Holiday Wrapup

sycosecond: time required for the sycophants to start claiming they are glad Diaz is gone - also used for measuring CYA response times.

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To the person who wants to know where we go from here. We go forward, we keep doing our jobs, and we keep the children of this district our top priority. The teachers and administrators continue to do their jobs, no matter what happens in Dr. Diaz's office. Now they can do so with a better outlook.

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We do need to get rid of the Pelosi-esque superintendent, but more importantly, get rid of all the school board members together at once and elect some decent folks there. None of them care or have any clue as to what the kids need!

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Thank you School Board. Shame on you LC Sun News! Your biased reporting on Sonia during her term has left many with serious questions about your journalistic integrity. You certainly didn't mind taking one more dig at Mr. Martinez when he wouldn't respond to your questions without reading the EEOC documents, but your DEAL with Sonia lasted far too long! It's one thing to make a deal to shadow her for her first few days, but you extended that deal for so long that you have tarnished your record as a reliable news source.

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Thank you for your service! This site has exposed some light in a very bleak environment.

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Congratulations to Las Cruces! It only took your district four months to oust Sonia. It took Bridgeport four years to get rid of her! You can't imagine the damage done during her tenure.

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I think that this blog should stay open, to warn future victims. I also think that the board should seek talent inside the school district. Hire somebody that knows the district's workings. I have enjoyed reading the truth, Thanks.

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I would like to answer the question: Where is Marvin Allen and Barry Peace? Marvin Allen retired because of stress issues (Administrative) not medical problems as rumored. Barry Peace is stuck in the elementary schools instead of the Middle/High Schools where he is needed the most. The Director of Safe/Drug Free Schools hires "new" people instead of using the best gang/drug professional in Southern New Mexico. Maybe someone should check into this. He helped my sons and their friends....God only knows how many other students.

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We have so much to be thankful for this holiday. Dr. Diaz is gone, but mud slinging continues especially when it comes to Mrs. Marrufo. I have worked for Mrs. Marrufo and I disagree that she is cut from the same mold. She is a professional and is willing to go the extra mile for her staff and students. When a new teacher was having trouble getting started in her classroom she dropped everything and took over her classroom for 2 weeks to show her how to set up her room, etc. If we came in late, she dropped us a note reminding us of our contract times, and if it continued, she had a chat with us. She knew every student's name and she was rarely in her office but out and about visible, doing her job. What I see happening in our schools today especially at the school I work at is teachers who don't want to be reminded that they shouldn't be talking or answering their cell phone when they should be teaching. They are continually talking on their cell phones in class or out in the hallway. Many refuse to do their duty - morning, hallway, or after school. And when they are reminded time and time again, they "hate it when someone is breathing down their back". DUH!! As I walk back to my classroom, I have heard teachers degrade a student in front of their peers - "You'll never amount to anything - you can't even do your homework". It breaks my heart, and yet when principals try to correct the problem, they are ousted because they are HARRASSING these teachers. Parents have a heart to heart talk with your children. Ask them if these things are happening in their classroom and if the answer is YES, please let someone know, because the truth is, teachers are quick to blame the administrators and never stop to see what they are doing wrong.

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Isn't that the truth! If people actually knew how Diane Patterson treated the staff, students and parents at East Picacho, she would have been gone a long time ago! She actually turned the school's only conference room into her own personal office, leaving staff nowhere to hold their meetings. I have seen the way that Diane and her sister, Liz Marrufo treat people that they "don't like"- they act very unprofessionally, almost like two high school bullies.

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Just wondering - did Salcedo have a full time photographer follow her around everywhere she went - like she did in Bridgeport? That was a real trip.

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I also agree it is time to get to the main businesstaking care of our kids!! We also need to takee care of our teachers because with out them andwith the moral so low it will affect our kids. Lets Lets pay attention to what is going on in our system.We've lost some good administrator through allthis hopefully we can recover.

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Hold on there, Nellie! Not so fast with wanting to get rid of this blog site. There's still the school board!
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Yea...Why did it take us so long to make this change? Let's get Charles White back and see what he can do to "heal this district!
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Thank you for providing this forum to inform each other and the public at large. I also want to thank all of the individuals who showed up and who testified.

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Please keep this blog going. There are always issues in the school system that need unveiling and discussing. I, for one, know that you cannot speak up at most meetings because of the fear of being shot down by someone in command. This is the best way for the truth to be aired.
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There is this custodian that is always telling me to have the kids clean up after themselves. Our cafeteria lady uses her strong arm tactics to keep me from getting extra fries. Our counselor made me wear a red ribbon for drug week. All will be right with the world when they are gone. Is this what we are to become?

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Congratulations to you for quickly riding yourselves of a pathological, toxic individual. As a superintendent or deputy superintendent, Sonia Diaz has left in her wake now four districts all the worse for her egotistical presence. You can take solace in knowing that you discovered and exposed her supreme arrogance and deep-rooted narcissism much sooner than all others who have had the bad fortune of working for her. No other district should have to experience what you and others have. Let all search/consultant firms take heed and reject any applications she might submit in search of another superintendency.

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God bless you for the work you have done to provide a voice for those afraid for their jobs. My sincere thanks for a job well done. Now, let’s form a great committee to find our interim superintendent. Someone in this area is qualified and can bring healing and trust back to our great school district and students. Please encourage others to bring Joann Patton back as our Head of Instruction. She was an elegant leader for our teachers, administrators and students. I hope Jack Jenkins would also be reinstated, as he is so respected by the state financial minds. He saved our school district from financial demise...year after year.
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Okay guys, Dr. Diaz is gone, is this really where we intend to go from here? We need to stop this blog before this really does become a witch trial!Elizabeth Howe"If it was the last moment I was to live,God knows I am innocent..."Martha Carrier"...I am wronged. It is a shameful thing thatyou should mind these folks that are out oftheir wits."Rebecca Nurse"Oh Lord, help me! It is false. I am clear. For my life now lies in your hands...."
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Liz Marrufo is a fair, consistent, and intelligent administrator who also has the integrity to run our district. We could certainly do worse than have her as interim superintendent (and we have in the past!)

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Please don't paint Mr. Martinez and Dr. Diaz with the same brush. Mr. Martinez had a vision and a plan. Mr. Martinez never responded to the lies set up to vilify him. The only issue with Mr. Martinez was ONE arrogant "untouchable" principal and those who allowed his reign.When Mr. Martinez stood against SPECIFIC BOARD MEMBERS' agendas, the gloves were taken off. He took a severe public beating and never responded in kind. The last word on Mr. Martinez was the banner headline on October 23, 2005: "Martinez' Vision Lives On"You never miss the water until the well runs dry. Congratulations on the 50-year retreat.

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She needs to go back to Harvard and take some classes on manners and humanity.

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Is anyone else weary of "personnel matters" limiting what we can know of what's been done with our investments, financial and professional?

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Well....Diane Patterson is Liz Marrufo's sister same mold!

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The next time, the school board needs to contact the unions in whatever district the candidate comes from to get the employee perspective. This march of the lemmings needs to stop.
And thank you to the NEA teacher/spokesperson who stood up and spoke up in protest at the board meeting at which Diaz announced her text book plan. It's important to go to school board meetings and make your voice heard. The teacher still has her job and Diaz doesn't!
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It seems in his mind he has done no wrong or all we all mistaken on how he left this district. "Louis Martinez is a highly respected national speaker on character development, closing the achievement gap, and issues of accountability in communities and schools. Mr. Martinez recently completed his tenure as superintendent for Las Cruces, NM Public Schools. He has collaborated on community development programs with numerous state and local officials, civic leaders and police command officers, as well as with educators and youth organizations. His work in schools and communities focuses on the responsibility of schools to provide rigorous, relevant instruction in an environment of positive relationships and implementation of best practices in school reform. He has designed comprehensive administrative and leadership development training programs and serves as a facilitator for conflict mediation training." The last sentence may be the most outrageous lie that anyone has ever seen in a resume. This is from the International Center for Leadership in Education website. I wonder how Diaz will state what she did during her tenure here.

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Quick someone get the ruby slippers off her feet while she is pinned under the house!Way to go school board. But you still need to be recalled. Before you cause another Tornado. 2 catastrophic hires in a row. Please. Maybe next time you will promote form within. No surprises that way. What a concept.

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Dear Blog Host,Thanks so much for your work! I believe you have made a critical difference in the outcome last night!I hope you keep this blog site open through the school board elections in February. We need a forum to continue to monitor the school board's activities.Also, I urge you to start screening some of the comments on this blog. I believe it is not time to start criticizing other school district employees. Rather, it is time to focus on healing and planning for the future.Keep up the good work!

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Don't shut down just yet.How about hiring even more self-aggrandizing central office staff?Let's all go measure the size of our offices and determine who is more important.

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So what's wrong with Diane Patterson? Is it that she is not easily manipulated or wait- you can't control her strings? Why don't you leave the district if all you can do is find fault! Maybe you should look in the mirror or are you afraid of what might be looking back?

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Along with Diane Patterson, a change at the principal position at Dona Ana Elementary School may be in need due to the same problems (teacher morale, parent satisfaction etc) along with the need to address certain teacher’s questionable behavior/teaching tactics. Attitude affects morale and hers is appalling at times when addressing staff. Her understudy would make a great principal. Congrats LCPS employees but the fight has only begun.

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It is time to shut this bog down and let us heal. We can not heal as long as it is up. I appreciate what the blog did, but now lets get on with it. People are just using it to hurt each other now.

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Well I just hope when the Prima Donna slithers out of town that she takes her sewer rats back to the city. What was this lady thinking coming into our community and treating people like c---? We are not her sweeties and will never be. I hope she leaves quietly so we can move on to repairing the damage she caused. I really feel for the people she demeaned because I know how that feels as an EA I was demeaned on daily basis and it wasn't pleasant. What we need to do now is find a good replacement. After reading all the blogs I don't think Murrafo is the answer. There are too many people who have negative attitudes to her and with Sweetie Sonia, we know that these attitudes usually have a solid ground to stand on. It’s hard to say exactly what the LCPS should do but perhaps a good start would be to not pay a consultant $4,500 to find our next Superintendent, we really got ripped of on that one. It’s sad to know that just a few clicks on the computer would have exposed the Dragon Lady's wrath and tainted past. I shake my head thinking of what kind of crazy stuff this lady does in private, really scary! On the upside when we do find a worthy Superintendent he/she will have a nice remodeled office to move into.

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Yea! The Board listened to the community and made a wise choice. NOW let's move on and begin healing within our district and focus on the KIDS. Let's NOT trash Liz Marrufo and other administrators or teachers. Let's watch and see what they do and focus on actions instead of personal vendettas. It is all about our kids and their future now.

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It is time to review all upper level administrative hires/appointments at Central Office. You have new department heads making as much as 20-30K more than principals... RIDICULUS!!!

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You're kidding, right? Mr. Ogas is still trying to fight the district? Why doesn't he just enjoy his retirement? I don't get it.

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Now it will be interesting to see if Mr. Ogas is really interested in kids OR in lining his own pockets. He doesn't need more money because his retirement is already maxed - time to step up and face the truth. Is this about Bob's ego OR about the students in the district???

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Justice is in danger of being done. Nothing can repair the damage that LCPS has suffered under this board tenure. Bob Ogas' concern was only his students & school. He needs to be reinstated as Principal of MHS.

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The LCPS decision to force Mr. Ogas out by using former Supt. Martinez came back to bite them in the butt it seems. As a MHS graduate I can say that Mr. Ogas was tough but fair and a man that I have great respect for. Although I was given a long term suspension second semester of senior year I was encouraged to seek discipline by Mr. Ogas and enlisted in the Army Reserve completed training and was allowed by Mr. Ogas to return the following year to complete my studies and graduate. He is a great man and I hope that he takes the LCPS Board to the cleaners so to speak being that they have done a great injustice to the man who was just looking out for the safety and wellbeing of the students of MHS for whom he had a great love for. MHS currently could use a "housecleaning" at the top along with the LCPS BOARD IMO. VIVA OGAS! Class of 87 Grad.

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If Bob Ogas truly loved the students of LCPS he would not take dollars out of the accounts that should be going to educate the children. I have news for all of you. If he wins, the money comes right out of the mouths of the children in our schools. Real nice, Bob!

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I can't believe what the person who wrote about their PLT-you mean PDT I believe. We really value our PDT. She works hard at helping us out and making our work easier. How sad for you and your school. How sad for your PDT to have to work with such a vile person as yourself. I am imagining a lonely woman with 20 cats that authored that.

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This blog is just turning into a place to destroy anyone you have a problem with. It has been a place to get information, but now it is about hair salons, attacking each other and insults with no accountability. It is time to either bring some class back to the blog or shut it down. We should be ashamed. I am going to try to avoid this blog from now on.

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Perhaps someone could explain to me why central office administrators need to be gone for several days for such trainings as the Dyslexia Conference - now, these are administrators who have not taught a lesson in the classroom in at least 10 years, and have no dealings with real students. Do they just look for opportunities to get out of central office and take a trip? I think the money could better be spent on the actual students or the teachers who teach them.