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August 27, 2014

Editor
The Albuquerque Journal
7777 Jefferson NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109-4343

Sir:

Now that the Journal has endorsed Mr. Brad Winter as interim superintendent of the
Albuquerque Public Schools I wonder if youd be so kind as to share the approach used allowing
you to base your evaluation! I ask because your editorial seems to have serious omissions; even
more serious errors in judgment extant. I am curious to know if the Journal interviewed the first
line supervisors and other like personnel who were/are under Mr. Winters direct supervision. I
know this would be difficult because of the extremely vicious retaliatory measures taken against
people who try to do the right thing but will never more come forward because of an abject fear
of losing their livelihood. I know of supervisors with outstanding work records who were
hounded out of their jobs because they wouldnt play the game.
Contained within the first five lines of the Journals editorial, APS right to pick Winter,
08/24/14, we find when you are entrusted with putting the biggest school district in the
stateback on a steady course it makes sense to go with experience and with what you know.
It seems to me this is going to be a tough row to hoe since APS has never, never been on a steady
course. Fact is, the last several superintendents have demonstrated this with their Oscar winning
performances. What we are going to get with this appointment is the status quo. The incoming
interim superintendent is already a lifetime dues paying member of the APS Golden Top 20
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($100K+ per annum) club. Hes not going to change anything after all he knows where the
bodies are buried.
Say what! Superintendent and City Councilor at the same time! Assuming there is no
conflict of interest in such an arrangement both these positions occupy an inordinate amount of
personal time. Most City Councilors will tell you they count themselves lucky when they only
have to give up 20 hours some weeks in order to do the peoples business.
The Journal observes, Winter is likely to serve for up to a year and says he has no interest
in seeking the job on a permanent basis. (An example of no interest in seeking the job on a
permanent basis: Mr. Norris Bradbury, was the interim director of Los Alamos National
Laboratory for more than 25 years).
If there is even a modicum of serious resolve going into steering a steady course we
must as the number one priority, revisit APS Golden Top 20 ($100K+ per annum)
administrators. Do they really have the expertise required to steer a steady course? You will find
the majority are not qualified for the position they hold never were never will be. Using
skilled, impartial interrogators, let us do an in depth interview with these people beginning with,
How did you get this job?
That Winter, per the Journal has earned a reputation as a calm, civil problem solver
prompts me to ask, According to who? Perhaps there was some communication with APS
exclusive Golden Top 20 ($100K+ per annum) crowd. But its a virtual certainty he was so out
of touch he could not call by name most of the first line supervisors working under him nor has
he ever been known to hold a staff meeting ever with any of them! And, not certainly among
the hundreds upon hundreds of first line blue collar and professional underpaid, overworked
employees who ACTUALLY sow the rice.
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Despite its glowing endorsement this editorial does little to assuage the actual concerns
generated by the ongoing lack of leadership and administrative skills currently existent within
the APS, whose budget occupies one-fifth of the New Mexico state budget. It begs the question:
Is the Journal aware of the number of sexual discrimination lawsuits currently filed in the court
system; or the pervasive fear of retaliation against any employee who dares to bring unacceptable
conduct on the part of the administration to the attention of the appropriate authority or the
obscene cost (millions of dollars) of overruns presently unresolved to name a few?
The Journal would have us believe there is no problem now nor has there ever been a
problem that cant be solved by the incoming interim superintendent this is simply not the
case!


Most sincerely,

James D. Robertson

335 Vineyard Rd. NW
The Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
New Mexico 87107-5805
Tel: 505.345.0000
Cel: 505.238.2962 (preferred)
Email; jjdrobertson@cs.com



Encl: editorial 08/24/14
list of APS 100K employees


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ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL 08/24/2014



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THE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
APRIL 14, 2010