Cross Your Fingers That Today's the Day

It is being widely reported that today is the day that President-elect Obama will announce Governor Richardson's selection as Secretary of Commerce [Hat tip: Heath Haussamen], and it's not a moment too soon.

It seems that there is growing movement, already 4,000 strong, by Chinese-Americans in the Silicon Valley to stop Richardson's appointment to Commerce Secretary:

In a move bound to create political tension between Latinos and Asian-Americans, a group of Chinese-American activists in Silicon Valley has launched a nationwide grass-roots movement to fight President-elect Barack Obama's nomination today of Bill Richardson as commerce secretary.

The group is upset at the New Mexico governor for his handling of the nearly decade-old case of Taiwanese-American Wen Ho Lee, a former nuclear scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. U.S. officials once suspected Lee of giving nuclear secrets to China when Richardson was President Clinton's energy secretary.

The Chinese-Americans say they realize that challenging the nomination of Richardson, 61, the nation's most high-profile Hispanic politician, will ruffle the Latino community, many of whose leaders felt he should have been named secretary of state instead of Sen. Hillary Clinton.

But the Chinese-American group insists that Richardson's refusal to acknowledge making serious errors in the case makes it a moral imperative to oppose his nomination to Obama's Cabinet. They say their criticism of Richardson has nothing to do with him being Latino but everything to do with his lack of judgment in the case.

Which raises the question, if the announcement does indeed occur today, will Governor Richardson immediately do the right thing and tender his resignation? Or, will he hold onto power in order to insert himself in political machinations of the Democratic wing of the legislature until such time as he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate?

Tales of Richardson calling senators up to his office to lobby them on the leadership battle have circulated for weeks around the Capitol and were heard by more than a few lawmakers, including Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, a Jennings supporter. Papen said Monday she heard the same thing, although she didn’t know the names of those summoned to the governor’s fourth-floor Roundhouse office.

I, for one, am really hoping the Governor Richardson does the right thing for once, and puts New Mexico first. No, it's not because I'm concerned about the political infighting of Senate Democrats. Something much larger is at stake here:

Gov. Bill Richardson is backing a proposed overhaul of the state's school finance formula, which will cost an additional $350 million to implement.

Richardson said Tuesday he supports the increased funding for schools but wants voters to decide how to raise the extra money, possibly through a referendum or constitutional amendment.

Uh oh, there it is, and it's hard to miss. Okay, I added the bold emphasis. If I hadn't, some of you might have missed it. Raid me once, shame on you. Raid me twice, shame on me. This is the first official acknolwedgement that a second raid on our Permanent Fund is on the table.

Folks, it's only been five years since the first raid. Heck, the original changes have yet to run its course, and they're already putting another raid on the table:

Amendment 2 would increase the annual distribution rate from the Land Grant Permanent Fund in fiscal 2004 from 4.7% to 5% of the fund's average market value over the previous five years. The rate would increase to 5.8% starting in the 2005 fiscal year and continuing for the next eight years. The rate would then drop to 5.5% for the next four years, after which it would decrease to 5%.

The distribution rate could not exceed 5% if the five-year average market value of the fund dropped below $5.8 billion.

Legislators could set the rate at 5% at any time with a three-fifths majority of each legislative chamber.

The Land Grant Permanent Fund was established to fund education with income earned on assets, including revenue from oil and gas royalties earned on land granted to the state by the federal government when New Mexico attained statehood.

Here's hoping the today is the Governor's big day, and not a moment too soon.

Watch Out! Here Comes the Tax Man

Are you feeling the squeeze? The economic pressures keep increasing. The Dow Jones took another dive finishing at 7,552 - a five and a half year low. To put this in perspective, in October of last year it was trading at over 14,000. It has lost nearly half its value in a little over a year. In other words, the market has lost TRILLIONS of dollars in value. My gut says that before the end of 2009 we'll see the Dow hovering at 5,000. Mind you, I'm not an economist or market professional, but then again a lot of those folks predicted the bottom to be around 8,000.

The hit to the economy is not just paper losses. We're losing real jobs. The jobless rate is at a 16 year high and climbing:

The US has been rocked by the fastest weekly rise in unemployment in 16 years.

New claims filed for unemployment insurance zoomed last week to 542,000, the highest since the summer of 1992, when the nation was recovering from a recession, the Labor Department said.

The latest news on the crucial jobs market was worse than analysts expected. Meanwhile the numbers continuing to draw jobless benefits climbed to more than four million, the highest in just over a quarter-century.

So, what's next? Well, it looks like the tax man is coming. Yeah, you're probably thinking. We all know that. The tax man is coming to tax the rich. Uh, think again. The tax man is coming for everyone [cue ominous music] - the rich, the tired, the poor, our huddled masses are all about to be taxed a little more:

Since the study findings were released last fall, education advocates have been pushing for use of the new formula. Despite approval from the state House last winter, a measure on the funding formula died in a Senate committee.

The biggest problem was where to get the additional money. Now advocates think they've found a solution.

Bud Mulcock, with the New Mexico Coalition of School Administrators, said a 1 percent increase in the state's gross receipts tax could raise between $470 million and $475 million.

He suggested money raised from a tax increase be dedicated to schools and not directed to the state's general fund. That would ensure the money goes to education and would also be a selling point to the public, he said.

That money, Mulcock said, not only would pay to implement the funding formula, but also would ensure no cuts are necessary for the following year. "It's a bold stroke," he said, "but I think it's a time for bold strokes."

Yup, no doubt about it. During the toughest economic times to hit our country in a quarter century, increasing gross taxes on everybody in New Mexico by over 15% is definitely a bold move. Before you start leaving me nasty comments that the proposed tax increase is only one percent, remember that adding a percentage point to a tax in the five to seven percent range is a huge tax increase. And, it is going to hit the poorest amongst us the hardest.

Mark my words, this is only one of many new taxes which will be pushed. In addition to the tax and fee increases we'll see being pushed statewide, you are going to have regional (think rail runner and spaceport) and municipal tax increases to cover the budget shortfalls from the spending spree of prvious years.

Smaller Schools are Better

I'm inclined to agree with Think New Mexico's push for smaller schools:

Decades of research have shown that smaller schools have higher graduation rates, higher student achievement, lower levels of student alienation and violence, and higher levels of satisfaction among students, parents, principals, and teachers. Small schools also dramatically improve the performance of low-income children, which helps to narrow the persistent achievement gap.

What I find surprising is APS Superintendent Winston Brooks' argument against smaller schools (subscription):

In a presentation at Hoover Middle School library, Brooks referenced that report as well as the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which calls for high schools no larger than 400 students.

"Having smaller schools is not financially feasible," Brooks said, adding that there would be a need for more principals and assistant principals. He cited the successful Eldorado football team and ROTC programs as items that would suffer if the 2,000-student school were broken up into smaller schools.

Really? Did he honestly make an argument against smaller schools to protect football and ROTC programs? That's the most bizarre thing I've ever heard. Talk about your skewed educational priorities. And, his claim that it would require more principals and assistant principals is baloney. Small schools with 400 students don't need assistant principals.

The Arguments For and Against School Choice

The Rio Grande Foundation recently released a study of New Mexico schools. The analysis includes public school performance estimates of how children would have performed on the Nation's Report card at the local school and district level.

As we know from healthcare discussions, many (especially on the Democratic side of the aisle) are enamored with European approaches to social solutions. As such, I thought this video to be quite relative to the topic at hand:



Hat tip: Stephen Kruiser

Command and Control Management at APS

It's a general rule of thumb now in businesses that a command and control managerial style from the top down is not the best approach - especially for a large business. Instead, you should hire the best people to operate each business unit and then hold them accountable for performance (i.e. failure to deliver leads to job loss).

Unfortunately, it looks like Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) is about to go the command and control route:

If the rest of the new superintendent's plans come to pass, the district's central office will have more control over everything from the number of custodians a school gets to the type of reading curricula it may use. And on Wednesday, the board approved a new policy that requires “all major technology related projects” to be approved by the superintendent.

“Site-based management, and APS does a lot of site-based management, is not efficient,” said Winston Brooks, who served his first official day last week as the district's new superintendent.

Some longtime principals say the added authority they've enjoyed under site-based management has paid dividends for their schools.

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't have a problem with Superintendent Brooks dismantling a layer of management by doing away with the cluster system. Nor, do I find his commitment to cutting unnecessary costs troubling. However, I've been in around school systems enough as a parent, as a teacher and as an educational partner to know that high performance schools occur because of creativity and commitment at the classroom, administrative and local community level.

Superintendent Brooks recent actions seem to indicate that he believes otherwise. If that's the case, it's going to be business as usual at APS - new edicts and directions without improvements in student performance.

The Pre-K Scam

So, it looks like Governor Richardson is out touting "success" regarding New Mexico's pre-kindergarten initiative:

The study is by the National Institute for Early Education at Rutgers University. It found that as a result of attending the New Mexico program at age four, children's vocabulary scores increased by six raw score points, which was statistically significant. Their early math scores increased by more than two raw score points, which is also statistically significant, researchers said. And children's' scores on early literacy rose by about 14 percentage points for children attending versus those who did not attend.

There's only one BIG problem with the supposed great education achievements:

The National Center for Education Statistics Early Childhood Longitudinal Study assessed 22,000 children at kindergarten entry and most recently reported on those students through the third grade. This research shows that by the end of third grade, the researchers no longer detect a difference between students who attended part-day or full-day kindergarten programs.

They write, "This report did not detect any substantive differences in children’s third-grade achievement relative to the type of kindergarten program (full-day vs. half-day) they attended." The finding holds across all subject matters tested. Third-grade reading, mathematics and science achievement did not differ substantively by children’s gender or kindergarten program type.

Oops, they forgot to mention that. Oh, and did I mention that as a nation we are globally competitive until about the fourth grade. Kind of makes you wonder why we are squandering limited resources on early childhood programs. Oh that's right we're trying to eliminate parental responsibility.

First California then Tennessee

Not too long ago, I wrote that the actions of an appellate court in California should serve as a wake up call to all parents who value choice regarding the education of their children. Now, I seem to have been proven correct:

Recently, the Tennessee State Board of Education ruled diplomas issued to home-schooled students from religious based schools were invalid as proof of the successful completion of High School should it be presented for employment purposes for a job for which state law requires a diploma. You read that right. According to the State Board of Education, all diplomas are equal but some diplomas are more equal than others.

If you are concerned about the education system in our country, I highly recommend you take the time to read this post in it entirety.

Government Continues Expansion of Parenting Role

It looks like the nanny state is about to get a little larger:

"These new initiatives are a creative way for us to continue improving graduation rates, classroom instruction and student and community involvement," Richardson said.

Starting next year, eighth-graders would have to be near proficient or better on a standardized test to be eligible for a driver's license when they come of age, while ninth-graders would have to have an attendance rate of at least 90 percent.

If students fail to reach either benchmark, they would have to wait six months before getting their license. They would be in for a 12-month delay if they fail to reach both benchmarks or if they drop out of school before age 16.

Funny, I always thought it was up to a parent to decide when their minor child could drive. My guess is that this is going to get challenged in court and ruled unconstitutional. At least it should be for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which is:

The Public Education Department still needs to work out many details, including options for special education and homeschool students as well as how private schools would participate.

Nothing like unveiling a new initiative without actually working out the details of the new initiative. The more government tries to overstep it bounds into parenting, the more likely parents are to look for alternative means of educating their children. I know I will.

Graduate from High School, Get Married, and Stay Married

The Albuquerque Journal had an interesting article this weekend (mis)titled, Middle-Class Dreams May Be Out of Reach for Many (subscription). Bascially, the article was based on conversations with two UNM professors. One being pessimistic about the potential for upward mobility into the middle class, and one believing the opportunities are as good today as they have ever been.

First, let's look at the pessimistic view:

Steve Walsh says he fought his way out of poverty and into the middle class with hard work and a solid education. But when the University of New Mexico professor asks students in his innovation management, entrepreneurial education and economic development classes whether they think they can do the same, he gets some disappointing answers.

“I ask them ‘Do you think your success depends on who you know or what you know?’ and they say, ‘It’s who you know,’ ” said Walsh, who is the Alfred Black Professor of Entrepreneurship at UNM’s Anderson Schools of Management and co-director of the technology management center there.

Walsh said his students tell him they are disillusioned not only by the incessant drumbeat of depressing economic news, but also by seemingly endless news of financial scandals, bailouts and abuses of power.

First, let's address the obvious. According to this article, Professor Walsh seems to be doing a disservice to his students. Nothing I read gives an indication that Professor Walsh is giving his students the straight scoop. If he was, he would point out several things to them:

1. They live in a state where the hierarchy is flat. What do I mean? Well, with a little effort, you can get to know just about anyone you need to know to succeed. Business, community and political leaders are at nearly every event in town. If you really believe its who you know that determines your success, then get out there and meet them.
   
   
2. The drumbeat of "depressing economic news" is nothing new. It is amazing to me that a business professor would not point out the cyclical nature of economics. Professor Walsh seems nostalgic for the "good old days" of 1978. The irony is, and argument can easily be made, that today's economy is very much like the economy we experienced in 1978:
   

   From 30 years of S&P 500 historicals, the most similar time frame for 2006-09-11 to 2007-09-07 is 1978-11-24 to 1979-11-19 (ANALYSIS). The dynamics involving the dollar, oil, housing, Iran, and gold are strikingly similar to today. Market phychology cast a remarkable pattern on pricing, and by computationally finding similar price charts, similar sentiment from bygone time frames are discovered. I refer to this process as sentiment fingerprinting. Without much fluff, lets see what happened to the dollar in 1978.

3. Being the victim of credit fraud is not a huge and devastating crisis. I know, my wife was a victim. It was a hassle and a little unsettling, but it was not a life altering event. However, reading the interview, Professor Walsh paints it as one of the major hurdles facing students of the 21st century"
   

   Even if you do everything right, you could be the victim of identity theft and have everything wiped out, said Walsh.

   It took us a couple of months to get it straightened out, but it DID NOT wipe out her credit history.
   

I'm simply amazed by what I read. Professor Walsh seems to be letting his own personal biases and ignorance paint a very bleak picture of the opportunities available for students. This bias comes through crystal clear in this statement:

"I understood the American Dream and believed in my heart that if I tried, it could get better. I would like to know how many of my students feel that way now. Because I just don’t think they do.”

If this man's teachings were indeed accurately reflected in this article, then I sincerely hope he doesn't have tenure at UNM. If he does, then the University ought to require that any student who suffers through his classes must follow up that class with a class taught by Professor Allen Parkman - the other professor interviewed for this story:

While many people today say they are not better off than their parents, the overall numbers show otherwise, [Parkman] said.

The gross domestic product, which measures the country’s economic output of goods and services, has increased about 2 percent annually in the last century.

After observing decades of economic and census statistics, Parkman said he’s found what unites those who are not succeeding in today’s economy.

“They are all people who have just made bad decisions,” said Parkman. Whether they’ve made the choice to drop out of school, buy houses they can’t afford, buy lottery tickets instead of saving, got divorced or otherwise became single parents, they all made decisions that damaged them economically, he said.

Professor Parkman has some very simple advice for those who want to join the middle class:

“If you want to live comfortably, you only have to do three things: Graduate from high school, get married, and stay married. If you look within that subset (of people who are not doing well), you will find that those people have violated those principles.”

The American Dream is alive and well. How do I know? Well, I'm living it. Of course, I graduated from high school, got married and stayed married.

You Thought NM Schools Were Bad

Sure, New Mexico has a little big problem when fessing up to the real graduation rates of students, but this little story of convicted felons teaching students in Tennessee schools takes the cake.

A False Sense of Accomplishment

Over the last few years, funding for education has increased exponentially. More than once I've complained that despite this significant investment, we've yet to see any positive results. Now, it seems that the picture is actually even bleaker than we've been led to believe (subscription):

Since the No Child Left Behind Act came along in 2001, New Mexico has been sending the federal government graduation rates based on the percent of seniors who earn a diploma by the end of the year.

By ignoring the thousands of students who drop out between grades nine and 11, the state has managed to post respectable graduation rates— a percentage in the mid-80s.

New Mexico had the U.S. Education Department's full consent, but the federal government was keeping its own books, based on the number of freshmen who graduate in four years. Those calculations were coming up with graduation rates for the state in the mid-60s.

New Mexico was doing nothing unusual but, according to a March 20 article in The New York Times, it has had one of the widest gaps between state and federal figures. Only Mississippi's was wider.

Garcia expects that to change. Starting this summer, the state will start reporting graduation rates based on entering freshmen.

By using seniors, Garcia said, the state was giving itself "a false sense of accomplishment."

My guess is that the state has known all along just what it's level of accomplishment has been. It's the taxpayers they have been trying to dupe.

Homeschooling Receives Potentially Devastating Blow

We send our kids to public school. However, we have several friends who have chosen to homeschool their children with fantastic results, and most are not credentialed teachers. So, this recent decision by the California Second District Court of Appeals is very disturbing:

"California courts have held that ... parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children," Justice H. Walter Croskey said in the 3-0 ruling issued on Feb. 28. "Parents have a legal duty to see to their children's schooling under the provisions of these laws."

Parents can be criminally prosecuted for failing to comply, Croskey said.

"A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare," the judge wrote, quoting from a 1961 case on a similar issue.

The ruling was applauded by a director for the state's largest teachers union.

I'm sorry, but this is just wrong. Report after report has our schools failing to educate our children. Schools whose classrooms are run by credentialed teacher. Now, don't get me wrong, this is not an attack on our teachers. In fact, I believe that one of the biggest problems with our education system today is the lack of parental involvement, not the teachers in the classroom. Which is what makes this decision so absurd, homeschooling a child is the ultimate level of parental involvement in a child's education.

Incidentally, in the 1990's, I worked for five years in California public schools as a teacher. First as an emergency credentialed substitute, and ultimately as a long term substitute. I took over the math classes in early October one year for the department chair who had died. I taught those classes until the end of the school year.

I was offered a teaching contract at least once a month during every month that I taught. I never took one because it would've resulted in a significant pay cut and required me to go back and get a teaching credential. This despite the fact that I was finishing a Master's degree.

I bring this up because I do have a unique understanding of what makes a good teacher, and the credential is not what separates the good from the mediocre and the bad. I sincerely hope this is overturned in the California Supreme Court. I also think it should go out as a wake-up call to parents in every state of our nation.

It's What Isn't Stated

Take a look at the Albuquerque Journal today, and you're going to come across an article on the unemployability of students (subscription) that that states:

Seventeen percent of the Albuquerque Public Schools freshmen who took a test to measure workplace skills fell into the "unemployable" category in reading and math.

However, as alarming as that may be, it is really this statement that of the most concern:

WorkKeys, she said, helps give them an idea so they can plan accordingly.

Mary Ann Landry, the district's vocational education director, said APS scores rose slightly when some of the schools retested students as upperclassmen. However, the district did not provide complete data on those results.

Whoa! After a couple of more years of an APS education, the scores only "rose slightly." That's not good. And, what's with not providing complete data. If we want to continue to successfully draw businesses to New Mexico, this is a situation that has to be dealt with immediately, and the school district needs to be more forthcoming with data results.

Drivers Licenses, College Education and Relationships

You HAVE to read Steve Terrell's post today. Let me give you a little taste:

But then [Bill] Richardson [Governor of New Mexico and Presidential Candidate] went on: “I’m for gays having relationships with undocumented workers, and I’ve always felt that way.”

I guess Governor Richardson feels that providing illegal immigrants with New Mexico driver's licenses and a free college education just doesn't go far enough. You can listen

Education Failures Continue to Increase

It's that time year again. The time when the No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress Reports comes out. Again, our schools are failing to deliver on improvement promises made by everyone from Governor Bill Richardson on down.

Two years ago, I went on a rant about the lack of a sense of urgency on the part of our education administrators and Governor appointees regarding the lack of progress. Then last year, I pointed out that the news had gone from bad to worse with more than 54% of schools failing to make Adequate Yearly Progress.

And guess what, this year we've fallen even further with more than 58% of the schools failing to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress. How much worse, can this get before we decide continuing along the same path year after year is just not working?

The spin coming from Governor Richardson's appointee (subscription) is nothing less than nauseating:

Statewide, more than 58 percent of New Mexico's schools didn't make adequate yearly progress. That figure is up slightly from 54.1 percent last year.

But state Education Secretary Veronica Garcia pointed out Friday that some schools found themselves on the failing list even though they met or exceeded proficiency standards in reading and math. Garcia pointed out 13 schools labeled as failing, even though they met proficiency targets for all students. Among those schools were Montessori of the Rio Grande and Twenty-First Century, both of Albuquerque.

"To label a school as failing— not making AYP for missing, for example, participation rate in one subgroup— and labeling the whole school as failing is very misleading to everyone," Garcia said. She said while the spirit behind the law is admirable, its implementation can be unfair.

Political Spin 101 is to reframe the issue to shift focus from your failures. If you reclassify those 13 schools the Education Secretary is referencing does that paint a prettier picture? I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it would still mean that more than 50% of our schools are failing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress. No matter how you slice it or dice it, this is unacceptable.

And, what does APS have to say about their continued failure:

APS spokeswoman Monica Armenta said the district will scrutinize the designations carefully to ensure their accuracy.

"We are going to go page by page, school by school, category by category," Armenta said.

Oh yeah, that's the problem. The reports aren't accurate. Glad to see you've got your focus in the right place. Speaking of having things in the right place. Don't you think it is odd that APS has a news section on their front page, but fails to provide notification the latest Adequate Yearly Progress Reports have been released.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that APS, as a district, is failing for at least the second year in a row. Now, I'm not a big fan of breaking up the district because research doesn't demonstrate that will change much of anything. However, the time has come to revisit school choice options. Our government is failing, and it is time to give the responsibility of educating our children back to parents.

Illegal Immigrants Get Free Education

You might remember that two years ago, Governor Richardson declared a State of Emergency at the border. What you might not realize is that about the same time, the Governor let legislation pass that lets out of state illegal immigrants get a free ride at New Mexico colleges and Universities:

Poudre High School counselor Isabel Thacker found a way around that, and this fall will be the second year that some of the high school’s undocumented students will participate in a program that allows them to attend college at the University of New Mexico - many without paying for tuition and books.

“A bill passed in New Mexico in 2005 prohibited the state from denying education benefits based in immigration status,” said Terry Babbitt, director of admissions for the University of New Mexico. “We have to offer state financial aid to any student, regardless of their immigration status,” he said. New Mexico’s state financial aid, however, is intended for residents. Despite the apparent obstacle, a loophole in UNM’s residency requirements was discovered that allows the undocumented students from Fort Collins, CO to receive in-state tuition in New Mexico as well as an institutional scholarship that covers completely the cost of their tuition.

Got to love it. It is now cheaper to go to college in New Mexico if you are an illegal immigrant than if you are an American student paying in-state or out of state tuition - that's just wrong.

Putting You Money Where Your Mouth Is

Dr. Beth Everitt is going to "retire" from APS (read: look for another job) when her contract is over next June. And, surprise, surprise, Mayor Marty Chavez has inserted his two cents about the necessary qualifications of the next Superintendent (subscription):

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez weighed in with his opinion Monday.

"We have a school district that's in a crisis," he said. "It's going to require somebody who's not afraid to make enemies, including on the board."

The Mayor has been a big proponent of the City taking a controlling interest in the school district. Something I think is pointless. However, here's an idea... Why doesn't the Mayor apply for the job? You know, put his money where his mouth is.

Dr. Everitt is leaving in June 2008, The Mayor is termed out in October of 2009. Instead of trying to run for the Democratic nomination for Governor against Lt. Governor Diane Dennish, a race he is bound to lose, he could campaign hard to be hired as the next Superintendent. It would be a big pay raise, and he could prove that his ideas for running the district are the way to go.

What do you say, Marty?

Richardson Sleight of Hand

Somethings never change, and Governor Bill Richardson's fiscal sleight of hand tricks remains one of them. Granted, the Governor only has time for an occasional visit now and again to the Land of Enchantment, but as this Albuquerque Journal Opinion piece points out Richardson's legacy is alive and well (subscription):

Gov. Bill Richardson's Cabinet just got more expensive. His choices to head up the Department of Health and the Department of Higher Education, a new slot under Richardson, together will be paid $156,650 more than their predecessors.

That won't strain the department budgets, however, because the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University are picking up $379,750 in salaries for three new top officials in the departments.

Jeez, talk about double dipping - it's ALL TAXPAYER MONEY. But, it gets a whole lot worse. This is a classic example of hiring the fox to watch the hen house:

There are concerns other than financial. These officials oversee the institutions that subsidize their salaries or, in the case of Flores, cover it.

Hmm, I wonder what the Governor's Ethics Task Force thinks of this classic double dipping, conflict of interest scenario. As I recall, the task force is co-chaired by a member of each of the Universities in question.

Life Lesson Only Temporarily Avoided

When County Commissioner Teresa Cordova stepped in and pushed to change her son's failing grade (subscription) to a passing a grade, she made a decision that I'm willing to bet is going to come back and bite her, not as a politician, but as a mother:

"There were some other kids that didn't graduate," Anita Forte said. "I didn't fail them; they failed themselves."

Ms. Forte, the Rio Grande High School teacher in question, is dead on with this comment. And, at some some point, Commissioner Cordova's son is going to have to learn that lesson. Chances are the next time he fails his mother won't be able to save him from his bad decisions, and next time, it is quite possible that the stakes will be much larger then gaining the opportunity to celebrate an undeserved graduation.

Graduating Failures

So, I'm reading this article about New Mexico's graduation rates (subscription) and I come across the following section:

Frustrated by the varying ways states calculated their graduation and dropout rates, the National Governors Association challenged governors to agree to a set standard.

Gov. Bill Richardson and other governors signed a compact with the association in 2005, agreeing to calculate graduation rates in a uniform manner. By 2012, all states are expected to report their rates.

Meanwhile, a national report issued this week by Education Week put New Mexico's graduation rate for the 2003-2004 school year at 60.1 percent. But for that same year, the state of New Mexico— which used a different formula— reported a graduation rate of 89 percent to the federal government.

"The first step is getting the more accurate count," Curran said. "You can't adequately deal with the problem until you know the scope of it."

The rest of the article points out that only an estimated 58% of the class of 2008, because of the number of high school students that are behind in their credits, will actually graduate. No matter how you look at it, that means that New Mexico is losing ground in providing its students with a high school diploma.

Which kind of leaves you wondering how Governor Bill Richardson decided to address this continued failure on the education front while hitting the campaign trail. Well, as luck would have it. I have the answer. First, according to Dan Brown of the Huffington Post, Richardson tried to avoid dealing with the education failures:

Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico, former Congressman and U.S. Secretary of Energy, does not list education among the seven issues on his presidential committee website . Richardson has made strides for education as Governor of New Mexico, so the omission is baffling.

Actually Mr. Brown, the strides haven't been all that great, so the omission is anything but baffling. However, as much as the Governor would like to, you can't ignore education issue, so Richardson did ultimately have to put up an education platform. Hmm, he forgot to mention that he would avoid repeating all of the mistakes he has made in New Mexico.

Moving from Laptops to iPods

The New Mexico State Legislature appropriations never ceases to amaze me. When it comes to education, we have some of the worse worst performing schools in the nation. Yet, rather than getting back to basics, they throw tacpayer taxpayer funds at one bad idea after another. It wasn't that long ago that they gave every 7th grader at Tohatchi middle school a laptop computer. Now, they're giving iPods to the kids (subscription):

Cutting-edge technology sets Southwest Secondary Learning Center apart and keeps the charter school's waiting list long, principal Dolly Juarez said.

Still, $40,000 for iPods that the school got from the state Legislature may be too extravagant for Albuquerque Public Schools, and officials said they may reject it.

"We can always say 'no,' " said Kizito Wijenje, APS capital master plan director. "Last year, we got money for SUVs, and we said 'no.' "

The school wants the iPods, which cost between $250 and $350 each, so students who don't have high-speed Internet connections at home can download lectures whenever or wherever they want, Juarez said.

Yeah, I'm sure the kids are going to use the iPods for downloading lectures. Just like those laptops helped Tohatchi Middle School start making "adequate yearly progress." Oops, wait that didn't happen.

Then again, maybe this brilliant iPod idea also has Governor Richardson's blessing. I'm thinking this is a presidential campaign platform with legs - an iPod for every American.

Please, Define Accountability

I'm sure it was just an oversight, but I wasn't invited to Governor Richardson's inaugural festivities. Instead, I just had to read the speech online.

And what a speech it was. This highlighted portion from the Governor's press release is by far my favorite:

“Four years ago today, we demonstrated our commitment to education with a 6% increase in teacher salaries - tied to accountability measures,” said Governor Richardson. “Those increases took us from 48th to 39th in the nation in teacher pay, dramatically boosted teacher quality, and improved education in the classroom. Today, I propose that we renew our commitment to education in an unprecedented way - let's raise teacher's salaries by 7.4 percent, tie them to accountability, and move to 27th in the nation.”

So, that first raise was tied to accountability. Based on these results, who would've thunk it? I can't wait to see what kind of results another 7.4 percent across the board will bring us.