Gov. Martinez Meets with Gallegos & Teachers

While about 150 Taosenos protested sudden teacher lay-offs outside the Sagebrush Inn on Friday, May 27, 2011, Gov. Martinez met privately with representative teachers and Taos School Board Member Stella Gallegos inside the Convention Center. The meeting took place prior to the Governor’s reception, hosted by Art and Marilyn Ortiz, attended by almost 300 bipartisan supporters. During her speech, the Governor dwelled on education issues and referred to laid-off teachers and board member Gallegos. The Governor said that there was a problem with issuing “pink slips to teachers” when there was no budget in place. (TMS has yet to complete a budget, due June 1, for the new fiscal year.) Mayor Darren Cordova told board member Gallegos he was extremely concerned.

Governor Martinez also mentioned the challenges regarding jobs and the state budget during her first five months but she spent much of  the time speaking about the importance of changing the education environment in New Mexico. She mentioned social promotion, Special Education, rewarding good teachers, and specifically referred to ways good schools were succeeding–despite large numbers of poor or Hispanic children. She urged her audience to address issues in a bipartisan fashion.

School Board Member Stella Gallegos

Apparently the Taos School Administration and board president Thomas “Chuby” Tafoya, the former head of the Taos County Democratic Party, handpicked teachers and personnel targeted for the sudden and slapdash termination. Friction sources say the current Human Resources Department head, school principals, and Gallegos herself were left “out of the loop.” One principal told a source he could have saved $200,000 and several teachers’ jobs if he’d been asked. Another principal refused to deliver letters of termination.

Friction sources say the Director of Transportation, Esther Winters, and Human Resources designate, delivered the notices at the direction of Superintendent Rod Weston. Prior to last week’s purge, TMS was designated as one of nine districts in the state for special scrutiny by the PED. Due to the latest missteps, consider  Taos No. 1 today.

Not only were teachers and their supporters demonstrating on Friday but some teachers are consulting with attorneys. In addition to violating community standards and having bad manners, El Weston et al will be confronting potential violations of employment laws.  While local democrats try to blame the republicans, the real problem at TMS is systemic. Despite four audits that have detailed problems at CRAB Hall during the last couple of years, neither the board nor the administration has done anything to correct problems with student attendance numbers, general record keeping, or the identification of personnel qualifications.

A rational approach to the budget crunch should have entailed good-faith meetings with the union, teachers, community, and potential retirees. The average citizen can understand that the budget crunch was due to the economic downturn. But the emergency layoffs point toward administrators trying to cover up “gaming the system.” It’s difficult for newcomers and supporters to believe that a ten-year conspiracy exists at CRAB Hall.

The last board instituted a hiring freeze, which was defied by recalcitrant administrators.  During the last three or four years, a majority of the community members–including media–has scapegoated two board members. Now it’s time for Taosenos to look in the mirror and quit lying to themselves. The pied piper may have  his GED but that does not justify running roughshod over teachers and kids. He once won election as chair of the local democratic party by manipulating the credentials committee. Consequently, participation in local party politics declined.

Last week was “Retaliation Time” for the board. Now comes the reaction from teachers, parents, a board member, the Mayor, the Secretary of Education and Governor Martinez, a former prosecutor. As Flavio said last night at the Sagebrush Convention Center, “Maybe it’s time to consider filing a RICO action against the CRAB Hall gang. They’re democrats and they’re my people but they can’t shoot straight.”