SUMMER BREAK:
Apparently, Porgy and Bess were mistaken. In summertime, the livin' ain't easy. Case in point: the discontented Santa Fe Public Schools staffers who alleged administrators retaliated against them for criticizing district policy during the school year. Though school let out last month for summer vacation, tensions between administrators and faculty have yet to ease. In fact, they appear to be heightening. To address what they feel are continuing concerns about administrative decisions, a group called Citizens for Better Schools has formed. Their first plan of action will take place at the school board meeting June 21, the first official day of summer. The goal: to discourage the school board from renewing Supt. Gloria Rendón's contract, which is up later this month. "We certainly would like an indication from board members on whether they support renewal," says Mitch Buszek, the Santa Fe High Parent Teacher Committee head, who is also involved in Citizens for Better Schools. Buszek says if the board supports renewal, Citizens for Better Schools, a group of district-wide teachers, parents and community members, is prepared to have 60 of its members address the board. "The board has never agreed to renew her contract and if they did it would have been during an executive session, which would be a violation of law," Buszek says. "And we feel there's substantial evidence to indicate that we need new leadership. I think there's been major issues with management style." The most recent upset teachers experienced involved former Santa Fe High teacher Megan Siesennop. At the end of the year, Siesennop's contract was not renewed but, after protests, the superintendent offered Siesennop another contract [Cover story, May 25:
]. Feeling the new offer of employment was inadequate, however, Siesennop turned it down. "We've gotten so many calls from people throughout the district about this [and other issues] we decided to make a citywide organization," Buszek says. "And as superintendent, Rendón is the one responsible for the day-to-day operations for the district. She's also in charge of firing and hiring. Our first thing is educating people about the Superintendent's Office." (NK)
QUE VIVA:
Move over, Julia, a hotter and, um, more guitar-shaped actress has come to New Mexico. Reuniting with her
Selena
director Gregory Nava, Jennifer Lopez will star in
Bordertown
, which begins shooting in the area this week. The film is about a journalist who visits the El Paso/Juárez border to investigate the hundreds of female factory workers murdered in Juárez over the past decade. Antonio Banderas recently joined the film's cast. The New Mexico Film Office declined to comment about
Bordertown
and just how long La Lopez and Mr. Melanie Griffith will be in town. A representative for Mobius Entertainment, the company which will finance
Bordertown
, did not return SFR's calls prior to press time. (NK)
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