Ousting PED secretary shows we devalue NM and our own
Well, well, well; once again one of our illustrious political leaders, Gov. (Michelle Lujan) Grisham, no less, is reinforcing the belief that New Mexicans don’t have the intelligence to fill high profile and difficult managerial positions in our tax-funded operations. Sadly, my elation over Karen Trujillo’s appointment as Secretary of Public Education Department, PED, was shortlived, and my disappointment with Gov. (Lujan) Grisham increased exponentially.
Why was Trujillo not given a reasonable amount of time to prove she was capable of leading PED? I don’t recall (the governor) having any classroom experience or in managing an education system or subsystem. (Don’t) forget Secretary (Hanna) Skandera was criticized for the very same. ... Gov. (Susana) Martinez, nonetheless, kept her and, regardless of critics’ assessments, (she) did a reasonably good job.
Trujillo’s dismissal, to my way of thinking, was inhumane, cruel and callous. Little or no thought was given to the act that (occurred) on a Monday after she had gone to the trouble and expense of moving to Santa Fe; she was abruptly fired. Did any other heads, political or appointed, of those involved in the vetting roll? Regardless, the buck stops on Gov. (Lujan) Grisham’s desk. She must accept full responsibility for the fiasco and for the hurt inflicted on Trujillo.
(The governor) surely realized the PED plate was overflowing when she took her oath. Yes, there was need to move reform and new initiatives along, but it didn’t have to be at an unreasonable pace. Legal mandates were certainly front and center. However, Gov. (Lujan) Grisham threw fuel on the fire when she, without a second thought, callously eliminated the PARCC with a stroke of her magic pen and (had) nothing to replace it with. Further, it would appear that little or no attention was given to the research and time-consuming collaboration that an appropriate replacement would require along with a bucketful of tax dollars. Education materials/services are not cheap. I suspect New Mexico is looking at no less than $1 million for the replacement. But, not to worry! The treasury is overflowing with oil dollars.
Interestingly enough, a replacement for Trujillo was found quickly and is on board. Although (the governor) claims she did not know the new secretary, Ryan Stewart of Philadelphia, she has made other appointments that lead me to believe otherwise.
In any event, perhaps down the road politicians will stop thinking of their own skins and aspirations and realize there is an abundance of intelligen(t) and wellqualified New Mexicans (who) stand ready to assist with any challenges N.M. faces.