.They spend in two areas; capital and operational. Simply put, capital funds buy buildings and operational dollars buy actual education; teachers and their ancillary support.One of the things the leadership of the APS chooses to spend huge numbers of operational dollars on, is litigation. They spend millions of dollars every year on litigation. ...

Smaller parachute not "a vote of no confidence" according to Esquivel

APS Supt Winston Brooks' golden parachute is a little less golden after the APS School Board decided to not give him his usual; a three year extension worth $750K.If last year, APS School Board President Marty Esquivel had been asked why he and the board voted to give Brooks a three year extension on his contract, he would have lead you to believe it was because the school board has confidence in him.And now, Esquivel would have interest...

Journal turns in editorial after the bell

I will leave it to others to determine what is the actual editorial policy of the Albuquerque Journal is or should be.Allan Weintraut's model, link:An editorial is an article that presents the newspaper's opinion on an issue. It reflects the majority vote of the editorial board, the governing body of the newspaper made up of editors and business managers. It is usually unsigned. Much in the same manner of a lawyer, editorial writers build on an argument and try to persuade readers to think the same way they do. Editorials are...

The two faces of Marty Esquivel

As a media lawyer, Marty Esquivel argues that a district court judge had no business closing a preliminary hearing to the public. His argument; the public interests are not served by unnecessary secrecy. He expressed additional outrage that the closure was made without any explanation or defense; it was just simply done.The Journal reports, link, "... Esquivel complained that they were at a “tremendous disadvantage” because...

APS School Board will take action on Brooks tomorrow morning.

The meeting, link, will begin at 7:30. The public meeting will immediately vote to adjourn to Executive Session, a meeting in secret from interest holders. A meeting, of which, no recording will be made.Some of what they discuss is legitimately kept secret from public knowledge. By "legitimately" I mean, not only does the law allow it, but the secrecy is ethically justifiable.All of the rest of what they consider will...

Board seeking public input on Brooks' eval - yeah, right.

The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education will make a decision Thursday. They will decide whether to re-inflate Winston Brooks golden parachute to a full $750K. They will have finished their completely in secret evaluation of the superintendent.There is a manifest conflict of interests;their obligation to conduct an impartial evaluation of the superintendent andtheir own personal public relations needs.The very worst...

“Now it’s time for me to be a role model to you.” Winston Brooks

Fresh off his three day suspension and the morning after whatever it was that happened Wednesday night, APS Supt Winston Brooks met with his SuperSAC; the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council. He sought their advice on his recovery as their superintendent.At some point in the discussion Winston Brooks said;“Now it’s time for me to be a role model to you.”He should have been more specific.Some people, when they use the phrase...

"Executive session", "behind closed doors", or "meeting in secret"?

There are public records and kinds of discussions that school board members should have in secret. Those records and those discussions enjoy exception under the law; they are an exception to your right to know how your power and resources are being spent. Everything else is public knowledge.There is the spirit of a law, and then there is the letter of the law. The letter of the law is under constant revision as government...

Winston Brooks' golden probation

APS Supt Winston Brooks will return to work today in probationary status. At least that is the impression the School Board would like to promote."If you EVER, EVER do anything like this again,THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!"Brooks cannot be fired for misconduct unless that misconduct is prohibited by law. The Board could send Brooks packing for something less than criminal misconduct, but it would cost taxpayers whatever he has left in a parachute worth $750K as recently as last January.Winston Brooks has a golden...

APS seeks public input on its award winning website

APS is seeking input on its website. You have found yourself two clicks away from participating in an online survey, link. The survey is part of APS' half million dollar a year effort to "communicate" with the community members they serve.A fundamental flaw in APS' award winning website is its fundamental premise. It is a tool of the administration; a tool to be used to their own advantage in controlling the dissemination of...

Winston Brooks "... mild-mannered and unassuming"?

Ok then, here we have it in a nut shell; two schools of thought;APS Supt Winston Brooks is a misogynist and bully who has been caught red handed too many times or,Anyone who knows Brooks knows he is not some irate bully, he's rather mild-mannered and unassuming. This according to "a political analyst" Joe Monahan listens to, link.It's fair to wonder how a mild-mannered and unassuming man how found himself in charge of a more than billion...

Brooks' "in secret" evaluation to continue Friday morning

The APS School Board will meet in secret again Friday morning, link, for the purpose of discussion and action regarding the Superintendent’s Evaluation.They will meet in secret in the face of a self evident conflict of interests.It is in board members and golden parachute signer's on personal best interests, to make their support of the superintendent appear justifiable.The worse the superintendent looks, the worse looks their judgement...

Brooks' many, well, two, successes

In defending their decision to address APS Supt Winston Brooks repeated faux pas by suspending him for three days, School Board President Marty Esquivel pointed to two feathers in Brooks' cap; he has lead two successful bond issue campaigns and has raised APS' graduation rate to near 70%.I would like to shed a little light on "Brooks'" success in raising graduation rates. During Brooks' tenure, the method for calculating graduation rates has changed at least twice. Both times, the new method raised graduation rates...

Brooks defends $250K salary and contract extensions.

"I don't think my salary is out of line," Brooks said.He said it early this year, link.The board had just padded APS Supt Winston Brooks' golden parachute to a full $750K, by extending his contract until 2016 - long after some of the board members who voted in favor, could conceivably have been voted out of office.A lot of folks on the radio and on the backsides of internet, think Brooks should be fired. They are supposing that he,...

To hear Esquivel tell it, it's already "time to move along".

With respect to APS Supt Winston Brooks suspension, everything that needs to be done has been done and, it's time to move along.That according to School Board President Marty Esquivel. More importantly, it's time to move along in the interests of the children.It is good ol' boy justice. And good ol' boy justice is not done in anyone's interests but their own.How is it in the best interests of children to provide them with role...

Esquivel outshines Brooks on shameless misconduct.

I have just read some eleventh hour allegations submitted by APS School Board President Marty Esquivel and his lawyers; lawyers who are litigating without school board oversight and may not have even have actually signed contracts.They have offered up exhibit A. Exhibit A is the result of a struggle that began at Hoover Middle School more than a dozen years ago. They aren't saying where Exhibit A came from. APS Executive...

Where are the Pillars of Character Counts! in this discussion?

I don't know when I have ever heard the words "role model" uttered so many times by so many people. Most of them disappointed in APS Supt Winston Brooks as a role model for students, teachers and community members.Among those disappointed with the reprehensible behavior Winston Brooks is modeling, Governor Susana Martinez and Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera.Winston Brooks is the senior-most role administrative role...

It is not so much that Brooks tweeted what he was thinking ...

... as it is that, what he tweeted was running around in his mind in the first place.(a caller on KKOB this morning)Winston Brooks has a record.It is a public record of repeated complaints alleging his misogyny and bullying. There is no record, nor any reason to believe that the school board considered Brooks' record when deciding what consequences he deserves.There is no record, nor any reason to believe that the Journal will investigate and report upon Winston Brooks' record as it relates to the circumstances of his latest...

Winston Brooks and role modeling

APS Supt Winston Brooks has been role modeling for students and staff; badly.He has an opportunity to role model morally courageous behavior. He has the opportunity to impose upon himself (as long as no one else is) consequences that are appropriate to his misconduct.Brooks is the senior-most administrative role model of the standards of conduct that he and the board establish and enforce upon students; the Pillars of Character Counts!; a nationally recognized, accepted and respected code of ethical conduct.Like George Washington...

Is this where Brooks' $750K golden parachute gets tested?

Parachutes have a history of dual use; as a parachute of course, but also as a cushion. The parachute the school board has provided for Winston Brooks is a comfortable seat from which to watch the school board decide what they want to do about firing him. If they do, it will be employed in the more usual way.If APS School Board firesAPS Supt Winston Brooksover his abusive behavior, will taxpayers have to pony upthe $750K Marty...

This isn't Brooks' first rodeo

I think we can all agree that APS Supt Winston Brooks has earned some unpleasantness over his latest social media faux pas. There those calling for his head, link.Logically, the consequences should reflect the circumstances, not the least of which is; is there a pattern of misconduct or was this a one-offer.This is not his first rodeo. He is a named respondent in a number of ongoing lawsuits over alleged misogyny, bulling and...

Brooks will be "evaluated" in secret

Brooks is about to sit in front of the board and be scolded, link. The scolding, or the everyone sitting around having a good laugh over what a dumb ass he is, will take place in secret so you will never know which for certain. The people whose power and resources are being spent, will not be privy to the truth about the public service of the APS administration and board.They will not be held accountable for anything they do...

Bad Winston! No more tweeting for you!

Despite hiring an expert to guide him through the mine field of social media and tweak his tweeting, APS Supt Winston Brooks has managed to tweet himself in the foot, again.First he (re)tweeted a photograph of the NM Secretary of Education with fangs, link. In contrition he indicated they would "certainly discuss guidelines for social media use".Well, either the discussion never took place or Winston Brooks forgot what they discussed,...

Walz and Esquivel off of the FOG Board of Directors

According to the NM FOG website, link, a new 2014 Board of Directors has been unanimously approved.The new executive committee consists ofPresident: Kathi Bearden, Hobbs News - Sun (retired)President Elect: Greg Williams, Peifer, Hanson and Mullins PASecretary: Martin Salazar, Las Vegas OpticTreasurer: Robert B. Trapp, Rio Grande SunImmediate Past President: Terri Cole, GACCWalz has been replaced on the Board of Directors by Journal editor Karen Moses. She has shown no more interest in investigating and reporting upon...

Why is it ok to glue your shoes to a classroom floor?

My information and experience lead me to believe that this wasn't this kid's first rodeo. He has disrupted many other classes, many other times. (I will bow of course, to controverting evidence.)I believe he would not have glued his shoes to the floor if believed for one instant, that the punishment would feel bad, more than basking in the adulation of some of his classmates would feel good.There are no meaningful consequences...

APS' Fall Conference of the Council of the Great City Schools was a huge hit! Best ever!

Never, according to a letter from the Executive Director of the Council of the Great City Schools Michael Casserly and published on APS' award winning website, link, in the 57 year history of the Council, link, has there ever been a better conference than the one he just left.In a letter addressed to"Mr. Brooks, Albuquerque School Board, and (the) APS team"personally, Executive DirectorCasserly sang high praise of theirhighly...