[ This post follows my recent Sunday column regarding Alma d'Arte and anticipates my next Sunday column, completing discussion of Alma. The first discussed the board. I can't fit documents into my 570-word Sunday columns, so here's a public document I gained access to that seems quite relevant to the discussion.
It's the resignation letter, from Alma's Governing Council, of respected NMSU professor Cynthia Wise, who was the GC's VP. It was effective four months ago. I'll excerpt some passages first, and discuss them, then copy the whole thing into the body of the post. Dr. Wise had joined the Governance Council in 2021.
With copies to Dr. Adam Amador and two NM Public Education Department officials, she wrote:
I can no longer be part of a Council and school whose leadership blatantly and willingly disregards Open Meetings rules, maintains and condones an antagonistic relationship with parents (going so far as to ban parents from the campus), and enacts policies that are in violation of existing state, Governing Council, and school policies resulting in the “voluntarily withdrawal” of a significant number of students.
That's strong language, and she goes on to discuss the facts supporting that language, and her concerns.
Specifically, she provides evidence of the GC's disregard for details of the Open Meetings Act and proper procedure.
She then adds, (a) that, knowing the bylaws required development and adoption of a strategic plan by the GC, the GC has repeatedly resisted doing that; (b) For two years, the finance committee has not made a report to the full GC -- and the membership of that committee hasn't been publicized to parents, citizens, or even the full GC; and (c) the chair (at that time, Kim Skaggs) violated a bylaw regarding professional and courteous conduct by mocking other board members who chose to abstain from voting on items.
Notably, too, she criticizes the failure to give kids who are being "disenrolled" hearings, as required -- and notes that she's been told that more than 40 Alma students have suffered that fate.
Much of this is consistent with what others have said during my investigation.
I should note that I inquired of one of the PED officials copied on the letter, seeking information on the Alma GC's obligations, and she said that the GC is in process of correcting information regarding changes in the board and that four of the six have completed their required training and the other two are working on that. Also, more recent postings of minutes and agendae appear to include backup, such as the actual items being voted on. ]
The full letter is:
To: Kimberly Skaggs (president)
CC: Dr. Adam Amador, Alma d’arte
CC: Melissa Brown, NMPED
CC: Martica Davis, NMPED
From: Dr. Cynthia Wise (vice-president)
Date: December 20, 2023
Re: Resignation
Kimberly,
It is only after considerable thought, prayer and with heavy heart that I submit my resignation from the Alma d’arte Governing Council (GC). Pursuant to the bylaws the effective date is January 22nd, 2024 – the date of our next regularly scheduled meeting.
I can no longer be part of a Council and school whose leadership blatantly and willingly disregards Open Meetings rules, maintains and condones an antagonistic relationship with parents (going so far as to ban parents from the campus), and enacts policies that are in violation of existing state, Governing Council, and school policies resulting in the “voluntarily withdrawal” of a significant number of students.
Concerns:
· More than once, I’ve raised an issue about meetings not being properly posted (see Article III of the Governing Council by-laws). The Council has been told by the CAO that the school (administration) doesn’t have access to the Alma d’arte webpage – yet failed to present the council with a proposal to adopt an emergency policy regarding public notices, nor an emergency plan to reinstate the website. Issues with the website have been raised by the GC to the current and previous CAO for more than two years without resolution. We were told by the current CAO that “people” (not necessarily the public) were referred to the school’s social media sites where notices were to be posted… but even that hasn’t occurred consistently. Most recently the council was told the school does not have access to those sites either, even though the CAO managed to quickly post something saying a meeting was occurring the night of the 11th approximately 4 hours before the meeting (outside the legal requirement). Agendas weren’t posted pursuant to the act and haven’t been for months. Those people who did attend the meeting were not provided supporting documents though, in recent meetings we’ve been asked to approve policies that impact students, staff and parents. We’ve been told parents get the information via email – but in the very same breath we’re told parents are not responding to emails. Additional, public comment has been reduced by the president from 3 minutes to 2 minutes per speaker further limiting parental engagement with the board. This was done without discussion with the whole Council. When a special meeting was called for January 8th and asked about the ability to put a notice in the newspaper of record – I was countered with the price of such a notice.
· In June I advised the CAO and the Council of the need to hold public hearings regarding school discipline and attendance policies (see emails dated 5/20/23 & 6/27/23 - Section 22-5-4.3 NMSA 1978). No such policies have been presented to the Council for changes. And, even though the CAO sent an email to parents on 12/4/23 with the attendance policy adopted by the GC 11/3/20, the administration has been voluntarily withdrawing students (we have been told more than 40) in direct conflict with this policy. Even when parents emailed the GC regarding this issue and supporting documentation, the president failed to schedule a public hearing.
· On December 8th, the GC was presented a student handbook for approval at the December 11th meeting. It was put on the agenda as an action item, not an item for public comment. The handbook, which we’d been told the CAO had been working on since July (and had been a floating item on the GC calendar for months), was unchanged from the 2017-2018 handbook – so much so that it still included a welcome letter from a former interim principal who had not been at the school in more than 4 years. The handbook contains several discrepancies and policies that conflict with others being proposed and some already enacted by the CAO absent of GC approval.
· I am concerned that despite a review of the GC bylaws on at least two occasions over the past three years, the Council has not developed nor adopted a strategic plan (see Article I of the bylaws). In fact, to my knowledge, there has not been a strategic planning committee appointed since I took office in August 2021.
· The finance committee has not made a report to the full GC in at least two years. The membership of that committee has also not been made public, even to the full GC.
· Finally, I call your attention to that section of the bylaws regarding conduct: “All members of each GC committee shall conduct themselves in a professional manner with courtesy and respect toward each other and toward all who have business with the committee.” On more than one occasion I and other/previous members of the council have been disrespected and ridiculed when I/they chose to abstain from voting on an item. Not only was this tolerated by the chair, it was perpetrated by the chair.
I joined the Alma d’arte Governing Council with a sincere desire to help improve the school and the academic performance of Alma’s students who come from already marginalized backgrounds. Unfortunately, I feel I can no longer be effective.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Wise, PhD
Alma d’arte Vice President
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