If you went to school here in Albuquerque, chances are you spent some time at one of the many APS elementary, mid, or high schools. One of the things we remember distinctly was being told to fill in each box (or bubble) completely when taking one of the many standardized tests. It was as much an exercise in art as it was an exercise in following the directions.
Well Friday the folks over in APS's accounting department failed to heed the advice of almost every teacher that has ever given one of those bubble sheet tests. Seems that our education administrators failed to fill in a couple of boxes on their employee's W-2 tax forms - the employers state tax ID number and the information for the ERA box 12.
APS is promising to fix the mistake by January 31st, but the biggest problem is that the fix will require the re-issuance of thousands of W-2 forms. That's a lot of money that won't be making it into our kids classrooms because the accountants at APS didn't fill in their employee's forms completely.
13 comments:
It's no doubt APS could make a mistake like that.
A recent journal article graded the the troubled school system a C-. That was an average, they scored F's in other areas.
Too much emphasis put on those that don't speak English. Pre-K for parents that want to shove their kids away for the day while they sit on their butts collecting off our social system.
They still have the gifted programs, but the average student in the middle is/will suffer. We need to revisit the voucher system.
APS was too busy anticipating today's snow day off. But now that means they lose a day trying to fix the W-2 snafu.
SCHOOL VOUCHERS!!!!!! APS IS A JOKE.
Isn't Brad Winter a high level Exec at APS ?
Yes, Brad is, and he should do something. But our public school system has sucked as far back as I can remember. I'm a Sandia alumni. So, Janet graduated from Sandia and is now Gov of AZ. One of the graduates that made it, I guess. If you want to be a politician!!
The problem seems to be so many investigations, special task forces, etc, etc and nothing gets done. It's a pissing contest between different organizations including the city of ABQ. Way too much red-tape, everyone wants credit. Who cares, the credit would be the results of the kids that succeed.
The arts, music, physical Ed, sports, should strongly be implemented in elementary school. They have these programs in other states in the US. Not all kids are academia's. 9th graders shouldn't be in high school, nor 6th graders in mid-school. It seems that move was the real down-fall of our public school system. It has failed, so admit it, go back and change it. Send 6th graders back to elementary where the can still be kids. 9th back to junior high, where they won't be influenced by the older kids that they shouldn't be around all day.
I remember the day's of pep clubs. We would pay 25 cents for a bus ride & ribbon to all of the off campus sporting events, and this was junior high. This kept us so busy, after school, we didn't have time for gangs & trouble. If there was a fight (we called it a rumble) it was in the arroyo and the boys used fists, not guns & knives.
Now, the poor (usually on wellfare) get it all, free breakfast & lunch, pre-k, head start, after school programs, free TVI... And you wouldn't believe how entitled they act! I know this from volunteering at YDI, New Futures and other organizations. I'm done with that, it makes me sick. So much emphasis put on the bad kids. What happened to that "back to work program" where people would only be able to stay on wellfare for 6 months? Just more lip service from our politicians!!!
The rich can afford private school. And kids of the hard working middle class suffer.
We need Vouchers!!! That way the middle class can at least try to send their kids to a private school for a real education.
Vouchers represent tuition rebates for people wealthy enough to send their kids to a private school.
There are kids who will never go to a private schools for any one of a number of good reasons.
They have a right to a neighborhood school that meets their needs.
If the current leadership of the APS can't get it done, then we need new leadership in the APS.
It blows my mind how everyone thinks vouchers is the answer ... it's a bandaid on the problem, at best.
Instead of vouchers, and more charter schools how 'bout just improving schools? Charter schools should be ESL schools , new futures , and more like freedom - These kids you refer to that receive all the special programs, will be the first to use and waste the vouchers. How does this solve anything? It will just spread to where there are no options. We need to find ways to solve the problem & not with handouts ...
The ghetto wasn't that way when they built it - so who's responsible for changing it?
I didn't know that about vouchers. I'm not sure everyone thinks that's the solution, just that it's worked in other states. Maybe in order to receive the vouchers students would have to keep at least a C average. That way the users couldn't abuse them. Don't know, because we haven't tried them.
What do you suggest to change the public school system? Throw more money at something that's already broken? Now that would really be putting a bandaid on it.
I'm not a teacher and never would be. I admire them for what they do and they deserve more money. How come they've had the same union president for years? Does no one else want that job? As an outsider I think they need union leadership change. Just what has the current president done to help. You don't see a bunch of college grads jumping at those jobs. In fact there have been a lot of pedophiles exposed. It's a haven for them.
What are ESL schools? And what are the success rates of the children that go to New Futures or Freedom? I volunteered at New Futures and the girls I was in contact with were more concerned with having sex then a future for themselves or their kids, that were in the day care at the school. I mentored one girl that was 12 when she had her frist child. She's now 21 with 4 kids, on wellfare, and doesn't know who the babies daddy's are. And why did Mary Sullivan suddenly leave Freedom, I thought she was doing a great job.
I'm concerned for my kids in public school, can't afford private school and make too much money for all the free programs. One of my kids is above average so the teachers, for the past 3 years, have her tutor the below average kids. Yes, it's teaching her leadership but it's also not fair for her education.
Like I said prior maybe putting more emphasis on art, music & sports etc, at an early age, would be a start??? And go ahead and criticize my grammar & spelling after all "I am APS".
I am working an extra job so that I can send my son to a private school. I'm constantly exhausted but I love my son too much to send him to APS. It's sad that alot of us are being taxed for services that we don't use. Don't get me started on the post office!
ESL is Eng. as Second Language learners ... ie, children learning english. I think that there is a real need for ESL charters for those kids to attend until they are more fluent and can function in a class where the teacher doesn't need to translate & can spend more time teacher the material to all. Not to mention all the teachers who are being discriminated against (passed up for positions) because they aren't bilingual.If you are - you get paid more.
I am APS too & I think we need to get back to basics. We need a superintendent with some balls and dignity. There is no leadership, protocols, procedures, or vision. It's like they make it up as they go. And each school has the freedom to do the same. This is why there are so many transfers. People are looking for common sense or the closest thing to it.
Ever notice when you ask APS why or what ... they always need to find someone else who might know? No one knows why they don't do --- or why your school does ---.
I've asked our Principal why our school doesn't do --- his response was, "well what does the district say?" I ask the district and they tell me, they don't tell Principals how to run their school.
WALA - the problem. Costs nothing! It just requires leadership, rules & regs and a vision. Imagine ...
Save some tax payer dough, fire Brad and get someone in there that knows what the hell he is doing! I'm tired of seeing portable classrooms at new schools....
ESL is bunk! English should be the first language. I understand what you're saying, but if the foreigners coming in would put emphasis on English, at home, we wouldn't have this big of a problem. Go to their homes and see how many of the parents even attempt to learn English! Their kids do the translating.
My mom was a product of immigrant parents. Do you think they only spoke German at home? No way, and my mom has no accent. They had pride in becoming American's.
The only ESL I know of, in NM, is for the Spanish speaking kids. If we do it for one group then it must be done for all.
How about the Asian people in this town? Shouldn't all the foreign speakers have the same prviledge as the Mexicans jumping the border. It's not a matter of predujuce it's a matter of entilement, which the US hands out like candy on Halloween.
And as far as school's being built, all the new ones are going up on the west side. While Georgia O'keefe has been in portables for some 20 years. So it's not all the heights, higher tax base reaping the benefits.
All of APS is broken, and yes Brad is responsible also. The poster was right in saying APS needs change, leadership, rules, regs and especially vision!
>>>How about the Asian people in this town? Shouldn't all the foreign speakers have the same prviledge as the Mexicans jumping the border. It's not a matter of predujuce it's a matter of entilement, which the US hands out like candy on Halloween. <<<
I agree completely!!!
I wonder if other immigrants feel this way. It would be nice if they stood up and asked why they don't get the same accomidations.
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