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Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Questions To Albuquerque Public Schools District 4 Candidates
Journal Staff Report
Questions to APS candidates
1. APS is the biggest school district in New Mexico and one of the largest in the country with nearly 90,000 students. Some West Side residents have proposed splitting off from APS to form a separate school district. Do you think the district should be split into two or more districts? Why or why not?
2. Mayor Martin Chávez has said he wants the power to appoint school board members and oversee the school district's construction projects, as other big-city mayors do. Would you support mayoral oversight of the school board and/or APS school construction? Why or why not?
3. APS has authorized 33 charter schools, and more are slated to open next August. Would you support authorizing more charter schools to open? Why or why not?
4. What do you think is the most pressing problem currently facing APS? Please explain.
5. As an adult, how much time have you spent in public school classrooms?
6. Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?
7. Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?
8. Have you ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of drunken driving, or any misdemeanor or felony?
Albuquerque Public Schools, District 4
Vanessa M. Alarid
AGE: 29
EDUCATION: B.A., University of New Mexico, 1999; M.A. in international affairs, Columbia University, 2003.
OCCUPATION: Government Affairs Manager.
FAMILY: One daughter.
POLTICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: Executive director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, 2004-06; fellow for the Office of Homeland Security, 2003; majority analyst for the New Mexico House of Representatives, 2003; intern for Congressman Bill Richardson and Senator Ted Kennedy, 1995; Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Las Adelitas.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Links to Literacy, NARAL, NAIOP, Hispano Chamber of Commerce, Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.
1. No. More services are available in larger school districts. If APS split, the cost of providing those services would increase. The current structure meets the needs of students from various backgrounds, permits a broader curriculum and allows for greater political influence, which is important for obtaining funds.
2. I think Mayor Martin Chávez is very innovative and forward-thinking. However, I do not support appointing school board members. An appointed member would be accountable to the appointee. As elected members of the school board, we are accountable to our constituency.
3. Charter schools offer additional choices for our children to meet their education needs. I would authorize more schools, as long as they are consistent with the APS structure.
4. We need to teach students how to learn, not just teach them how to take a test. We need to close the achievement gap; attract, retain and facilitate the best teachers by increasing salaries; and restore arts and music education to the classroom.
5. I have participated in Links to Literacy, tutoring students with literature and teaching them how to read.
6. No
7. No
8. No
John B. Edward
AGE: 40
EDUCATION: B.B.A, New Mexico State University, 1989; M.B.A, University of New Mexico, 1993.
OCCUPATION: Insurance and real estate broker.
FAMILY: Wife, Gayle Edward.
POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: Graduate intern for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, 1993.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Tutor at Wherry Elementary; Rotary Club volunteer; Salvation Army bell ringer; volunteer radio show host; youth coaching; big brother for Big Brothers/Big Sisters; served on several non-profit boards and committees.
1. Yes. Districts under ~65,000 students are ideal. Two options are either a consolidated district with several independent districts or totally separate districts. Each has its merits.
2. No. His plate is full. The city and APS need to communicate. APS should have a seat on the EPC (Environmental Planning Commission.) Education is our foundation. Keep politics out of it. Let teachers teach.
3. Yes. They are healthy for the system. But, they must be accountable. All schools regardless of type should be viable and accountable.
4. We do not hold meaningful education and learning as a primary value. The results are low parental/citizen involvement, low voter turnout, poor funding, poor utilization of resources, poor planning, schools and classes are too big and people manipulate schools for personal profit.
5. For two years, I have tutored in reading, literacy and comprehension at APS and mentored high school students.
6. No.
7. No.
8. I was arrested 1990/1991 for failure to pay a speeding ticket. The fine was paid, but due to a name error on ticket, the fine was not appropriately allocated to my record.
Martin Esquivel
AGE: 43
EDUCATION: B.A., University of New Mexico, 1986; J.D., University of New Mexico School of Law, 1989.
OCCUPATION: Civil attorney.
FAMILY: Wife, Pauline; three children.
POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: Past chair and member Albuquerque Human Rights Board; past member and governor-appointee, New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority; co-chair Albuquerque Racial Profiling Task Force
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: President, Zia Elementary PTA; board member and past president, New Mexico Foundation for Open Government; chair, Board of Editors, New Mexico State Bar; past member, National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation; past Member, PBJ Family Services Board; youth coaching.
1. No, because there is not a sufficient tax base to support it. Efforts should be made to critically assess the options and whether it is wise for our entire community.
2. I do not support a mayoral-appointed board. It does not foster stability in the development of educational policy. We do, however, need a more productive, and less acrimonious, dialogue with the mayor.
3. Existing charter schools will cost taxpayers $350 million in capital costs by 2010. Charter growth should be limited to address badly needed renovation in the older schools within the district unless we see more legislative funding.
4. Our community will no longer accept the status quo. APS needs to be credited for its success, but must improve its ability to listen and respond to constructive criticism about our school system.
5. I've actively assisted teachers with instruction and classroom activities since 1999, volunteered as a PTA leader at Zia Elementary for five years and have been a member of its principal selection committee.
6. No.
7. No.
9. 22 years ago, when I was in college and 21 years old, I was charged but found not guilty of DWI. I have had no other charges since then.
Charles "Ched" MacQuigg
AGE: 56
EDUCATION: Master's in education, declined to give additional information.
OCCUPATION: Retired teacher
FAMILY: Wife and two children
POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: None
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: None
1. The district should remain united. Stakeholders want to divide the district to have some control over their schools. The district does not have to be divided to accomplish that. We need to allow meaningful participation in decision-making at the lowest possible level; at the level of the expertise and experience.
2. The mayor recognizes that the leadership of the APS has failed as public servants to hold themselves accountable to the public. The solution is to create a system in which APS leaders are accountable as public servants for their conduct and competence. The mayor cannot do that.
3. Charter schools are formed because parents no longer feel empowered in their neighborhood public schools. Every school should reflect the meaningful input of stakeholders. I support charter schools, but recognize that they are not the most direct or effective solution to the real problem.
4. The most pressing problem in APS is that administrators and board members cannot be held accountable. I would insist that the leadership of the APS be honestly accountable to a meaningful standard of conduct. I promise that as a school board member I would hold myself honestly accountable to a widely recognized code of ethical conduct: the pillars of Character Counts.
5. I am a retired teacher. After 25 years, I know what goes on in public school classrooms.
6. No
7. No
8. I was arrested for a misdemeanor in the early 1970s. The charges were dismissed.
Pauline Nunez
AGE: 50
EDUCATION: Bachelor of social work, Our Lady of the Lake University, 1977; M.A., applied anthropology, Catholic University of America, 1984.
OCCUPATION: Sales manager
FAMILY: Husband, Louis Kolker; two children.
POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: Fundraiser and campaign volunteer for city, county and congressional races; Las Adelitas; Emily's List campaign training; National Hispana Leadership Institute.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Governing Council, Public Academy for Performing Arts; Bank of Belen board of directors; National Association of Community Development loan funds; Ghost Ranch Conference Center board of directors; Family Focus board of directors; Leadership Albuquerque Curriculum Committee; Hispanic Women's Council Member.
1. No. Student and teacher performance is improving under the current structure, and a district's size is not related to improving school performance. Poorer areas may not have the tax base to support their own district, and it would reduce APS' influence with the Legislature.
2. No. Mayor-appointed school boards do not make districts more accountable to the public. The school superintendent and mayor should work together to address issues, such as planning for new schools and joint-use facilities. That would make education part of the city's economic revitalization and ensure that city policies don't hurt students and teachers.
3. Yes, depending on certain criteria: Is there a need for the proposed school and is it sustainable? Does it have a unique approach? Does its staff understand public school budgets and finances? Will it have any detrimental effects on APS? Does it have a community support network?
4. The need for academic programs that prepare our children to successfully compete in the 21st century. I would develop a districtwide vision and strategy to create safe, innovative learning environments to help schools improve and prepare our children for careers and college.
5. I have tutored in my daughter's classrooms for years, chaperoned field trips and worked with museums and the New Mexico Humanities Council to bring cultural events for students in the classroom.
6. No.
7. No.
8. No.