Saturday Responses

Go Norman!

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Mr. Todd, thank you for your comments. How refreshing! I believe you can be our school board of education.

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As a former LCPS employee I am grateful for the articulate comments of Mr. Todd and Dr. Nissen. I would be pleased to work with them on a recall of our School Board members. They are, after all, responsible for the Superintendent fiasco. Let's remember it took them TWO years to hire Louis Martinez while they rushed to hire Sonia Diaz.

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Thank you Mr. Todd. This has been a mistake and we need to permanently break the cycle of abuse that we have been subjected too. We want to reclaim for ourselves a healthy, productive and healing environment to better serve our students and community.

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LCPS Board needs to be replaced The PROBLEM in the LCPS is the Board. Until we have a Board that is responsive to the community which includes LCPS students, teachers and administrators we will never move beyond the conflict & distrust that is tearing this district apart.
Before the work session of 11-7-06 which was canceled in the 2 minute meeting so the Board could go back to the closed session of evaluating the Superintendent Mr. Briseno put his arms around the Superintendent in a hug. That’s solidarity! What chance do we have when the board members are so committed to not acknowledging their past mistakes in selecting & supporting unethical superintendents. The only way out is to elect new board members who will look to the talents within LCPS.

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I want to thank whomever for setting up this blog site. People needed an avenue for expressing their views, since school email is closely monitored and censored and since the newspaper is highly selective as to what slant on an issue is published. Additionally, it is obvious that these letters and comments are tendered by more than "two or three disgruntled writers wallowing in anonymity."

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My biggest concern over this whole Diazgate mess is that all the energy and attention of the LCPS is once again directed toward adult personalities and politics. The focus must be children. Every decision made in this district must answer the question "Is this good for kids?" I would hazard a guess that the great preponderance of decisions made by Martinez and Diaz did not answer this question affirmatively. Teachers desperately want to apply their professional abilities to the children in their classroom. Why can't the powers in charge of national, state, and local educational agencies understand this and support them so that they can do the job they were hired to do? Our kids must be the focus of our time and energy.

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As a former long time employee of LCPS, it pains me to see what has taken place these past four years. I left before the current board, who have correctly been characterized as "ignorant and arrogant" could destroy the district. Certainly, blame can be placed at the doors of Luis Martinez and Sonia Diaz, and rightfully so. However, this board cannot perform with competence their primary duty, which is to hire a capable superintendent. They also micromanage, insert themselves into areas that are not within their role, and put their own petty personal agendas above the needs of staff and students. And, it is not just one or two members -- they all do it. There was a time when the people of Las Cruces insisted upon proper leadership from the board and superintendent. Community civic leaders actively participated in the selection and backing of the educators and the board. Apparently, no longer. How sad, because what used to be the flagship school district in New Mexico is now in a shambles. Where are the new Patsy Durans, Mark Medoffs, Roy Rodriguezes who will step up, recall the board, and insist upon excellence for our schools? When that happens, I and others will seek to return to LCPS. For now, not for anything. And that too is sad.

Citizens of Las Cruces, what are you waiting for?!!!

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Mr. Todd, please help us find an attorney to represent us in a class action lawsuit for hostile work environment

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Dr. Nissan, the board was aware of the buy out and all the other googled information. Ask them.

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Norman, you are right on. Please consider running for the Board!!!!That would be a great first step to fixing this mess.

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I am not a teacher. I am not involved personally with the schools. I am a businessman within the community and, as such, I am not inclined to wasting my tax dollars on an ineffective project. I do appreciate a good argument, and God willing, would like to see one evolve from the postings of this blog site. I think it is important to break down your situation into workable steps. The first steps are easy, and the additional steps will fall into place as you gather your facts.
First, you have valid points, if they can be proven. Those submitting commentary are in touch with the situation and I expect you could not only post, but rate your accusations by severity. I think it would be more productive to have a group understanding of the entire situation, and this listing would allow for validation or rejection of each account. Remove the speculation and leave the group with a workable list of grievances. The list provides the “what”; you only need to uncover their breech of legality.
Second, there exists an element of the community that supports the superintendent. We are a land of diversity and this should be allowed without malice. Opposing viewpoints should be expressed in the same context and compared. This site is now known, the underground has been exposed to media-generated sunlight. Remember who you represent and what you stand for, be civil and define both sides of this matter.
It sounds as if you already have the ability to remove the superintendent from her position without requiring a buyout. Is this confirmed or speculated? Is there documentation to back the accusation and the punishment? Defining these things may be tedious, but it could give you accurate foresight in how this will be handled in the future, if it can be handled. It would also give you a launching ground if the verdict is not in keeping with the evidence.
You are, first and foremost, the elite caretakers of our children and our future in this district. For the sake of them, do not let this situation end poorly in their eyes. Let the innocent persist and the guilty perish. I believe the community will rise to the occasion, just give us the knowledge to best serve the common interest.

Best of luck to all of you and I enjoy your postings, Stephen

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Thank you for your words of wisdom and inspiration. There are many of us who work in the district and support forward progress for our kids and community. Please set we free from Dr. D and we can continue our path to improvement. Many staff no longer sleeps, have health problems, and certainly do not smile or look forward to coming to work. Please help us! Speak up for the children of Las Cruces.

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Has anyone seen Dr. Diaz's contract? Is it a matter of public record? If so, is there a buy-out clause in it? If so, lets stay clam as the writer suggests and see what the $$$ cost would be. Frankly, there is no price too high to restore humanity and civility in the workplace.

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It is apparent to me that every time some one comes in to the LCPS district and is hired to move the district in a new direction they are not given enough time to do what they were hired to do. LCPS has been in quite a mess for several years now and it’s not going to change over night. The complex this district has come under is looking for a temporary cure for a permanent problem. People the district is top heavy. It appeared that there were a lot of favors that were given. Dr. Diaz is the best qualified person for the job of superintendent for LCPS, that is why she was hired. The only part the school board left out on the Job description was Maid. I say this because of the mess she has to clean up. The district spent money to search for some one with her qualifications. LET HER DO THE JOB SHE WAS HIRED TO DO! WHERE WERE ALL OF YOU PEOPLE WHEN BOB OGAS WAS LET GO?! We are getting rid of the wrong people. No one ever likes change, but it has to be done. I support Dr. Diaz. Bottom line is, every one got comfortable when there was no real leadership in the superintendents office. Principals got lazy and teachers got sloppy. If there is to be change, it should start with the people who are demanding it. Those of you who keep pointing the finger should stop and think for a minute, perhaps start pointing the thumb back at yourself and ask," what am I doing to contribute to my students, my school, and the district itself". I would support of recall of all of the school board members because they are the ones that cannot stick with a decision. They should be the first to leave before any one else does.

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I just watched KVIA's news clip on Dr. Diaz. Joni Gutierrez's comment of "She's here, we should support her, and let her do her job". WOW what a criteria to be held up to. She's here, let’s keep her. There are a lot of people who are "here"; can they be our new superintendent Joni? They are here too! You embarrass me as a taxpayer in Las Cruces. Rawson said we need to work with her on this problem she has inherited. Would you even really know what those problems are? Aren't you listening? She only speaks with the people of her SES. She has no interest in working with lowlife teachers and principals like us.

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It's clear that the board is self-serving and incompetent. I have researched publications from NY and Bridgeport. This boondoggle is Ms. Diaz M.O. 1) Stir the pot to total turmoil. 2) Spend everything in the budget on perks and salaries for cronies. 3) Threaten litigation for contract payouts. 4) Blow town to the next group of dumb ass suckers who will to pay her six figures to screw up their world. This pattern of behavior was clearly evident before Diaz got to Cruces. If the board new of her past experience's with the previous districts she was employed in then its clear their decision making skills are so remedial that the state should suspend all of them and take over. Another thing this district needs to wake up to. All the theorizing over what text books to use and which new academic programs to adopt won't matter a damn if the current crisis of dropout rates as they relate to absenteeism and safety as it relates to gang activity is not seriously addressed. Anyone who believes any different should just bury their head in the sand and wait for the next football game.

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I find Haussamen's blog to be extremely pro "Sonia". I feel as thought we are being threatened by the legislators. We either keep "Sonia" or we risk state take over. Well I will take state takeover. Maybe we do need some help.

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