Stella Gallegos PO BOX 482 Arroyo Seco NM 87514 Phone: 575.776.2652 Email: stellamgallegos@yahoo.com December 19, 2010 Governor-elect Martinez Transition Office State Capitol 300 Old Santa Fe Trail Santa Fe, NM 87501 Phone: 505.946.5500 Honorable Governor Elect Susana Martinez: I would like to introduce myself, my name is Stella Gallegos, and I am a school board member for the Taos Municipal Schoo! District. I am writing to you today in hopes of opening up a dialogue on issues that continue to plague our school district, have been on board for two years, and have two years remaining. I have stumbled into an entrenched bureaucracy in the system including the state, It is no wonder that our students are failing state wide. 1 hear from parents, and staff on a daily basis. As a schoo! board member I can only address the issues with the superintendent, and it is up to him to take care of the issues, if he wants to or not. I have seen the areas where our students struggle, and in my opinion things have not changed from ten years ago when I ‘was a substitute teacher, and teacher’s aide in the special education department, it seems to be even worse now. Four years ago, two of my fellow board members brought out the awareness of low graduation rates, the continuous failure of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the injustices in the bureaucracy, only to get a recall filed, and EEOC complaints and lawsuits against them. 1 myself am named in a lawsuit by administrators for not supporting the status quo. All along the local media is cheering the bureaucracy on. We have also been persecuted by administration and the Taos News for pursuing an audit analysis and two other audits. The findings in our audits are not good. We continue to address our audits, just to be ridiculed by the local media and those that continue to support the bureaucracy. We have been labeled the gang of three. This week we were again ridiculed by the Taos News and administration, because the majority of the schoo! board did not agree in giving a full time position to a recent retired administrator. The position was for a coordinator in the Medicaid billing department. This same retiree was paid by Medicaid money to teach a year ago and was not clinically licensed to do so, this was also an audit finding, and is still being looked into by the attomey general. There was another person that was highly and medically qualified forthe position, but was not considered, The superintendent told our board president that he had hired the retiree because the administration building was named after her father. All along we have had others doing the billing, but now it is necessary to create another position just because there is state money to do so. There is great denial here locally that our state is suffering financially. The attitude in administration is “let us spend all the money we can get, before we run out of it.” In the meantime our administrators that have filed lawsuits against three of us board members are waiting for some type of compensation from our school insurance, Risk Management. While this is happening, our five hundred and some students in special education are not getting the instruction that they need. I have had parents tell me that we are in need of assistants, in our Special education classrooms. One parent told me that there are a few Walt Disney magazines in the classroom, but no real books for those that can read and write. We have a growing population of autistic children in the district but no one that is qualified to work with them. We have students that can read and write but are walking the halls at Taos High, just waiting for graduation day. We have an alternative school, and 1 am told that those that over see the school, neglect to go in, and check up on them. I have heard that our students in our detention center are not getting adequate teaching and there is no modified curriculum, but are shown the movie “The Godfather.” There seems to be no high expectations for those students with behavioral problems that have been thrown into special education programs. I hear that we have an English Class for our Mexican Nationals. These students listen to their music and are in their own little world with very little instruction. I hear that we have an art room that looks more like where a bag lady lives, and no materials in the cupboard. I hear from substitute teachers that tell me that the student’s behavior is getting worse and worse, even at the elementary level. Involved parents are shunned by the system, only to be called trouble makers, and those parents that do not get involved are constantly ridiculed, and their students needs end up getting ignored. Yes! I have addressed these issues and many more in open meetings only to continue being ignored. There is much more having to do with state licensure and hiring practices, but in conclusion by bringing out this awareness time and time again, I am now optimistic that you, and your new administration will bring light to the situation, and T am hoping that Justice will prevail in education throughout the state. I am hoping to hear from you and your team concerning these issues. Optimisticajly, Side, ley Stella Gallegos 7 Taos Municipal Schools Board Vice President