KRQE’s Larry Barker has blown the whistle on legislator and APS administrator Sheryl Williams-Stapleton who has been paid her full salary at APS (and her legislative per diem) even though APS rules expressly prohibit this practice. APS teachers are able to receive their salaries while they are at the session and this is questionable, but at least legal. Rather than disciplining Stapleton for breaking the rules, APS Superintendent Winston Brooks just changed district policy.
Financial woes plague legislative service: krqe.com
Oh, and as if that were not enough, APS has not fulfilled Rio Grande Foundation information requests for the district’s 2011 payroll. While other school districts have complied, APS has not done so after more than a month.
The short answer to your question is, no.
They do pretty much whatever they want, whenever they want.
A better question is, what are we going to do to put an end to their arrogant disregard for the rules, even the law?
So what else is new?
APS and UNMU officials love running around the State, telling everyone that “they’re the big dogs on the block”, and, that “they don’t take the rules, they make the rules”.
It sounds too stupid, insulting and arrogant for even the lowest rung loser to even consider uttering, and conceptually, it is. However, and in reality, it’s not. Just ask any one of them, at any level, anytime.
State-wide costs and program(s) managebilty would be better served by breaking up this monopoly of loosely congomerated, irresponcible, political click, groups, which we commonly refer to as APS. Alb. students deserve a pilot program designed to decouple themselves from a rotten system of teneured political canibals. It’s too bad that the APS “big dogs” are only willing to fight tooth and nail to avoid allowing them any such opportunity…Big Dogs have to be fed.
Using taxpayer funds to pay someone on your staff to be a legislator is sooooo much more effective than paying a lobbyist to try to curry favor with a legislator. APS and the Teachers Union have a direct link to those who make the laws – no middle men needed. And the taxpayors of New Mexico foot the bill. Education reform in this state hasn’t got a chance!!
The real issue is conflict of interest. As I understand it, the part-time status of our legislature means that customary conflict of interest rules do not apply. The New Mexico legislature has a significant number of members who are government employees. Unless they are abstaining from votes on bills that directly affect their employment, their presence in the legislature is an inherent source of corruption.