Back to Work

I am so proud of this community for uniting and getting good people to run for the two open school board member slots. It is time that Las Cruceans address the poor performance of the school board, but let's not stop here, there is much work to be done. Please continue to be active in your child's education and every child's education in Las Cruces. They are all our children and they have been affected the most by these poor quality superintendents. Now, my question for anyone out there who knows is; Can we get rid of the three members of the board before their term expires in 2009? Can we do a petition or a recall? I can't imagine having them on the board for two more years after what they have done to the district, especially Lonnie Briseno.
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For whatever reasons, Lonnie has emerged. The now visible Lonnie prefers to orchestrate day-to-day operations, to include employment decisions, for the district. That behavior is unethical and probably illegal. An irony is that he was swept into office on the heels of previous board members who behaved unethically and illegally. The difference must be that it is ok if he does it--but not ok that they did it. Liz threw her reputation away. Maybe she got caught up in the Queen-for-a-Day syndrome. Whatever her reasons, who can trust her now? Joyce has squandered her standing in the educational community for taking a job everyone knows she didn't not earn. The outcome is that Lonnie will be resented, Liz will be pitied, and Joyce will be scoffed.
And there's more of this yet to come. There is not much that we employees can do about these abuses. Not serving on these staged interview committees anytime in the immediate future might be one way to remove some of the smoke-and-mirrors. The good news is that the voting public is fed up. The upcoming election will produce a partial victory: Two down. Three to go.
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Promoting Ms. Aranda to head secondary curriculum is an unfortunate error that will cost Liz Marrufo in the currency of "credibility". How can promoting Ms. Aranda after Onate is the only high school with such low scores be justifiably in the best interest of LCPS? Strike one Liz.
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I have been watching with interest, the comments regarding the placement of Joyce Aranda in the position of Director of Secondary Instruction and would like to make a couple of comments myself. First, Joyce and Liz are 'buds". I feel its a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" scenario. Joyce campaigned for Liz's placement as Superintendent and I'm sure her placement as Administrator in Charge as well. To leave a struggling school that is in real trouble academically, one that you've managed for 6+ years and one you can't blame the current problems on the former administration and to receive a "promotion" that places you in charge of all middle and high school curriculums doesn't inspire much confidence in this person's abilities or her loyalties. As to failure to follow the committee recommendations after interviews is status-quo for the district. We shouldn't be surprised by this and should be wary when the board makes a decision on the interim super. Liz and Joyce will form a formidable alliance, all should be aware. Their management styles are similar, maybe Sonia isn't really gone!
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The Co-Director for Human Resources job was posted some time back, but the pre-selected Lonnie/Liz candidate for this job could not make it through screening because she did not meet the qualifications. In a normal world this would be a problem. But Lonnie had Liz fix it. Liz had the job re-posted with new, lower criteria, so that their pre-selected candidate would now qualify. Here is a puzzle for blog readers: See if you can figure out what female principal has let it be known to people who work with her, that she was called by Liz and told to apply for the HR position after the criteria were lowered. If you answer this puzzle question correctly, the you'll know who Lonnie and Liz have already pre-selected for the job. Sit back. Relax. Watch the show.
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Welcome to the Lonnie and Liz show. Rumors ran all over the district that Lonnie and Liz were going to move quickly to fill central office positions with people of Lonnie's choosing before an interim superintendent is named.

Lonnie and Liz had already picked their close friend Joyce for the Instruction job. Joyce was busy packing up her office at Onate a week before the interviews were held. Joyce didn't perform well though, and the interview committee ranked her dead last. The committee did not forward her name for further consideration. In a normal world this would have been the end of it for Joyce. But Lonnie fixed it. He had Liz disregard the very committee that Liz's own people had organized in the first place, and, once the new committee was disbanded, Liz appointed Joyce anyway. It's hard to see how the new Lonnie and Liz show that's playing now is much different from the old Lonnie and Louis or Lonnie and Sonia sideshows that played before. Pretty much another puppet performance produced by Lonnie, and acquiesced in by a cast of weak Board members.
Meanwhile, it can hardly go unnoticed that LULAC is suddenly mute over this fiasco.
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In reference to the person who wrote about the recommendation of a committee not being considered I must ask, Is this the first time this has happened? With regards to the schools, I know that it isn't. Administrators use committees and community input to appear as if they are listening to a broader group and then they make the decision they were planning on from the start. Somehow the committees input or the community focus group seems to validate their preconceived process. I refuse to be on any committees or focus groups involved in making a recommendation for textbooks or report cards or any of those other groups who are treated like professionals at the beginning of the process but ultimately achieve mentally challenged status. How many of us googled the candidates for superintendent and sent the information to the board members and they ignored it. Let these administrators earn their high salary by making all of the decisions and let them ultimately suffer the consequences of their decisions. Remember, just because teachers are essential doesn't make us important!
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Change is never embraced easily. I read the comments about the "thousands" spent to bring in colleagues to teach 2 days seminars, etc. Professional development is an essential tool in improving a school system, especially, one that apparently has been in disarray for quite some time. How better to strengthen and equip your staff than by bringing in experts from around the country to teach Best Practices and provide new methods and teaching modules? Of course this carries a high cost, but, what in our society is free?
As for example number four about the yelling and screaming. If such behavior took place then that needed to be corrected, but, certainly doesn't warrant immediate termination. This is where the HR dept needed to intervene and meet with the Superintendent and make sure she understands the importance of employee morale and after being warned and advised of such inappropriate behavior the correct action can be taken.
About the lockdown... Now, I am starting to believe that we are looking and searching for any little thing to make the Schools Chief seem evil or incompetent.
I don't believe that enough time was given to the Superintendent to do her job. In addition, I strongly believe that the Board acted in a manner of electoral safety as opposed to being objective in this matter. If it warranted, the Superintendent should have been disciplined, I certainly don't believe she should have been discharged. Has the board ever warned or discussed any possible inappropriate actions with the Superintendent for the sake of correction? If not, then the board didn't do their job honestly, efficiently and fairly. It is unfortunate that Las Cruces lost such a GREAT Superintendent. Had she been given the opportunity, after all the petty complaints she could have turned the district around. But, doing so most definitely means dollars, administrative adjustments, higher standards and above a strong and enforced zero tolerance policy.
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Shout with me...NO MORE USELESS TESTING!NO MORE SENSELESS ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS!NO MORE DIRTY SCHOOLS!NO MORE ANNOYING PARENTS!NO MORE INEFFECTIVE TEACHERS!NO MORE STUDENTS WHO DON'T CARE!NO MORE PASSING THE BUCK!Las Cruces-get ready, 'cause here we come...We are energized more than ever before...Let the learning games begin!!
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Check out "Freedom Writers" with Hillary Swank...presents a valid perspective and urgency for teachers to bag the current NCLB and CRT curriculum and to be able to teach what will know will work with our students. Ooops...that would require us to truly listen to our students' needs and concerns, instead of placating our PLT's and central office gurus. --Dear Bloggmaster: I know you are probably taking some much deserved time off for the holidays but please do not give up this blog. The district is still in trouble and your willingness to allow people to air their concerns has been most beneficial. The work has only just begun, please keep up this blog! --Do we have another casualty of Sonia and the Board's ineffectiveness? Dorothy Anderson has left the district.
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Happy New Year to all the bloggers! May all your new resolutions come to fruition! --To the 'watchful and vocal parent'...you have got to be kidding! Teachers have to call you before they 'say a word' to your little darlin regarding his/her behavior????
It's not teachers and principals who have ruined public education, but rather parents with their threats of lawsuits everytime somebody sneezes.
That is the sad but true state of public education.
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I've heard it said that communities tend to have the kind of schools that they deserve. If that is a true statement, then the Las Cruces Public Schools must be what we as a community want and deserve. If Central Office, the schools and the community are not pulling together, how can we expect the schools to improve. It is those of us who live in this community who finally pay for the quality of our schools in more ways than one. It does us little good for our students to fail to develop those skills necessary for effective citizenship. I, for one, want our students to graduate from high school and be able to continue their education should they choose to do so. Then I want them to become effective and productive citizens either in this community or any other community where they may choose to live.
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Just to clarify, if I am not mistaken, Terry Hurt was originally hired by Cynthia Risner-Schiller. Also, the position that Lynn Bryant was hired for was the IDEA-B Human Resources Specialist. Who better to hire for a SPED HR Specialist than the former director of the SPED department? As far as I know, these two positions were posted. The current position that Marcy Oxford was reassigned to upon Patricia Miller's departure, Grants Specialist, was not advertised.
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i just dont understand,,,you all teachers and administrators,,don't you know everything you say andd do and discuss with ur fellow worker is letting the whole las cruces know what is going on in your system..you know it was your friend that posted all that crap ,,if you don't say it it wont be posted shhhh shhhh.
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God created woman.Woman became teacher.God created man.Man became coach.Man became principal, hired coach.Woman became principal, fired man and fired coach; woman hired friend.Woman became superintendent. Woman had God fire "W" and develop a PLC to fix the world, our country, and our pathetic LCPS system.God became administrator in charge, just as is should be!Merry Christmas