About two years ago, Hanna Skandera, then secretary-designate of the New Mexico Public Education Department, started repeating a number. Under the state’s old teacher evaluation system, she would say over and over again, 99 percent of teachers were considered competent.
By contrasting that stat with low student test scores, Skandera was pointing to flaws in the teacher evaluation system and calling for a change. Continue….
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A Santa Fe district judge’s ruling on Wednesday afternoon awarded an education group additional money in a lawsuit against the state’s Public Education Department.
The ruling comes after First Judicial District Judge Sarah Singleton awarded damages to National Education Association New Mexico (NEA-NM) after the group accused PED of violating the Inspection of Public Records Act, or IPRA. Continue…
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Read More… from New Mexico ordered to pay legal fees to union in open records case
(ALBUQUERQUE) – The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (FOG) and freelance journalist Peter St. Cyr today filed a lawsuit against the New Mexico Department of Health asking the court to declare invalid the DOH regulations which keep secret the names of licensed medical marijuana producers.
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The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government has named four, including Albuquerque Journal Editor Kent Walz, to receive the group’s top honor for open government, the Dixon First Amendment Award.
The award honors the memory of FOG co-founder and longtime board member William S. Dixon, an Albuquerque attorney and leading defender of the First Amendment and the sunshine laws in New Mexico. Continue>>>
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Read More… from New Mexico: Journal editor, 3 others win open-government award
Gov. Susana Martinez has agreed to release monthly reports that detail the spending of security officers who travel with her, part of an agreement reached with The Associated Press in a public records case.
Under the settlement, the governor's attorneys agreed that the information in the procurement card reports relates to public business and falls under New Mexico's Inspection of Public Records Act.
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Read More… from AP, New Mexico governor reach settlement over access to public records
Ever wonder where state legislatures or local politicians get funding for their campaigns and how those funds might influence the polices they create? Common Cause New Mexico Campaign Manager, Heather Ferguson met with Daily News staff Wednesday to talk about the importance of the New Mexico Pledge campaign.
Common Cause New Mexico and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government currently have a New Mexico Pledge campaign aimed at reducing the influence of big-money interests in political campaigns. The educational campaign was launched in September.
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Transparency. Open government. Sunshine. Virtually every candidate for elected office embraces these themes while campaigning, promising to minimize government secrecy. It certainly was part of Republican Susana Martinez's successful campaign for governor in 2010. The same was true of Democrat Gary King's successful campaigns for attorney general in 2006 and 2010.
But both Martinez and King, now running against each other for governor, have had clouds over some of their sunshine efforts. Both have been sued for alleged violations of state public records laws.
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Read More… from Transparency issues cloud campaigns in governor’s race
The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, FOG, today filed an Inspection of Public Records Act request asking for the investigation report prepared for the Albuquerque Public School Board about former Superintendent Winston Brooks. Last Friday, Brooks and APS entered into a settlement agreement in which Brooks resigned in return for a $350,000 payment by APS.
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The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government announced the winners of its annual awards dedicated to open government. The group announced three recipients of the Dixon First Amendment Award, one lawyer, one journalist and one in government.
Charles “Kip” Purcell will be given the award for lawyers, Colleen Heild of the Albuquerque Journal will be given the award for journalists and State Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, for members of government.
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A friend of mine asked me a few weeks ago about my libertarian opinion on these committees that were recently passed by the Rio Rancho Governing Body. It was said that the committees were created in the name of open government between the city and the public, and they offer protection from rolling quorums. It was also said that these committees add a layer of bureaucracy while offering only the illusion of protection.
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Read More… from KERRY ADAMS: City committees, in effect, limit government
