LCPS Underground

Summer Hiatus

2007-06-02T15:57:00.000-06:00

We are taking a summer hiatus. If an issue surfaces, we will post. Otherwise, we are off for much needed R&R.

2007-06-01T06:33:00.000-06:00

This blog has been a great help to me this past year, which was the worst in my career. The LCPS has been so utterly mismanaged that there is nothing left of the district, and the people downtown continue to fool themselves into thinking they know what they're doing. To be honest, we have to put a stop to all of this nonsense that's going on. Now with Rounds wanting to suspend all range salary movement, it's too much. We need to make our voices be heard. We have strength in numbers, and this district obviously couldn't function without its teachers (although it CAN and DOES without management and competency at central office). I know the NEA doesn't allow strikes, but who cares about the NEA, they haven't done anything for the teachers in Las Cruces, we need to end this, I've had it.
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This is in response to the complaints about a lack of penmanship. I am the parent of two children who have benefited from attending LCPS. Both display neat penmanship, mastery of cursive writing, strong reading and math skills. Both children have learned from teachers that work hard, take a sincere interest in their development as students and people. There are teachers who enjoy what they do and do it well without whining and complaining.

2007-05-30T18:34:00.000-06:00

Dear Blogger Management,
Bravo! You have it right on the head so to speak. When I came to Las Cruces [4 years ago], I decided to try teaching again as I had taken a couple of years off to tend to children. I am still apalled that students are not taught penman-ship. Only a handful of my High School students can read cursive. I have asked several teachers why no one teaches cursive anymore or why doesn't anyone care if a child is unable to write legibly? No one knows. It is so sad that we have to teach basic reading at high school and yet so necessary. With the higher salary we have now comes more stress and strife than it is worth. We have more and more teachers opting for other professions. Something has to give. We are all suffering. Thank you for your blog ~ and people; we need to do more than complain. We need to take back what we have lost. What the students are losing every day. One name keeps popping up and that is Devious Lonnie. I say get rid of him and then we will have majority rule on the Board. Lonnie, here's your sign.
sign me annonymous please.
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This blog is a farce - it is the twisted brainchild of the Davis family - no NEA Davis - just "what's in it for me" Davis - Daddy chuck, wifey Helen and daughter kathy. No one is fooled.

2007-05-29T06:23:00.000-06:00

To the blog management:Generally, I agree with your assessment of the problems in our school system. However, there are a few factors, other than the board's interference and incompetence, that should be identified as responsible for the discontent of teachers and the community at large. For example, school principals are responsible for maintaining an environment of professionalism in their schools, and for practicing and communicating a cooperative general commitment to fairness, trust, honesty, truthfulness, and respect... as well as enthusiasm, optimism, and an atmosphere where hopes and dreams may become reality. Strong, positive, well-motivated principals are able to create and maintain pleasant, productive working conditions for their teachers, staff, and students... with or without the interference of Central Office or Board of Education. Generally, such a principal will receive cooperation and respect from those two entities.On the other hand, there are school principals in this district who are so involved with their own importance... that they can think of nothing else. Their schools have teachers who live in anxiety and fear, and those feelings also communicate to the students, in ways that inhibit peace and productivity.Blog owners... yes, things were generally good while Gonzales was in charge... but, contrary to your interpretation of when things started to go bad... in my opinion, we had a couple of good years after Jesse. Virginia Foltz was a strong leader... supportive, fair, honest, and committed to the best for our district. She deserves credit for her dedicated service to this community. And last... shouldn't we give Rounds a chance? He's been here barely long enough to get his feet wet.
Blogger Comment: Comments were not meant to detract from the contribution that Foltz or Patton made.
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Having just talked with someone who worked directly under Stan Rounds in Alamogordo, their comment was "just watch the money".Apparently, he does some wheeling and dealing without leaving the appropriate paper trail. He was ready to trade off some land that belonged to the district. I just hope whoever selects the next superintendent does a THOROUGH background check. Talk to people that worked for them. Resumes lie. May the goal of all who work for LCPS be that the children learn, the teachers get to teach...and there are no alternative motives or integrity questions to deal with. Children first - not an ego or a pocketbook!

2007-05-27T09:45:00.000-06:00

As owners of this blog, there are several of us, we always indicate when the comments are our own and not submitted by readers. As the following comment points out, the general unrest, dissatisfaction, disaffection and hopelessness began with the departure of Jesse Gonzales. With Gonzales, we had a long run of relative stability. Now, we are like children whose parents change the rules every day. You wake up anxious and unsure of what the day will bring. Will the things that were acceptable yesterday be punished today? Will you be in favor or persona non gratae?

Our Board of Education cannot seem to understand the need for consistent leadership and consistent application of policy and procedure. The turmoil of the past 5 years is not the fault of teachers or central administration. It is the fault of the Board of Education alone. The Board has promoted personal agendas and bullied its way to this juncture.

Teachers are caught in the crossfire. With a change in instructional leadership every few months, teachers barely begin to understand and implement one program before a new one is introduced and the old one scrapped. Teachers react to the Principals' instructions, Central Office reacts to the Superintendent's direction, and the Superintendent reacts to the Board's whims. Stan Rounds is no saviour. He has proven he is as much a puppet of the Board as Martinez or Diaz. Remember- this all flows downhill.

With the election of Votaw and Phillips, we have hope. We now need to rid ourselves of the remaining 3 incumbents. Gene Gant has been a major disappointment. Wishy-washy Gene. Chuck Davis is what he is. NEA Chuck. Lonnie Briseno is a bigot, has a major conflict of interest and is a generally underhanded and nasty person. Devious Lonnie. LCPS will continue to be the laughing stock of the state until these 3 are replaced with people who can think beyond their personal agendas.

That's my take on things.
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The unhappiness in our district is a cumulative effect. There has always been grumbling, but the huge dissatisfaction expressed on this blog is a result of mismanagement and abuse by the board and central office in the past four years or so. Teachers just want to be able to teach without having to carry out some new lame-brained scheme or be supervised by people who have no idea what good teaching is. With NCLB testing and gross incompetency at the state and local administrative levels, teachers are not allowed to teach any more. In the words of Moses, "Let my people go!"
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Administrators... how about focusing on the really important issues? The teachers/support staff need, and deserve, positive support. Cock-eyed ideas and foolish initiatives should be abandoned in favor of plain, solid teaching strategies that have stood the test of time. Too many kids in LCPS are not learning the basics that should enable them to move forward academically. Teach in a manner that assures success, step-by-step, however small each victory may be. Develop pride in learning... focus on reading and readable writing, math essentials, and the basics in other elements of the curriculum. If the basics aren't learned in elementary school, find ways to make sure that the kids become 'basically-proficient' at whatever level his/her deficits are identified... in mid-school, or even high school. Too many 'students?' are graduating from high school with third grade academic skills. Many professionals (teachers, support staff, and administrators...inclusive) in today's schools don't seem to understand that a kid's pride, and sense of accomplishment, must involve more than social approval... ACADEMIC progress is the name of the game. On the subject of pride, some of you administrators have some extra, unearned, pride. How about finding a way to pass some of that on to your deserving teachers? On a personal note... I have a few gripes concerning important specifics that are being ignored in our schools. Here's a big one... Why is penmanship no longer taught? I have an intelligent mid-school child who has never learned to write legibly. Instead of having pride in his work, he's ashamed for anyone to see that work. Do you expect the parents to teach penmanship? Maybe we could, but we're busy earning money to support out kids... and pay the taxes that provide your salaries. Another gripe... we've forgotten that 'drill' is necessary for most kids to learn, so drill, drill, DRILL. Remember, the kid who's kept very busy, in an academic atmosphere, doesn't have time to indulge in negative behavior that destroys his, and his classmates, focus on learning academics.
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Blogger: That letter that was posted....doesn't look like a fabrication to me! I'm glad someone finally found the courage to start opening everyone's eyes and let them know what a farce Jeff Harris is. That letter seems to be very clear, he's more concerned about his correct "title" and the possibility of a pay raise, and not to mention trying to find a job for Marcy Oxford! Not once have I seen him in our building, so how would he know what our school needs?
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What is going to happen when all the teachers, ea's, custodians, cafeteria workers, and secretaries have been let go? Are the principals going to do all of it themselves? Or are they going to be let go so the superintendent and the central office personnel can do the jobs? Who do we really need more-all the people downtown or the teachers, ea's, custodians, cafeteria workers, and school secretaries?

2007-05-26T08:11:00.000-06:00

Zia MS Rocks. With all the turmoil we have been through this past year, we still found a way to pull together and make the best of it. We even were able to have an end of year function, totally funded by staff members and way after contract hours ended, and we all realized that despite all the moaning and groaning from everyone else, we like our job and we will continue to do our job to the best of our ability. We realized that we are here for the kids and we put them first every day. I wish everybody else in the district could do the same.
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After four nightmarish years of central office and administrative abuse, and with faculty and staff morale at the lowest levels ever, now we smugly announce at the school board meeting that we will tell all employees who were hired after the start of school that they may not have a job. These are people who were hired late because another employee was sick, left suddenly, that there was a need for a new position due to enrollment increase, or due to poor planning by the same people who are now making the cuts. To increase morale of the teaching staff and to lend some credibility to a bloated administration which protects itself first, reduce central office staffing. Show the real employees of the district that you will put your money where your mouth is. Also, look at all the new non-teaching positions created in the past four years and phase THOSE out. Cutting the so-called "temporary" positions is an easy-way-out for human resources to reduce staffing, but doesn't address the real problem of paying people to do non-direct instruction jobs. In good times, we could create all these new non-teaching positions AND have enough staffing for teachers and counselors. In tough times, cut the fluff. There's a lot of fluff in that 93% figure quoted at the board meeting, and it is not due to "temp" teaching positions.
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have never heard so much complaining in my life. If you are so unhappy move on or do something constructive about it. Life is not fair and you can't make everyone happy. If there anyone out there happy? Maybe we need to split LCPS district make it smaller and then maybe it would be easier to take care of
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The lawsuits are alive and well. They have been moved to federal court. The discovery phase should start soon, which is the point where depositions and sworn statements are taken and evidence presented to both sides.

2007-05-25T06:22:00.000-06:00

Torres and Sanchez, the hatchet man and the enforcer. Who are they being the bad guys for?

How can Stan Rounds tell the Board and community that they are cutting staff, there will be no range changes, etc, etc, when he is giving range changes to Administrators NOW and those range changes result in large salary increases. Is it a way to HIDE the fact that the administrators are getting raises? You do it now so it doesn't show up in the budget maybe? These are administrators that aren't the "interim" people. I thought you had to have an increase in duties to get a mid-year salary increase or does LCPS not follow that state regulation? Rounds seems to be just like all the others. What he says in public has little relation to what he is doing behind the scenes.

Blogger Comment: This image of a memo was submitted anonymously. I hesitate to post it. You can be the judge of whether it is a fabrication or real.

The idiots ARE running the asylum! We are going to use MAP software district wide for our assessments. We are cutting teachers because we are broke, yet we can pay an outrageous price for a useless assessment, and the director of Instructional Technology doesn't have the knowledge about a computer that my fifth grader has.

As a parent, I'm worried about the bitterness shown by (what seems like) just a few burnt out staff members. Seek therapy. Have a summer. Get a new job. My children need a strong education- and the whole "plt" witch hunt and griping about individuals on your staff is not for the good of our children. This district has serious issues (continuity, leadership, instruction, testing, real world skills)and we need to encourage and support the dedicated and successful practices and people rather than read from haggard school-marms who just want to fire everybody but themselves!

I would like to thank all the LCPS teachers my children had over the years. Both have completed Master Degree programs. I especially want to thank the AES Facilitators. Without them, I think my youngest would have slipped through the cracks. Instead, she graduated a year early, and just completed her Masters degree at the tender age of 22. Thanks again - You're great!

So much finger pointing, so few facts!!!

You might hate your PLT, but we actually like and value ours. She has really helped the teachers who want her help. The teachers in my school that don't want her help are the ones who look for the easy way out of everything. They just want to do what is easiest for them, not what is best for the students.

The Las Cruces Public Schools will never change, because the people won't stand up and demand competence downtown. As a result, we have these people working in a bubble, making decisions as benevolent lords of all, even though they're ill conceived and horrible in the first place. Here's what we have to look forward to next year:- 140+ "temporary" positions possibly gone, even though these are dedicated professionals.- A district wide response to intervention that borders on insane. There is NO RESEARCH to support us doing something so drastic.- A continued focus on Nancy Fetzer's writing and reading systems, which involve little innovation beyond quirky 'total physical response' activities, which I could have found (and did find) on the internet for free in about 10 minutes (who knows how much we pay Fetzer for her workshops).

At one time a teacher had to be certified in Early Childhood Educ. in order to teach Kindergarten in Las Cruces. Is this still true? Am I the only one who feels that all of the Reading/Writing testing that is being done on Kindergarten children is inappropriate? What has happened to the concept of developmentally appropriate practice. Sure, there needs to be some testing done to find out what these 5 years old know when they come to school and then again at every report card period to check their progress. This testing needs to be about the basics, like being able to recognize all the alphabet letters and/or sounds, not just a few like they have to do when we give the DIBEL Test. The "current" kindergarten curriculum is what used to be the "regular" first grade curriculum. All of this one on one testing is wrong for Kindergarten. It takes entirely too much time out of day to day learning for a teacher to sit in a corner or outside the classroom door and test each child individually. I don't want to tell you what the rest of the class might be doing, because it probably isn't very educational. Please, look into this and do what is right for the children and let kindergarten once again be a place to learn, socialize and have fun without all the stress of TEST, TEST, TEST!

2007-05-23T20:15:00.000-06:00

How can Herb Torres stand at a board meeting and talk about cutting personnel when he was hired during the school year at who knows what cost? And how can Steve Sanchez justify paying who knows how much per child for a computer test that tells me less than I already know about a student? Whose pockets are we lining--reminds me of Dr. Diaz and her pals!
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I watched the school board meeting last night, and heard Dr. Torres' explanation of handling the "personnel problem" through attrition. The problem is not caused by the temporary employees. The problem are the glut of administrative positions and PLT's hired in the past five years. Tackle the tough decisions--positions not necessary for the instruction of children. Teachers and counselors, hired after the start of the year and therefore "temporary", are not the superfluous hires. Make the tough decisions and don't hide behind "attrition." And start with the central office, not people in the trenches.
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Let's encourage our counselors to go with this budget crunch; our students could use some new blood!
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I am teacher, hear me roar;In numbers too big to ignore...Step away from any salary decreases!!
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What's the update on all the various legal suits that have been filed out of central office? Why no word for the public?
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Staci Sompii and her cronies are at it again; this time she has made decisions for the high school's 9th grade English curriculum, without consulting 2 of the 3 high school English departments! Very typical of her department!
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One of our vice-principals has been pouting and throwing tantrums for about a month; does anyone have any Midol to help relieve his pms?
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Anyone hear about the RTI programs that have been mandated by the state? What a joke! Study skills will not help reluctant learners; hands-on teaching/learning would be a more viable approach!
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I heard that Alma d'Arte is scheduled to become the physical location for the new charter high school that will be headed by Joyce Aranda? Is this true?
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The teachers all had exit exams/interviews at my school over the last three days of school; the teacher associates and support personnel did not...maybe our voices do not matter?!
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Do these cuts mean that the aes facilitators and plts will be gone? I sure hope so...
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2007-05-23T06:18:00.000-06:00

While I'm certain many of the good folks who inhabit our downtown headquarters have good intentions when was the last time any teacher saw one in a school building for something other than a photo op? I would hope that the fine people "downtown," as we have come to call it, are support personnel for the teaching staff. Sadly, our previous superintendents spent us into a financial crisis. While many fine programs have been started by spending money we didn't have we need to begin to act our wage and quit putting PDT's in every building. Let the teachers teach and have administration support our mission!
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One would think that if there were students who caused major problems this year, and if there was an opportunity to split these kids for next year, the administration would be eager to do this...not at our school!
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I hope the Superintendent begins in his own office with the personnel reductions. Then he can move to the PDC.

2007-05-22T06:27:00.000-06:00

Stan, Stan, he's our man, if he can't cut the fat, nobody can!!! Stan, look at your own building first. There is a ton of fat right there! Leave the people in the schools alone. They are the ones who actually work with our kids.
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It's another example that the more powerful you get, the dumber you get. That they would actually consider cutting classroom personnel, while lining their own offices with pork, is ridiculous. I can think, off the top of my head, of about 15 people downtown that have little to no effect on the actual education of students. Who does influence students? TEACHERS. We are truly run by idiots.
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Blogger, we wanted to know the information on Dr. Sanchez' pay, reason for coming to LCPS, etc. We didn't really want your recommendation for him. Quit holding out on us, you usually do much better than that. Blogger Comment: Hey, I don't write 'em. I just put 'em out here.
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Well Dr Sanchez has provided his resume for us. Wow, that explains it all folks. NOT!!! If you'll notice the writing style in all of the "pro Dr. Sanchez" comments are all obviously written by the same person. Who would do that. Oh wait, could it be Dr. Sanchez himself? Folks, they are trying to pull a very pricey wool over your eyes.
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I can sum up Mr. Zamora in one word: worthless.
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Let me jump on the bandwagon. I am all in favor of removing Zamora from Safe and Drug Free Schools. In fact, let Mr. Peace run the program. He can do 10 times better than the clown in the present position. Zamora definitely has the ability to fool the upper Administration but not the people who witness the foolish programs currently in our schools. Of course, its difficult to research the effectiveness of the programs when you sit in your office playing with your computer, covering up mistakes, and ruining people's careers.
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il est fini...that's all folks!
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HELP

Please change the post for alma d' arte because my email style is distinctive and they must not know who started the blog because they will fire me -- cancel my contract!!!!!!!

The new blog for Alma d'arte Charter High School is http://almaunauthorized.blogspot.com/

2007-05-20T08:06:00.000-06:00

It looks like a RIF or reduction-in-force is underway. The budget is in crisis. Former superintendents spent us into ruin. Teachers and programs should be the last to be affected. They should start with the central office. One big administrative job is equal to five or six custodians or secretary salaries. Next, the professional development personnel should be shifted to the classrooms. Look at assistant principals at all levels. After that, AES facilitators need to be assigned classroom responsibilities. If the budget goes back to being stable in the future, perhaps some of these positions can be restored. Times are tough. Get rid of the fat. Teaching positions aren't fat. WE are top-heavy in administration. Clean-out all the fluff positions.
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Stan Rounds says we spend too much on personnel. Before he points a finger, he needs to look in his own office and the people he is spending big bucks on.
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I agree that hanging out in the teachers lounge can be bad for your health.
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Maybe it would help teacher morale if the district would start paying for unused sick leave when a teacher retires. That way, teachers would feel more inclined to keep teaching up to the last day rather than create "fluff" lesson plans for substitutes. Students would get more quality instruction time. As it is now, many retiring teachers call in sick for the last few weeks - or months. I'm not saying its right - just reality.
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If we are in such dire financial straits, why can the head of finance buy a $2,000 desk and we can't even buy staplers?

2007-05-17T18:49:00.000-06:00

This link seems to provide Dr. Sanchez' professional background:http://www.educationcenternm.com/SanchezResume.pdf
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I worked with Steve Sanchez in another district. He was one of the most gifted and hardworking teachers I had or have encountered.
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I sure hope Dr. Sanchez does not kill the DRA tests. I actually feel like they are going to help me with my instruction next year. I do not wish to be trained on yet one more thing!!! I am so tired of us adopting something, getting good at it and then throwing it out the window for something new. Can't we ever just be allowed to keep something long enough to get good at it?
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I can't take this anymore! I am going to quit!
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LCPS is in sad shape. Teachers are overworked, blamed and asked to do the impossible. Currently, teachers seem to want stability. Let's start the new school year with no changes: same attendance form, same lunch form, same report cards, same IEP forms! Teachers are the flunkies - make parents happy, make principals happy, make the state happy. Do not discipline the dear little children you might harm their self concepts. What is with different demands at the schools? What is with the lesson plans with standards and benchmarks? You know the ones the substitute can not make heads or tales out of them . Most teachers make separate lesson plans for substitutes or come in very sick in order not to make separate lesson plans! Aren't the teachers suppose to follow the approved curriculum? If the approved curriculum is mandated by CO people, shouldn't they read the standards and benchmarks prior to selecting the curriculum? Hmmmm Also I question the future of quality education in the future. Teachers are dropping like flies. They are retiring or counting the days before they retire. Many are living off drugs to survive the attacks made on them daily and pretending nothing is wrong. I haven't seen so many burnt out teachers in ages. Perhaps administration should take a hard look at what they are demanding. Soon there will be no sane teachers left!
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I'm glad to see that someone out there is in agreement that Mr. Zamora needs to go. He is nothing but an arrogant, farce, egotistical and incompetent man. He has run off good QUALIFIED employees. It's a shame that he has "ADMINISTRATION" employees fooled. We can not afford to keep this monster in our district. ZAMORA NEEDS TO GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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How is it that this blog has gone from a worthwhile way for people to discuss serious topics to the electronic equivalent of the teachers lounge?

About 8 years ago, I completed an internship at one of the elementary schools here as a requirement for my Master's in Counseling degree. Up to that time, I had seriously considered becoming a school counselor--I love kids, believe strongly in public education, the schedule was wonderful, and the idea that I would actually be paid halfway decently and get some retirement benefits were all very, very appealing. Thank God I did the internship.

Over the semester, I got to listen to the inside chatter of all the teachers in the lunch lounge everyday. Almost all of it was just endless complaining: denigrating their students, denigrating their supervisors, gossiping about someone else and how much money they got, b**ching about how they had to submit this form or that report. Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch. I never saw such a bunch of unhappy people who felt and took no control over their own lives in my life. I decided then and there that there was NO WAY I would sacrifice my own health to work in an environment I hated.

What I also noticed was the effective teachers-- the ones who seemed to enjoy their work and kids, got good results in their classrooms, and accepted as mature adults that the work world is flawed and imperfect-- were rarely if ever in the lunch lounge at all. What I saw was those teachers were usually taking their lunch in their class rooms or with their students or maybe one on one with a colleague discussing educational issues. They were not wasting precious time wallowing in and venting negativity, but instead chose to engage in productive and self sustaining activity.

That is what I see, unfortunately, has happened on this website. Constant catty and negative commentary. Constant whining that you don't make enough money, when the truth is teachers are being paid record salaries and raises here in the district. Gossip that has no purpose other than to zing someone you are envious of or disagree with. Petty, nasty small minded s**t.

There is a difference between productive descriptions of problems, and plain ole' garden variety whining, folks. The thing is, if you are feeling hopeless, angry, blaming and helpless all the time, it is a sign of depression and burn out. That is a real thing, a valid issue for the profession you are in and you deserve to address it by seeking out some supportive mentoring or counseling before it kills you. Hanging around other people in an endless "misery loves company" coffee break doesn't help anyone feel any better--you just reinforce how bad you feel, tear down your energy reserves, stunt your creativity. You reinforce the wrong-headed notion that things are hopeless to change. Which, of course, is wrong.

Is it really worth turning into the proverbial unhappy, unhealthy crabby 3rd grade teacher who yells all day at her students for the last 10 years of her career, goes home exhausted every night, and no one likes? Is it possible that some of you need to move on to bigger or greener pastures, challenging yourself with new and refreshing ways to use your God-given talents and experience---instead of staying stuck in a place that is not giving you what you need? At the very least, stop hanging out with people who just reflect and magnify your own misery. The damn retirement check won't be worth anything if you croak six weeks after retirement.

2007-05-16T06:14:00.000-06:00

If you're really fed up with some administrator, and other teachers whom you know are fed up, too... why not just ask for a meeting with the new 'Soup'. Tell it like it is, and hope that he'll take you seriously. I know a couple of administrators who deserve more serious punishment than a simple "Good-Bye".
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Any time I see Dr. Sanchez, he's working, working working. He's working on curriculum, attendance, policies, articulation etc etc. I wish he would stay with LCPS; he'd be a tremendous asset to our downtown instruction office. The best thing that's come along in a long time!
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Blogger, what did you find out about Dr. Sanchez? I want to know why we have money for him and we need to layoff 300 employees in the schools? Dr. Sanchez is here until August. At that time the district will probably hire an Assoc Supt for Instruction. He came to Las Cruces as a favor to Stan Rounds. He worked at the the state level in education and taught for many years before retiring.
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Our district is broke, yet we are hiring yet another high dollar associate superintendent position. I was told by my student teacher that she was told there would most likely be no new hires for teachers. If we don't have enough money for teachers, we don't have enough money for another high dollar associate superintendent. You could pay three or four teachers for the kind of money just so one of the big wigs downtown makes. What is our district about? Are we about teaching and learning or are we about politics and lining the pockets of the few chosen ones downtown?
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I have heard that Dr. Sanchez is changing all of our assessments. What is the point--he will be here another month? Is he getting kick backs from a publisher? Is he Sonia Diaz reincarnated? Hopefully Mr. Rounds will see through him.
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Is it true that Dr. Sanchez is going to dump the DRA before we even have a chance to use it for some online assessment? Here we go on the roller coaster again!
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Looks like LCPS has too many employees. Lets see if the Board of Education will support Mr. Rounds in making some hard decisions. The only way that will happen is if Mr. Rounds can dance very fast without stepping on any toes. Good luck with that one!
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In response to the comment regard Sheryl White and the Teacher's Center: Maybe the person who oversees Sheryl White will open their eyes and do something so that she won't have to be working 70+ hours a week. After all, she has been the only stable employee in the Instruction department besides Betsy Bennett and Sally Velez. She is by far one of the hardest working Central Office employees that I know exists. If everyone in the district followed the example that she set, we would be leaps and bounds ahead of the other districts in New Mexico. Instead, we have people who criticize those that do good. I guess that's why we keep being the laughing stock of school districts in New Mexico.
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Why doesn't the new super start at mid-level and work up?? For example, eliminate the Coordinator for Safe/Drug Free Schools and let Ms. Bennett run the show. The current coordinator has a tendency to take credit for his employee's hard work. He also has a habit of "running off" all its dedicated employee's. Whats the status of Mr. Peace?? We still need him to help in the gang/drug problem. The current programs/curriculum is a farce. Starting here would be a good start. Don't eliminate the ground zero employee's, without them, the school system would crumble.
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Not only do we have Dr. Sanchez consulting, we now have the arrogant Herb Torres consulting in human resources. The district was going to hire him, but ran into a problem with the university. So he is now "consulting". Don't insult our intelligence. We know where this is headed. Right to the Assoc Supt for Operations. Check the job description - looks like it was written just for ole Herb.
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AES students do benefit from having someone work as their advocate...the same way any learner would. AES students do benefit from being challenged and from higher-level critical thinking projects...the same way any student does. AES students do benefit from having a "go-to person" to advise them on course work and learning...get it?

2007-05-13T14:21:00.000-06:00

As far as administrator evaluations go. You have a choice of signing them or putting a SS #. By the way, they do not check the SS #'s either.
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Okay, so Mr. Rounds tells us that we have too many employees and we are going to need to decrease our % of employees. That is fine, but don't good leaders lead by example. Why then did he hire his best buddy, Dr. Sanchez? How much is our "broke" district paying him? Why did we need to hire someone to come and work here just until August? All I have ever seen Dr. Sanchez do is walk around and talk to people. He just floats around the building and interrupts people while they are trying to work. I know because I work at central office. Did Dr. Sanchez per chance need to have a few more months for his retirement for NM? Mr. Rounds, take it from me. The last person who came here and tried to line the pockets of their best friends is long gone!!! I would like to know more about this Dr. Sanchez. Why does a district that is in the financial ruin they claim we are in need to hire him to walk around for a few months?
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It doesn't matter if you continue your education through college, conferences and workshops, or just reading up on innovations and new theories and practices. But doing none of these things is inexcusable.
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Time for the AES programs and 'overpaid' facilitators to go? Do you have any idea the benefit these kids get from this program? Obviously not. My middle school child has greatly benefited from this program. Heaven forbid we do something for the strong students!It must stink to have kids smarter than the some of the teaching staff. Are the kiddies making you look bad?
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Our district stinks!
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I do care. That's why I take classes that have to do with my subject. I'm just not going to waste money to get a 'piled higher and deeper' degree. It's a joke. And don't tell me money isn't an issue. If you say that you're lying. If it's not an issue, then give up your FTE and work for free. When we get a 3% raise and insurance increases by 15%, it doesn't make sense.
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2007-05-10T06:52:00.000-06:00

To my disenchanted friend who chose not to continue their education because "the district gives you a whopping $2.00 a check raise." It's good to see what your motivations are. Quit now, because you're making those of us who care look bad.
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It's about being a lifelong learner and improving my practice for the benefit of my students. One can do that without attending a university. The best teachers I know are the ones who take the initiative to improve their craft without being motivated by dollar signs. And by the way thanks to the Professional Development Center (Sheryl White, Stacey Somppi and their "cronies") for providing me the opportunities to continue to learn.
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I cannot believe someone would bash ms. haines! Why, after all, she's has lchs lookin so clean and organized...no more drugs and gangs...dropout rate is lower...kids look sharp on campus...test scores are high...NOT, again!
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Onate has a new principal...hope the sports guy likes music programs. Will cruces be next to get a new principal? Hope so!
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All this talk about LCHS band; my kid goes to MHS and can't stand the big man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The kids sacrifice everything for his program, and still get treated like dirt!
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Isn't it about time for the aes programs and their overpaid facilitators to go?
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The university should pay us to work on our PhD's. At least the College of Education would have a chance to become credible!
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Evaluation of principals... did the school district outlaw that process? Lots of criticism of principals, on this blog site, but nothing seems to be happening. If the evaluation process is still in effect, do you teachers not dare to reveal your feelings there. Maybe it wouldn't make a difference, anyway, as those 'defective' principals may be quite shrewd. Remember, someone posted a blog a couple of months ago, and described how principals (through training or experience) have figured out how to build a power base... by catering to the many insecure, less-experienced teachers. In this district, the confident, experienced, excellent teachers are the enemy. You're being out-voted. Blogger Comment: Any negative comments have to be signed. That stops many employees from expressing their true feelings.
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Our counselors are ineffective; anyway the district would consider a rotation of schools for these people?

2007-05-06T18:36:00.000-06:00

What grant are you referring to? Can you find the grant RFP (proposal and guidelines)? Look for the rules there. You are accountable to the grantor.
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How about sending haines to ohs and jeff to mhs and chris to lchs????
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Who oversees Sheryl White and the crew from the Teacher's Center? Stacy Sompii and her cronies have been driving their personal programs with an elite air of arrogance for years. I think that entire department has a severe case of "color bias"!
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What can we do when a principal has made, what we believe to be, a very uninformed, hasty, and power driven decision?
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Who approves sick leave bank requests? Shouldn't these be reserved for desperately ill or injured people; not for a married person suffering from his/her own bad choice to have an affair with a colleague at school?
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If Mrs. Haines is such a supporter of the LCHS Band, then she should try really hard to transfer Mr. Silva or Mr. Flores from OHS. Their bands have won many awards, and they're local guys, who are not apt to move on. Why look far for talent, when it's in the neighborhood?
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Wow, Nyeta paid for some transportation for the band. Well I take back everything I said about her being a worthless principal. That just totally made up for all the crappy things she's done in the past. Thank you for coming to her defense, it's made ALL the difference........................NOT!!!!!
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The reason I choose not to continue my education is because I did get my masters and was completely disenchanted with grad school when it comes to education. I don't know why anyone would pay 2 or 3 thousand dollars to get a phD or EdD. The district gives you a whopping $2.00 a check raise. It's not worth it plus those are worthless degrees. The schools become the laboratory for someones dissertation defense and we end up doing more and more with less and less.
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Drugs are alive and doing well in the middle schools. Next year's freshman class should exceed the 50% dropout rate!

2007-05-05T08:36:00.000-06:00

Looks like Joyce Aranda is moving on. Great news. Interesting that Jose Frietze (boss of Lonnie Briseno) is touting her abilities. Wonder if Jose/Lonnie had anything to do with her being given the Secondary Ed position?
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Teacher of the Year ceremony was great! Could you please explain what the judges look for during the interviews?
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In my opinion, if you are a teacher and you're not dedicated to continuing education, even after obtaining a masters or whatever else, then you need to leave the field and do it soon.
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I have yet to see any improved service from the IT department at my school. If it were not for my technician being so responsive to our requests I don't think we would know anything about what is happening with the technology in my building.
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Have you ever stopped to think why the critical IT staff remain mired in discontent?
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This is in regards to the IT problems that Jeff Harris is supposed to be fixing. I don't know the man, personally, so I can't say anything negative about him. I do know, however, that at the middle school I work at there is one technician. He is only in a couple of days a week. He is overwhelmed by the number of trouble calls he gets. However, since he makes quite a bit more than I do (I am an EA), I do feel comfortable saying that for the money he gets paid, he should be able to fix the problems. Usually they get made worse. I do know that if the administrative passwords were given out to staff, training provided to staff, then we could fix our own problems. There are a myriad of problems I could fix in my building alone, but since I am only an EA, I am not allowed to touch them. Instead we have to put in a trouble call and wait until the tech shows up. In this age of technology, all of us should be quite capable of troubleshooting and repairing computers. Isn't that what the students are supposed to learn in Tech class? Oh, I forgot, they can't learn anything useful because they don't have an administrator password either. All they can do is learn how to type and do simple powerpoint presentations. Come on, LCPS, wake up and get with the times. Save the high paid techs for the serious jobs and let the users of computers take care of the simple problems.
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What "effort" is the blogger talking about when it comes to Jeff Harris? He has involved that IT Department in so many projects, that they don't even know right from left!!!!
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The jobs were supposed to be posted yesterday. Where are they? Are there any openings? Typical of LCPS, nothing is done in a timely manner or when promised!!!
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In defense of Nyeta Haines and the LCHS Showcase band program: I can can tell you that the band teacher is leaving because his wife (also a teacher at LCHS) has been accepted into a competitive Master's Degree voice program at Yale, with a full scholarship to boot. Since they are newlyweds with no children yet, it makes sense that this is the time in their lives to pursue vocational dreams. It really is an opportunity of a lifetime for them, and although the band kids and parents are heartsick over his leaving, we are giving him and his wife our full support and best wishes. He has touched this band so positively and given so much healing and discipline to a program with kids who were suffering and demoralized due to the immaturity and lack of professionalism of the previous teachers (and I don't mean the interim teacher, Mr. Young, he is a generous soul who stepped out of retirement and started the saving of this band). Mrs. Haines has assisted the band on many occasions, she has come thru by paying for transportation to a couple of events, and has paid the entrance fee for one competition, she really does support the program. She may have other faults, I do not know, but she is appreciated for her contributions and attention toward the music programs. She did a great job in hiring Matt Talmadge (and Robin Vaughn) and we look to her to find someone else who is of a similar caliber to replace him. The kids and the program need consistency and I hope she can find another great hire!
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2007-05-01T17:11:00.000-06:00

Worrying about instructional time now is a big fat joke! This should have happened earlier in the year! Testing should have been ending now! As it stands, our CRT testing system and schedule is slap in our professional faces and a cruel punishment inflicted upon our students.
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Our school is filthy!!
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Our principal is out, more than in. Life has been better because of it!
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Just heard the band guy from LCHS is leaving. Looks Nyeta ran off another wonderful teacher. It's time to look for new leadership at this high school!
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Will Nyeta be gone by the fall, before my son arrives on the LCHS campus?
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Nyeta and Joyce have gone no where, literally and figuratively. There are just those of us who wish they would go literally! Enough of their incompetence and damage to their respective positions and to the district in general!
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Jeff Harris is at least making an effort to improve the service provided by the IT Dept and address district wide IT needs. It's difficult to do when critical IT staff remain mired in discontent, funding is quite limited and District needs are overwhelming. How is it that he is expected to make necessary changes, not ruffle any delicate feathers and do it quickly with the utmost efficiency? Unreasonable expectations?
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Can someone please enlighten me? I'm trying to figure out what purpose Marcy Oxford fills in the district, and also Jeff Harris. Is Marcy Oxford someone that the district actually needs OR is she just Jeff Harris's ego booster? When were they given the title of "Most important employee in the district", granted it's a self appointed title! If that's the case, can all LCPS employees appoint themselves titles, and get the pay raise?
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Who monitors grants after they are awarded? Should it be the grant writer?
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Our problem is, we want to be treated like professionals, but the unprofessional actions of those around us keep public opinion of us negative. Every other profession monitors itself. Continuing education is an expectation of other professions, rather than just "something else they are trying to shove down my throat." I would never go to a physician, dentist or attorney with such an attitude, yet they must send their children to schools where the "professionals" aren't always professional after all.
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2007-04-26T21:06:00.000-06:00

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.

2007-04-25T19:36:00.000-06:00

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.

2007-04-24T06:32:00.000-06:00

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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2007-04-22T08:50:00.000-06:00

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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2007-04-21T13:36:00.000-06:00

"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.

2007-04-17T18:16:00.000-06:00

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.

2007-04-15T09:43:00.000-06:00

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)

2007-04-12T06:42:00.000-06:00

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!

2007-04-11T06:16:00.000-06:00

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.

2007-04-09T13:05:00.000-06:00

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.

2007-04-07T11:02:00.000-06:00

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!

2007-04-03T12:31:00.000-06:00

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!

2007-03-25T11:25:00.000-06:00

Well now... Spring Break, and the passionate bloggers are on vacation, too. Or, maybe it's the blog master who decided to take a much-needed break. In any case, we are hopeful that the commentary will again flow, when school is back in session. Many of the blogs have provided helpful advice for all who have a connection to the school system... teachers, parents, administrators, board, and others. At this point in time, we doubt that everything is ready to come into proper focus, for all of us... but hope that the mission, and the appropriate maps to get us there, will finally become apparent to all. Listen to the mature teachers, those with extended perspective, and try to benefit from their understandings of how things ought to be. Young teachers, with fresh ideas, can be a blessing, too... but remember, it's quite important for all education professionals in the same school system to have a common commitment to a universal curriculum, and that curriculum must be relevant to the needs of the children, practical, and described in terms that are readily understood by the education professionals who are expected to apply the curriculum. Gobble-de-gook has no place in curriculum.
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Leslie Cervantes' job a political payoff?! That is hysterical! Please get the information straight. She gave a get-to-know reception at her house with business people and legislators to meet Dr. Diaz well before Diaz made a mess of everything. Again, Ms. Cervantes, a well-known and well respected member of the business community, was helping to introduce our new supt to others. It wasn't her fault that Dr. Diaz was a tyrant. I asked Ms. Cervantes myself if she had to apply for the job and she said yes, plus, she wasn't the only one who was given an interview for the part time position by a committee of several people.
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There have been numerous mistakes, made in the name of progress, by the administration of LCPS, but hiring Leslie Cervantes goes against the grain of hiring individuals who aren't uniquely qualified. Having a person who is politically connected, personable and apparently has common sense is indeed a person who you wouldn't necessarily find in the upper echelon of LCPS. I applaud her efforts. She may have given a welcome party for Sonia Diaz. That only proves that she is friendly and supportive to newcomers. I find both qualities to be refreshing and charming. The collective view by the community of teachers, board members, and administration could use a little polish and a credibility boost by someone who possesses both. Let's leave Leslie Cervantes alone. She is one of the few individuals hired who doesn't have a valid administration license. This gives her a fresh and unique point of view of our schools and the need to promote the benefits to others without confusing them with the acronyms of "eduspeak". I wish her well in her endeavor.
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2007-03-18T22:06:00.000-06:00

I wasn't actually referring to 'Educational Systems Technology,' I was referring to New Mexico's continuous improvement initiative, which includes Baldridge (what is being done at Oñate) and various other programs being implemented.
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You really touched a nerve with the Leslie Cervantes comment. Everyone knows her job was a political payoff. It had nothing to do with with the business community. As I recall she gave a party for Sonia Diaz and was a vocal supporter of Diaz.

2007-03-17T12:08:00.000-06:00

I agree with the writer that we blame the victims. Where is the outrage at the board. When are we going to recall the board or will it take a law suit to get their attention, again. Unless we get rid of them we will face all this over and over. Come on people wake up and smell the vendetta's.
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Until now, we thought most principals were just an annoyance to our profession, a speed bump to our teaching. However, it seems that a new trend has emerged; uneducated and ignorant principals are truly dangerous to the life-blood of our schools!
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A smart leader surrounds himself/herself with smarter subordinates. That way, flaws and imperfections are not quite so glaring.
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Spring break is here! Maybe someone in administration will grow a brain this week. YEAH RIGHT!
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Where are the public disclosures regarding the high-profile, pending lawsuits against the LCPS District?
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Educational Systems Technology:To the person who criticizes the use of a 'business-oriented' systems technology, as a way of managing school curricula... You must be assuming that the 'system' would be (or is) too mechanical, cold, and impersonal. As for 'common sense', educational systems technology must be practical (common sense), and used in a manner that recognizes, and emphasizes, the talents and skills of all personnel who serve the children... teachers, support staff, aides, and administrators. It must be flexible, dynamic, and responsive to the needs of each, and every, individual child.When such a system is developed properly, it contains scope and sequence, objectives and strategies, for every element of the curriculum... and readily accessible data on the potential and progress of all students. The student records also include teachers' comments on strategies that are most successful for all students, as well as information on students' peer relationships, and recommendations for grouping of students. Teachers are expected to observe, and apply the scope and sequence in his/her area of the curriculum, but are not restrained from creative application of additional learning opportunities for students who are making satisfactory progress on required objectives.What a systematic curriculum should do, is provide coherent, clear focus on the needs of our children, and efficiency and accountability in the delivery of the right stuff, to the right kid, at the right time.
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Ms. Cervantes was the main person who made sure our district got capital outlay money from our legislators ... the district fired the do-nothing lobbyists who were paid a lot more than she is. I'm glad we saved money by not hiring the political lobbyists, and instead asked Ms. Cervantes to assume some lobbying duties at a fraction of the cost. Way to go!
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Good grief! For once our school system is realizing that we need to make amends with the business community and now we have someone, Leslie Cervantez, to help. But nooooo ... someone has to criticize her work. Which, by the way, I know she actually works nearly 40 hours a week, gets paid for 20 hours and receives no benefits like all other employees. Why does someone have to attack others who are trying to bring our school district into good favor with our community? I bet the ignorant person who wrote that comment has never had to write down his/her work schedule for all the world to see!

2007-03-15T18:32:00.000-06:00

Leslie Cervantes, relative of Joseph Cervantes (legislator) is being paid $25,000 for working 1/2 time to do - what? Here is her report of her activities for last week.

Leslie Cervantes: I met with County Commissioner Bill McCamley, John Hummer, Mr. Rounds, Terry Dean and Jo Galván to discuss the proposed spaceport tax and the possibility of LCPS receiving any of those funds. A similar meeting is scheduled with Commission Chairman Karen Pérez. I met with Wells Fargo Bank to discuss receiving funds on every new mortgage or refinance. I attended the MVEDA luncheon to introduce Mr. Rounds to the group. I began wrapping up the Sam’s Club membership drive. LCPS will receive $386,900 from SB 710 for various projects.

This pretty critical stuff. So what does she do with the other 15 hours of the 20 she works in a week?
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As to applying business systems models to our school, no amount of data gathering will mean anything if it doesn't have this little thing called COMMON SENSE following it. New Mexico's continuous improvement model, as well as what's happening at Oñate and throughout the state with hostile 'systems' takeovers, will make NO difference, because it's systems for the sake of systems, there is zero common sense, especially from the site coaches.These schools perpetually don't make AYP, it's because they're too caught up in doing all of these nit picking activities that irritate the teachers and mean nothing to the students. Common sense has left our schools, and in its place we have absolutely and utter b-s.
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If our Leveled Book Room went beyond Q we wouldn't have to buy or create curriculum. Some teachers at our newest school didn't get Math books till February. Can you spell irresponsible?
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I feel so much better now that I can observe students using "research based best practices" and determine student needs. I'll bet dollars to donuts that most of the jargon talkers who use the terminology research based best practices are the same yahoos who fill their conversations with acronyms and don't know exactly what their own conversations mean. But boy don't they sound smart! Meanwhile our parents, (the customers stupid!), are left wondering what we are teaching their children and they have less and less faith in us.
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Funny. The community was outraged when Jesse Gonzales left on his own account and took about $300,000 in severance packages. Then this new board got in power and since then, we have had to pay out close to a million dollars in buy-outs and potential lawsuit settlements. Where is the outrage? Why, it's with the victims! It's the victim's fault that money is being wasted. If the board hadn't interfered with the day to day running of the school district and fired people as part of their own petty little vendettas, then these lawsuits and buy-outs wouldn't be happening. Put the blame where it is deserved--on the backs of three of the incumbent members of the current board and the two who did not return!

2007-03-14T20:04:00.000-06:00

How do you spell relief? Retirement.
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I needed a purchase order the other day. But, it seems that I cannot find any establishment that would sell me some LOGIC to give to our administration.
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So Joyce is incapable of making logical decisions?
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A psychopath has taken over our school. Any suggestions?
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What do you think is the adopted curriculum? Why do you have to create materials? Does your school not have a book room to access books? If so, what school are you at? I thought all schools had a guided reading book room.
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Lot of talk about curriculum... may I share some futuristic interpretations (from thirty-five years ago) of what can be done, in regard to curriculum. Hearing no objections, I take that as a 'YES'. A highly-regarded professor of education, Dr. Don Ely (founder of ERIC Clearinghouse) shared his ideas in an advanced graduate institute in instructional technology. He believed that, since SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY was good for managing business, industry, military, and lots of other enterprises, we should consider using it to manage instruction. Following that experience, I had the opportunity to do just that, in a USOE federal project. However, in that adventure, we stretched the definition of curriculum, to... WHAT HAPPENS AT SCHOOL. Those of us who set up the program used the tools of systems technology, flow-charting, PERT diagramming, etc., and adapted the whole idea to address the needs of each, and every, kid in the school. With the gift of a $750,000 main-frame computer (anonymously donated... I think it was Ross Perot), we made the system work... wonderfully well. Well enough, that our classic research showed that the experimental group of kids made significantly more progress than those in the control group. We did not use computers for instruction, as there were no desktop computers at that time. Each teacher had access to a terminal, connected to the mainframe, and the scope and sequence, objectives and strategies were the core of the program. Complete details of each child's levels of ability, and progress, were up-to-date, almost to the minute... as teachers, or aides, entered data whenever a child succeeded in completing an academic or skills objective. The whole thing worked like clock-work, and, would you believe, introduced a concept that's quite foreign to public education... ACCOUNTABILITY!
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Will all of these lawsuits (Laws, Jenkins, Ogas,and Diaz) have any effect on our salaries for next year? Also, there is "talk" of extending the number of days on our contract. Unless they pay additional money for these days, doesn't it just "water down" what we are now making - so that we are actually paid less per hour?
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School sucks...
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Guided Reading is NOT a curriculum, it is researched best practices for teaching reading to students. By using any leveled reader (Scott Foresmann, Houghton Mifflin, Rigby, etc.) or even a leveled trade book. A good teacher can build on students' skills and strategies so each student becomes a more proficient reader. The "scope and sequence" is based on you observing student needs- don't be so lazy!
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Regarding the semester block negative impact on students--in the last CRT results, MHS passed 37 of 39 categories, OHS 32, and LCHS 19. There's a problem alright, but not with the semester block. The problem is with the way the tests are scored. That's why almost all large schools in the state of New Mexico are failing. It really doesn't matter what kind of schedule you have any more. If a school has special ed or ESL students, they will be failing, and it isn't necessarily the fault of the school or the kids. The test is wacked.
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2007-03-11T09:48:00.000-06:00

Can someone please show me where Guided Reading is a curriculum? It appears to be a method but not a specific curriculum with resources. Does our job description specify that we create material to support this administration's latest and greatest method? I thought I was hired to teach, not to create and publish curriculum. If Guided Reading is a published curriculum would the PDT's kindly give us the scope and sequence of this "research proven" method or kindly get out of our hair and let us teach the adopted curriculum.
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How should in-school personal affairs among-not between-staff be handled?
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YEA! Bonnie Votaw for board president! Does she have the power to spank Lonnie now? How about giving him a time-out? Maybe she can wash his mouth out with soap!
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Thanks for the info on the lunch prices. I thought only free and reduced lunches were subsidized. Knowing that even the kids who pay full price aren't really paying full price makes it easier to pay that extra dollar for my meal. Thanks again.
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When will MHS and OHS realize that their semester, block schedules are directly having an enormous NEGATIVE impact on students' learning and test scores?
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Poor Lonnie...can you spell RECALL?
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We need NEA more than ever these days!
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Principals and assistant principals should be required to take a standards and benchmarks exam that has been developed by their peers. I'm sure the results would show less than- not even close to being- proficient!
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I've been teaching for 8 years now, and I want to finish my administrative degree. But I'm turned off by my school's admin. intern. He's a real piece of work. What's a better way to get guidance and modeling at this level of my program?
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I'm not an administrator, but there are a few individuals that I choose to ignore in my building. Yes, I'm certain they feel the same way about me, and I'm ok with that!
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This blog should have a word limit! Blogger: I've thought about it. We are already a culture of sound bites. So, I hate to moderate a long post.
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I tried to forward a letter with my personal observations about Sonia Diaz to the reporter at the Baltimore Sun using her email link at the bottom of her article, but there was an internal server error. I don't want to send it by my home address, and I don't want to be quoted by her, so I will try again later. If I have to I will mail it to her. I think all of us should consider contacting her or the Baltimore school system, to inform the community there, as after reading the article I discovered that the Superintendent (who I remember hearing is also controversial there) is a friend of over ten years of Sonia, and that he basically attributes/whitewashes her firing here to us being a school system who has had "five superintendents in five years"--in other words, WE are the problem, not her. He even says she doesn't have a "top down management style"(Oh. My. God.). No mention was made of anything but employees being dissatisfied here--not the other stuff or her history of being "bought out" of her contracts in Connecticut or Florida before coming here. I just wish we could spare the people who will work for her some of our pain. I used to live in the DC area. Maryland has pretty good schools, but Baltimore is a mostly African-American community of poor, inner city families who need lots of support. Remember how she used to say racially and culturally insulting things to and about us ("Do I need to speak Spanish for you?")? What do you think she will do there? We all need to do SOMETHING, even if it goes nowhere, folks. It's a Karma thing.
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Those CRT test coordinators in your building get paid a stipend of $1000 for taking care of the test distribution etc..... They should be doing a great job!

2007-03-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

Real curriculum is defined as the ability to teach standards and benchmarks without the CRT dread of gloom hanging over every piece of our lesson plans. Young teachers don't have old pet projects; but they have discovered the constraints of the CRT.
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http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-md.co.diaz07mar07,0,3616316.story Check this story out.....They are crazy and truly mis-informed. If you have trouble reaching the story, search on Sonia Diaz on http://www.baltimoresun.com .
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I hope Sonia uses me as a reference!
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I miss seeing Jack around; he has great cooking stories.
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Hey...if it takes this blog for parents to visit our classrooms, then YEA! I look forward to their interactions with my students!
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CRT is not the LCPS' solution for an epidemic IEP...
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Thanks for the info on the lunch prices. I thought only free and reduced lunches were subsidized. Knowing that even the kids who pay full price aren't really paying full price makes it easier to pay that extra dollar for my meal. Thanks again.
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How dare Jack and Laws try to become the victims of what they state. Maybe Gibbs should conduct a further investigation and seek the real truth behind being "terminated without a cause" as they allege. The real victims are other people and not them!
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Thank goodness CRT is finally over. Maybe now we can get back to teaching and the students can get back into the learning mode. Whoever is in charge of scheduling CRT needs to seriously rethink their plan for next year. (BTW-thanks to all of you CRT coordinators for doing a job most others wouldn't want)
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Of course we can teach the real curriculum now that CRT is over. Have you ever read the CRT questions and compared them with benchmarks and standards? We spend the first half of the year teaching according to benchmarks, then spend most of the third nine weeks teaching to the CRT. For those naysayers, if the CRT is aligned with benchmarks and standards, why is there no Social Studies on there? Why are there only one or two Science questions that relate to the curriculum? CRT is just another way to get schools to jump through hoops in order to make AYP.
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Why do we make such a big deal out of CRT scores? At my school, we had a bunch of students miss CRT because of suspensions or ditching. A lot of those kids will score very well on the CRT, but most of them will not do anything to improve their school, their community, or themselves. When can we take the focus off some stupid test and put it back on teaching the kids who want to learn? And why do we have to spend so much time and effort trying to keep the kids who don't want to be in school around? This whole system is making me wonder if teaching is all it is cracked up to be...
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To the administrator who referred to the person making a comment about PDT's as an "idiot", I found that uncalled for and unprofessional for someone in your position. The fact that you mentioned that you could do without some people in your building was also uncalled for. Have you ever stopped to think that those same people you could without perhaps do without you? PDT's are only one person on your staff who do their job they don't make your school, they are not the end all be all to effective education. Effective teachers, natural teachers, (I am assuming these people that you could do without are teachers), and all other staff, auxiliary and ancillary are what make your school and keep you, the administrator, looking effective, whether they contribute alot or a little. I guess what I am trying to say is that if their are any administrators on this blog they should refrain from comments such as "people I could do without in my building." This comment I find unsettling because I value and think highly of all my staff members, for it is their building, not my building. Is it bliss? Heavens no! Not always, but in the end we all work to together for the children's educational sake, leaving the petty politics out of the focus of the student's education and productivity. Pettiness and politics is before 7:45 and after 4:00, discussed, dealt with by solution, if possible, and then we move on. If you can call a person who is making a personal opinion on a blog an "idiot", someone virtually unknown to you, it makes me wonder what do you call these "people that you could do without in your building" in the privacy of your own office and around others? If this is the way you feel about "these people" and complete strangers, who are just offering up an opinion then perhaps you should reconsider your role as an "educational leader administrator.", or you can take you role as an administrator seriously and speak to those people who you don't want in your school to resolve any issues that you may have with them. I do agree with you about PDT's, they are great. We would be would lost without ours, but you could have simply said this without the insulting sarcasm and mentioning the staff that you could do without, not cool. You should chose your words and comments a little more carefully considering that you are an "educational leader." Stop to think that perhaps there were some administrators that you worked under that could have done without you when you were a staff member. Makes me wonder what kind of an atmosphere do you have in your school. I apologize for the rant, but teachers have it difficult enough with having to wonder if they have to tread on eggshells. Remember, in the present climate of administration, here today, gone tomorrow. I for one take the good with the not so good, its part of being an educational professional, and makes school life, my family life, my life a lot easier. Your unthinkable comments, for me, overshadowed what you commented about. Which at this point I can't remember because your introduction about "idoits" and undesirables in "your building" mad more of an impression than what you were trying to communicate. Think about this.

2007-03-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

I was appalled to read that someone would teach the "REAL" curriculum after testing!? If Standard's Based Assessments are checking progress on the standards and benchmarks that ALL students (Poor, Rich, SPED, English Language Learners, ETC) are entitled to - what on earth are you planning to teach that is not standards based? You just have old pet projects and laminated lesson plans from your first year of teaching (that you've probably repeated every year since) that you're sore about not being in the standards- GET OVER IT!
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Testing stress levels seem lower in the classrooms this year.
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How dare the previous person request "Please don't cheer on Jerry and Jack." If a person is treated improperly, unethically, or illegally then they should have the protection of the courts. I bet the same person would have the hides of those awful boys who accused the Godly priests. Shame on you!
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Poor parents & community members who read this site! Most comments are so political/personal that they in no way reflect the quality of education throughout LCPS. This vile venting reads as a nonacademic epidemic; this is not true- visit the classrooms, talk to the teachers.

2007-03-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

School lunches are subsidized by the government for students. Adults pay the "un-subsidized" price. In other words, where one lunch per person at the high school will cost $2.60; the student will pay one price depending on their eligibility [free/reduced] and the govt. will pick up the rest of the $2.60. I hope this helps explain the difference in cost. As to how many jalapenos you can eat; if you want more than the allotted amount that goes with the lunch, you have the option of purchasing more. [I think the cost is 10 cents per extra serving]
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If you take the opportunity to see the claims made by Jerry Laws and Jack Jenkins you can easily determine that our district places great emphasis on Human Resources being a department where you put old administrators, principals, and friends of the district who don't know beans from buckshot about HR. Therefore, our district is getting sued. Ogaz will win, Jenkins will win and Laws will win. If you looked at the qualifications posted for the new Human Resources Director you would find that they needed to have a valid New Mexico administrators license. Wow , I'm sure that comes in handy when you're contemplating an important HR issue. For what they are paying the new Human Resources Director the district could hire a lawyer for that position. Then when our superintendent or our Board (Lonnie Briseno) decides to do something stupid because "this is New Mexico and we don't have to follow the federal codes here" the informed HR Director stops them. Imagine the Human Resources Director as a Director of Stop Loss and Stupidity Prevention. With the current mentality of hiring only those who have been burned out in administration or violated a moral code with a fellow worker we should consider a former Science teacher to manage our districts finances. They couldn't do a worse job than is already being done.
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Please don't cheer on Jerry and Jack. Every dime they take is a dime that should have been spent educating kids. We have emergency funds and they will be taking our emergency funds. What happens when we have a real emergency. Their greed is disgusting to me. If they ever did care about kids, they would take one penny from the kids. More greedy old timers who made plenty of money off the schools. Just like Ogas. They all make me sick! Blogger Comment: Actually the Insurance Authority through liability insurance pays claims of this type. It does not affect the budget except when insurance rates are established.
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The state does not come down and take over schools if we don't pass CRT. They come for a week and make you do extra paperwork, go year round, & do Baldridge. They become more of a pain than usual, but they don't have the manpower to take over schools or districts. They will eventually have to take over every school in the state. How are they going to do that? Give me a break. Have they taken over our High Schools yet? No, and they are all in deep due to CRT and graduation scores. NCLB is a joke! It is a threat of more paperwork, that is it.
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agree with the administrator who values their PDT! I do too!!!!! I know that my teachers are starting to turn in their professional development plans, and almost every one refers to our PDT helping them, coaching them, supporting them. They are invaluable to our schools. I think literacy will just fall to the wayside without them in the schools. I also am an administrator and I understand your frustration. Go easy on the words like idiot buddy. You're making us all look bad!

2007-03-06T05:44:00.000-07:00

Holy crap, someone actually hired "Our Lady of the Hell of Blowing all the Schools Money on My Royal Self". She got a job in Baltimore. Those poor, poor fools. Look at this article: http://www.bcps.org/news/display_release.asp?id=1436 I guess that's what happens when you don't do a background check and just look at her Haaaavard degrees. Kinda makes ivy league schools lose credibility.
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Would someone please help with the acronyms? We parents who are on the 'outside', need help in understanding what you're talking about. LCPS staff certainly aren't deliberately trying to confuse us, but a brief guide to your commonly used acronyms would be a big help. In other words, don't be like the bureaucrats who thrive on acronyms... and we know how much they want to keep us confused. How about spelling out: PDT, PLT, CRT, DRA, IRI, and any others that have been used... except ETC. Thanks
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About the issue on teaching sexual issues in the schools...Do we have a problem with teaching children self respect? Seems to me that there are too many negative people out there not believing that our kids can have self-control. What a concept! Yeah, that's the answer people...cover their ears, their eyes, cover something else with a condom and move them on with an STD!
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Instructional time at my school during February was a joke... Now that the CRT is done, what do we teach for the remainder of the year? The REAL curriculum???
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Regarding the CRT--yes, any parent can go to the central office and have their child(ren) withdraw from CRT. That withdrawal (test not taken) is counted as a failure to participate for the school. Participation is one of the measured elements of AYP. Many schools in Las Cruces are either close to failing or have failed due to lack of participation. Although the state cannot "shut us down" due to lack of participation/failed AYP, both the state and federal governments can withdraw funding from the district. By not having your child participate, you will eventually deny funding to the child's school. Remember, both CRT and AYP are evaluations of the effectiveness of the education our children are being given. Moreover, test taking skills are arguably an important part of that education, because they will be needed throughout a child's educational life (i.e. SAT, ACT, ASVAB, etc.).
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Just remember, the people who brought you the IRI disaster are the people who will bring the frustrations of the DRA. So please, direct your criticisms to the appropriate people.
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How can we ask our children to show class and character when we have administrators calling people idiots? I hope my children don't attend your school.
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Yes, parents can sign a form refusing to let their child take the CRT. However, the students that do not take the CRT adversely affect the AYP of the school. Even if we were able to convince every parent to sign the refusal form, all that would lead to would be an investigation of that school and the school being taken over because it didn't make AYP. This is unfortunate because we all know that CRT is a waste of time, shows absolutely nothing of what the students actually learn and benefits absolutely no one.
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Go for it Jack and Jerry and I hope the rest have to guts to file there law suits. The board is still pulling the shots.
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When I was going to school in the 60's and 70's in rural NY, my school took the Iowa Test Basic Skills several years (not sure if every year). As I recall, they may have been spaced over two days when I was under 5th grade, but we always manged to complete them in a day after that. The test was pretty accurate, to my knowledge, in seeing if we were on track. College testing like the ACT and the SAT seem to be able to capture a reasonable estimate of a student's abilities in 4 hours on a Saturday. Everyone keeps asking why does the CRT need so much time in the school week to accomplish? Isn't it because of the No Child Left Behind-Texas model being forced on every state? What we got when Bush got elected was the United States of Texas model of incompetence thrust into every government institution. I think that the state decisions regarding the CRT were made in that light, as well as many assuming our kids would do so poorly on standardized testing because of heavy cultural influences, some thought it would be more humane to use this testing format. It is obvious now, it isn't. However, blame GW Bush, because none of us, from parents to teachers and especially LCPS officials have anything to do with this useless waste of money called NCLB. Until our governments, our schools of education, our Boards of Ed. and administrators and our educators stop treating the education of our children like it's a political football, this kind of stuff will continue.

2007-03-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

To the idiot who wants to "Free The PDTs", speak for yourself only! I can't imagine where my school would be on the literacy guide without a PDT. I am an administrator in an elementary school. I could do without a few people in my building, but not my PDT. We are not done by a long shot either. Teachers have had no formal training for shared reading, so it really isn't being done still. We have told the teachers they will get trained on shared reading next year. We have a new assessment kit coming called the DRA to replace the IRI disaster. Teachers are going to seriously need help with this new DRA kit next year. I hear it is not something you just train once and expect people to know how to do. I do not think we can do all of this next year without a PDT. I am busy most of the day with discipline, managerial duties, and putting out fires. I need someone to have those conversations about teaching and learning, cause the good lord knows I do not have a chance to do it very often.
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I heard that parents have the right to sign a paper and refuse to have their child be subjected to the CRT? I don't think it matters to them in any way as far as college goes either. Colleges do not look at CRT score when choosing students. Does anyone know if this is true? If we could get this whole town to refuse to allow their students to be subjected to two weeks of wasted time on a test, then what would the state do? They can't shut us down. Why do we insist on being sheep and not being a voice for our children?
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LCPS is the 2nd largest district in the state. Why do we have a secretary going to Santa Fe to "lobby"? Lobbyists are registered. They work year round with legislators building relationships and keeping the needs of the client before the legislators. Hundreds of school employees journey to Santa Fe during the session to talk to legislators. Maybe Stan Rounds, who is a lobbyist, can straighten this place out. I am continually amazed at the ignorance and lack of sophistication in this district.

2007-03-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

I hope the new super takes a long, hard look in the direction of Safe and Drug Free Schools. There is definitely something wrong with the leadership. Thank goodness Mr. Peace was able to get a new supervisor. Maybe now he can get back to the secondary schools where he is truly needed and belongs.
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This is for whoever is in charge of CRT scheduling. I work at a middle school. Not one single student that I know of has ever been majorly stressed out because of the CRT. By extending testing through two weeks, three if you count the students who have to make it up late, all that has happened is two-three weeks of curriculum time lost. The students are still not stressed by the test, but they are asking why it takes so many days. To make matters worse, the students spend half the day testing, quietly with only one 15 minute break. Then these same students are expected to attend class and focus. Hard part about that is teachers can't teach or give homework or any real work during CRT. So the kids are completely bonkers. Not one single person, student or staff, that I have talked to likes the new way of taking the CRT. If we have to stretch it out so long, can we at least have half-days (at least for the students) so we don't turn into another babysitting service?
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Jack Jenkins and Jerry Laws filed their lawsuits this week. This should be interesting.
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To all 3-5th grade elementary teachers, students, and parents, I'd like to congratulate you on a tedious, time wasted, underappreciated job you've done this week with the CRT! We all know by now that these 2 weeks in February are the most wasted weeks on our calendars. To the teachers; thank you for teaching the students with learning and/or behavioral differences, test anxiety, those that come from homes where education is not valued, and all the others that this test does not show where their true strengths lie. This district is filled with incredible teachers. To you, my hat's off. These two weeks are the most painful for you, I know.To the students; This test goes against everything you know as being a child. Your understanding teacher makes sure you get up and get some type of activity at least every hour during normal circumstances. However, the energy you possess that we adults would so like to put into pill form sometimes, becomes your enemy this time of year. It is unnatural for kids your age to sit for hours upon hours doing nothing but pencil and paper tasks, yet that's what we ask of you. The adults in your life tell you to do your best, but especially you third graders to whom this test is brand new, I realize your best work is not what you produce on this limited space, but what I see everyday in class. I want you to know that I already know what you know and where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and so do your parents. Students, you all are troopers!!!!!To parents; To get a true picture of what your child knows, read with them, be an active participant in their daily lives, take an interest in their day at school, and keep in touch with their teachers. This test is primarily for administrators at the top who don't know your child, will probably never meet your child, and honestly, don't care about your child as an individual. Unfortunately, this test is the only way for them to know your kiddo. Sad huh?! Still even more unfortunate, is that the most authentic piece of assessment in this whole test, the writing portion, has not even been graded for the past 2 years. Parents, love on those kids, and understand the forced maturity that has been burdened on them this week.We all have an opinion on this testing situation. I just hope for the sake of everyone involved, that we remain positive especially in front of the kiddos. They hear everything we say.
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The other day, I read something about New Mexico's high school kids being at the bottom in math and science scores on standardized testing. I have to say it is NOT because the kids are dumber here, or have lazy parents. And teachers, for the most part, work their butts off and try to teach with the skills they have been trained in (with a few exceptions) It is the WAY these subjects are taught. Our kids do not get the chance to master basic, big picture concepts that build towards the higher ones--so they are continuously confused and often bail out of these courses when they have met the pathetically bare minimums for graduation. I went to high school back east (PA and VA) and took a full, four year college prep curriculum (through Physics and Pre-Calc) that was standard at the time for all high schoolers planning to go to college. No honors classes, no AP--just good old fashioned college prep. My HS math teachers were drill sarge ants--we went over and over and over all the basic important skills in algebra and geometry. I'm no genius, but I did score 550 on my math SAT's, which was pretty good at the time. How many of our kids here could do that? My son didn't, and he has an IQ of 145. As a parent of four kids who have gone through or are still in LCPS, I can say that our kids do NOT get anywhere near the same quality of instruction I got, and especially those who have the compressed schedules such as at Mayfield--they move way too fast through material, and do not make sure that kids get problem solving down. As a result, they may never feel anything but confused about math or science processes. One of my teenagers was in Algebra II for the second time at Las Cruces High, and the teacher merely showed up each day,gave a little lecture, wrote problem numbers on the board, and told them to use their books if they couldn't figure out how to do them. when my son asked for help, the teacher couldn't explain it, and seemed to feel it was my son's problem. Now, I know this guy was a worst case scenario, but I think that far too often, kids are lost and teachers have no idea how to break things down for them. if we don't take a look at HOW we teach these kids, and adopt successful techniques used in other states, we are always going to be a state with really smart kids who are undereducated and underprepared for the future.
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Frightening to think that one of our local teachers is "enlightened" by Del Hansen. I pray my child is not in your class. And this same teacher is annoyed by testing which is one way to determine how well his/her students are doing. Once again, another teacher who thinks that accountability measures have no relationship to what they "were hired to do."
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Still waiting to find out about the lunch prices and how many jalepenos I can eat.....

2007-02-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

Oh no.. three days since we've seen any new posts. Withdrawal symptoms are beginning... shortness of breath, rapid pulse, hallucinations, the shakes, pallor, and unbearable itching. Please Mr./Ms. Blog Author, help me... please, please, PLEASE!
Heaven forbid you don't get your fix!
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It's only Tuesday....I'm tired of CRT....I plan on being done with it by Wednesday. I have Juniors, most of them drive so they can go to lunch early. I just want to get back to a normal schedule so I can do what I was hired to do......teach!!! February is the worst month for teaching. I'm already a week behind from when I was a week behind. Oh yeah, I like Del Hansen's input....he enlightens me.
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The the 'wise' innovative older teacher,You trash on new teachers and then belittle us when we fight back? You're nothing more than a bully. But, you know, it's funny, all we have to do is bide our time until people like you are gone. The face of education needs to change, and it's the newer teachers who will change it, not the old blow hards like you. You act like you do all these great things, and treat it as if those of us new to the profession don't. I honestly don't know what you do in the classroom, but I know that you need to go, and soon you will, and I'll be first to wave goodbye, then the changes that need to be made can be made.
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Kudos to James Hammond for turning the SPAM filters back on! Thank you! It's such a shame that Jeff Harris makes such rash decisions without getting all the details, only to put things back the way they were. Wow... Seems like we've gone two steps forward and three steps back (at least) since Mr. Harris has been on board. Too bad Liz wasn't worthy of being titled Interim Superintendent, if she were, maybe we would not have had to go through this. Imagine the cost of man hours spent on deleting SPAM from our e-mail...
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Would it be possible to begin using this site as an opportunity to share best practices, tips for parents, or to share positive stories? I understand there are a lot of things that the school district (as a whole) isn't doing right with help of individuals. But, it would be nice to begin to see some positive introduced to begin breeding a new frame of mind, thinking, and culture. Think about it? An involved parent
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With regards to New Mexico ranking consistently last, all sorts of excuses can be and have been put forth. Here are some thoughts to consider. I wonder if any of these statements will fuel any debate?Highly paid administrators with grand ideals (and matching price tags) who are not held accountable for the failures of the programs they championed. These individuals either "fail up" or "take the show on the road". Across the board pay raises. Please consider, an employee staring at $30,000 after three years of 5% raises will be making $34,729, an employee starting at $90,000 will be making $104,186.The school board continues to pay superintendents ever increasing amounts (who then make sure their cronies are also well compensated). Yet, invariably, one hears that one reason for such lucrative packages is directly tied to the superintendent having local school boards micro-manage and meddle (no, we are not the only ones).Truisms -vs- true responsibility. Often the phrase "we are here for the kids" is thrown out when scrutiny or accountability become too much for an administrator. This tactic is often employed when an administrator is asked to be responsible for his or actions actions, to provide supporting evidence for his or her assertions, and/or to justify questionable spending.More money is not the solution but money spent well is a good place to start. There are many packaged programs that claim instructional success. If you strip many of these programs down to the root, you find more one-on-one instruction as well as earlier and more frequent intervention (i.e. smaller classes and more numerous quality staff, duh).In this time of transition (getting old, isn't it?), let us all hope that central office and the school board will try practicing what they preach and put THEIR egos aside for a change.
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To the 'seasoned veteran' who wants to point the finger at new teachers, you have no idea how wrong you are. It is ignorant to point the finger at those who have the courage to walk into this profession after what's been done to it over the past twenty years. Things won't get better by pointing fingers at the future, after all, they're not the ones that got us in this mess, but if we're going to get out, they're the ones who are going to do the dirty work. You need to either help them or get out of the way.
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I was amused to see that I made the blog this morning. I have noticed how personal attacks have slowly infiltrated this site, which is sad. I think this negative climate is just a barometer for the frustration our teachers and principals are experiencing. Just for the record, up until now, I have not contributed to the blog. I do appreciate the compliment about me being tiring and long-winded, however. Just goes to show that there is some truth being expressed amidst the attacks and hyperbole! Let's hope some healing can begin. Del Hansen
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There is no perfect school,teacher, or administrator.But what we do need to finish is cleaning up the board and get back to our kids. We can nitpick this whole thing to death and find something wrong with every school and teacher. I wonder what would happen if the teachers got together and decided to just teach and the heck with all the testing. I have helped in classrooms and seen the stress teachers are under for their kids to do well on tests. LET THEM TEACH! Get out of their way parents get involved, constructively.
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Hey! Don't blame Del Hansen for my long, critical posts. He's a nice guy... and for that matter, I'm a nice person, too. Also, please don't misinterpret my criticisms, I have much affection for poorly-trained young teachers, and for the kids they are supposed to be helping to learn. In fact, I really like most people in our school district, except perhaps, a few power-trip administrators. Getting back to particulars... a solid understanding of 'mechanics and conventions' is the foundation for good communication skills. Creativity, ideas, etc., are important, too, but not to preclude the learning of the mechanical skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Do you suppose that great, creative artists like Van Gogh, Picasso, and Dali made their mark in abstract painting... without knowing how to mix colors, and put them on canvas?
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You trash on new teachers and then belittle us when we fight back? You're nothing more than a bully. But, you know, it's funny, all we have to do is bide our time until people like you are gone. The face of education needs to change, and it's the newer teachers who will change it, not the old blow hards like you.
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2007-02-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

God bless Janann...soon it will be our turn! I have often wondered if anyone would come to my funeral... We will all miss Janaan. She touched many lives both in and out of the district.
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Stand Rounds has lasted a long time at each district he was at. Just watch him. Apparently he tried to sell property that was not his to sell in Alamogordo -extra land by the football stadium.There was a pretty big hoopla about it. No one is perfect. They just need to be monitored and not given an absolute reign with a throne and a crown while we go on sleeping. We must stay "proactive" as a district.
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I have been an LCPS employee for almost six years... Averaging one Superintendent/Interim Superintendent/Administrator In Charge (whatever title you want to give the person in the hot seat) per year (Virginia Foltz, Louis Martinez, Joann Patton, Sonia Diaz, Liz Marrufo, and now Stan Rounds). It is pretty discouraging to see such rapid turnover in such an important position that is key to the education of the youth.
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Only three more days and the Liz-ard is not in control of everything anymore. Mr. Rounds is bound to see her for what she is in no time. If not him, the permanent superintendent will in no time. Everyone knows when a new superintendent comes in, the biggest heads roll first.
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Here's a thought for you. Have you ever wondered why New Mexico is at the bottom of the educational food chain? We don't have huge cities, like Los Angeles or Detroit. We are not a tiny little village, either. However, there are constantly special news programs (20/20, 60 Minutes, etc.) that show how schools all around the country are able to pull themselves up and become 'flagship' schools. What makes them so special? Why are there some schools that have never had problems like the ones we face daily? Some might say it is money-true, good funding does help. Others might say we need to have more training or implement more programs in order to help our students achieve more. That, too, may help. However, I believe the first thing we need to do is be positive. We need to go to work every day knowing that we CAN make a difference. The students need to know that they CAN learn. We all need to work together, parents included, to bring back the pride in our schools that used to be here. We need to hold each other accountable for our actions, or lack thereof. We need to instill self discipline and self respect in ALL our students and staff. We need parents who are not afraid to say no to their children. We need teachers who will not give in out of fear, whether that fear is from an angry parent or a gang member student. We need to treat ALL of our students and staff with the same respect we want from them. We need to value each and every individual involved in the schools. Tell a teacher thanks, say "Good job" to a hard working student, hold the door open for the custodian, treat the secretaries and food service workers to a soda, offer to cover duty for an EA, send a simple card to an overworked fellow employee. Just do something to make it better. Just like in the movie, if we pay it forward, we can turn it around.
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Regarding the dispute over new teachers. I am an administrator who hires new teachers for my school. Don't belittle the new teachers. I don't believe it is their fault. Our public schools are the ones that need radical overhaul. It is all about money, not what is best for students and teachers. As you can see by investigating the legislative reports, our legislature is not going to support the schools. They want a champagne education on a cheap beer budget. The courts do not support the schools either. They send the "3.0" right back to school and actually pay the juvenile detention center NOT to incarcerate. Let's not even talk about the crazy parents who have no skills in parenting.In my opinion, the teacher preparation programs are sadly lacking. They are way too heavy on theory and the latest politically correct fads. The so called "expert" professors have spent very little time in the trenches or have forgotten what it is like. You would not believe some of the drivel they are teaching these young, impressionable would be teachers.The teacher preparation programs need a huge overhaul that includes professional demeanor, professional dress, and much more hands on experience in the classroom. They need to be taught research based curriculums that are already proven in the educational system. We need to welcome and mentor these people who have chosen to work in an honorable profession instead of criticizing them. Welcome to education...
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So many folks at LCPS with the interim tag right now. What a wrecking ball the last two superintendents were (at no doubt, the board's direction, that is clear now). But, we are where we are. I'm hoping this thing will take on a new momentum and some peace and quiet will ensue. I'm optimistic. I know so many good people that work at LCPS and they've been so disheartened I'm hoping that they can all once again enjoy the pursuit of happiness in a new professional environment.
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Mr. Jeff Harris is it? I just want to say 'Thank you'! I've never gotten so much SPAM in my mailbox as I do now. I don't even receive all of these great offers through the post office! At least at the post office I can throw away all the junk mail and it will never come back. As many times as I have deleted these messages I get even more! Not to mention, these great offers get worse and worse!! Once again, 'Thank you' Mr. Harris for blocking all these great e-mails (note the sarcasm)!!
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I wish Del Hansen would stop writing to this blog. He's long-winded, boring and frankly, he's annoying! Del, stick with the Michael Swickard radio show --- that's the best place for your sour interpretations of what's going on in our classrooms.
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Only three more days and the Liz-ard is not in control of everything anymore. Mr. Rounds is bound to see her for what she is in no time. If not him, the permanent superintendent will in no time. Everyone knows when a new superintendent comes in, the biggest heads roll first.
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Since the Board has given Mr. Rounds the title of Interim Superintendent, hopefully they will hand over the reigns to make decisions as well. Unlike they did with Liz.
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Perfect attendance for CRT; breakfast for CRT; getting proper sleep for CRT; being prepared for CRT; bringing supplies for CRT; no interruptions for CRT; snacks for CRT; assemblies for CRT; trying your best for CRT; modified schedules for CRT; incentives for CRT; support staff for CRT; more meetings for CRT; revamped and mundane curriculum for CRT; standards and benchmarks for CRT; threats for CRT; increased stress levels for CRT; mandates for CRT; making AYP for CRT = fear of doom and failure from CRT!
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I How can we get parents into our middle schools on a regular basis? They could come for their child's academic support, or they could receive a "refresher course" in certain subject areas. How could we approach employers to allow comp time, or leave time, for parents to stay or become involved in their child's educational experiences at the middle school level?
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I have been a true crt bitch this week!
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From the bitter, older teacher who can't handle innovation. Let's see... how did I get into that kind of shape? Yes, many years of service in public education, and the perspectives gained from experience tell me that our present-day kids are not receiving adequate, or appropriate, learning in our local schools. Certainly, teachers are over-burdened with essential (and non-essential) responsibilities... but that can't be an excuse for the district's failure to address the needs of all children in our schools. My wife and I have a total of eighteen children and grand-children who have attended LCPS. Those who attended here before 1995 had much better academic preparation than those who have attended Las Cruces schools after that date. Four of the children are currently enrolled in LCPS. Can't handle innovation... I wonder what would be the state of education now, if not for the passage of PL 94-142?... or, for the instrument we now call the IEP? Would it help to admit that I served on the first committee that determined that we must write the language for what became PL 94-142... or that the project I directed built the foundation for Special Ed, and my individualized study plan became what is now called the IEP? After spending many years in regular education, I realized that we must find a way to mandate the inclusion of handicapped, and special needs, children in our public schools... and that we must also find ways to assure precisely-managed, appropriate, accountable educational experiences for ALL children in our schools. To my vociferous critic... please ask yourself some important questions: Do I REALLY KNOW the kids in my class? Are they placed according to their performance levels in the subject(s) that I teach? What measurable, clearly-stated objective(s) should each student be working on, at this minute, in my class? If some kids need remedial help, do I find ways to provide that help? Do I challenge the very gifted, capable students? Do I treat my students as individuals, using what I've learned about each of them... to motivate them, reinforce their positive efforts, and help each of them to become interested, eager learners? If you have positive answers to these questions... Good For You!... you're probably on the right track.
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2007-02-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

This is to the person that has seen the light with Guided Reading. That is great that you Goggled guided reading on the Internet and found 2.5 million sites. Good for you, but out of those 2.5 million, how many are creditable? Can you identify what a creditable site looks like? Please do not assume that teaching professionals (especially the ones with experience) do not participate in teacher action research because we do. What our district is trying to implement is differentiated instruction and there is creditable scientific research to support it. The district is imposing a cookie-cutter approach to reading instruction, and their methods of implementation is what is concerning. FREE THE PDTs!
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Stan Rounds spent 10 years in Hobbs- 4years in Alamogordo - Hobbs hired him away from Alamo. A super superintendent John Stablein told me 10 years is pretty much as long as you can stay as a superintendent in one place -because you have told too many people NO in that length of time..Work with him help him with the support he will need.Now lets get over all that can be wrong and spend some time on all that is right with LCPS . We still have teachers who do a great job under all circumstances - we still have eager young minds that soak up all the information those teachers present . We have been and can be again the best district in New Mexico.Mary Tucker
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In response to the last, long comment on Wednesday's posts: You decry new teachers, saying that the college education and training they receive are inferior to that that of their predecessors some 25 years before. It's obvious that you're just floating this idea and have absolutely no firsthand knowledge or experience, and your ignorance shines through in this matter.New teachers are taught innovative practice, not just here in Las Cruces at NMSU, but all across the nation. A lot of the 'old' practices that are still around are still around for a reason, THEY WORK, the ones that have disappeared have done so for a reason, THEY DON'T. Our days are so jam packed with test preparation and we're spread so thin that we have to decide what we'll teach when it comes to written language (and this phenomenon isn't exactly new either, standardized testing has been around for a long time).Either we'll spend the whole time teaching mechanics and conventions, or we'll focus on ideas, structure, and how to build their writing appropriately. The district LWA rubric is a good tool, and if you look at it, it reflects what isn't only considered good writing now, but are the expectations that have been around for some time. You seem to think that the unmotivated student is a new phenomenon, did you actually go to public schools? The reason nothing has changed isn't because of the new teachers (that doesn't logically check out), it's because innovation has no place, these teachers are being forced into the status quo, and old, outdated practices are being clung to. I couldn't disagree with your comment more, it points the finger at those who are working to change this field for the better, it seems to come from a bitter older teacher who can't handle the innovation and it doesn't reflect the truth in any way.

2007-02-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

We need to give Stan Rounds a chance. He may not be the best out there, but he has been around the state and knows the players. We have two new Board members and an interim now. Maybe we can settle down and get back to the business of teaching kids.
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If my kids are required to do research on a paper they are turning in, shouldn't the school board do their research before choosing someone? If the earlier blogger was correct about Alamogordo and Hobbs, isn't the district moving backwards instead of forward? This school district is in shambles, I for one hope that the state takes notice and takes over SOON!!!
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It's truly sad, but this district is hopelessly in shambles right now. The board and those downtown have proven that they don't care what their employees or the citizens of Las Cruces think, central office has proven their incompetence in everything that they've done, and now we're facing candidates for superintendent that, if you google each one, aren't exactly top choices. Let's just say that I would welcome a state takeover at this point, how much longer can we work under such idiots?
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Central Office Job Security?Fix a problem with a simple solution, nobody notices.Exacerbate a problem, blame others, apply the same simple solution and become a miracle worker.
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Well, here we go again! The new board members are in a conspiracy with the old ones. They went along with hiring Mr. Rounds who is obviously in the pocket of Mr. Briseno. I say we start the recall of the new board members
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Wow, its almost sad how many people are on this site complaining. Grow some balls and do something instead of bitching over the internet
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Guided reading has changed me as a teacher for the better. I had no idea how much I didn't know about my students reading abilities until now. There are a few teachers in my school that are still complaining about having to do guided reading. They are the same people that HATE everything new, and just want to teach the same old lessons for 25 years. I honestly think some people are afraid that they don't know enough about reading to do guided reading. I hear you say that you have asked for research and have been denied it. Have you heard of the internet? How about the library? I googled guided reading just now and pulled up over 2.5 million sites. Our PLT always give us articles and things to read, so I don't know why you haven't gotten any. You really need to just jump in and try it. I think that is what the PLT meant by "fake it". I think they meant that you try it and do it until you get good enough at it to really be a reading teacher. I don't think anyone can honestly dispute it balanced literacy the best thing for students. It is more work for teachers, but it is necessary.
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The other evening, at a local store, I happened to meet, and visited for a long while, with an old friend who's worked for many years in this school system... in a non-professional position. He's a very intelligent older gentleman, quite personable, and continues his interest in the school district... and in its service to our young people. At one point in our conversation, he asked, "Why don't they teach the kids to read and write, anymore? Why, when I was in school, I had to learn about the parts of speech, and how to put sentences together. The kids, now-a-days, have no idea about those things, anymore."My friend also expressed concern about our younger generation. "These kids," he said, "have little knowledge, and no skills, to make good lives for themselves."In this school district, he's absolutely right. Maybe it would be good if the teachers would learn, and be able to teach, parts of speech, declension of the personal pronoun, conjugation of verbs, and a lot more good, necessary stuff about our language. But then, of course, at this time in U.S. history... we're not even sure if we have one language that we can all agree to use.So many children are lost in the system. They have no motivation to learn, and little success in acquiring essential skills.What has happened to basic, necessary skills in teaching... and in helping kids to learn? Have we forgotten that we must teach each child at a level at which he can learn? Why can't we motivate kids by creating pride in learning? A good teacher capitalizes on any bit of positive learning that a child achieves, and praises the child's effort and success... in order to build the kid's confidence and eagerness for learning.In order to gauge the success, or failure, of the educational process in this school system, all one needs to do is to observe the large percentage of reluctant, non-learners that populate our high schools in Las Cruces.Guided Reading? If it's 'Back to Basics', it's a great idea. If it's another Foolish Fad... forget it.We realize that many young ?teachers? haven't been taught the content and skills that are necessary to succeed at teaching. What's going on in our teacher preparation programs?School principals find a great opportunity to enhance their own security... by exploiting this field of uncertain, ineffective, insecure young teachers. "How," you may ask, "could ineffective, insecure teachers help a principal to build his/her own security?"Very simple, and widely practiced in this district. The principal builds a power base by giving lavish, but superficial, attention and a feeling of security to the least effective teachers. This disastrous process leaves the experienced, effective teachers far out on a very loose limb. Such a principal says to himself/herself, "Gotta get rid of those old so-and-so's... they may know more than I do."Have you noticed, in the past few years, the unusually large number of experienced, excellent teachers who have retired, or left our district? Now, you know why.

2007-02-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I see the interim candidates were announced today. Hard to believe the committee or whoever chose these three. I don't know two of them, but Stan Rounds took down the Alamogordo and Hobbs districts before retiring. He needs to stay retired and Las Cruces sure doesn't need another mistake such as this. Looks like someone needs to talk to the staff still left in those districts who can tell you the facts. After the mess with Diaz, I can't believe better reference checks are not being done.
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Does anyone know....1. Why were the names of the candidates for the Interim Superintendent position have been kept a secret?2. What the results of the opinion poll taken on the Options of when to hire the Interim Supt were? 3. When is something going to be done to stop Briseno from pursuing his lopsided personal agenda?
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I just read in the Sun-News this morning about the 3 candidates for interim super. I could not believe my eyes when I saw Stan Rounds name in there. I know school board members read this so they need to do a little more research on him. When he left Alamogordo, there was over $100,000 dollars in federal monies missing. The man is a crook. He sold off school land, again, the money was "lost". I know Hobbs wants to get rid of him so asking them may not be much help. I was glad to see that Phil Knight from Alamogordo wasn't in the top 3, he's just inept.
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Why would the Sped dept. even get an opportunity to interview Mr. Zamora’s wife? Isn’t there a screening committee that checks past employee’s personnel files? I think that would be enlightening in her case. Is this just more example of the good ole gal syndrome? Or simply what everyone pretty much knows… a director in the Sped dept. that lacks competence and ethics in equal amounts?
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Whomever keeps blasting Onate High School must be a disgruntled employee or someone who has never been inside our building. Since the departure of Aranda, the stress level has dropped, everyone is happier, and this leads to a great atmosphere of teaching and learning. Come to our school and and visit with faculty, staff, and students. It is once again a great place to work and learn.
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The reason people aren't more forthcoming, and the reason this blog exists is because when bad things are said about those in charge, they tend to lose their jobs. That's why whoever it was won't tell Sheryl White things to her face, we like our jobs, even though our central office is easily the worst I've ever encountered
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Kind of off topic, but can someone tell me why staff pay a dollar more for the same amount of food students get? Are we richer? We sure don't get any more food for that dollar! And what exactly is the limit on the number of jalapeno slices one can take? My child and I both got chewed out for taking too many, so if anyone knows the magic number, please let me know.

2007-02-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

I can not imagine what a mess guided reading would be right now had we not had a PDT to lead us. She has kept us going and saved us time by doing everything in her power to do
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When I ask my PDT for research she gives me more than I can possibly read. She has never asked us to "fake" anything either. She comes in and models lessons when we ask and doesn't "fake" them. I feel sorry for your school. Guided reading is making a huge difference for students at our school. It is all about the kids and NO ONE can dispute that guided reading is good for kids. How could it not be?
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Will someone please remind Jeff Harris that he is not the Superintendent or the Chief of Operations. Better yet, is he just the Superintendent's pet monkey?
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I am so glad that we hired a Technology Director that can solve "ALL" the district's problems. I have never received as much SPAM mail as I have recently, it seems to me that my kids can get more places on the Internet, and, oh yeah, even the kids that whose parent's didn't sign Acceptable Use Policy forms were able to surf as they please. I sure hope that MHS is happy with him because he sure does seem to be bending over backwards for them. I am sure glad that the morale of our IT department is at an all time high (hint the sarcasm).
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Guided reading has been an absolute train wreck, plain and simple. We're asked to have research to guide our instruction, but it's obvious that no research went into this switch. I quite honestly believe that all those who were involved in this situation should be made accountable to it. Everyone with a shred of education (which includes all TEACHERS) knows that miscues and running records are maintenance tasks for struggling readers. And now I'm hearing that they're already moving to make huge changes again next year. Our central office is totally and absolutely incompetent.
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OHS has problems but you may not want to generalize that ALL programs and classrooms at OHS are a mess. One elective department has steadily grown over the last 10 years from two teachers to six due to more and more students signing up for classes. They must be doing something right.
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Sheryl, Jennifer, and Betsy = three hard working ladies. There is always someone who wants to bring others down. How pathetic!
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"Since the arts programs are so successful, maybe we should transfer all the gay teachers into the content area classes." Whomever wrote this should be ashamed. I sure hope you aren't a teacher and shaping young minds with your narrow mind. I had not idea that you had to be gay to be in the arts program.
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Please expand on what materials you need for Guided Reading. Our school has made it the #1 priority and our resources are amazing. Our library if full of not only books for guided reading but professional literature for teachers to read. It sounds like a site problem to me. What do you need exactly and are you asking the right person?
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If you want to tell Sheryl White something, why don't you grow a set and tell her yourself.

2007-02-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

OHS is still a mess; just visit any program or classroom or walk the hallways...
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does it matter? the new person will be gone in less than 24 months.
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"Since the arts programs are so successful, maybe we should transfer all the gay teachers into the content area classes." The above is a ridiculous comment highlighting several blatant discriminatory stereotypes which should offend any educators reading this "blog."
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I heard trouble is brewing in the MSH band department. I know my daughter has had enough of the director, and his clear favoritism of the guys.
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Sheryl, Jennifer, and Betsy do not = Abraham, Martin, and John.
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The implementation of Guided Reading has been a major frustration all year. We simply do not have enough resources to implement this reading component like central office wants. As classroom teachers, we are trying and we will make it work, but we need more POSITIVE support from PDT's and PDC. I don't want to "Fake it till I make it". I want to do my job correctly. If teachers ask for the research that supports guided reading, then please provide it. Teachers ask for the research so that they can refine their practice, not to discredit the reading framework.
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r the admin. interns still around? maybe they could run the schools.

2007-02-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

Why is the current board rushing to install a new interim super two weeks before the new board members are sworn in? I know there was some sort of timetable laid out this fall, but can't we do something about it? The voters have spoken that they want NEW ways of doing things--what can we do to make sure some of their old mistakes are not repeated, and the baggage handed to the new board members to clean up?
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I hear things are looking up at Zia! That's great and is due in part to an experienced interview committee who selected Mr. Hendee for the position. Too bad the integrity of the interview process was not maintained when Ms. Aranda was selected by her long-time friend Liz Marrufo although the committee recommended another, actually several others -- anyone other!
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As for Joyce Aranda I believe she was fourth choice! There was a fifth. She is now referring to the high schools and the principals as "my" high schools and "my" principals. Get over yourself Ms. Aranda, the success of OHS defines your abilities.
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We should be so lucky as to have Sheryl White be our Superintendent. I know she has been asked to apply for the position and has always refused. Why is it that we attack people who work hard and go above and beyond? Try to remember that she is doing two jobs right now.
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Sheryl White has provided more focused instructional improvement for this district at the elementary level than anyone in years! Maybe she would have been a better choice than what we are currently dealing with.
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Sheryl White does NOT have to be reminded that she is not the superintendent. She knows it and prefers it that way. Do not blame Sheryl White for doing her job. She was placed in the position of having to make decisions by Liz Marrufo. This district is in such turmoil. We have to get involved and turn it around. I am a parent and I work at administration. I know what goes on.
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I just heard from a teacher in Alamogordo that Dr. Knight, the superintendent there has resigned. Word is he is looking to come to Las Cruces. Surely, this will not happen as the school system there has been unhappy with him for quite some time. We definitely don't need another reject from somewhere else!!!
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Who are the candidates for Interim? Gotta start googling...
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Has anyone noticed how well our district's Spam delivery device is working? I didn't used to get much Spam, now I get incredible advice on stock tips, my love life, and what medications to take. What a gift! I bet our new Information Services Director will be getting a raise and a new title soon. Where would all of us little people be without the expert guidance and careful attention to detail of those who have been given the gift of supervision and management of the Las Cruces Public Schools? We would probably be bogged down with all of the necessary textbooks to teach our classes, giving the CRT in April when we can teach all of the requirements, utilizing our planning time to work on units with our grade level instead of getting another keen new idea from our PDT that we need to implement right away without additional time, textbooks, or guidance. I'm so glad that the Peter Principle is alive and well in our administration or else we would probably be doing nothing more than our jobs and teaching the kids.
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Duh, Sheryl White is a great & loyal employee. I think she is doing a amazing job in spite of Liz and Joyce. Hang in there!
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Just keep reminding Sheryl White of the fact that she's not the super. She reads this blog, trust me, I know.
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Used to be that I could tell the different clicks at my high school. Now the jocks have become the gangsters, too, while the academic preps have decreased in numbers. Why is that?
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Sheryl White would actually be a great superintendent, or at least Supt for Instruction. She is among the few people in the instruction office downtown, with Jennifer Amis, who has a global picture. Good going Sheryl, Jennifer and Betsy Bennett. The rest? Let's hope that they'll learn from these others.
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Will the 2 new girls be able to hold their own against Lonnie, the condommander?
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Dennis Zamora is already destroying his department, don't let another Zamora create havoc. One is chaos, two is destruction.
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Since the arts programs are so successful, maybe we should transfer all the gay teachers into the content area classes.
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Sheryl White and her PLT cronies have been running the schools for the last few years.
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Could someone please tell Sheryl White she SHOULD be our superintendent! She would do a much better job than the one we got now or had in there!!!
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2007-02-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Discretion has certainly never been Mr. Zamora’s middle name, but how blatant to be bragging about how the sped director has arranged things so that Zamora's wife will soon be re-hired as a sped administrator. Can we afford one more Zamora in charge? Probably not a good idea considering the disciplinary action she was on when she resigned so quickly from LCPS several years ago.
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I can't say anything about those that didn't go out and vote. I did vote, and I'm happy with the results. I'm an employee of the district who is extremely unhappy with the board, and am glad others felt this same way. The good thing (and I use that word slightly tongue in cheek) about low voter turnout in any school related election is that the teachers alone can swing the vote. This is a perfect example of that, I'm willing to bet that the teachers alone ousted Dr. Wooden. In this case apathy worked out for the teachers of the LCPS, because we're the ones that have to work under these morons.
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Can someone please remind Sheryl White that she is not the superintendent.

2007-02-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yes the voters have spoken. A resounding apathetic yawn. Look at the raw numbers.

Blogger Comment: That is the unfortunate reality of School Board elections. Those who care, will and do vote. The rest? Well - no votar, no voce.

THE COMMUNITY HAS SPOKEN

2007-02-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

The victories are decisive. The voters sent a message to the Board of Education. There is light at the end of this long debacle and reign of terror.

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Regarding the appointment of Joyce Aranda...I heard that Al Ioerger was the first choice of the interviewing committee, and that Ms. Aranda was the last of all the candidates. Truth or no truth?

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

2007-02-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

Regarding Lonnie's recent vote on the district's sex education policy: this BUD"S for you... downright stupid!
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If the state-wide testing is so damn important, why do our students have so many interruptions to their classes this quarter?
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Lonnie is a boil upon our intellect!
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LCPS Bored of Education...the Super Bowl of Losers!
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LCPS would greatly benefit from hiring Mr. Herb Torres as interim superintendent. He has experience as a teacher, site administrator, central office administrator, and superintendent of Silver City Schools, as well as keeping current in public education while teaching at NMSU in the EMD department. I hope the mess our district has become doesn't scare him off!
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I heard from several sources its only a matter of several weeks before Dennis Zamora chalks up another victory by eliminating the last surviving mature member of his department. I am not a big fan of Mr. Peace(although my school misses him) but I am a fan of justice. Zamora has been carrying this grudge for nearly a year and spent a great deal of company time devoted to his obsession. Somebody needs to investigate his tactics other than his immediate supervisor. If I was his supervisor, I would have terminated his position a long time ago. Unfortunately for him, nobody wanted him as a teacher. He was constantly transferred around the system. Wake up Central Office!! He will eventually find another victim.
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2007-02-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

I heard from several sources its only a matter of several weeks before Dennis Zamora chalks up another victory by eliminating the last surviving mature member of his department. I am not a big fan of Mr. Peace(although my school misses him) but I am a fan of justice. Zamora has been carrying this grudge for nearly a year and spent a great deal of company time devoted to his obsession. Somebody needs to investigate his tactics other than his immediate supervisor. If I was his supervisor, I would have terminated his position a long time ago. Unfortunately for him, nobody wanted him as a teacher. He was constantly transferred around the system. Wake up Central Office!! He will eventually find another victim.
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LCPS would greatly benefit from hiring Mr. Herb Torres as interim superintendent. He has experience as a teacher, site administrator, central office administrator, and superintendent of Silver City Schools, as well as keeping current in public education while teaching at NMSU in the EMD department. I hope the mess our district has become doesn't scare him off!

2007-02-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

The word on the street is that Herb Torres will be the interim Superintendent due to his connection with Lonnie Briseno through the local catholic diocese.
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What's the current status on the Sonia-gate? The next step is arbitration. The last hearing was before the Board of Education, so it was foregone conclusion that they would uphold their own decision to terminate her. An independent arbitrator will now try to settle the issue.
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What does it take to survive, as a teacher in LCPS? First of all, when interviewing for a teaching job here, don't reveal all of your talents. Confess competency in teaching, but don't overwhelm your potential principal with your confidence. Appear to be a dutiful person who will do as the principal says, and be devoted to the administrator who may be kind enough to provide you some security in your job. So you get the job... now what do you do? Never let on that you have a brain that works without inspiration provided by your principal. Be pleasant to your fellow teachers, but don't rock the boat. If you're worrying about the kids who are functioning many grade levels below their age and placement, don't communicate those feelings to anyone else. Don't try to get by with using advanced teaching techniques, to bring your students up to grade level... and don't try to discuss such things with other teachers, or administrative staff. You'll be labeled a trouble-maker, and the enemy of everyone. If you happen to notice another teacher whose students are learning, and seem to be happy about it, concoct some criticism of that person and communicate it to your principal. The principal will be proud of you for giving the information to him/her, and will likely reward you by elevating your feeling of security in your position. Be sure that, at grading time, you give good grades to all of your students. Do not expect to have discipline in your classrooom. Make the experience livable, for students and teacher... by entertaining the students with movies, treats, and unrestricted social communication. If you have any ambition to become an administrator, don't reveal that to anyone. Get your administrative credentials at a remote university, preferably in some foreign country, and keep that information out of your resume. If you have had experience as an administrator, don't apply for a teaching job in LCPS. Above all, your principal hates the prospect of competition.

2007-02-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

For Lonnie's plan to work, all homes and schools would need to remove all televisions, radios, and computers...anything of technology. For abstinence to work effectively, all children must be devoid of any outside influences. The parents and the church will provide all the education that every child will need to make intelligent and informed decisions about their bodies and overall health. What power! Wasn't this the basis for some former and/or current war?
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Maybe Lonnie would prefer kids to learn about sex like I did...looking at my brother's Playboy magazines with my cousin and a friend and smoking a cigarette, while hiding out in the basement of our youth center. But, he does have something about parents properly teaching their children numerous important life lessons like: how to roll a joint; how to score some weed; how to smoke a pipe; how to effectively use crack; how to elude the cops, how to self-medicate; how to call in sick to the job-if they have one; how to physically, sexually, and emotionally abuse spouses and children. Yep...that's mighty-good, old-fashioned, religious values! Good thinking, Lonnie!
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Real-Life Game Score: Trojans: 1 Lonnie: 0

BOARD ELECTION

2007-01-31T06:11:00.000-07:00

Do not forget about the Board election. Next Tuesday is the day.

Let me point out that when Larry Garcia was appointed to the Board, he was proposed and supported by Lonnie Briseno and followed Lonnie Briseno's lead in every issue. If you don't remember the history, you are doomed to repeat it. Bonnie Votaw is a smart, independent, no-nonsense candidate who knows that athletics are an integral part of a well-rounded curriculum. Garcia plays the athletics card, but has very little else to say.

In the Wooden, Phillips, Morgan race - it is critical that Wooden be ousted. The fact that there are two candidates opposing Wooden makes this dangerous. A split vote between Phillips and Morgan could give it to Wooden. Board elections usually have very small turnouts. Urge your neighbors to get out and vote.

2007-01-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

The trouble with the administrators that are here, don't know how to take care of their own staff. They prefer to 'involve' themselves with other departments and projects that have NOTHING to do with their own. They make promises to "make things work better", yet the equipment, and people are still the same. "Things" haven't gotten any faster or any better, but let's put more money into it maybe the all-magical fairy will fix it!
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The Board of Education has successfully wiped out any history and experience in the top administration. They have installed naive, inexperienced people who have no idea that they don't know what they need to know.

2007-01-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Truth is rarely pure and never simple." - Oscar Wilde How long did it take to arrive at the current low levels of efficiency, lack of cohesiveness and general malaise at LCPS? Does anyone else consider that it is unreasonable to expect Liz Marrufo, Bob Telles and Terry Dean to jump in and cure what ails LCPS while working with the SAME LEADERSHIP TEAM and the SAME SCHOOL BOARD that created the mess we're in all before the Interim Superintendent is even interviewed? Truthfully, there is a leadership void at LCPS and it will take strong, permanent leadership with the support of a school board that does not micromanage, interfere or exert undue influence because of their position to BEGIN to change that. There is no simple solution. Blogger Comment: True. The Board of Ed has placed these people in positions for which they were unprepared and without experience. Then the Board directs/micromanages every move they make.

2007-01-29T06:03:00.000-07:00

How many leaders of the Las Cruces Public Schools does it take to screw in a light bulb? It's a trick question, WE HAVE NO LEADERS.
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My children are preschoolers. Will this LCPS mess be cleaned up before I register them for Kinder?
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Why do educators want to reinvent the wheel?
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Zamora Inc. (Safe and Drug Free Schools) has two young female "gang specialists" who don't have a clue about about gangs. drugs, or what is really going on in our middle schools. Zamora is throwing programs at us and they do not work; in fact, the problem has gotten worst. My daughter knows more about gangs that these specialists and she's in the 7th grade. I was hesitant before but now I believe we need to bring back Mr. Peace. Let him stabilize the problem. We can definitely use him in my middle school.
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My nephew is a band student at MHS. He has told us more than once that a few male staff members have tried to be overly friendly. School and district officials don't seem too concerned. After all, the China trip is almost here. Now what should we do?

2007-01-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

How many central office administrators went to Santa Fe at district expense to party and schmooze with legislators? What did that cost taxpayers?
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I am getting real irritated with central office administrators who make a decision one day, then change that decision a few months later not realizing how much damage was caused because of the decision. This makes some peoples jobs a lot harder than they should be! Maybe a little more thought needs to be put into these unnecessary decisions in the first place. Blogger Comment: There is no leadership. That is the plain and simple truth.
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Well, there is one central office administrator that comes to mind that reacts to circumstances (and I'm not just talking about the weather either... Remember the shooting near Sierra?- That was the most comical) rather than responding to them. It sure is funny to watch him run around frantically as if he were going to save the day while everyone else just stares...
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no matter who we hire for supe etc. if we don't deal with drugs and gangs and make all our schools safe for the kids that want to learn NOTHING will matter. It is time for my kids and yours to be able to go to school in a safe environment. We need to take back our schools. If kids disrupt and cause trouble take them out of that school put them SOME PLACE. Yes, we all deserve an education but why take away from the kids that want to learn. Let the parents of disruptive kids deal with them.
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When it starts cooling off in the afternoon the weather will change. Bus drivers deliver some kids later than most why take a chance on our most precious commodity.
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2007-01-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

The problem with the high schools is simple; it's the high school teachers and counselors!
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Just a comment-- there is another candidate running in District 5 who is equally competent-- his name is David Morgan. David is willing to take on the challenges of the school board and the difficulties that will come with inheriting the seat. He would also appreciate campaign contributions and support!! Read all about him at http://morganfordistrict5.blogspot.com or Google David Morgan & District 5!!
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While the weather may be a non-issue, decision making is front and center. The crisis management style of managing creates one after another. Our leaders are hired to respond to circumstances, not react to them. Long range planning and those who possess this ability will prevent these mistakes in the future.
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Sounds like a lot of bitter parents who again didn't want to be responsible for their children have to take a stab at "Lizzie" for making a smart decision to send the kids home. Did she put a damper in your schedule? Or did you have to be a responsible parent so that ticked you off? By the way, only someone that knows Liz well would call her "Lizzie". She must be in some pain with all the backstabbing going on!
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With CRT looming over our shoulders, instructional time means everything to us!
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2007-01-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

Blogger Comment: We need to focus on the upcoming Board of Ed election. We have excellent candidates for both seats in Bonnie Votaw and Connie Phillips. Even if you do not live in the candidate's districts , please, please do what you can to support these candidates. Make a contribution ( no matter how small), volunteer to help with mailings or neighborhood walks, talk to your friends who live in the districts - all will make a difference. This election is the watershed. Is the community serious about its displeasure with the current Board of Ed? Then get busy and make a difference.
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For those who profess to have read and understood Good to Great here are some key points as summarized in the Wall Street Journal: a) Five classes of productive people; at the top are self-effacing bosses... (as opposed to self-righteous or self-aggrandizing) b) Companies fare best when they focus on that which they are uniquely adept. c) Smart companies become very good at one thing in a world full of dilettantes. d)Poorly run companies constantly change their focus, loudly announcing new initiatives that amount to nothing. Regardless of how or by whom the book was introduced to the district, the concepts are sound and need be applied to programs, departments, committees and central administration as a whole.
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Oh my God, I can't believe the cynicism in the string of posts about the "mistakes" LCPS made with the weather. There was no harm done, we don't get weather like this very often so we really don't know what to expect except what the National Weather Service tells us. After ABQ was so lackadaisical about their big snowstorm last month, all public entities were put on alert that they better be safe, not sorry--so LCPS did what they had to do! I really feel so many of issues posted here over the past few months have been really important and needed airing, but bitching about the minutiae isn't very productive. Hate to say it but the weather is a non issue--typical teacher's lounge-style, negative gossip and gripes that mean about as much as complaining about finding a candy wrapper on the floor again. MOVE ALONG! BIG PICTURE, FOLKS!!!
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I read that Diaz will be seeking independent arbitration after the board upheld her firing. This basically comes down to her wanting money, and nothing else. What scares me is that she'll just find another city of saps to go after next. I intend on following her online and if I find that she is a front runner in a job anywhere, to contact that district and let them know how much of a crook this lady is. We need to make sure that her incompetence stops here with us.
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And the winner is...
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I haven't visited this blog in a while, and now I remember why. Taking potshots at those working hard on behalf of kids; it's disappointing. My street and entire neighborhood was full of cars slipping and sliding through black ice. Not EVERYONE lives in the city and unless someone had magical powers, there was no way to know for sure whether the weather was going to get worse. We couldn't make it into LC and I was glad to hear that the schools would dismiss early. Thanks bus driver for getting my son home safely. To those who whine all the time on this blog, for goodness sakes! stop it! These people are doing the best they can. What is so terribly wrong with having to dismiss early one time in how many years?

2007-01-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen we got rid of Sonia but now we can sit back and enjoy the rest of the show. Seems like we are living through a season of Dumb and Dumber. Momma always said, "Be careful what you wish for." Sonia might have been Dumb but we got Dumber by committee. All of those creative quick thinkers downtown cancel school when the sun is shining and send kids home to empty houses. Way to go, administration! You did TO the kids exactly what we try to prevent! Our only hope, at this point, is the crack decision making skills of our administration will be nationally recognized and they will be offered jobs with FEMA.
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It has been hilarious to see the blind leading the blind at central office lately. Liz, Bob, Terry, Larry and Jeff all posturing to be the "one in the know". Meeting and using their "vast" wealth of experience in making a decision to have school or not, to dismiss early or not. It would be comical if it weren't so sad.
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Watching the actions of the district these last few days (in response to the 'snow') has convinced me that the Las Cruces Public School District is functioning either without leadership or with incompetent leadership. Liz Marrufo has shown her true colors, as someone who has no clue what she is doing. They cancelled school today, and as I look out my window, I see clouds. OH NO, CLOUDS, RUN!!! Somebody please step up to lead our district before these people downtown do something stupid (oh wait, they already did).
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Our middle school has had a zero tolerance policy for as long as I have been there.(15 years) When a student shows up at school with a knife he was automatically long-termed. Just recently a student was let back in school when our acting super overrode the long-term hearing. What kind of message did this send to all the other students? My advice: Elementary principals don't have a clue about middle and high schools or how to run them. Help!!!
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Another weather-related faux pas...early dismissal! Does this remind anyone of the "crying wolf" tale?
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We need direction, and we are not getting it from central office. Let the State take over.

2007-01-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

Since the announcement for an Interim Superintendent is posted on the LCPS website, I assume that the board went through with Sonia's dismissal? Blogger Comment: The "Chief of Staff" failed to get the notice of public meeting in the newspaper so the Board had to delay its public decision until today. Most expect they will uphold the original move to fire her. That opens the door for her to then sue the district. At least her salary will stop now.

Did anyone know that there was a survey on the LCPS website where the public had a chance to vote on how the Interim Supt. selection process would be timed? There were 3 choices. It was no surprise that the option selected has the current Board making the selection. One of the other options would delay that decision until after the new Board Members (that is plural) are seated. That option was not selected. What a surprise.
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This district is in serious trouble. We have Liz Marrufo, Terry Dean and Bob Telles in charge. None of these has any experience in handling issues in a district this size. I see things being done and approved that are potentially disastrous and sometimes idiotic. NO one has any idea where they are on their budgets. We can't tell what our salary expenses will be. Telles is clueless about maintenance, food service and HR. And Liz, she can't make a move without Lonnie Briseno's approval.
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The terror weather alert issued by the LCPS was, in my opinion, overkill! The kids are just back to school from the winter break, and they had just missed Monday for MLK day. Students didn't need another day off; kids needed to be in school! To read Lizzie's statement that parents have the right to keep their children home from school-even after the weather proved to be just a rainy day- seemed to go against the grain of teaching students that their responsibility to their job is to try and make to school...always; just like employees should do at their places of employment. I give high props to parents who chose to do the right thing...to send their children to school...and to the kids who, independently, made the decision to attend their classes! Good job!!

2007-01-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

The most important quality for service on the school board is passion for education - the belief in education to affect the future for the individual, for the community and for the country. Good School Boards have students as their focus. Not just lip service but a true commitment to serving the needs of the future. Individual agendas that do nor meet the criteria of serving all students are inappropriate for any person serving on any public board. Art is as important a part of the Fine Arts as music. Please don't use it to pass judgement on Ms Hosies' concern for music. Be patient I'm sure you will be pleased. Mary Tucker
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In the 1960's, I was taught sex education in Junior High School (What it should be called now, but that's another argument). Back then the subject was a huge controversy. My parents were very conservative religious people, and had deep reservations about allowing the schools to teach this subject. They consented and were open for discussion of the things we learned at school. But you know what? The classes were handled with care, boys and girls were separated, and after many nervous giggles concerning human sexuality, I learned the basic facts of life and the consequences of "free" sex. Knowledge is power, and I used that knowledge to stay out of trouble. It must have worked. We have to be honest here. We have the most media savvy, well informed, most technology proficient students the world has ever seen, but...THEY ARE STILL KIDS AND NEED TO BE SUPERVISED AND GUIDED CONSTANTLY! Parents need to SUPERVISE and COMMUNICATE with their kids because: They are inundated with sex from almost ALL media. The social norms have changed....from "you better not" to "If it feels good Do It" It is not Rocket Science. If kids know you're always watching, there is less of a chance of something stupid happening. Believe me, with all the information out there, getting pregnant as a teenager is S-T-U-P-I-D. We know they are going to experiment...We know there are going to be extreme moments of temptation. I do not condone those types of action. But the alternative is unacceptable. Leaving the issue in the "Hands of God" is ludicrous. God gave us (most of us) common sense. He gave us a brain and free will to use. USE IT. The schools can dispassionately dispense sex ed as part of the health or science curriculum. That in concert with parent guidance is the key. Whoops....there's a Problem: How many of the students we deal with live with both their parents? Just one more justification for the schools to teach students what they need to know. Are the schools perfect? Right....but who is going to help correct this huge pregnancy problem? Opponents of sex ed in the schools are right in a way. In a perfect world, the PARENT should be the FIRST line of communication. There are many good parents out there that do a good job, but they are becoming fewer and fewer. It's a sad comment on our society that the majority of what SHOULD be taught at home is dumped on the schools. You know...things like manners, honesty, respect, a work ethic, that and education is important...etc. Unfortunately, the responsibility has fallen upon the schools to communicate with kids on a multitude of subjects. How many times have you administrators heard..."YOU do something with him/her...I can't?" In my opinion, there are "cultures" in this community that have failed miserably in this area. They need to step up to the plate and deal with changing the "culture" of segments of the community to one of enlightenment instead of ignoring common sense and sticking their heads in the sand.
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At last, people are taking notice about Safe and Drug Free Schools. The new Napoleon spends most of his time investigating his employees and issuing letters of reprimand in order to cover his own stupidity and memory lapses. From what I have been hearing, the last of the Mohicans, Mr. Peace, may be leaving the district soon. We can not afford to lose him. The kids will dearly miss him and so will the teachers who look forward to his classroom seminars. Voice your opinions, maybe someone will pay attention and send Napoleon back into exile.
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I see Sonia wore her new Russian hat...does it help her seem more intelligent?

2007-01-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

Don't forget the forum tonight at 6:30 at Branigan Library. This is your opportunity to hear what the school board candidates have to say.

Also, Diaz has her hearing tomorrow and the Board will make its final decision on her status afterward in an open meeting. Too bad she didn't choose to make it an open meeting. I think everyone would be interested in what both sides have to say. It is unfortunate that the most important discussions occur behind closed doors.

2007-01-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

I find it interesting that Lonnie Briseno who fanatically supports certain Catholic doctrine such as no use of birth control, can ignore the other teachings of the Church and Jesus. He has no compassion or love for mankind. He is deceitful, disdainful of those who don't hold his same opinions, and hateful. If he is an example of the Church, I understand why so many young people are leaving the Church. They see the hypocrisy of the lives of the Church leaders.
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I am not Catholic. But, even if I was, I would be offended to believe that Lonnie would be allowed to think and make decisions for me and my family.
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Lonnie, do you really believe that such an important topic, like sex, should only be discussed in the home? Even if kids independently read advanced novels and study physics, the schools' curriculum can add different and important perspectives, to every student! After all, raging hormones know no boundaries, just like bad, killer germs.
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My old high school home ec teacher was let go because she mentioned using the birth control pill in class. Seems like we haven't progressed very far during these past few decades.
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Since the district is so bent on teaching kids through the use of computers, let's just hook them up to the x-rated sites and let them learn "the facts" from there.
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I stand firm with my statement: Hosie knows nothing about music, and our district music programs will suffer greatly as a result!!!

2007-01-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

THE ARTS ARE IN GOOD HANDS. I do believe the comments concerning the middle school and high school music programs are out of line. 1. The term incompetent is hardly appropriate when the new coordinator has been on the job less than 6 weeks. (I can assure you that Bonnie Hosie has all the tools to succeed in this position. She is hard working, possesses great communicative skills, is an experienced arts teacher with background in visual arts and theatre. 2. Bonnie Hosie will be a great spokesperson for the arts. She has a firm grasp on the importance of learning in and through the arts across the entire curriculum. 3. What will happen to our music programs? Really great music teachers will continue to provide rigorous meaningful instruction in the arts by providing quality music programs that challenge the students, inspire learning and mastery of skills while teaching the lifelong love of music. All this while enjoying the administrative support that Ms. Hosie will provide. Good grief, give her a chance!!! 4. Bonnie Hosie enjoys the trust and support of the Principals of LCPS as well as the Central office administration and the school board. She will represent music and the arts to the community and school board with the same passion that I did for many years. 5. Bonnie is well respected statewide for her quality teaching, skill in curriculum development and program design and has served on many statewide arts committees. Bonnie was instrumental in the development of the LCPS Elementary Arts program and has served this arts community in an exemplary manner. I support Bonnie Hosie and have been working with her to help facilitate a smooth transition while she learns the many facets of the job.
John R. Schutz Retired- Coordinator for Visual and Performing Arts. LCPS
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After reading today's article in the Sun-News I get the distinct impression that Lonnie Briseno is imposing his Catholic religious views against contraception use on the rest of us. Regardless of whether there are a lot of Catholics in the community, he has no right to decide my child or anyone else's should remain ignorant on these issues of human sexuality and biology as a "default". At what point is he going to insist we start teaching creationsim is a valid scientific theory, too? Having worked with girls this age who became pregnant, I saw a lot of ignorance and dangerous risk-taking, whether the information was available at the health department or not. They don't go down and get it, and they don't talk to their parents about it but they would listen when we brought the information to THEM. Besides, what is he protecting kids from--has he not stayed up past 12am and seen the "Girls Gone Wild" advertisements? You think the kids are not learning something from that? What an idiot. I guess he has just gone completely off the deep end and become a stark, raving, megalomanic with delusions of grandeur.
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This is not the dark ages, Lonnie. As an educational entity, it is our responsibility to educate our children in all areas of the life cycle...not just the areas that you want to pick and choose for our kids.
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You know, Lonnie of all people should know.....kids in the back seat cause accidents and accidents in the backseat cause kids....geeez
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With regard to the sex ed in the schools...I think every student should be required to take the class. Most of the students that need it would not take it unless they had to. Most of the responsible parents would probably understand why their child had to take it and if it prevents one, out of the fifty-three per month, birth to a teenaged mother, it would be well worth it. I think we as a society should step in and do the job of irresponsible parents wherever we can. It is pretty sad when you can see a teen mother with her baby and the baby's grandmother and greatgrandmother all under the age of 55. And if you don't think it happens, go to Wal-Mart any night of the week and you will see it.
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I agree with the comment regarding the state taking over the district. Although it may not be possible at this point, someone should put a stop to the Lonnie, Liz and Joyce show. Where are the other board members in all of this? Surely they should reign in Briseno!
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I absolutely refuse to let Lonnie make moral decisions for me and my family. His views DO NOT represent mine, nor the better half of this community. He can take his barefoot, pregnant, and still a teenager attitude and go to another country.
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Why are you so afraid Lonnie? Too many sexual skeletons in your closet? This is 2007; not only is it necessary for the public schools to provide sex education, it is also our civic duty. Even though this curriculum is not tested by CRT, the real test will be when we see our students grow into responsible and viable adults!
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Ah, the Safe and Drug Free person---a man with little integrity and marginal abilities! Since he took over, I haven't seen anything he has implemented that worked. He is also apparently hard to work for as his employees are dropping like flies. These are people who have proven records with the community and the district. He applied for lots of jobs with the district and finally got one. Oh, for the good old days of Rosalee and Eric! They had programs that really worked and addressed the needs of our at-risk students! They worked with agencies, students and parents and supported the schools with intervention programs! The current person has also taken a certain dislike to a former school administrator whom he told he "would get" for issues involving his own child and guess what, he got him! There is alot to this person that reeks of unprofessionalism and personal agendas. Anyone working with him, beware!
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Here is the answer to your question: Marvin Allen retired this year but willing to come back if asked and under new leadership. Barry Peace is being "forced" to work in the Elementary Schools. The Safe and Drug Free Director hired two young social workers to work in the middle/high schools. One of these social workers just graduated with her BSW. Supposedly,according to a good source, will be trained as the new gang/drug expert. What a joke on the school system. Barry Peace has over 20 years experience in the fields of gang/drug prevention and intervention along with multiple licenses. I work at Onate and everyone wants him back but we keep hitting a brick wall. Guess who the wall is?? Everyone knows why this Coordinator was released from the LCPD....someone should pay closer attention to whom they hire in positions of power. God save us from our stupidity.
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Lonnie has a new fundraiser idea for his program and the LCPS: chastity belts!
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Here's an idea: First, someone distract Lonnie...tell him it's snowing. Then, pass the sex ed curriculum for the LCPS. Next, obtain funding to provide a surplus of condoms and birth control pills to have available to students who request them. Finally, just tell Lonnie that these items are balloons for science experiments and daily vitamins for the free lunch program kids.
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Yeh, Rosalie and Joyce, what a combination of incompetent idiots that would be, but we can watch the hair do's. Rosalie at MHS is one big mistake that we can give credit to Ogas for, the one mistake.
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I agree with the person who wants Rosalie back.....and bring back Eric Lopez....those two did a great job with safe schools and long term suspension hearings
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Lonnie has everything he needs for controversy: gang and drug intervention programs are a joke; opposition to sex ed; keeping his hand in the mix of personnel issues in the district. What's his hidden agenda? More monies for his program? More foster kids to fatten his personal income?
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2007-01-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

If Mr. Briseno wants a sex education policy that reflects community values then my community value says let's close the free day care for teenage mother's at the local high schools. The old saying, "Accidents cause poeple" is true but we shouldn't have to pay for their irresponsible behavior.
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Lonnie Briseno has a warped view for someone who works with troubled teens. He seems to be promoting more troubled teens having babies. Oh, wait! Maybe that's it. He is just making sure his programs have lots of future clients.
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Let's organize another protest...down with central office! We're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it any more!!
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What's going to happen to the middle and high school music departments, now that John Schutz's job has been filled by an incompetent and inexperienced art person?
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Where did Dorothy Anderson go? Why? How can Joyce live with herself, knowing her career has been based on sucking-up the ladder. Blogger comment: Dorothy Anderson went to work in HR at NMSU. Her involvement with both of the prior Supts probably had a bearing on her decision and made her future at LCPS less than rosy.
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I hear ya. Safe and Drug Free Schools isn't helping my Middle School at all. Lets bring back Rosalee Gallegos; at least she listened to our needs and gave us the help we wanted. Whatever happened to the old war horses-Marvin and Barry? The current director is a farce. Who hired this clown anyway?
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Amen to the person that posted regarding the condition of Safe and Drug Free Schools! It makes me wonder if all the ladies he has to work with know why he was let go from LCPD. I am sure there is someone else out there that can run this program better than he is!
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Hate to say this, Y'all, but maybe its time to place a call into the State to request a takeover...
Blogger comment: Unfortunately, the state has to have proof of fiscal mismanagement or some egregious action or abuse by the Board of Education. This Board, especially Briseno, has violated the state law with its involvement in hiring. But no one has the guts to go public with the secret machinations for fear of retaliation.

Wednesday Evening

2007-01-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

The comment from the reader who worked in the non-profit is thoughtful and respectful. However, in the public schools of New Mexico, it is illegal for either a single Board member or for the Board as a body to have ANYTHING to do with personnel. The single exception is that the Board is responsible for the hiring and evaluation of the superintendent. Board members have absolutely no authority as individuals, only as a group. When one member exerts the influence that many think Mr. Briseno is responsible for (and I happen to agree), he is exceeding his statutory authority. The other four members have a responsibility to rein him in, and if they are not doing so, they also are guilty of violation of the authority delegated to them by law.
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What is up with Leonel Briseno and the proposed sex ed policy? I have never heard a dumber thing in my life. The schools are full of pregnant teenagers and children who have borne children--how could it possibly be inappropriate to present our youth with sex education? Anything that might possibly cut down on the number of births to teen mothers should certainly be pursued, even if that means starting serious education about birth control in fifth grade and passing out free condoms.
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San Andres HS is such a farce. Look at the administrators and trainees. Do they have a clue? Let's lock the doors from the outside-with Lonnie and Sharon joining in the fun-and wait to see who emerges as the survivor. Perhaps a new TV sequel: The LCPS Survival of the Dumbest!
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Why should doing the right thing be so painful? Sharon Wooden needs to stay home with her frog or turtle collection. Lonnie needs to enter his own gang prevention clinic!
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I'm ready with my noise maker...I'm all beaned-up and ready to fly into the next outrageously idiotic decision that will be fronted from central office. You may not want to stand behind me; so, instead, stand beside me and let's take on punk Lonnie together!
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2007-01-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

As a former high level-employee of a large non-profit, I can attest to to the inappropriateness and destructiveness of a Board Member entering into the running of day to day affairs of an organization, as Mr. Briseno is apparently doing. It nearly shut down the agency I worked for, and blemished its reputation in the community for years, not to mention the damage to employee morale and productivity it created. Unfortunately, you will find that it is probably not illegal if it is only done for a short time to stabilize a crisis (at least it isn't for non-profits anyway), but it does generally spell the ugly demise of that group of Board members who allow it, as well as the upper echelon of employees who work with the member closely. Boards are often tempted in times of organizational turmoil to break the rules and become administrators, but only those who have poor leadership abilities, bad judgement or who themselves are frustrated wanna-be's who aren't qualified to run organization under normal circumstances would try to do it. IT NEVER WORKS!!! There are always unintended and pretty much irreparable consequences for the boards and their syncophants. Based on what is being reported in this blog, I promise everyone, if you thought that getting rid of Sonia Diaz was all the "cleansing" that would need happen to LCPS, it is obvious that there is much, much more work to be done. This school system has some of the best and brightest teachers and leaders in the country who should be calling the shots. But unless we all wrench the steering wheel out of their hands, a tiny minority of complete idiots will define everything the good guys and the rest of us do with our kids. Speak out, folks--make a BIG NOISE!!!
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I've known Liz for nearly all of her career in education, and believe that she is a competent, caring, pleasant professional. However, reading these blogs, and taking into consideration the turmoil that exists in this district... I think she may be facing insurmountable odds in trying to straighten out this mess.So, could we identify anyone else who might be willing to serve as interim Soup... someone who has proven his/her competence and devotion to our district? Two excellent administrators come to mind, both of whom I have known for many years and are eminently qualified. How about trying to get Charles White to return to his former postion with the district... and talk Don Noe into taking the superintendency for a year, or two. Central Office would become a 'tight ship', and only highly-qualified subordinate administrators would be employed.By the way, is it true that Dorothy Anderson has left the district? If so... too, too bad. She has been one of the few good, solid professionals in that snake pit... during the past three years.A simple, sensible piece of advice from an old administrator... when a school principal is failing in his/her position, fire (or demote) the person. Don't, for heaven's sake, promote them into a position at Central Office.
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I've heard people talking about the interview process for the San Andres principal. Staff was involved in that process, as well as students from what I have been told. Is this true and how did their input play into the decision that was made?
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So, in the end, will any of this blog-fussing make any difference at all in the lives of us teachers, students, and parents? Our homeboy, Lonnie, has spun totally out of control, yet no one is trying to stop his momentum. Lizzie Borden has taken her ax to the district's integrity in true "follow the leader" fashion. After she gives it her hundred wacks, who will she give one hundred one?
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Picacho Middle School is in a total mess. I wonder when the Liz and Lonnie show will try an extreme school makeover for our sorry campus.
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My Lonnie lies over the ocean;
My Lonnie lies over the sea;
My Lonnie lies over the desert;
Why won't he ever try representing me?
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Sharon Wooden is a disgrace to all her former graduate students who listened diligently to her words and believed in her wisdom. I am ashamed to have known her!
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The citizens of Las Cruces have a big chore on their hands in the search for a new superintendent. I read this column and all I see is the "wah-wah-wah" of so many "wise" people. With all these opinionated people, I'm surprised many of them haven't stepped forward to apply for the position or better yet, run for the school board. Oh, wait, that would mean you would have to replace words with actions- something that most of you probably can't do! Quit making the acting superintendent your new scapegoat in all of this drama. As an outsider looking in, there seems to be much jealousy amongst many of you. In my opinion, you are not working for the children as many claim to be doing! What person in their right mind would even think about relocating to Las Cruces to become the superintendent? The first step to success is to quit making everything so personal and look at the big picture! You can't expect the superintendent to bow to every individual's personal agenda! I'll send a box of Kleenex your way!
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Has anyone been paying attention to the condition of Safe and Drug Free Schools under the leadership of the current Coordinator? There is only one knowledgeable and professional person left in that department and he's assigned to the Elementary Schools instead of the Secondary Schools where he is needed the most. From my understanding, this employee is currently being "run off" as three former employees last year. Maybe the upper crust of administration (or the Board) need to take another look at this "Coordinator" and his ability to maintain and secure a working relationship with the schools he is suppose to service. Hopefully, this Coordinator will be replaced by some competent professional who is more capable of fulfilling the needs of the schools and the employees who deliver these services.

2007-01-09T06:15:00.000-07:00

If you have served on an interview committee in the past few months you have seen what is going on in the district. Interview Committees are formed, interviews conducted and selections made. Then the Supt or now, the Administrator in Charge, appoints whoever Lonnie Briseno has selected for the position. Some appointments are payoff's for cooperation and support in other areas. If you are thinking of applying for a position at LCPS, think again. Don't waste your time and energy. You may be the best qualified for the job, but your relationships with the current power brokers is all that really matters. If you haven't played their game, you are will not be selected.
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Joyce has only been promoted to the next level of incompetence....her first promotion was when she became middle school principal, then her next one was to a high school. What's after this one. Can she be promoted to a more incompetent level than this one.....oh wait, she could theoretically be promoted to super which would put her at the most incompetent position she could possibly obtain. Great job there Lizzy
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Liz Marrufo has no credibility left after hiring Joyce Aranda. It was a done deal for a very long time. She makes decisions and does not even have the professional courtesy or knowledge to involve and inform those whom the decisions most effect. Let's hurry and get an interim in place. Too much more damage and LCPS is all the way down the tube.
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The whole situation is pathetic! Check out the LCPS website and go to departments. Until a day or two ago, all of the top players were listed as "interim". Of course now, the embattled Joyce Aranda's picture is there and she is the only "permanent" person. That web page says it all! How can anyone viewing that page NOT see that the district is in real trouble! Its embarrassing and totally senseless! As to Lonnie getting into the everyday running of the district, that is illegal. The board is NOT supposed to get into the hiring and firing of anyone except the superintendent. Of course, now he has an "administrator in charge" who will do his every bidding and all with board approval as they chose Liz. As to Onate, who is minding the store there? How can Aranda go to sleep at night knowing she abandoned a sinking ship she claimed to love? She is responsible for its rating and rather than fix the problem, she jumps ship and lands a job no one on the committee felt she could handle either! As to Joyce packing up her office prior to interviews, why did Liz even bother? She should have just appointed her and that would have been seen as more honorable than the way it has been handled.
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let me say this about that,,any business these days, be it small or large ...will need a HR specialist..so why is the school district trying to run their BIG SHOW with elementary school teachers " YA GOTTA KNOW THE LAW"
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Look and re-read what this B-log has become. Those who left the system - did so before the smell permeated them as well. Where are they all now? What goes around comes around.
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I am confused regarding a blogger's comment about PLT's (which I think they meant PDT's). In my school the PDT does not do work to promote CRT curriculum and NCLB, but to help teachers help students learn to be proficient readers! Can anyone argue with that? I want the students that will take care of us in the future to be literate. Maybe you don't have a good PDT like we do or you would have a whole new opinion of their work!
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Back to Work

2007-01-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

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

2006-12-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

How dare Liz Marrufo do just what the school board did? They asked for community input and then hired Diaz when nobody wanted her. Marrufo asks for a committee's recommendation on the Director of Secondary Education and hires someone who did not make the cut. What's the difference in the actions of these two arrogant school administrators? What kind of professional can Joyce Aranda be when she claims to be an advocate for students and teachers, then turns around and bails out of a failing school? How much more irresponsible can she be? I feel sorry for LCPS secondary schools.
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All parties interested in making certain that the new superintendent process is handled carefully and appropriately should make certain that they view the options posted at Heath Haussamen's blog: http://haussamen.blogspot.com/All three options seem to preclude interaction by new board members and the oversight committee's seem to be stacked in favor of the status quo therefore giving the interim superintendent an unfair advantage. We have made far too many hasty decisions that have created residual damage that will reach far into the future. While our out-of-town selections have been poor I'm not convinced that our interim selection isn't also flawed. I still believe the Public Education Department should take over the day-to-day activities for at least a year. Our district leadership still hasn't proved that it has the good sense to make informed decisions. The teachers have and will continue to do their jobs of educating the children. I am tired of the district leadership acting more like the children we teach than the example they should be setting.
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The good ole' girl club has been alive and well in LCPS for a long time. Take a look:
Virginia Foltz hires Joann Patton
Patricia Miller hires Marcy Oxford
Joann Patton hires Virginia Foltz
Beverly Hine hires Ellen Williams
Janaan Diemer hires Lynn Bryant
Sheryl White hires Terry Hurt
And for how many of these good ole' girl hirings were the positions even posted? Get the real picture here?
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My mother used to say, "Be careful what you wish for." The popular sentiment in the district was to remove Sonia Diaz. Well, now that our wish has been granted look what we've ended up with! She also said "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't." Santa won't you bring us some sanity!
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It's really sad to see people taking out their frustrations on teachers, when it's the central office people who have bogged down this district, stolen its money, and robbed the children of Las Cruces of the money that should go to give them a valuable education. The district would be in even worse shape if it wasn't for those teachers who break their backs and care deeply about the children.I'm absolutely disgusted by the central administration of the Las Cruces Public Schools. These people are selfish, self-serving, bureaucrats, who care about nothing more than their titles and raises. As an employee of the LCPS, it's hard to go to work everyday and keep it out of my mind, the fact that the people downtown, my bosses, are the most incompetent people I've ever known. The only reason they're glad that Dr. Death (Diaz) was let go is so they can get back to the business of razing the district their own way.
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I grew up during this same time frame; I even have horror stories of public school experiences. Yet, I didn't evolve into the vindictive parent that seems to be lurking out there, because of my past. Instead, I have chosen to embrace the schools; after all, they are our future! Teachers need our support now, more than ever. They should be honored and revered for their tireless work and dedication to our children.

2006-12-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

Three candidate names were submitted for consideration to be Director of Secondary Instruction. Joyce Aranda was not one of them....
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Watching the LCPS Board of Education televised meetings reminds me of watching the old black and white comedy shows in the 50's and 60's. Slap-stick at its finest!
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Poor, disillusioned, Ms. ja... and friend, they actually believe that she can impact this district with anything other than the probationary status she has worked so hard, 7:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m. daily, to achieve at OHS -- oh my!
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Let's vote while the board continues to sleep! One for Ms. administrator in charge, two for the road, three to get ready' let's guess who she re-opened the HR position for? How many EEOC complaints will this one acquire! Aren't we proud, or so ashamed.
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Oh great, now we have Joyce to join the Fema-Nazi Liz...Hold on to your jobs boys...it's going to be a bumpy ride
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Plus a change, plus se la mem chose...(It's French) (Blogger Comment: Plus c'est la meme chose, plus ça change) Joyce Aranda? Why should you be surprised by anything that happens at central office? The year we were told there was no money available for printer supplies, tech money was spent for central office staff to take graduate level courses at the university. Result: fancy titles, fancy offices and fancy salaries at central office while we use activity money so students can print their work. I guess that is what they mean by "it's for the kids".
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I would like to ask the indignant teacher (taunting the parent who feels like he can't trust his children's teachers or principals to appropriately discipline his children) to get off your high horse, have a little empathy and consider that he may have a history of traumatic experiences in his own education to which he is responding. Growing up in the 70's, my sweetheart of a younger brother had, due to a birth injury, severe school anxiety and learning disorders. Back then we had few of the Special Ed services we do now, and no medications or therapies for his issues, which would be an option now. While the majority of teachers/administrators over the years had a lot of compassion for him, and were genuinely caring and helpful, enough were not, and they have permanently scarred him for life. He was occasionally abused by a few morons who lacked understanding of or skills to deal with his problems. They thought he was being "spoiled" by my parents (who were struggling with early special ed programs that were failing to address his needs), or was just faking. His second grade teacher locked him in the class supply closet because he didn't finish an assignment on time, refused to let him out even though he cried and begged her, and he ended up wetting his pants. His sixth grade teacher sent him to the office for bringing shotgun shells he had found on the playground to class and looking at them while they were supposed to be doing work. To teach him a lesson, the principal had his friend, the local town cop, come in and pretend to arrest my 10 year-old brother, a kid who was distracted, dyslexic, and immature, but never a trouble maker or violent child--he had merely annoyed his teacher that day. During the "arrest", he was handcuffed, read his rights and was told that they would not be able to call our parents before taking him to jail. As a result, he experienced a full-blown panic attack that resulted in the school nurse being called in. My parents, when they learned of the event, threatened to sue the school, and the Superintendent forced the principal to apologize to my brother and my parents. My brother is 40 years old now and has made a great life for himself, but still has very traumatic associations with school that I dare say would lead to him being overly protective of his children if they were unfairly disciplined by school personnel. His experiences sensitized me to children's issues, and were part of why I entered first education, then counseling as a profession. The point of my story is this: don't assume that the parent who cares about justice for his child doesn't demand they behave well, or is protecting their child from natural consequences by advocating for their child. Yes, the teachers and administrators most of us know do a terrific job, and would never knowingly wrongly discipline a child. But there ARE those, and we all know them, that should never have entered the profession in the first place, and they deserve NONE of us covering for them. Ever.
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My middle school is focused on learning. Though overcrowded (1100+), our student-centered educational focus never changes. Administration is overworked, but supportive (of teachers and students) and academically driven. My team and my content PLC are invaluable! We care about the students as learners and as people. I'm sure that the other middle schools have similar teams who could say the same thing! All this middle school doom & gloom is misinformation that many readers may assume to be true of all schools, all grade levels and all teachers- it is not.

2006-12-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

So, I just heard that Joyce Aranda from Onate was just sent packing into the black hole of central office. What's up with that? Will Nyeta Haines from Cruces be next? One can only hope...
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Joyce Aranda as Director of Secondary Ed? What a joke. At least she is out of Onate.
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The Good Ol' girl system mentioned last month is alive and well! What's up with selecting a committee's last choice for an important position?
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I'm watching the Board meeting, and find it absolutely outrageous that these people, who ignored all advice in the selection of the last superintendent, are spending a ridiculous amount of time on the selection of an interim supt. They are 100% responsible for the horrible state of affairs in which this community and its schools are now embroiled. They should all be removed, and the sooner the better. Every minute of delay is costing the district time, progress, and money. The employees, students, and community deserve much better. A year ago at this time, LCPS was on the verge of being the flagship district of the state; now it is the laughing stock. It is time to stop complaining, determine a constant focus, replace the Board, and get on with the business of education. My suggestion is to reinstate Joann Patton as interim superintendent -- if she will have anything to do with LCPS after the way in which she was treated. She certainly fits the qualifications the Board is bandying about, and we made good progress in a pleasant work environment while she was with us.
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In disciplining middle-schoolers: Teachers should say, "Mom and Dad, I've got your back!" Parents should say, "Teacher Bob, we've got your back, too!" The question at hand: Who has the infamous back-scratcher? Can't we all just get along? Nah...fussing is much more fun!
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Concerning the screaming teacher scenario: You should report the crazed educator to the principal, providing the principal is more sane than the out-of-control teacher. Or, you could start a monetary donation for a mass school-wide prescription of anti-depressants. Finally, if that fails, then I agree; teachers behaving badly just need to go!
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Noisy parent: Tutorial sessions are free. Please stop by, soon and often! Bring the little wife.
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I'll say it again...I truly hope that I have your child in my classroom! With the distracting noise that you position up front, I'll be especially diligent in watching and listening to the things that your child does not want me to know about you. Perhaps, if the situation warrants, the PD will be able to check out your parenting credentials; your smoke screen vendetta is just one of the warnings signals that teachers are trained to detect as signs of an abusive parent.

Filing Day

2006-12-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

Today is filing day for School Board Candidates. We have a viable candidate for each race in Votaw and Phillips. It will be interesting to see who else comes out.
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Best is to do PREVENTION. See: www.ClassroomManagementOnline.com
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Today, as a Reading First school, we were told we could choose between the new reading series Houghton-Mifflin and the old one Scott-Foresman. A choice - now???How much money did they waste on this fiasco? Research will always prove that smaller class size is better - why didn't we just reduce class size with the funds available or buy textbooks that classes did not have? What Dr. Diaz did was a deliberate and negligent criminal act - she did it only for a "power trip" and now the money is gone. Please don't tell us there is not enough money for books now - there was- and somebody screwed up big time!
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This is for the parents who have written in complaining about the audacity of school staff even thinking of disciplining their children...get over yourself. I am a parent and I work for the schools. I discipline my children the same way I would want them to be disciplined at school. I refuse to allow my kids to feel that 'mommy and daddy' will take care of all their problems. I expect them to uphold the rules of the school and district. If they break the rules, they will have to pay the consequence. Believe it or not, there are a lot of other parents who feel the same way. Our children will grow up to be strong, independent, and responsible members of society, not because they had parents who threatened anyone who made them feel bad, but because they had parents who let them learn life lessons when the consequence was small. Are you going to demand that your son or daughter be given the job they want just because you say so? Are you going to file a lawsuit against their future boss for reprimanding them or firing them when they are late or fail to do their job properly? Basically, are you ever going to let your kids grow up or are they going to be 40 years old, living with mommy and daddy, not working but still being treated like the world revolves around them? I pity your children for the failure you are setting them up for.
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From a watchful and vocal parent. I don't worry about my kids getting out of hand being that they all are honor roll students and have never been in trouble so therefore are as normal as can be but the fact of the matter is that "some LCPS teachers" are far from being trustworthy IMO and therefore I have every right to be watchful of "any teacher" that is instructing my child. If you feel offended because I have stated this I really don't care and maybe you are one of those with "something to hide". The truth is some teachers feel the need to yell at students or ridicule them and I for one will not allow that because over the years my kids have had their share of loudmouth teachers and teachers that liked to ridicule or single out students as well as take domestic problems/stress to the classroom. My kids are well informed as to what teachers can and can't do with/to them and realize that they have to follow the rules at school as well and have every right to ask questions if unsure about them. If anyone thinks that there are not teachers that are prejudiced need to "wake up" to the real world. After seeing that LCPS has had it's share of sexual offenders in it's ranks in years past the trust that was once there has now vanished. To the teacher that has honed their skills during their decades of teaching. Good for you, but it still does not mean that you are not a wolf in sheeps clothing or what goes on behind your classroom door. It is due to teachers like you (Mr. or Mrs. "I will not call you first) that I shall keep on being a watchful and vocal parent as any responsible parent would(being retired military I have all the time in the world) so take your offer of a "modified tutorial session" and put it in your pocket to put it nicely. It's not about fighting my children's battles, it's about protecting their rights and you are darn skippy I will call the PD should any LCPS staff "cross the line" in their treatment of my children should I think it is questionable enough to warrant an investigation. It's good to know that my children have teachers that are understanding of my view and who they are to call should the need arise and that their will be consequences for failure to do so. I am just making sure that my children's rights are not trampled on by any LCPS employee or treated in a questionable manner which is my right. In other words leave the disciplining of my children to me and just "do your job and teach" and I will continue to being a watchful volunteer and vocal parent and not leave "anything to chance". IMO the LCPS system needs an overhaul and a superintendent that weed out the bad apples/teachers and parents need to be in the classroom with their kid's more to see what is going on. I value my kids far too much than to let anyone in the LCPS system treat them in a questionable manner or trample on their rights so I don't feel I am wrong in that aspect or as far as discipline is concerned and besides LCPS staff has a long way before it regains my trust again if ever. Until next year! Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays whatever toots your horn.
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I agree with what I read on the link posted earlier. Yes, the majority of students are good kids who are eager to learn. We need to refocus our attention on them and put the students who don't want to learn in an alternate school environment. My daughter and her friends were approached by one of our principals during breakfast-he thanked them for being good and not causing problems. As a mom, and as a staff member at that school, I appreciated that comment. (No he did not know she was my daughter until I mentioned it later) It made those kids feel good that someone noticed them for doing what they were supposed to do. Unfortunately, that happens all too rarely. I try to thank students who are doing their job, but all too often I have to spend hours monitoring, redirecting, and documenting behaviors of students who don't want to be at school. I am so tired of having to tell the same group of kids over and over to do their work, get out supplies, stop touching others, quit cussing, etc. I spend most of my day doing that because by law I am required to make sure they are given every opportunity to succeed. Meanwhile, there are about 30 other students who want my help, but they have to figure it out on their own. I don't think it is fair to those who want to learn. Why should they suffer because I have to spend all my time redirecting a behavior problem? (BTW, I am an EA, I am required to service 32 students in 7 different classes without singling them out, which means I have to provide the same level of service to the entire class. Most of the students want to learn. I am required to give them all the same attention. But the ones who don't want to learn have figured out how to monopolize not only my time but the teacher's time as well) I do long for the good old days of school being a place to learn and not a dumping ground for kids who have never learned how to behave properly.
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As a parent who has had four kids go through LCPS, can I just say that for the most part, you can safely give the benefit of the doubt to teachers/principals in terms of discipline. I can count on one hand the number of "bad" teachers my kids have had, and even they were influenced by my meeting with them, volunteering in the classroom, etc. Very, very rarely this was NOT the case, so I found I needed to step in and advocate for my son or daughter at a higher level. But at some point, especially when kids are in middle and high school, the kid has to learn to accept the consequences of his or her behavior, and that we all have to deal with people in our lives who aren't ideal in terms of being "nice". When my daughter, who had nothing but wonderful elementary teachers through 5th grade entered middle school, it was a bit of a culture shock, especially in terms of more responsibilities, strict adherence to rules, due dates, etc. This kid who had never been in trouble in her life now had to sit in lunch detention a couple of times for forgetting permission slips, or was punished as part of the whole class because two or three kids were talking. She was outraged, and wanted me to do something to intervene. Even though I empathized with her frustration, and thought some of the things the teachers did were a bit petty, I tried to help her deal with the situation by learning what it took to be successful, encouraging her to be respectfully assertive with her teachers when she needed to speak up, but NOT by bailing her out of important learning opportunities. She toughened up quite a bit that year, got better organized, and is now a better student for it. I have found that if you work WITH the school, rather than in an adversarial position, you can create a great outcome for your child, and teach him/her that they truly have control over what happens to them.
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I have seen lots of complaints from teachers about kids behaving badly and their frustration with parents who don't do anything or even defend their kids. But what about parents who normally support and back up their children's teachers, but find that their child has one who really is inappropriate to students? Does anyone have a suggestion for a parent when a good kid gets mistreated by a teacher (eg., teacher screams in their face, calls them lazy or a liar or is mocked in front of the class for asking a "dumb" question)? How do we confront this teacher without making things worse for our child?

2006-12-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

Do school board members get paid? Blogger Comment: No they do not. The law does allow per diem per meeting.
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To the parent who feels the need to serve as a watchdog in defense of his or her child at school, remember that the law (In loco parentis-in place of the parent) states that teachers and administrators serve in place of the parent during the school day and have not only the right but the legal obligation to provide proper care and control over the children that are in their schools and classrooms. Parents have an obligation to support this process. If they cannot, then perhaps they should consider home schooling their children or better yet, placing them in a boarding school program. If a parent has a concern that is reasonable, then this should be addressed to the teacher and the building administrator for the purpose of seeking a solution. It is parents who lack appropriate training and State Licensure while insisting on involving themselves inappropriately in the running of our school programs who are creating more problems than they solve. If you have a problem with a teacher or administrator, School Board Policy provide an appropriate avenue to pursue your complaint.
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Oh my goodness, Mr. Parent! I just hope that I do have your child in my classroom. I look forward to him/her acting like a normal kid, who might need to have his/her coat-tails pulled to get back on task. If I need to discipline the child, rest assured that I will do so right then; I will NOT call you first. However, I will show infinite respect for your child using skills that I have honed during my decades of teaching; perhaps you could use a modified tutorial session, instead! Regards to your wife, too.
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Congratulations watchful and vocal parent! You have educated your child that any and all battles will be fought by their parents. You have taught your children that teachers and school rules have no value. Will you inform the police department of the same? Are all experienced teachers prejudiced against Hispanics? Is it you that is prejudiced? Having taught in all black school I have had the race card pulled on me before. I politely inform the parent/child that I do discriminate against any child who chooses to break the rules! I discriminate against rule breakers by enforcing consequences!
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Here's one possible solution to the discipline problems facing schools today. http://consilience.typepad.com/teachers_lounge/2006/12/simple_yet_comp.html
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Teachers, maybe you've heard of Madeline Hunter...maybe not. Her work is an inspiration for all teachers, as she was helpful when I hired her as a consultant, for three years, in a federal project that contributed much to the formulation of methods of accountable management of curriculum. Her 'Mastery Teaching', and guide to lesson-planning, should be familiar to all teachers. Insights are available on the Internet... just look up Madeline Hunter. (Some of what you'll find are modern interpretations and applications of her principles. These may, or may not, be helpful.)
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Anyone here who, A) wants to do more than bitch and moan and, B) cares about LCPS becoming a flagship public school system and wanting some great ideas on how to get there? Check out the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's High School Education page at http://www.gatesfoundation.org/UnitedStates/Education/TransformingHighSchools/default.htm. Also, take a look at the recent "Skills of the American Workforce" report by the NCEE athttp://www.skillscommission.org/. We have to quit focusing on the minutiae, folks, and get to work educating our kids!!!! The Gates foundation especially emphasizes that countering the problems in our American public education system cannot happen without implementing one important strategy: reduce the size of America's schools to create a sense of connectedness, mutual goals, community, and caring between educators, students and parents, so that focused educational strategy's can have the most impact on kids. At the risk of sounding naive, I have to agree with them. I am more and more convinced that if we would just cut the size of the middle and high schools in half, or created smaller learning communities within our existing schools, we would see the positive effects almost overnight (in "school time"). With the LCPS high schools at 2200 and the middle schools at 800, we can barely manage the crowded atmospheres at lunch time, much less find a way to make kids feel like more than one of a big, anonymous, crowd. But create a smaller environment within the schools and something great can and does happen. For example, take a look at the middle School Magnet programs: I bet they have fewer serious discipline related distractions than the general populations at those schools, not because the kids come from "better families" but because there is a sense of community within the groups in the magnate. The teachers (who probably have a little better job satisfaction as a result of all this) know the kids, the teachers know the kid's parents and vice versa, and there are a shared set of goals they all are moving toward together. I know as the parent of a child in Sierra's Science Magnet that I am much far more appreciated, welcomed, and informed by my child's teachers than I was at her two older brother's "regular" middle school, where I never knew what the heck was going on until some big problem reared its head. As a result, I try and volunteer more, etc. because I seem to be wanted and my time seems to make a difference. In all my kids elementary years at our neighborhood school, I felt this way, which kept me connected and contributed to terrific elementary experiences for them. Why do you think we all want our bright kids in AES--it means someone is designated to keep a watch on your kid and shrinks the feel of school for all involved. What if we could create this kind of experience all over the schools in town? We accomplished some good things a few years ago when we innovated by creating school choice and open enrollment--why can't we do that again with a comprehensive effort to make our schools feel like small communities to our teachers and students?

2006-12-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

Let's not lose sight of what the School Board is facing --- how and when to select an Interim Superintendent. We must insist that the Board wait to make this decision after the Feb. School Board election. All new Board members (one new member is assured) should be involved with this important step.
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I would not be doing my job as a parent if I did not go to my kid's school as much as possible and make sure that teachers, principals and LCPS staff (even physical plant staff) were not infringing on the rights of my children as well as other kids. Having three kids in the district we have experienced teachers that are prejudiced against Hispanics and those that tend to yell at students as well as monitors that could use a course in manners when talking to children. I realize that there are "good teachers and staff" in the LCPS system but I shall continue to keep an eye on staff at my kid's schools to make sure that the "bad apples" know that they are being watched by a highly vocal parent not afraid to fire off at the mouth at any questionable behavior by LCPS staff. LCPS staff has no business disciplining my kids should the need arise and I have made my children's schools well aware of this and the consequences should they not comply and call a parent before saying a word to my children, because it is the job of the parent and only the parent. Parents need to take responsibility for any questionable behavior of their kids. Needless to say I do and say this because I have lost faith in the LCPS system over the years and public education as a whole. The LCPS system as a whole is in need of an overhaul IMO. A watchfull & vocal parent.
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I agree with many comments about the lack of discipline. In today's world, 3rd graders use profanity, play violent video games with parents permission, know about gangs, drugs, suicide, and sex. Its a rapidly changing world and we, as educators, need to change our approach in the classroom in order to reach them. Of course, this is just my opinion, but a lot of secondary students are given chance after chance with very little consequence. Whatever happened to long term suspension, expulsion, etc., etc. Its difficult to reach students when their behaviors in the classroom are out of control. Lets bring back the "old" system of negative consequences for negative behaviors. These days, everyone is paranoid about making a parent mad and causing a lawsuit. Educators get very little (if any) support from Principals and other administrators. Recently, even some educators have been "burned out" and accuse their co-workers of rash behavior. Our school system has become very toxic. No wonder people are jumping ship.
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The commenter below needs a vacation, an antidepressants, to change professions or possibly all three! Can we please not brush ALL the kids in the schools with the same negative brush? The majority of kids I know seem to be behaving pretty well. The problem with the earlier comment about cracking down on kids is that as a parent, I LIKE the fact that my kid's teachers and administrators use some reasonable judgment tailored to the individual in deciding how to discipline. Some kids are just being kids who are within normal limits of misbehaving, while others are truly displaying the kind of wanton disregard for others that deserves more serious punishments. I never want to go back to the days where a little 5 year-old kindergartener is suspended and referred to juvenile probation because he brought a plastic water pistol to Water Fun Day in the last week of school, and all the principal can say is "Sorry, rules are rules".
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As a parent I am doing my job to make sure the rights of my kids are not trampled on by certain teachers and principals. There is a teacher at my child's school notorious for "yelling" at students and complaints seem to fall on deaf ears with the principal being that there is a "buddy system" between them so you have to look at it both ways, there are troubled students and teachers as well. I have made it crystal clear to the principal at my childrens schools that if any disciplining is to be done to my kids it's to be done by me or my wife and failure to follow my requests will result in dire consequences but this will not happen with my kids being that they are honor roll students and have always been, along with that I have taught them that respect is a two way street and you respect the teacher so long as they respect you and if a teacher disrespects you then they don't deserve that respect and they are to inform me or their mother of any disrespectfulness done to them by teachers or principals. The trust of teachers/principals has diminished in my family. You get what you give and although there are "problem kids" aka gangbangers in our school system you can't judge all kids by a few bad apples as some teachers tend to do. My mother had the same discipline policy when I was a kid and believe me I was more afraid of my mother than any male principal in LCPS and I love her for being this way with me when I was young, so parents do need to take responsibility for their kids behavior. I would prefer my kids be homeschooled but I don't have the resources for it and it's unfortunate that the voucher thing that former Gov. Johnson I think it was had in mind fell through because I for one don't have faith in the LCPS system from the top on down.With any luck the next superintendent will change my outlook on LCPS because God knows it is a mess. A fed-up parent

2006-12-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

I agree with the blogger about the lack of limits placed on students. We, as a state, are behind the majority of the country who has shifted back to the 'old school' method of education. We need leaders who research other areas of the country so we can keep up. We need to start holding students accountable for their actions, behaviors, and grades. As long as we keep giving them reasons to fail, they will. We need to get back to the good old days of teaching. If we have ESL/ELL students, we need to give them a year to get settled then put them in 'immersion' classes with the general population. Special Education needs to get back to focusing on students with true learning disabilities, not mainly 'OHI' kids. ALL students need to be expected to follow District and school guidelines and should be disciplined if they fail to do so, regardless of how it may make them feel. The 'kid glove' approach, where we factor in every possible reason and outcome, is not working. Instead we have out of control, spoiled, and sometimes violent students who do and say whatever they want to whoever they want. These kids have learned from an early age that the schools are not going to do anything to them because it may damage their self esteem, or they may come from a dysfunctional home, or it may adversely affect them in some other way. Well, guess what we are teaching them? We are teaching them to fail, because when these same kids grow up and get jobs, their boss isn't going to care if they have dyslexia or if their parents are divorced or how rich daddy is. If they can't speak English, too bad. If they are constantly late, they will be fired. If the kids of today do not learn how to be responsible members of society, they will have a hard time as adults. And the adults of today will be to blame. We need to start making changes to ensure these children grow up and make something of themselves. After all, they are our future, they are the ones who will be taking care of us when we are old. Do you want someone who is irresponsible, late, rude, or just plain lazy to be in charge of your well being?
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I can tell you what has happened in the last thirty years to lessen the amount of limits on students.....lawsuits! The students now have more rights than the teachers, and the students know this. Teachers' hands have been tied when it comes to discipline in the classroom.
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I am glad the black cloud of doom and despair has lifted for you. Where I work, the oppression is just coming from a different source. I get to go to work today and get cussed at, yelled at, threatened and disrespected in soooo many other ways it is not even funny. And this is from the students I am supposed to be helping. They behave like that because 1) they have no other way to express themselves, 2) they are used to getting whatever they want and 3) they know they can get away with it. Maybe I should transfer to your school?

2006-12-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Bloggers of the LCPS,As the days are winding down to the end of the first semester, please take time out to stop and look back on your successes. Most of the teachers, and other personnel of this district are hard working, committed individuals who are just trying to make a difference in a student's life. I want to thank all of you for what you are trying to do for the students in this district. Have a safe, restful and enjoyable holiday. Put all of the strife of the first semester aside and focus on your loved ones. A very grateful parent.
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It must be the new drama season; the ever popular soap operas are once, again, being aired and played out in our middle school. The only problem? HE is not Sonny Corrinthous, and SHE is not Emily Quartermaine! Darn.
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Having lived in the Las Cruces Community for 30 years and watching the changes that have occurred in our school system, I am very concerned at what appears to be the lack of limits placed on students. If there is a problem with student behavior at the middle schools, then central office should be both aware and involved in finding solutions. What is the school board's role in all this? Thirty years ago, you would not see these kinds of complaints coming from teachers and substitutes. As a community we need to take a closer look at what is happening in our schools. As a former substitute, my substituting days are over due to the attitude of many of our students and the lack of limits being placed on them.

2006-12-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

Whatever programs the Administration has in place to curb the drug and gang problems in our middle schools isn't working. What we need (like the Administration) is a complete revamping of the system. Maybe they need to pay attention to the "trench" people instead of dictating procedure, programs, and policies from their comfortable chairs totally out of synch with reality.
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Man, is it just me or does the black cloud of doom and despair feel like it's been lifted? I can tell at my school that morale is way up from a few weeks ago. And does it seem that the district runs smoother without a super?
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I'm tired, and I want to go home! We're doing the best we can at our middle school. Keep the faith...no worries...this too shall pass!

2006-12-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

Middle school has always been the pits. You have kids who are still truly naive children in with pubescent, street-savvy kids. I remember one young naive sixth grader who was attacked on a school bus by older middle school toughs (girls). That attack changed a smart, sweet young girl into a gang-banger wanna-be. Only by being as tough or tougher did she feel she was safe. It was survival for her. It changed her life and took years for her to recover. This happened here in Las Cruces at a "good" school to a child from a "good" family.
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In regard to the substitute who will no longer sub at middle schools...I don't blame you one bit. I work at a middle school and I have heard the same from other subs. Maybe someone higher up will notice and do something to fix the problem. The students know there is something going on and they are taking advantage to the fullest. Every day I hear students make comments that let me know they do not have to do anything and we can not discipline them. If they refuse to work, we have to let them turn in enough work right before grades are due in order to keep them from failing. If they cuss us out, we have to understand that they are teenagers and that might just be how things are in their homes. If they pick on other students, whether verbally or physically, we are supposed to tell the victims to avoid them or else they themselves will be punished along with the bullies. In other words, the students who are out of control, or lazy, or just plain don't care know that they are in total control of what happens in their school. Sad thing is, the board is on their side, if only by not supporting those in the trenches. Maybe the board and the employees who work downtown, away from the students, should spend a week doing what we do every day-try to survive.
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Responding to comments on my 'fixing our schools' post... Teachers should not have to work until 9:00 every evening, and each kid is not working on 'multiple objectives' in each lesson. The child works on each objective, as he moves up the steps in the precisely organized curriculum. My approach, tried and tested thirty-five years ago, does really work. It is most needed at elementary and mid-school levels... until every student acquires basic skills that are necessary to move forward up the education ladder. The computer does the 'busy-work'... you, the teacher, then has the rare opportunity to TEACH.
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Thank you for your words of support. As an employee, I know that many if not most individuals care about kids and are working hard to do our jobs well, regardless of wha they are. We are continuing to carry on professionally and personally to serve our students and families as we always have through hard times. It is a testimony to the district that regardless of the situation, instruction is being delivered and supported.

Sunday Thoughts

2006-12-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't it ironic that LULAC would come out in support of Sonia Diaz without even doing an investigation? How could Jesse Gonzalez be lumped in, considering he left for a higher paying job and the school board gave him a lucrative benefit package, not to buy him out, but to reward him. Then, Martinez specifically targets Hispanics in the school district and systematically and ruthlessly eliminates them--Gutierrez, Lucero, Acosta, Ogas, etc. I didn't see the LULAC defending the Hispanics harassed and forced out without any reason by Martinez. The LULAC organization should be ashamed. They certainly have no credibility, not that they ever had.
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My daughter has often spoken about Mr. Peace's weekly class at Jornada Elementary School; she looks forward to this class every Thursday afternoon. I have seen his name mentioned once or twice on this website. Jornada had their Christmas lunch this week so I took the opportunity to meet Mr. Peace. I found him to be a polite, intelligent, caring individual. I can now understand why the Middle or High schools want him back.
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I am happy that my Daughter is receiving her degree in elementary education and has decided to seek employment somewhere other than the LCPS. The LCPS district is in such shambles due to poor management which starts at the principal position up to the board that it's not worth the money or time to be employed by LCPS at this time. Elementary school principals seem to be on a "power trip" of sorts and could care less about the educating of students and this is why I had recommended that she seek employment elsewhere until the BS in LCPS is straightened out which may take a decade.
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I agree that changes need to be made. But do you really expect teachers to do everything, keeping files on each student, monitoring daily, etc.? One huge problem with that is teachers where I work have between 150-200 students throughout the day. Those same teachers have one team planning period, where they discuss discipline, etc. and one personal planning period, where they would presumably handle all the paperwork you suggest. As it is, most teachers come in around 7:00am, and a lot of them stay well past 5:00pm, even though contract time is 8:20am-3:50pm. Even then, a good deal of them take work home with them in order to just keep up. In my opinion, the only way to accomplish everything you want is for the district to 1) Start hiring more teachers and educational assistants; 2) Treat the staff already in place like they are valued employees; 3) Make working for the schools a worthwhile job; 4)Make room for the additional staff to teach, even if it means new schools or additions to existing schools. Once these have been taken care of, the class size can be a manageable one (maybe 25 students per class instead of 35-40), and teachers will have time to do all the paperwork want and still be good teachers.
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I have submitted abstract rants or complex discourse? Perhaps it has created harsh, yet imperative, dissonance, which may be quite difficult for too many secondary educational cronies to understand!
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Thank-you for your "fixing the school system" comments. I'll keep that in mind, when I will be leaving my school often 9pm every evening, after I've effectively noted every child's progress into my antiquated school computer. By golly, I'm so glad that you commented that "by just having multiple objectives for every kid for every lesson, I can be rest assured that my students will absorb the information, AND test well on any given testing day". Dang...you're good! Ever think about running for supt.?
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After reading these postings, I wonder if I should take my kids out of their respective elementary, middle and high schools and homeschool them!

But then I remember I can barely find all of them matching socks in the morning...No, really, it wouldn't be a good idea.It's time for this town to come together and demand the board create a task force to come up with community-generated solutions to the problems referred to in the past few posts. Nothing is so bad or out of control that it's not fixable with a little refocusing of our budgetary goals and some ingenuity. Unfortunately, I don't think that Las Cruces is much different than any other school system of its size in the nation, because almost all middle and high schools are far, far too big, which creates a cut-off from community for the kids who then feel anonymous and that no one cares what they do (Read up on the Bill and Melinda Gates experimental grants and the outcomes!) But in the meantime, it's time for the stakeholders on this bus headed for the cliff to grab the controls. We need an "employee takeover" like we have seen in major corporations that couldn't seem to turn a profit with their top-down management approaches and then began to soar once the staff became owners---and in case anyone is wondering, the employees are our teachers, parents, and students. The opportunity is NOW, with this board freezing the superintendent search and things in flux to move and make bold new directions in our school system. We have seen some incredibly informed, caring and committed people post their opinions on this blog over the past few months, and I believe they are just the tip of the iceberg.Please, don't get discouraged.

Its always darkest before the dawn, folks.

Reader Commentary

2006-12-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

What's wrong with our school system... and, some ideas for fixing it.
Without attacking individuals... teachers, administrators, or school board... there are some obvious problems that need to be addressed. Why is it that so many of our students are not learning at an acceptable level? We are graduating hundreds of kids, from high school, whose basic skills are at an elementary level. Why is this happening? There are many possible reasons, but, in very general terms, the whole system simply doesn't know how to make it better. Administrators and teachers are still stuck in the mode that calls for teaching what they think should be taught... to class-sized groups, without the inclination, skills, or technical support to address the needs of each, and every, individual student. Kids are passed along, from grade to grade, without learning the academic content and skills to handle the challenges of their promotion. Preparation for teachers, and school administrators, is far behind times... in this age of advancing technology. Through the use of computers, curriculum can be organized in such a way as to facilitate accountable management of all elements of the curriculum, and 'get the right stuff, to the right kid, at the right time'. Constant monitoring of each child's progress, as he/she advances through all content and skills requirements, can now be more efficiently accomplished... and should be required in all schools. Curriculum must be expressed in a precise manner, with steps (objectives) arranged in hierarchical order, and with support alternatives and testing provided for each of those objectives. All children must be expected to successfully complete each objective, before moving on to the next. Cumulative files on students must be made readily available, via computer, to teachers, and should contain much more information about each student's learning history. Standardized test results are in those files, and are necessary, but so is information about teaching strategies, materials, and controls in the learning environment that preceding teachers have used effectively for each student. Create a 'learning file' for each student, and make that file available (with suitable clearance requirements), to the student's teachers, administrators, and parents. Teachers should be expected to update the file on a regular basis... at least once per week... and input each student's progress on each learning objective. With clearly-stated, behavioral objectives, arranged hierarchically, for all content and skills areas of the curriculum, there would no longer be a need for the classic lesson plan... administrators could monitor the progress of students, and evaluate each teacher's professional performance... by turning on a computer. Lest we forget... the primary role of the public school is to provide academic learning for all children. Parents should be expected to provide guidance for their children, in the acquisition of social understandings. Such concepts as ethnic and life-style sensitivities may be addressed, incidentally, in the school setting... but with the understanding that it is a basic right of families to interpret social (and religious) issues, and to pass on those beliefs to their children. When academics is the focus of schooling, and every child must progress to the maximum limits of his capabilities, they also mature in their understandings of the human experience... and positive, historical values become the ruling influence in their lives.

LULAC and Middle Schools

2006-12-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

Now my blood is really boiling-LULAC is going to jump into this thing to defend a "HINO" (Hispanic in Name Only)? I am what you might call an honorary Hispanic-Anglo. Setting my Hispanic friends and family as examples, bullying people as if they are in a lower caste than you are, spending taxpayers money on non-approved or unnecessary expenditures, firing good employees for personal (not personnel) reasons and replacing them with unindicted co-conspirators from fraud cases---do NOT seem to be Hispanic values!!! And as for Martinez, leadership incompetencies, control and abuse issues drove him to a stand off that lost him his job, not being Hispanic. And for Heaven's sake--Gonzalez conspired with board members to rip off the school district for over a hundred thousand dollars while forcing all our kids to wear uniforms in his war on Hispanic gangs!!! Since Las Cruces is 65/30 Hispanic/Anglo, I would call all three of these losers discriminators against the very people LULAC claims as constituents. LULAC, lets get someone who REALLY cares about and loves the Hispanics in this community, and shows it in word and deed, regardless of ethnicity.
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I agree with the comments about abstract rants. If you are so immature that you have to resort to stupid Christmas jingles and vague dissertations then you should just shut up and get a life. Everytime these types of comments appear it just strengthens Ms. Diaz position that drastic change is needed. If you are not wise enough to understand that then maybe you should seek alternative employment outside of education and join an organization like LULAC. If this type of discourse continues to appear then maybe Sonja was right and this forum should be discontinued. In either case the children of this district are screwed.
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Good Morning: I am appalled that LULAC would jump into the fray over Sonia's firing. An interesting thing to remember is that the board is NOT able to disclose the reasons for her dismissal as per law but SHE (Sonia) IS able to disclose them because she is not bound under law as the board is. So, if the infractions were SO minor and involved race, discrimination, etc. why isn't SHE going public with the "extensive list"? I have said and still say there is more to this story than meets the eye. It is easy for legislators and organizations to take sides when they haven't been subjected to this woman's abuses. She IS very clever and knows how to play the game. She courts those most influential in our community and abuses those she considers subordinate. Also, LULAC, Jesse wasn't fired as I remember, he opted to leave and take another job. Maybe I'm wrong, but that is my recollection. As to this blog, you blogger have had a tremendous influence in the outcome of the situation. For the blog to go down, in my opinion, would be a tremendous disaster. It has given those most vulnerable an avenue of recourse that they would not otherwise have had. Way to go and thanks for your hard work! Anybody understand Paul Jarmillo's editorial? Clearly its easy to make assumptions when you don't have all the facts. With that comment, I rest.
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As a longtime Latino in this community, I am disgusted that LULAC has come to Dr. Diaz' defense. LULAC should concentrate on ensuring Hispanics have equal opportunities and that's EXACTLY what she had - an opportunity to do a good job. She failed miserably and was let go. And, why is LULAC talking about the last 3 superintendent's? Jesse Gonzales was not dismissed from this district. He was recruited by Compton California schools and he resigned on his own accord. LULAC - get your facts straight! I'm disappointed in you.
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Middle school in Las Cruces is a disaster waiting to happen. The teachers are trying to do their best. The administration turns a blind eye to what is happening. You see students out of control, not ranting and raving, just not listening or working. I know. I substitute in almost every middle school in Las Cruces. Lynn Middle School is the best school to be a substitute. I am not going to substitute in middle school any longer because I am tired of trying to teach and have students blow me off. High school is not much better. Students at Mayfield text message their friends in other classes. I asked another teacher about this and she said to let it go. " They are allowed to get away with it and we can do nothing about it." If a substitute complains about anything they are ignored. How is the subbing in elementary??
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If your children are coming home from school and telling you 'horror stories' maybe you should volunteer at their school. Or maybe you can get your sub license and substitute at their school. All the schools are understaffed and the district needs substitutes. We need more adults visible at all the schools to put a stop to the gang problems. Unfortunately the only parents at school on a regular basis are the gang-banger parents picking up their gang-banger kids.
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About the goings on at the middle schools. Yes, there is a huge problem with gangs, graffiti, fights, PDA, etc. The problem is not that teachers are not watching, the problem is not enough staff to watch everywhere. I work at a middle school. There are between 5-10 teachers out on any given day, for either training or sick leave. We are so short on EA's but they are pulled almost every day to substitute for the absent teachers. We have 2 administrators. We have 1 security guard. We also have over 800 students. Working for LCPS has become undesirable, especially at the rate security guards and EA's get paid. All of that combined means there is no possible way for staff to effectively monitor every area of the school while at the same time ensuring the best education for our students. I think that is one more reason the state should step in...obviously the current board can't fix the problem.
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Maybe if the district took better care of its employees we would have enough staff to keep an eye on the students. There is no longer any reason to work for the schools, unless you are close to retirement, just starting out, or need good insurance. Working for LCPS has turned into one of those 'another day another dollar' jobs that most people do only because they have to. There are some teachers who truly love teaching (I am one of them) but loving teaching takes a back seat to LCPS politics, jumping through hoops for no apparent reason, basically a lot of stress totally unrelated to curriculum. Basically, it's not worth risking physical and mental health for what little amount of money we make. (It is even worse for custodians, secretaries, EA's, security, and food service workers)
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LULAC and Rants

2006-12-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

I see our Ex-lady of Las Cruces public schools now has the backing of LULAC. What a joke, since she looks down on us Mexicans as sub-humans...beneath her. Why do you think she had to have her little assistant shake hands with people. We are untouchable. LULAC is as big a joke as the ACLU. This is another example of how this witch uses people to get what she wants. Not to mention her lawyer is a (deleted-You never publish that about an attorney! The last comment by LULAC was they want to be sure race was not an issue in her dismissal. You can be sure than Lonnie Briseno would not have voted to dismiss if it was only about her race).
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He/She's making a list,
Checking it twice,
Going to find out
Who's naughty or nice...
Then-KABAM!!!!-
You're outta there!
With love,
Mr. Grinch
PS) Santa asked for a transfer a long time ago...
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My kids come home every day and talk about what the teachers don't see at school. I agree the drug and gang problem has increased. Its not the teachers fault but someone should pay closer attention to this increasing menace. If anyone comments differently, they are either not in touch with the kids, or they are in denial.
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Hmmmm. The writer yesterday must have gone to a different reception for the candidates. I think Connie Phillips will be an immeasurably better school board member than the incumbent we have now. She will at least listen to you and respond to your questions. The current board member either can't or won't respond to calls or emails. It is time for a change. Thank you, Dr. Phillips, for running against Wooden.
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What are you talking about? I thought the purpose of this blog was to shed light on supposed abuses going on within the public schools - not for just some abstract rant. This blog really should be discontinued. If you think this kind of rant is going to have any kind of bearing on improving our public schools, you are mistaken. This really does taint this the identified purpose of this blog and more care should be taken as to what is posted here if you want to be taken seriously. Blogger Comment: I agree. A random rant is not productive. If there are specific issues, let's hear them.

Dec. 7, 2006 - Pearl Harbor Day

2006-12-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

This is one person's impression of the candidates. Bonnie Votaw was prepared, organized and well informed. Connie Phillips was unprepared, disorganized and uninformed.
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It's one thing to need to make anonymous postings to prevent retaliation at work, but it's another to post such vague and ominous statements with absolutely no details or enough information with which we could use to enter into a reasonable dialogue. Are there problems that need to brought out in the open to better the educational climate?
Unfortunately, too many people in the community already think that these kinds of posts make up the totality of what has appeared on this blog for the past few weeks, and they have used that as an excuse to bury their heads on the sand and dismiss all the really terrible stuff going on under Diaz. If you have something to say, say it directly--which doesn't mean you have to name names or identify yourself. Just say what you mean, or don't waste everyone's time.
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Middle school principals are, at best, mediocre and, at worst, dangerous. Ignorant and power driven, these hapless wanna-be administrators seem to develop an agenda without having a clue where to begin and how to get there. "I'm for the kids, and I support my teachers" are common, verbal, smoke-rings used to disguise their ineptitude to properly guide a group of professionals and effectively become the academic leader of the school. Speaking and writing skills are in the remedial range, while social skills have ties with the Jurassic period. Consequently, numerous, inane, microscopic power-quirks emerge at random times, with extremely negative consequences, such as low teacher moral, teacher transfers, and a virus-infected school environment. As a result, personalized sayings have been developed by many local middle school principals that are suitable for framing and gift giving during this holiday season: "No input allowed!" "It's my way, or the highway!" "Do as I say, or I'll do you in!" "You wouldn't dare to disagree with me...if you know what's good for you!" "If you don't agree with me, then you are being insubordinate!" I support average; anything above that makes me look real bad!" "Better harass veteran teachers with the same vigor as the new teachers; that will show them who's boss!" "You better not shout, you better not pout, you better not cry to central office, because I know where you work...!"

Dec. 6

2006-12-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

Anyone care to share their thoughts about the two candidates at the "Meet the Candidates" soiree?
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When is the drug and gang problem going to be addressed? What is happening right now is an increase, not a decrease as many of us are lead to believe. Open up your eyes and look around. Most students know several gangsters by the time they enter middle school. As a parent, I am scared to death for my children.
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Exactly what middle school shenanigans are you referring to? Or are you only trying to stir up more trouble? I work at a middle school and I talk with staff from other middle schools. Unless you care to elaborate, I can only assume you are one of those people who can't be happy unless there is drama in your life.

Middle School Teaser

2006-12-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

Tantalizing post, but where is it going? What are you alluding to...the general mess at the mid-schools, or some deliberate plan on the part of a few professionals? whose vision will totally destroy academic pursuits, and focus on exploiting kids' immaturity and basic, vulgar instincts? More explanation of your concerns... please.

Middle School Comment

2006-12-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

While Sonia, Luis, and Jesse, the three blind cats, are away, the power hungry "little people" mice have begun to play...big time. Check out our middle schools to see the shananigans in motion. Gives new meaning to an open door policy. Ask for input...get hit by an unhinged door! Who hires these people?

Meet the Candidates

2006-12-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

There will be a meet the candidates event Tuesday, Dec. 5, from 4:30-6:00 pm at La Posta. Bonnie Votaw and Connie Phillips are the candidates. This is an excellent opportunity to assess the candidates' views and agendas and the direction they would like to take in moving the district forward.

Letters and Editorial

2006-12-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

You don't know whether to laugh or cry when you read letters such as Mr. Martinez' in the Sun-News today. I guess if you did not experience the abuse, read her history and see the financial shenanigans, you can't appreciate the damage Diaz has done to the district. It is also interesting that the Sun-News did not publish Del Hanson's letter which was a response to the first Sun-News editorial.

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Here's an old Indian saying: "A desert rose may wait years to bloom, just so it blooms sometime!" Perhaps our LCPS district is still waiting to explode with colors of character, fragrance of tolerance, and the beauty of perserverence. Thank goodness that Sonia was just a passing tumbleweed!
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Our School Board should demand its/our money back from ProAct Search Inc. which brought Dr. Diaz to the short list of applicants for our school district. The ProAct website claims ..."We ensure a â€œgood fitâ€ and guarantee the final resultsâ€¦ leading to a longer and more lasting relationship." A good fit? Guaranteed results? Our district should seek repayment from this firm that goes to any length to place their "applicants" with school districts.
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"There has to be some criminal wrongdoing somewhere for us to have been forced into the Houghton Mifflin reading series in the middle of the year."This can be confusing. There's the federal government's Reading First initiative - http://www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/index.html nd there's the Houghton Mifflin reading program - http://www.eduplace.com/marketing/nc/ he federal intiative is under investigation for abuses. http://consilience.typepad.com/teachers_lounge/2006/11/reading_first_a.html
I abhor this site but, like a bloody car wreck, I find it hard to look away. However, in the interest of clarification, I offer the above information.)Jeffrey Michael Field

Comments for Saturday

2006-12-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

I've heard there may be another candidate who's going to announce their intention to run against Sharon Wooden (in addition to Connie Phillips). Finally, our community is talking about the School Board, about the school district, and how we can improve things. I'm so grateful that Diaz is gone --- but more importantly, we need good Board members who are responsible for picking the next superintendent. Anyone who's not registered to vote - get 'er done!
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"Love and marriage..." "Horse and carriage..." "Peanut butter and jelly..." "Diet soda and chocolate..." "Green eggs and ham..." Some things just naturally go together, like "students and teachers..." We cannot have one without the other! When we say we must "do something for the kids", we must, also, remember to include the teachers. Simply put, we can't have one without the other!
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I can't believe we should have to buy out Diaz to get her to leave. There has to be some criminal wrongdoing somewhere for us to have been forced into the Houghton Mifflin reading series in the middle of the year. Can we not prove that there was "money under the table" and into her pocket somewhere? Are there no regulations on her expenses that she violated by staying in honeymoon suites, etc.??? Buy her out? ha! Seems to me she should run before we press criminal charges against her for taking taxpayer money!
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Message to NMSU Student Paul Jaramillo: It's clear that you are a REALLY uninformed idealist on this topic and I REALLY should have patience with you, but when you start throwing the Rush Limbaugh definition of "liberals" around to blame the victims of Diaz for her bad behavior, well, it REALLY ticks me off. I am a parent of four kids: one who graduated thanks to the dedication of his teachers and AES facilitators with the "crazy liberal" idea that when a bright kid performs below his abilities it's important to never give up on him. He's now a science major at NMSU, one of the very few of his peers who can claim the same, even though they started off in college with much higher high school GPA's. I especially give praise to one really liberal high school Creative Writing teacher, Phyllis Wright, for helping him find the light inside that still carries him to class every day.I stll have three others in the elementary, middle and high schools who are on a daily basis exposed to some of the finest and most dedicated "liberals"--teachers who may have never made enough to pay their own bills on time but who purchase the educational materials for their classrooms, come to work everyday, focused and cheerful and dedicated to being leaders for the children in their classes. They're easy to identify: they are usually dragging a wagon full of kid's papers and activities to their cars, which are in the lot way past 5pm. These bleeding heart-liberals will still stop to give their former students a big hug and carry on a conversation with you, regardless of the time because they have dedicated their lives to the "liberal" idea of education. Maybe my kids are lucky, but I could count on one hand the number of teachers and administrators who I have known over the years who were "bad" or "lazy" or "unaccountable"--yes they existed but they were far and few between and often didn't seem to hang around very long. And I guarantee you they were not the ones with a "liberal agenda that hates accountability and responsible governance". Quite the contrary: good teachers and administrators THRIVE under fair, inspiring and accountable leadership. While you still have the chance at NMSU, take two more classes: one in Educational History and one in Classical Political Philosophy before you decide that "liberalism" is behind Ms. Diaz's necessary departure. Oh yeah, add an effective leadership class to those two. The entire idea that we can educate people from every ethnic group, race, religion, gender and economic class is part of the same Classic Liberalism that was the underlying principle in the Enlightenment, the concept of Democracy, the Constitution, the civil rights movement..I could go on and on. Paul, your rosy view of Diaz is squarely in contrast to the experiences many, many good people had under her tenure. INFORM YOURSELF. Highly educated as she is, Diaz didn't know how to lead people without using all the worst management and communication techniques known to mankind in the 21st century. It was SHE who ruined her reputation--everyone else was openminded, happy to "give her a chance" from her first day, but SHE chose her strategies and SHE created her legacy. Unlike the teachers I described above, her motives were about her needs, not anyone elses. I don't care how good a person's ends are, they don't justify the means of being a power hungry, disdainful and dishonest person--and since this woman has a DOCUMENTED track record of doing the same thing over and over in her past work, and since she is getting up there in years, it's obvious that these are here natural tendencies and time and patience by her victims won't change a thing. Wake up, Paul. Simple common courtesy eluded her --my God, she couldn't go to a restaurant or get her hair done without leaving a path of destruction in her wake!! She is no "desert flower", Dude, she's more of a "desert scorpion".LMG

Board Race

2006-11-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

Bonnie Votaw would be a good candidate for school board. She is very straight-forward, smart and knows how to work with people. And its Dr. Votaw, too. However, she seems to have retained her common sense in spite of it.

A Cold Thursday Night

2006-11-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

Oh, my bonnie-Lonnie...those are my well-earned sick days that you are alluding to, and I will use them as I see fit. Having my babies put me into the "sick-days hole", but I have worked diligently since then to accumulate days that I can use whether I am physically sick or emotionally drained. So, back away from the sick days issue! Yes, even if that means I may need to visit my doctor who is located in the mall or in some remote, wooded area in the fall...those sick days are MINE---not yours!
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Paul J. Jaramillo writes of a "record of achievement that cannot be denied by the anonymous letter written by a scurrilous Blog". I am curious, what record he is referring to? Diaz's past work record would suggest a lack of achievement. Could Paul be more specific as to the work record of Dr. Diaz. I am sure we would all like to have the facts so we may render accurate judgment.
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I agree. Lets get the two gang busters back into our schools where they are needed. One may not come, but the other is still with LCPS. They are deeply missed.
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Excuse me but WHAT record of achievement?Haven't you read what she did to other communities?You should be in the office to see what has taken place. Let's wait and see what the billsare. As for Mr. Ogas I don't even know him but I think what all these administrators (principals etc.) have gone through this is the only way, because money talks. I hope they sue every board member individually. I will remain anonymous in order to save my job.

Thursday's Comments

2006-11-30T06:15:00.000-07:00

I watched much of last evening's board meeting and wondered if anyone else noticed that the board did not vote to pay the bills of the district but put that off until they had an accounting of the bills of the last several months. Any ideas what that is about? I have always said and still say there is more to this Sonia thing than meets the eye. As to getting an Interim Super, the board should eat a bit of "crow" and ask Joann to come back and oversee things. She was a great stabilizing force after the departure of Louis, held things together without fanfare and already knows the ins and outs of the district. My only concern about anyone taking over the district for a year or so, is that some of the very people who helped Joann hold things together are now casulties of Sonia's reign. It makes even more sense to bring Joann back and allow her to hold the district together. She's done it before, surely she can do it again. I feel she is emminently more qualified than Liz Marrufo as Liz doesn't have Central Office experience. No offense to Liz, its just the facts. Anyone else have a different idea?
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You know, I'm reading these posts and I have to be grateful that we live in a country where we can express our opinions. It doesn't matter what your opinion is; what matters is that you are FREE to express that opinion. No one has to agree with you, no one has to disagree with you. I am an employee with LCPS and I love my job. I have a great principal and wonderful teachers to work side by side with. There are MANY wonderful and awesome teachers, and yes, principals in this district. Now that the school board has dismissed Sonia (I refuse to acknowledge her as "Dr."), we need to continue to focus on our children and do what is best for THEM. It's not about us, it's about our KIDS. Regardless of the environment teachers are in, regardless of all that teachers have to deal with, regardless of policies and procedures, we MUST focus on our KIDS. I don't know what is in our future for LCPS, but I do know that we have some pretty wonderful people within our school system and we need to recognize and utilize their talents.
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O.K. the joke is over. Lets pull Marvin Allen out of retirement and Barry Peace out of the elementary schools so they can help stablize the gang/drug problems in our Middle and High Schools.
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Poor us. We, the Board, are victims of just plain bad luck. We make good choices but bad things mysteriously happen to us. Bad people out in the community constantly dog us. Why won't all you bad people just leave us alone? Afterall, all the hundreds of allegations about Diaz are news to us! We never heard of anything happening until you brought it up! If we don't hear it, it doesn't happen. And that blog--we know it's just two or three disgruntled people. Everything would be fine if everyone would just shut up and let us make our little decisions based on our personal agendas, because, afterall, we do know best! If all you pesky teachers and principals and parents would just go away and let us do our job of micromanaging the district, just think how good things could be! Don't you worry, we will make yet another great choice as superintendent if you will just give us another chance.
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Ogas, it doesn't matter what fund that money comes from. That is still money that could be used for issues, and needs for kids. Can you say, line item transfer? You are taking money from schools that is there to educate the kids you profess to care about! Even if the money is there for emergencies, or mess ups, what is to say we won't need it for when a child is accidentally hurt? Ogas should be ashamed! He knows exactly what I am talking about --
It seems to me that part of the problem is that superintendents aren't held to the same standards as teachers. A new teacher can be fired any time during their first year, so why should Sonia be any different?
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Did anyone REALLY expect Dr Diaz to go quietly? Each delay continues her salary. Then, we will probably buy her off. I guess that is one way to get your new house paid for. WHEN is it going to be what is best for the students and better delivery of instruction? --
Bonnie Votaw is a great educational leader. She knows what teaching is all about and will be there for the students. Please help her get elected to the Board of Education and help put Las Cruces on the tract to becomming a great district to work in again. I worked with her and saw her give excellent advice to many teachers, parents and students. Also, Liz will do just fine. Please get back into your classrooms and let the children benefit from your direction.
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I have done my homework, and I stand by my information; PLTs are funded through Title I monies
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Letter from a Las Cruces resident and NMSU student:I am writing this letter concerning the unfair treatment of Dr. Sonia Diaz, by the Las Cruces School Board and those that are leading a smear campaign against the newly appointed Superintendent. Dr. Diaz has committed no infraction to cause her dismissal from her job as Superintendent of the Las Cruces District. Dr. Diaz has record of achievement that cannot be denied by the anonymous letter written by a scurrilous Blog, where the writers do not have the guts to place their names on the record. The main reason for the unfair treatment of Dr. Diaz, is the result of some people in the district, are unwilling to give change a chance. They only want the status quo and the end result has been, that many young people are failing to achieve. The impressive record of Dr. Diaz did not melt in the desert heat of Las Cruces. This unfair treatment of Dr. Diaz may be a symptom of the liberal agenda that hates accountability and responsible governance. What ever the root cause, the fact is, Dr. Diaz must not allow herself and her reputation to be ruined by a few people, who are bent on her dismissal. If you feel that you are in the right, let the public see your names and not hide behind, anonymous. Paul J. Jaramillo

New Developments and Comments

2006-11-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

John Schwebke will not run for reelection to the Board. That leaves an open field. Bonnie Votaw, former LCPS administrator, has said she will run for that seat. Bonnie retired from LCPS, worked in Utah and came back to LCPS and worked part-time under a grant. Larry Garcia has also said he will run for Schwebke's seat. He was an appointee of this Board after the recall of two Board members.

Sharon Wooden has one declared opponent, Connie Phillips, a parent. We would like to know more about Mrs. Phillips.

Diaz will fight her dismissal, of course. Her attorney said she has "wide-spread" support. That would be the Sun-News, her friends who enjoyed her generosity with district funds and ??

Comments

I Believe that Billie Taylor would be excellent for John's position. She has years of experience in education, a dedicated volunteer to the community and good common sense.
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I am very opposed to Liz remaing in her position. She was an excellenet principal but needs time at central office to learn the position she was assigned as Director of Elementary Education. Dr. Patton was very good at listening, focused on school improvement and staying calm when she was taking cruel and unreasinable potshots from the board. She is experienced and has the support of the majority of staff in the district. Board humble yourself, apologize and do the right thing by returning her to Academic Chief. It would say agreat deal to the community about your willingness to improve, stay out of personnel issues, and stick to the job the voters intended when they elected you. This type of decision takes courage and your character is at stake.
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As I have read the comments posted here over the past few weeks, what comes to mind as being desperately needed in LCPS is top-to-bottom training in principle-based leadership. Even though it is sometimes mocked, the essential messages of Stephan Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" are incredibly simple, reasonable and true, and many school systems around the country have found a way to include it in their ongoing training programs. Basically they are as follows: be proactive and work towards mastering your own demons as a means to being an authentic person; begin with the end in mind and know what principles you are trying to accomplish; put first things first and work towards fulfilling those principles in everything you do; think win-win and try to make each outcome for a situation mututally beneficial; listen to others before you impose any of your own will on them by seeking first to understand, then be understood; come together in mutual collaboration and creativity; take time to re-energize and develop your resources and skills. When everyone, from the board and super, to the EA's is working under a commonly assumed set of ethical rules, it makes it harder to justify bizzare leadership practices like we saw occur under Martinez and Diaz. It would also make it easier to hold leaders publicly accountable to some standard besides their own narcissitic need for power. I really think that if the Board would look into investing in this kind of program just a tiny amount of the money they have wasted in hiring un-principled leaders, they would find that the savings in money would be second to the increased productivity, health and success of our educational system.
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"He who attempts to act and do things for others or for the world without deepening his own self-understanding, freedom, integrity and capacity to love, will not have anything to give others. He will communicate to them nothing but the contagion of his own obsessions, his aggressiveness, his ego-centered ambitions, his delusions about ends and means, his doctrinaire prejudices and ideas," - Thomas Merton, Contemplation in a World of Action, University of Notre Dame Press.
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OK Las Cruces, let's work together for our students, teachers and school administrators. The school board obviously needs to go, but in reality only 2 members will be replaced this winter. Can this make a difference? I think it can. Show up at Board meetings, work with your children's schools. This is OUR community and our future. BTW, I bet everyone reading this either has a family member or close friend as a student or employee of LCPS.
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Just a word of caution, people may be hesitant in running for the open positions on the board due to the fact that their name will be run through the mud as they will be associated with the remaining members. Who can afford their integrity to be dumped in a pile of mud?
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On the Diane Patterson/East Picacho issue:1. Check parent opinion and positive interaction with parents. Even the kids have picked up on the tension at East Picacho. My experience is that parents who ask difficult questions are seen as the enemy and will be shut out of any communication or input. 2. Check the amount of staff turnover the past few years. Check staff morale which is very low.3. Check with parents and volunteers in the school.4. Check and see who her sister is as to why complaints to Central office may have been swept under the rug.
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I went to work for Liz Marrufo last year and I can tell you that a better candidate for superintendent does not exist! I have worked for a few principals in LCPS and Liz is the most professional administrator I have ever worked for. She is dedicated to not only the students of Las Cruces, but to the faculty and staff. She is constantly researching and educating herself on current best practices. Liz is currently carrying the load of about four jobs and doesn't complain one bit. She may have to make hard decisions sometimes that not everyone agrees with. They won't always be the most popular, but it will always be what she truly knows is right for kids. I only hope to be half the administrator she is someday.
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I find it ludicrous that Liz Marrufo, who has had no previous Central Office experience PRIOR to her APPOINTMENT by the ex Superintendent to be an interim anything. This, once again, demonstrates the Boards lack of credibility and intelligence. Liz Marrufo is cut from the same cloth as Dr. Diaz and does not have the respect of the staff that the Board apparently thinks she has. Tonights performance highlights their complete ineptitude!
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Many may not be aware that district/state requirements mandate that administrators must complete a minimum of 45 hours of training every two years. Also, administrator trainings facilitate informed supervision, management of programs, and promotion of research-based program adoption and implementation. Like teachers, administrators must have their travel approved by their supervisors.
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PDTs (not PLTs) are not funded by Title I. You need to do your homework before you type incorrect information.
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Enough about Ogas! My child was a good student with no problems and good grades, yet was treated most poorly by Mr. Ogas as were friends of his, and I was witness to this, as were other parents. It seems students got better treatment or help, if needed, if they were football, pom, etc. students. Ogas was a "good old boy" and it worked up til a few years ago. Many of us did not speak up during the "leavetaking" of Mr. Ogas because we were so quickly put down for voicing opinion against him. He had his favorites, and his faults, like many others.Let's concentrate now on getting some true leadership in place and taking our students forward and repairing damaged morale within the district. Let's think about where or how we can help bring this about. Three superintendents in such a small number of years? Seems like our board has a problem making good choices for us as parents, educators, and our students in terms of what is best overall. Also, let's be more proactive in asking where the money is, or where it went. We should know how our tax money is being used within our schools, and who is using it.