I'm puzzled. Where did Joyce and Nyeta go?
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I don't know how everyone else feels, but I sure am getting really tired of the Jeff and Marcy show. They seem to make decisions without checking to see if they are inconveniencing anyone else.

This blog has certainly served a purpose. Quick, let's shut it down before it exposes my incompetence. Blogger Comment: I will maintain the blog as log as employees or parents have concerns they wish to express. I have, from time to time, not published some comments that were too crude or appeared spurious.
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As to the comment that the blog did not "get rid of the board", we managed to replace 2. If the individuals who heard and witnessed the actions of the board would speak up, the remaining 3 would be gone. It is a shame that no one wants to get involved or upset anyone. It reminds me of the saying "They came for the Jews. But I was not a Jew, so I did nothing..."
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The lady who took the place of John Schutz has really downgraded the position and has put the music programs into a dangerous spiral. As a parent of two hs band kids, I had concerns about the lack of emphasis that I have seen regarding my kids' music programs. Not only would she not return my calls, I was simply told that she "makes all the decisions" about the music programs. What's up with this? Who else can I talk to regarding her bombastic style?
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That was a brilliant and insightful comment regarding our roles as NEA members, and it certainly highlighted the importance that NEA plays in our professional lives! During these sporadic, spastic, and fearful times with principals, supts., and school board members, I feel confident that my NEA will work diligently to support, not only me, but also all teachers throughout the district!
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NEA has a lot of hidden agenda's that don't represent my belief's. If they would only look after the teachers like they are suppose to and quit all the political crap. Members of my family have tried to take part in the meetings with NEA BUT as you know there are a few that like to run the show.

I quit paying my NEA dues and even went in to tell them why. I got a smile and a, well, in these exact words, "We're working on it." They don't care, just the same as people downtown don't care. In fact, they have very similar agendas.
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I'm average; I'm glad NEA serves me!
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I am what I am today, because of the NEA and their support for the average public school teacher!
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Amen to Joyce and Nyeta hitting the road! The time has come when they have lost all credibility. Their departure is long overdue!
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I've seen NEA support not just the "average" but usually the inadequate teachers. That's who they seem to be here for. When NEA makes its presence known- you can bet it isn't the dedicated & professional educators involved. They've become the support for the inept.
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I need more detail about the blog that says elementary staff will get a longer day...what school was this- is it District-wide?
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I'm pretty impressed if Fetzer is old hat. For spanish-speaking students, sped and background knowledge building- I'd be using crazy pills not to try something that works.
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That's why I am not in the NEA. I'm a professional. My doctor doesn't have a union, my accountant doesn't have a union.....we are not laborers (yes I know it feels like we're diggin' holes...like our own grave). I'm not sending my money to some national organization where I will never see a penny of it. Too bad Alamogordo High School didn't get them discredited or whatever they tried to do. It would've set a precedent.
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NEA Las Cruces is made up of certified employees. The organization is as good or as bad as the professionals who take time out of their busy lives to actively participate in leadership roles in the union. If you don't like the direction of your organization, participate and change it. As a longtime active member, I can assure you that your help will be welcome and valued. As for the NEA being political, guilty as charged. A stunning example of this political action is 14 out of 16 education initiatives being passed and signed into law in the recent legislative session. The funding of our 3-tiered minimum salary plan was a direct result of electing education friendly politicos. Another result of "politics" is our ability to bargain our contract with the district. The NEA is not perfect, but I shudder to think what the Admins. would do without the counterbalance and vigilance the NEA provides.
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This blog has really served it's purpose, to draw attention to Diaz and the damage she AND the board did to LCPS. Now I think it is time to put it away. I think it has become a sounding board for people to continually gripe and complain. The only thing I feel that this blog didn't accomplish is removing the board. Thanks
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LCHS's Haines needs to follow Joyce on down the road!
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The PLT's hidden agendas are coming to life.
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We're mad as hell and not going to take it any longer!
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The NEA... two or three times, I've seen 'Yay NEA' on this blog site. Wonder who's posting that stuff, probably a local NEA officer. During almost forty years as an NEA member, I asked them for help three times, all when I was employed by LCPS. The first two times were minor issues, ten to fifteen years ago, and they provided reasonably good support. However, when crunch time came, the NEA rep joined the administration. Pretended to provide support for me, but kept administration posted on my efforts to save myself. Instead of just one 'enemy' (administration), I had two enemies... also the NEA. Three years after it was all over, I discovered why both adversaries were successful. A group of my students had circulated a petition in my behalf, and that must have eliminated any chance for my survival. Being strongly committed to professional ethics, I had said nothing at all to my students about the administrators attacks on me. Apparently, the kids found out through the grapevine. If you feel you're having problems with administration... hire an attorney, IMMEDIATELY. Do your usual excellent job, and don't involve the NEA. The NEA will not provide an attorney, they won't explain their policies on legal support, and you can't get a copy of the policy manual... even if you request it from NEA national headquarters.
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Thank goodness for NEA? What a crock. As a teacher and a member of NEA we have tried to talk to NEA (we're working on it, their answer) then we talked to the district leader (we're working on it) a year later NOTHING. We pay our dues and expect help again NOTHING. NEA is all about politics! They do not help the average teacher. I think if everyone quit paying there dues maybe then NEA would listen to the "average" teacher that doesn't have an agenda and just needs help.
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"My elementary principal could use some help from anyone; he just cannot write!" - Your principal has a future downtown at central office. Central office doesn't want strong people with great ideas that may fly in the face of what they've been doing, they want yes men (or in our case women) who don't know any better and won't challenge the system in place.
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At our weekly staff meeting we were given the news that "We have listened to your concerns and we feel positive that we can extend the school day by 15 to 30 minutes" Although nothing was said about extending our pay for the additional work time. I don't know of a single elementary teacher who can complete the necessary grading, return calls to parents, arrange field trips, count picture money, count fundraiser money, Hold AIC conferences, plan with their team, write lesson plans, attend committee meetings, meet with SAT, attend LAT meetings, change bulletin boards, attend IEP's, file nurse notes, return attendance forms, check and respond to email, place book club orders, chart running records, update their PDP, make copies and leave by our contract time of 3:15. And now, by popular demand, we get to work another 15 to 30 minutes a day. That's anywhere from 1 hour and 15 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes more a week! In a 9 week period we could GET to work another 56 to 112 hours. WOW, all because the administration "heard" our demands for more work. This statement doesn't even pass the common sense test. Now hear this loud and clear, MORE WORK = MORE PAY! THE REWARD FOR HARD WORK IS NOT MORE HARD WORK!
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This is for the person who just went on and on about the new nestiza.......WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!? blah blah blah??? what??
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Who will last longer...the interim supt. or nyeta fields haines?
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Tommy Lucero should become OHS's new principal.
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Joyce...follow your heart, not the direction of the ever changing winds! May those winds blow her heart on down the road.
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Thank goodness for the NEA!!
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What should my child do now about the really "weird" kid in his class?
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Do any other 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade teachers feel like we're spending way too much time and money on this Fetzer lady? It's a new spin on the old stuff, there's no innovation, and all of our genius leaders down town are swooning over this lady. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one not taking crazy pills.
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It is the end of the school year and several programs, policies, initiatives and "agenda-driven" plans are being crammed down our throats. [Is that a train in the distance or are we being "railroaded"?] Come on central office, don't mistake my silence on (or tacit approval of) these matters as a ringing endorsement. Rather, interpret it for what it is - the simple fact I do not have time to review and lend credibility to yet another plan which will prove to be accompanied by high-salaried positions but short on instructional support and even shorter on accountability.

Just a note to all the naysayers recently. Some of you are totally against total immersion English classes, non-Spanish speaking children taking Spanish at an early age, and the fact that English is the main language spoken in the US. While most of us have valid points, regardless of our stance, we are all submitting our blogs in ENGLISH!
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In response to the extremely long blog... I respect your culture, and encourage you to celebrate your roots in a different country... however, you should also respect the society, government, and culture of this country that enables you to live here, and to attack the very people who created your opportunity to enjoy those privileges. My ancestral roots in America go back to 1695, and I know of absolutely no one in my family, or ancestry, who was bigoted against any other race or nationality. We have served, unselfishly, in moving this country forward, in helping other people, educating our youth, and in protecting our country in armed conflict. We honor our roots in northern Europe, but consider the present, and future, of the United States of America to be much more important to us than are those countries where our ancestors lived, or, for that matter, the languages, or dialects, that our ancestors learned as children. If you can't 'buy' that kind of thinking, I feel sorry for you, and wonder why you don't take your disappointment with me, and with my country, back to your preferred homeland. One last point... you had better not try flying some other country's flag above my flag... the Stars and Stripes...FOREVER!
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"My elementary principal could use some help from anyone; he just cannot write!"Maybe they will team up your principal with a Central Office Administrator who cannot write or speak.

Three different schools to cover grade levels K-12? During the past 53 years, I've worked, as a teacher or administrator, in several different systems that had K-12 on just one campus. Of course, those were small communities where the total school populations ranged from 150 to 1000. There are many advantages in a system like that... the whole community focuses support on just one school, and parents don't have to deal with the different programs, personnel, and practices in as many as three different schools at one time. Most of the younger kids have older siblings nearby, and the older students can learn responsibility by helping with the younger kids. Very important, too, the school staff has a vital connection to the whole community, and communication is on a much higher, more positive, level. In practice, that kind of system is superior, and much more effective, than the way the school populations are divided up in larger communities. Imagine... what if, fifty years ago, the Las Cruces school system had decided to organize into communities that had common interests, based on geographical location, social, cultural, or economic/business similarities... and provide K-12 campuses of 500 to 1000 students in each community? Such a plan probably sounds crazy to most of the readers of this blog, and it would be impossible to convert, in our present situation, to something like that... but, I can dream, can't I?
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"Not only should all Americans speak English, total immersion is by far the easiest and quickest way to learn a language". Says who? It's funny that when a few people hear or go through one bad bilingual education situation, everyone is ready to throw it out the window. Maybe we should fire all of our reading teachers and specialists because more than half of our students are NOT reading at grade level. Maybe we should do away with Special Education since almost all of our schools didn't make AYP in that subgroup. It's the "quickest and easiest" according to one blogger.
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To the parent who feels that no one is listening ... contact Community Relations director Kathy Vigil. Too many times, principals forget that parents feel intimidated by asking that time be given to a concerned parent of a student. Ms. Vigil is there to bridge the gap! There are great people who can help --- the school counselor, Dr. Greer from the school psychologists office, and others. Please don't let your child feel sad and you don't have to feel no one cares. Ms. Vigil will listen ---527-5802.
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"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Well, it's broke, are we going to fix it (It is us, the Las Cruces Public Schools)?
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These weeks of instruction after CRT are a joke...our school year is reduced to only 3 quarters!
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My elementary principal could use some help from anyone; he just cannot write!
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What follows is an attempt to make the argument that people who have enjoyed societal privileges based on the color of their skin, as well as on their cultural and linguistic identities, are obligated to not only recognize and acknowledge their privilege, but to also share their privilege with people who have been and who continue to be ostracized for living outside what is determined to be the "norm" in U.S. society. Thank you for reading. (JB) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~The following blogger comments reflect the prevailing presence of European colonial invasion in which White English-speaking immigrants felt threatened by the appearance, language, and culture of the natives and so declared them inferior and in need of cultural and linguistic salvation (Gould, 1981; Menchaca, 1999; and Spring, 1997):"...wouldn't it be nice if the non-English kids were encouraged to learn the language of America?""...'English-only' folks are finding that it's more work, and time-consuming, to be English-only.""I agree with the post about bi-lingual education being a bad idea...not only should all Americans speak English...I think all English speaking elementary students should be given the opportunity to take Spanish as a Foreign Language""...the universal language of discourse in America is and should be English."I challenge the speakers of these comments, as well as others who embrace similar rhetoric, to acknowledge and examine systems of White privilege that dictate who and what exemplifies the "norm: in our U.S. society (Wildman & Davis, 2000). The normalizing assertion that English is the universal language of discourse in America magnifies the need for members of the dominant English-speaking group to counter the perceived threat of native Spanish speakers by pushing for assimilationist policies and practice designed to divest Mexican[s of their culture and language (Valenzuela, 1999).I challenge myself and all educators to consider the damage we inflict upon students and each other in our community when we paint native Spanish speakers with a broad brush saturated in deficit-based ideology and language that marks Spanish speakers as Others, except of course, for those nglish speaking elementary students [who] should be given the opportunity to take Spanish as a Foreign Language. Note the inherent privilege in this statement taken from above. According to this person, bilingual education for native Spanish speaking students is a bad idea but for native English speaking students, learning Spanish should be a privilege they are entitled to. This notion of entitlement is at the core of White privilege (Frankenberg, 1993; Tatum, 1997; and Wildman & Davis, 2000).I challenge myself and all educators to examine how we as individuals and group members benefit from systemic White privilege. Recognizing and acknowledging White privilege will enable us to further examine how we engage in subtractive schooling practices [and everyday living practices] that strip students [and others] of their cultural and linguistic identity (Valenzuela, 1999). How do we, under the guise of Education and Americanism, silence the voices that speak to and from the myriad of life experiences lived beyond what is deemed normal and acceptable in White society? These are not easy challenges when we live in a society defined and protected by systems of White supremacy and privilege. But I believe they are challenges we can overcome if and when we engage in mutual and critical dialogue centering on multiple perspectives, particularly those of people who, because they do not conform to the dominant status quo, are labeled Other.In the spirit of continued critical dialogue, I end for now with the words of Chicana lesbian feminist Gloria Anzald:"So, if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language. Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity “ I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself. Until I can accept as legitimate Chicano Texas Spanish, Tex-Mex and all the other languages I speak, I cannot accept legitimacy of myself. Until I am free to write bilingually and to switch codes without having always to translate, while I still have to speak English or Spanish when I would rather speak Spanglish, and as long as I have to accommodate the English speakers rather than having them accommodate me, my tongue will be illegitimate.I will no longer be made to feel ashamed of existing. I will have my voice: Indian, Spanish, white. I will have my serpents tongue my woman's voice, my sexual voice, my poet's voice. I will overcome the tradition of silence."Borderlands/La Frontera ~ The New Mestiza (1999, p. 81)

As a parent whose English speaking child attended a local elementary bilingual program for grades 1-5 I would NEVER encourage another parent to enroll their child. In fact I would HIGHLY discourage it.I feel as though this was a horrible decision for my child. This was quite possibly the worst mistake I could have made regarding my child's education. Those years are gone. Gone, too, is the Spanish I had hoped would benefit my child. And there is nothing I can do now. I will always wonder how my child's academic progress would be different today had the focus had been on challenging students' strengths in English when needed instead of spending that time on Spanish areas (reading for example).I don't think what is best for the children in the long run has been the driving force in this program. Let's just make sure the kids make our program look good so we continue to receive funding.
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My child just brought home a letter from his middle school telling me that a student committed suicide. I feel for the family! As a single parent, I struggle every day trying to raise my three kids. Lately, my middle school kid seems depressed these days, too. He keeps talking about getting yelled at all the time, and how his teachers doesn't like him. What should I do? Noone at that school wants to listen to him or me.
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I grade my 5th graders' papers every day. But, who should correct my building principal's papers?
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Hurray for the Houston schools!!!
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I vote for middle school students to have free and open access to condoms!
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Imus...I heard the national gay pride organization has a job opening! Blogger Comment: I didn't know whether to publish this one or not.
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ALL coaches should be employed at the school where they coach!

Kudos to the blogger who commented on the bilingual program. I'd be sorry to see my bilingual teacher friends without a job, but wouldn't it be nice if the if the non-English kids were encouraged to learn the language of America? Have you noticed how convenient it's becoming to be non-English/Spanish speaking, in Las Cruces, NM? Or, for that matter, almost anywhere in the U.S.? You 'English-only' folks are finding that it's more work, and time-consuming, to be English-only. Examples: if you're on the phone with a business, or trying to reach someone in the bureaucracy, you must push a button in order to use English. If you're walking down the aisle, in front of the toys section in Wal-Mart, only those who read Spanish are able to see what's on the shelves in front, or behind, you. Reading the instructions in a manual for something you've just purchased, is a confusing puzzle... sorting the pages in your search for English. Bet it will be quite awhile, though, before the businesses will be dumb enough to ask us to write our checks in some other language. Are you getting as frustrated as I am?
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This comment is for my MONOlingual friend who believes assimilation works and bilingual education should be discarded. Please look up the research done by professionals and specialists in the area of bilingual education before stating your opinion like if they were proven facts. Furthermore, please cite where you are getting your information. Hah, didn't think so.
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I agree with the post about bi-lingual education being a bad idea. Not only should all Americans speak English, total immersion is by far the easiest and quickest way to learn a language. On the other hand, by the time a child reaches the age of twelve, the language acquisition trait has almost completely disappeared, making it much harder to learn a second language. I think all English speaking elementary students should be given the opportunity to take Spanish as a Foreign Language while they have a good chance at learning it.
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I didn't know that Newt Gingrich read this blog, much less left comments.
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Whenever there is a discussion of bilingual education, I always trot out the story of my niece. She moved to Venezuela at the age of 13, speaking no Spanish. She attended a private school where she was never spoken to or instructed in English. Her lessons were in Spanish and she was expected to respond in Spanish. The first 6 months were very difficult. There was no tutor, just her hard work. She returned to the US after two years, fluent in spoken and written Spanish. I also remember an incident at one of the local elementary schools where a monolingual Spanish-speaking child was enrolled by relatives. When the child was placed in bilingual ed, they family threw a fit. The reason they sent the child to the US was to learn English and they felt that immersion in an English-only classroom was the best way.

Sandra Diaz had the right idea when she de-funded bilingual education. She did it for the wrong reason, but she had the right idea.Whether you like it or not, the universal language of discourse in America is and should be English. Bilingual education is bad policy for the United States and for its immigrants and should be discarded, once and for all, as a failed and misguided idea. It should be accepted that when one decides to come to the United States, the priority is to learn English.That is not to say that Americans should not speak or learn other languages and that the rich cultural diversity of America should not be preserved.However, we should not confuse an English-speaking country whose citizens also happen to speak other languages and maintain different cultural traditions with a bilingual society.History is full of examples of societies being torn apart by linguistic differences and it would be a needless shame were the same to occur here. My generation, and countless generations of immigrants, was exposed to a system that encouraged assimilation and did not consider it to be a negative.English can be learned without destroying diversity. It is a system that has worked, will continue to work, and should never have been abandoned in the first place.

Everyone I talk to who was traumatized by the recent Sonia Diaz episode and its resulting crisis has told me that things are much, much calmer now that the new school board members have taken over and under the direction of Mr. Rounds. Thanks to all of them on behalf of my three kids--for now....NEVER AGAIN
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I have looked inside the minds of our leaders downtown, and here is what I have learned:What they say: Research based best practices. What they mean: I have no idea what I'm doing, I hope no one figures it out .
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When I used the term 'gobble-de-gook', I wasn't referring to anything in particular. There should be no problem with research based practices, provided that the research is done in a scientific, classic research manner... rather than the informal, 'prove anything you want to prove' kind of research that is typically done in the public schools, and in the teacher prep programs that affect the way we teach. The comments in this blog site indicate that there have been too many untested, unproven initiatives that have failed in our district. Anyone who has been in the district for at least a few years, will tell you about some of those failures. How about the many attempts that have been made to try to turn the low-English kids into strong achievers? The high schools are full of 'students' who are still reading at the primary school level, and it's not because the kids are stupid. It is, quite simply, because we haven't found an effective way to get that job done. A hundred to a hundred fifty years ago, it was common for an 'English-only' teacher (preparation: an eighth grade diploma, two carefully studied books on pedagogy and teaching methods, and a required exam) to be placed in a school in an almost totally non-English community. Everyone (German, Scandinavian, French, Italian, Spanish, etc.) worked hard, respected cultural differences, and the kids learned at a very acceptable rate. Those teachers who introduced immigrants to life in America were cherished, and celebrated, for the rest of their lives. Are we missing something today?
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What are the chances our district can seriously look at going back to the old grade level system? Elementary should be k-6, Jr. High should be 7-8 and High School should be 9-12. A lot of places around the country are getting away from the middle school concept and are having great success. Since the middle schools here have such problems, maybe we should look into it.
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Why is it that everyone has to be so critical of Mr. Rounds? It saddens me that people are so unwilling to give him a chance. He has not even been here for two months and is already undergoing such criticism. We all know that our district needs a lot of healing brought to it. We finally have someone that can, and is willing to do so. Let's let him do his job and I'm sure we will be just fine!

All who read and add to the comments need to be ready to appreciate the stability that The Board is evidencing under the leadership of Dr. Votaw and the able assistance of Dr Connie Phillips. Mr. Rounds needs our support as he tries to place the District on the sound financial foundation we were so used to.Finally in the previous Board's defense, I wish to point out that we were willing to invest in keeping a superintendent who would listen to the administrators and the faculty as well as the support personnel in order to keep LCPS at the forefront of education in New Mexico. Jesse Gonzales is imperfect as all of us are, but we were not in disarray as we have been in recent years.Mary Tucker
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Sometimes I wonder if the world [district] is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it. Mark Twain
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Stan the man... Did u find ur state statute? Have u found the missing day? Maybe Sonia needs a new driver!?
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Who can fit a square LCPS peg into a rounds hole?
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I vote for year round schooling for the entire district. Let's put this to a vote for all the players.
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Whats the rule on school romantic affairs? My 6th grade daughter said her teacher left becuse she had a fight with her at school boyfriend becuse her husband got mad!
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Here's a great new Olympic sport for principals: Gymnadiving...ie) they are gold medal winners in flip-flopping!
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If you think "researched based best practices" is gobble-de-gook and only used by those who speak in acronyms, Lord help us all!