Taos Schools: Cruel and Unusual Punishment

HORRIFYING !!  Our children are our hope for the future. Our teachers are our community’s most valuable members and should be most respected. I despair  for my grandchildren and watch my own children struggle with the matter of education that should be covered by the considerable taxes they pay.
The powers that be and the constant cost of war with our brothers around the world is shear idiocy. I only see our ruin right ahead in the path.
Bad morning– had to say something about this. XXX   N.

Our sources tell us that 42 non-tenured positions at TMS were terminated.

(We haven’t confirmed whether all are teachers and some may be non-certified employees. Regardless, as all the audits and lawsuits have demonstrated, you can’t believe much about facts and figures emanating from CRAB Hall. Garbage in, garbage out.)

From The Taos News Blog: ” I was one of those teachers. The letter flat out stated we would not be rehired next year, no doubt about it. My family and I will have a hard time, but in the long run, it’s going to be the students who suffer from this. ”

A Reader comments: “I thought  that the law said teachers must be notified by March 15th..?”

According to teachersalaryinfo.com The average teacher salary in Taos Municipal Schools is $43,508. We estimate this to be a $1.8 million hit to the local economy. Some of  the teachers may be rehired. The initial estimates may be high.

From the Journal North, May 25, 2011, by Andy Stiny:

One Taos school board member, Stella Gallegos, said Tuesday she was “surprised” when she learned that the layoff notices had been mailed.

“As a board member, I should have known about the layoffs ahead of time,” Gallegos said. She also questioned the wisdom of laying off the youngest members of the teaching staff.

“I don’t think that’s good at all,” Gallegos said, adding that she would have preferred to see across-the-board cuts in the district budget. “I want to see what’s going to be cut in administration,” she said. “It needs to be fair — we need to be fair to everyone.”

The first question Taos Friction has is:  “Why weren ‘t teachers and board members notified earlier so non-tenured teachers could make plans.”

Call it cruel and unusual punishment.

Esther Winters, apparently, the new Human Resources hammer, delivered the bad news on terminations to the teachers, about 10, gathered at an elementary school, said a sad teacher. Meanwhile, the board tabled the budget, which is due by the first of June. According to a teacher, the administration negotiating team is asking for a 10% decrease in salaries but a one-hour increase in the number of hours worked per day. Reportedly, the union is balking at the request.

We have yet to hear whether any administrators will be taking cuts. Reportedly, Superintendent Weston makes over $100,000; Rodney Litke, THS principal earns about $95,000; the Director of Instruction makes $80 grand a year. We published the administrator salaries previously but do not have a current salary schedule.

Taos Municipal Schools is duty bound to publish complete salary schedules, according to the Public Information Act and PED. Let’s see if they do. The new board members are, apparently, singing the “Rubber Stamp Song.” Why are the board and administration afraid to make negotiations public? It’s our tax money and our kids? Eh?

Quite frankly, we do not understand why the Board hasn’t insisted on fair play for teachers by asking administrators to share in the short fall. Several current board members were supported by the union and the teachers. Now the voters understand how the movida makers turn coward and betray their own constituents.

We know Stella advocates for students and that Chuby advocates for  administrators. But who are Jason Silva, Zach Cordova, and David Chavez? Chopped liver?