SFPS forfeits award for its own.
Public education takes more than its share of jabs. Whether it's to poke fun at the mystery meat in the cafeterias, the mothballs in its coffers or the
Sling Blade
students in its classrooms.
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New Mexico routinely sucks hind teat in annual surveys
like the Morgan Quitno Education State Rankings reference guide. The state's perpetually rank rankings have sparked legislation like Gov. Bill Richardson's "Year of the Child" initiatives in an effort to turn the tide. But now the state public education system is fighting back in another way.
On March 17, the New Mexico School Boards Association announced the nominees for its 2006 Student Achievement Awards. The awards-which are paid for by the NMSBA-are given every year to an individual or an organization from each of the state's 89 school districts in recognition for outstanding efforts in student achievement. And the winner for the Santa Fe Public Schools is…
Nobody.
One of the largest school districts in the state-boasting some 27 individual institutions-apparently had trouble finding one worthy candidate. SFPS wasn't exactly alone, however. According to the NMSBA, only 50 of the 89 districts submitted recommendations for the award. Elizabeth Egelhoff, the NMSBA programs director, says larger districts tend to shy away from celebrating any one person or organization.
"I know that Albuquerque [Public Schools] chooses not to do it because it's just too politically charged," Egelhoff says. "If they pick anybody then it's going to displease somebody."
That concern didn't stop SFPS from nominating former superintendent Gloria Rendon for the district's Student Achievement Award last year. Egelhoff speculates that Rendon's successor, SFPS Supt. Leslie Carpenter, may be too busy getting used to her new digs to worry about doling out an award.
"I'm not sure why Santa Fe didn't have a winner this year," Egelhoff says. "I know that Leslie Carpenter is new so maybe she's just not aware of it."
The superintendent's office referred SFR's inquiries to SFPS board of education member Mary Ellen Gonzales. Neither Gonzales-nor fellow board member Martin Lujan-appeared to know anything about the awards.
Egelhoff says the NMSBA sends out nomination forms in November before following up with reminders in December and January. The NMSBA then purchases the awards and sends them to each district to be awarded to nominees during May board meetings.
Past and present winners have included everyone from volunteers, students, staff and administrators to organizations like the CARE Team in Cimarron, which won that district's 2006 award for its aid and relief efforts in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana. Gerald Castaneda, a student at Pojoaque Valley High School, garnered the Pojoaque Valley Schools nomination. PVS board of education Vice President Paula Roybal Sanchez says the nomination process is relatively painless, made even less so by the PVS board's decision to give the nomination every year to an outstanding PVHS student. But whatever effort the nomination process requires, Sanchez says it's worth it.
"Student achievement can take on different forms," Sanchez says. "It could be academic or it could be leadership skills or citizenship skills or a combination of all that. Many times students who achieve in one of those areas are not recognized as well as those that achieve athletically, so this is a wonderful opportunity to recognize them in another venue."
