Alamogordo Public Schools (APS) has in place many policies for a safe and effective learning environment. For this article, we bypass the effectiveness of the educational process as we know New Mexico ranks dead last in academic achievement in the nation with Otero County not even in the top 10% of the schools within the state.
Examples Of Protective Policies Include:
Internet safety, Nondiscrimination policies, Pupil Information Protection, Attendance requirement policies as well as policies to prevent bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, hazing, and intimidation to name a few.
Examples Of Personnel And Facilities To Increase Safety With APS Schools:
Lockable perimeter fencing, Chief of Safety and Security- Doyle Syling, Campus security officers,
School Resource Officers with affiliation to Alamogordo Public Safety – again to name a few.
With so many great policies and personnel in place to provide a safe environment, why are there so many questions like the ones below within the community?
1. Are you aware of any detrimental issues in the district due to bullying?
2. How about pupil information shared via surveys given to students with sexually oriented questions?
3. Have you heard of any recent detrimental effects revolving around attendance requirement policies?
4. How many teachers or APS staff do you know that have left their employment recently with APS? Any Lawsuits or Settlements involved with taxpayer money?
5. How about students? How many students do you know that no longer study at APS?
6. Are you aware of Holloman potentially being a K-12 school? Maybe a DOD school?
7. Have you heard of any weapons problems at our schools?
8. How about fighting?
9. Even threat of harm to teachers and students?
10. Have you heard of any lawsuits against APS and the School Board?
11. Why has the new Chaparral Middle School not been started? Thought it was supposed to already be done – not still planning it.
This is not an exhaustive list of questions as we are not even questioning the quality of education within the public schools in New Mexico and our school district. And more importantly, the answers to these questions reveal a laundry list of ongoing, uncorrected problems!
I believe many within the community know the questions, have many of the answers, and would be of assistance to APS – if allowed. If you are unaware of the concept of these questions or maybe you don’t know an answer, start digging for yourself and asking questions. Who can I ask some of these questions you may ask? We are blessed at this time to have the opportunity to elect 3 school board positions. All 3 sitting school board members are running to continue serving on the school board and all 3 board positions are being challenged by at least one community member. The present APS situation, that we send our kids to, brings great concern to each of us in the community as well as our Holloman Air Force Base community.
CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR APS SCHOOL BOARD
ALAMOGORDO SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 1
Judy V Rabon – incumbent
Craig A Danekas
ALAMOGORDO SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 3
Marianne Marie Jackson
Amanda Gwynn Jewell – incumbent
Shannan Troy Wright
ALAMOGORDO SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 4
Josiah Stephen Vesey
Brandy J Murphy
Carol Louise Teweleit -incumbent
WHAT CAN BE GATHERED FROM THE ABOVE?
More policies, more personnel, more money (last year 100+ MILLION DOLLAR budget), and more procedures have not changed the path APS is on and have been for a while. APS is a business and the community is a stakeholder, so treat it as a business. When repeated, progressive failure of function within a business that will not or cannot change, then usually personnel changes are made at the top level. At APS this includes School Superintendent, School Board members, and Administrators as a starting point.
ALAMOGORDO HIGH SCHOOLS MISSION STATEMENT IS :
Our mission is to prepare all students to be college and career-ready within four years.
Alamogordo High School is not sending out college-ready students. Who will survive the 4 years?
That opens the next opportunity, in the same path as Holloman, get your kids out of there!
Click the link here for all candidates running for office in Alamogordo, Tularosa, and Cloudcroft.
