Latest news with #InspectionofPublicRecordsAct
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Divided APS board vacates coaching, governance contract. New provider to be selected in fall.
Jun. 5—After pushback from some board members, Albuquerque Public Schools won't renew its contract with the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), which cost the district around $50,000 over nearly three years. CGCS is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that partners with urban districts to improve students' academic performance and assist school boards' governance strategies. The district will instead put out a request for proposals allowing vendors to apply to provide coaching services and student outcomes-focused governance as APS attempts to turn around academic performance as the largest district in a state that often ranks last in the nation for education. The district's contract with CGCS will expire June 30 and applications to fill the vacancy are due by Aug. 1. The board will likely vote on a new vendor at its Sept. 17 meeting. CGCS didn't answer questions or respond to interview requests sent over several weeks but stated Wednesday that it had "no involvement in the school board's decision not to renew its contract." APS' Board of Education met Wednesday and was initially expected to vote on renewing the contract. However, it was announced May 30 in a memo from APS Board President Danielle Gonzales that the district would seek a different provider for coaching services. "This effort to establish community engagement goals was to be transparent, to be clear, and also to hold ourselves accountable to meeting these specific goals," Gonzales said Wednesday, opening the discussion. "I want to acknowledge that no board had ever done this before, and this was not happening before." She also referred to several meetings in which the board unanimously approved topics related to the contract and student governance strategies, dating back to June 2024. However, one of the contract's critics, board member Josefina Domínguez, outlined longstanding issues she has had with CGSC in an email sent from her personal address to her APS address. The email — which she told the Journal was a draft — was obtained through an Inspection of Public Records Act request. Domínguez states that CGCS, "deliberately inserted themselves into the APS Board's business" and that board leadership interpreted "coaching to suit their needs." "Key decisions within the APS Board are made with the knowledge of only four members, leaving the other three members in the dark," she wrote. "This lack of collaborative governance is evident in our board meetings." The split to which she refers concerns the three board members endorsed by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation union and the four backed by business community entities, such as the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and the local chapter of NAIOP, a commercial real estate organization. That divide was on display Wednesday as the three union-backed board members present — Domínguez, Heather Benavidez and Ronalda Tome-Warito — discussed the issues they had with CGCS. Domínguez and Tome-Warito stated that CGCS didn't offer enough to help students who are minorities, specifically Native students, and Benavidez took issue with the divisiveness caused by coaching. "I would like a coach that is not going to pit board members against each other; that's going to foster cohesion," Benavidez said. "I think that needs to start with the board, the board members. We cannot be productive as a board if we don't get along." The discussion over the contract dominated the meeting, which took place among the five board members present. Crystal Tapia-Romero, who has now missed the past three meetings, was not in attendance, nor was Janelle Astorga, who is on maternity leave. The trio of union-backed members successfully pushed for discussions on a few items, including revising the timeline for student-focused outcomes, reflecting on the contract with CGCS and establishing criteria for a new vendor to be presented to the board at its July meeting, but in doing so, earned the ire of the board's vice president, Courtney Jackson. "I haven't slept for two stinking days because of the headspace and the time and the energy," Jackson said. "I am trying so hard to focus on effective governance, and this has spun so far out of control because of narratives, because of misunderstandings, because of hurt feelings." She also called CGCS one of "the leading organizations in the nation" and added that the organization has a "proven" record of turning around student academic performance. "I represent 90,000 roughly constituents. You know what they want me to be focusing on?" Jackson said. "They want to make sure that our kids can read. They want to make sure that our kids can do math. That's what they want me to do."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Divided APS board vacates coaching, governance contract. New provider to be selected in fall.
Jun. 5—After pushback from some board members, Albuquerque Public Schools won't renew its contract with the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), which cost the district around $50,000 over nearly three years. CGCS is a Washington, D.C.-based organization that partners with urban districts to improve students' academic performance and assist school boards' governance strategies. The district will instead put out a request for proposals allowing vendors to apply to provide coaching services and student outcomes-focused governance as APS attempts to turn around academic performance as the largest district in a state that often ranks last in the nation for education. The district's contract with CGCS will expire June 30 and applications to fill the vacancy are due by Aug. 1. The board will likely vote on a new vendor at its Sept. 17 meeting. CGCS didn't answer questions or respond to interview requests sent over several weeks but stated Wednesday that it had "no involvement in the school board's decision not to renew its contract." APS' Board of Education met Wednesday and was initially expected to vote on renewing the contract. However, it was announced May 30 in a memo from APS Board President Danielle Gonzales that the district would seek a different provider for coaching services. "This effort to establish community engagement goals was to be transparent, to be clear, and also to hold ourselves accountable to meeting these specific goals," Gonzales said Wednesday, opening the discussion. "I want to acknowledge that no board had ever done this before, and this was not happening before." She also referred to several meetings in which the board unanimously approved topics related to the contract and student governance strategies, dating back to June 2024. However, one of the contract's critics, board member Josefina Domínguez, outlined longstanding issues she has had with CGSC in an email sent from her personal address to her APS address. The email — which she told the Journal was a draft — was obtained through an Inspection of Public Records Act request. Domínguez states that CGCS, "deliberately inserted themselves into the APS Board's business" and that board leadership interpreted "coaching to suit their needs." "Key decisions within the APS Board are made with the knowledge of only four members, leaving the other three members in the dark," she wrote. "This lack of collaborative governance is evident in our board meetings." The split to which she refers concerns the three board members endorsed by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation union and the four backed by business community entities, such as the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and the local chapter of NAIOP, a commercial real estate organization. That divide was on display Wednesday as the three union-backed board members present — Domínguez, Heather Benavidez and Ronalda Tome-Warito — discussed the issues they had with CGCS. Domínguez and Tome-Warito stated that CGCS didn't offer enough to help students who are minorities, specifically Native students, and Benavidez took issue with the divisiveness caused by coaching. "I would like a coach that is not going to pit board members against each other; that's going to foster cohesion," Benavidez said. "I think that needs to start with the board, the board members. We cannot be productive as a board if we don't get along." The discussion over the contract dominated the meeting, which took place among the five board members present. Crystal Tapia-Romero, who has now missed the past three meetings, was not in attendance, nor was Janelle Astorga, who is on maternity leave. The trio of union-backed members successfully pushed for discussions on a few items, including revising the timeline for student-focused outcomes, reflecting on the contract with CGCS and establishing criteria for a new vendor to be presented to the board at its July meeting, but in doing so, earned the ire of the board's vice president, Courtney Jackson. "I haven't slept for two stinking days because of the headspace and the time and the energy," Jackson said. "I am trying so hard to focus on effective governance, and this has spun so far out of control because of narratives, because of misunderstandings, because of hurt feelings." She also called CGCS one of "the leading organizations in the nation" and added that the organization has a "proven" record of turning around student academic performance. "I represent 90,000 roughly constituents. You know what they want me to be focusing on?" Jackson said. "They want to make sure that our kids can read. They want to make sure that our kids can do math. That's what they want me to do."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Santa Fe police haven't provided reports on downtown shootings
Editor's note: The Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) 'enables access to public records of governmental entities in New Mexico,' according to the New Mexico Department of Justice. Public Records Watch is an occasional series from The Santa Fe New Mexican that documents how public agencies respond to IPRA requests. Police have been sparse on details regarding two downtown shootings in recent months and have still provided no reports from their investigations of either incident. 041723 md (copy) Alvin Crespin enters a plea during a hearing in 2023 in the First Judicial District Court. He was shot to death April 25 in De Vargas Park. Records staff from the city of Santa Fe have estimated it will take two months to provide any police reports related to the fatal shooting of Alvin Crespin at De Vargas Park in late April. The city also has yet to provide any reports on another fatal shooting in early May in downtown Santa Fe. A man was charged with shooting and killing Crespin at the downtown Santa Fe park April 25, and a woman was accused of conspiring in the homicide and acting as a getaway driver. Police arrested the suspects, Pierre Cheykaychi and Alexis Chavez, in the week after the shooting. A request for police reports related to the investigation was submitted April 28. Records staff have estimated they will be able to produce the reports June 27. City staff have pushed back the expected date to provide the reports twice, deeming the request for police reports in a single murder investigation "excessively burdensome or broad," a designation that allows city staff to take longer than 15 days to produce records in response to a request. Little is still known about the shooting death of Raven Iron Lightning Scott on May 12 in downtown Santa Fe — including whether Scott's death was a homicide. Police have declined to answer questions about the fatal shooting, including those seeking details about the circumstances of his death. Raven Raven Iron Lightning Scott Scott died from his injuries from at least one gunshot wound, police said, and he was found at a city-owned parking lot at Water Street and Don Gaspar Avenue in the early hours. Police have not filed any criminal charges in the shooting. The New Mexican submitted a request for reports from the death investigation May 22. After 12 days, city records staff have not given an estimated date for producing the records. City spokesperson Regina Ruiz did not respond to an email seeking an explanation for the delays in providing the public records. Deputy police Chief Ben Valdez wrote back Tuesday saying he would check on the requests with the city's records staff.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
FOG sues Los Lunas School District
New Mexico Foundation for Open Government filed suit against the Los Lunas Schools Board of Ed for not releasing records related to its investigation of former Schools Superintendent Ryan Kettler (photo courtesy Los Lunas Schools) The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government announced on Tuesday a lawsuit against the Los Lunas Schools Board of Education, along with its public records custodian, Brian Baca, for their refusal to release public records related to an investigation of former Superintendent Ryan Kettler. According to a news release from FOG, after Kettler was placed on administrative leave in July 2024, one year after he was fired, School Board President Michelle Osowski told Valencia County News-Bulletin reporters the district's lawyers would be investigating him. Subsequently, the newspaper filed Inspection of Public Records Act requests to learn more about that investigation. According to the suit, those records included: • Any contract for services with DDSK Group LLC. • Any scope of work services from DDSK Group LLC. • Any and all invoices from and payments to DDSK Group LLC. • Any and all correspondence between DDSK Group LLC and Los Lunas Schools employees to include electronic correspondence and messages on district issued and personal devices. • Any and all correspondence between DDSK Group LLC and LLS Board of Education members to include electronic correspondence and messages on district issued and personal devices. In response, the district's lawyers said they were 'unaware of any documents responsive [to the public records requests]' and, moreover, were there an investigation 'company hired to conduct an investigation was done through [their] law firm and is protected by attorney-client privilege and not subject to the Inspection of Public Records Act.' Nonetheless, FOG notes an Oct. 31, 2024 invoice shows Los Lunas Schools' attorneys billed the district $21,685 to pay DDKS Group LLC, a firm that conducts school personnel investigations. The school board terminated Kettler on Nov. 14, 2024 and never explained its reasons for doing so. 'NMFOG is suing the School District for unlawfully shielding its public records from view,' the news release states. 'A public body cannot hide public records behind the attorney-client privilege merely because the school went through its attorney to hire an investigator. The attorney-client privilege covers only confidential communications between an attorney and their client and does not apply to the requested records concerning Kettler.' The lawsuit requests a judge to compel the district to release the records.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Public records watch: City reports from private security contractors
Editor's note: The Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) 'enables access to public records of governmental entities in New Mexico,' according to the New Mexico Department of Justice. Public Records Watch is an occasional series from The Santa Fe New Mexican that documents how public agencies respond to IPRA requests. The city of Santa Fe has provided some, but not all, of the records requested by The New Mexican more than six months ago related to the city's contracted security services. The newspaper requested receipts, incident logs and reports, certificates of insurance, training manuals, policies and procedures and copies of the licenses of security guards authorized to patrol the streets, many of them armed. The Santa Fe City Council approved a measure in August to allocate $750,000 for a contract with Condor Security of America for the company's services in downtown Santa Fe. So far, the city has provided receipts and invoices for payments through November, the company's contract, post orders and some incident logs filed by security guards who patrolled the Railyard area last year. Incident reports, training materials, guard licenses and policies and procedures have not been provided. City records staff closed the request in January without providing any incident logs or reports from the first six months of the downtown security program, but the request was reopened after an inquiry into whether any such logs or reports have been filed, as is laid out in the contract.
