Episode 207: Back To School with Superintendents Brooks and Gutierrez

No matter if what anybody says, it's got to be a tough job to be in the position of Superintendent for two of the largest school districts in the state: Albuquerque (APS) and Santa Fe (SFPS) Public Schools. Whether you're new to the state (Winston Brooks of APS) or have come up through the ranks in a district you're accostomed to (Bobbie Gutierrez of SFPS), you've got a lot of work ahead of you when you start the new school year as a new Superintendent.


And this week, even though we talked to two people at the top, we must not forget the first person of contact with our students: the teacher. One teacher with a mixture of humor, passion for teaching, and enthusiasm for his students is Robert Wilder, American Lit teacher at Santa Fe Prep, and author of articles, essays, and a couple of books. One of them, Tales From The Teachers' Lounge, provides insight into - and wicked humor about - the art and profession of teaching. There's a longer version of the interview than the one that aired on TV, below.



Gene Grant and the panelists sitting at The Line table have a lot to talk about, but one thing Gene said we'd print in this blog was the full response from Matthew Henderson of ACORN, who replied to Gene about an incident mentioned on our show. Check it out at the end of this blog, after the video segments, and send us a comment or two.

Kevin McDonald & Kathy Wimmer
The Public Affairs Team

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NM inFOCUS: EP 207 - Back To School with the Superintendents

It’s back-to-school time in New Mexico, and there is new leadership at the helm of two of the largest public school districts in the state. This week on NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS, co-host David Alire Garcia sits down with Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez of Santa Fe Public Schools, and Superintendent Winston Brooks, of Albuquerque Public Schools. Then, Gene Grant and The Line panelists weigh in on the new leadership, plus whether or not a non-profit crossed the line from political lobbying to political campaigning, and yet another voter registration scandal.

NM inFOCUS: EP 207 - Back To School with the Superintendents (Intro)



NM inFOCUS: EP 207 - Back To School with the Superintendents (In Focus)



NM inFOCUS: EP 207 - Back To School with the Superintendents (The Line 1of2)



NM inFOCUS: EP 207 - Back To School with the Superintendents (Interview)



NM inFOCUS: EP 207 - Back To School with the Superintendents (The Line 2of2)



NM inFOCUS: EP 207 - Back To School with the Superintendents (Outro)


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Dear Gene, 600 people have helped ACORN register 65,000 New Mexicans to vote this year. Along the way, of course, we have had some workers who commit fraud and are terminated by ACORN. The agents who you spoke to have, in fact, been terminated as a result of your helpful report to us. Even if you had not made your report to ACORN, we would have terminated these employees because our Quality Control Program vets every single card we collect with a three step process, including telephoning the voter to verify the legitimacy of the information they provided on their registration application. In short, ACORN has been able to identify canvassers who collect duplicate registrations and terminate them. Although you were rightly concerned by your experience with an ACORN canvasser, we want to remind you that this has been a historic voter registration drive, by far the largest in state history. Its impact on the upcoming elections will be profound because ACORN has focused its drive on working people, Hispanic, Native American, and other diverse communities that are not as powerful a force in New Mexico elections as they could be. We are certain that the impact will be profound because we know that 92% of the voter registration applications we have turned in have been complete; we have verified that these voters are getting onto the voter registration rolls; and, based on a study we did of the voters we registered in 2004, we are confident that 65% of the voters we have helped get onto the voter rolls will cast a ballot. As ACORN winds down its voter registration drive, it will be begin to visit these new voters in their homes to make sure they have the information they need to vote. ACORN is not just about voter registration. Our mission is to strengthen working families by giving them a larger voice in politics, so in order to succeed in this endeavor, we not only register them, we mobilize them around campaigns to raise the minimum wage and fight predatory lenders, and we make sure they vote. This is why numerous people who don't support working families' issues attack our efforts in an irresponsible manner. We appreciate you bringing us your complaint to our attention. We are sorry that it was not the positive experience that the 65,000 New Mexicans who ACORN registered to vote have had.
Sincerely, Matthew Henderson Head Organizer