BY DAVID REAGOR
White Rock
Editor’s note: The Reporter has not fact-checked Mr. Reagor’s letter and the assertions made within are all his own.
He’s back. Tony Jaurique is back and running for the LAPS school board again. In his first term he was part of the biggest fiascos in recent LAPS history. Now he wants to come back and we should say no thank you.
The 2023-2024 calendar change to the longest option (option C) was unpopular with the students, parents, and even the teachers. No one wanted the extra days added to the calendar, except the New Mexico department of education and the LAPS management. The LAPS board, including board member Jaurique, voted (4-1), with only member Wyman in opposition, to use the longer schedule. The excuse was that the state would give LAPS extra funds, but we do not need the money. These are typical leftist officeholders, they love big government and always side with the bureaucracy over the public!
Then we had the appointment of Superintendent Delfin as the LAPS superintendent. There were three candidates, including a very sensible candidate traditional candidate. In the end Superintendent Delfin did not have any success and quickly left. Did he turn out to be a conservative who would not put up with woke nonsense? Or maybe he was a DEI hire that could not do the work? Who knows? The whole issue is completely opaque, no one ever explained what happened. It certainly did turn into a chaotic expensive mess.
Board member Jaurique originally resigned as his wife had become a teacher at LAPS. The reason we have nepotism rules is that a board member of any organization can say that they will not get involved in matters involving their spouse. That guarantee is not meaningful, as other staff who interact with a well-connected person will all be aware of that when trying to resolve issues of merit and fair treatment for everyone in the organization. It is then not possible for a principal, or any other middle manager in LAPS, to fairly manage a teacher that is married to a school board member. A conflict of interest is still a conflict of interest even if some individuals pretend otherwise. Instead, it is up to the voters to reject this conflict of interest. Just use your vote to end the issue now.
In his resignation letter last year, Tony Jaurigue said, “Should the opportunity rise, I would gladly fill this role and serve the district, but I am also happy to give anyone else a chance to experience the energizing joy and passion that I have seen here…” Yes, Tony, it is time to give someone else a chance: someone who is free of conflicts of interest; someone who listens to the students, parents, and teachers; someone who will be a consistent advocate for learning, not lockdowns; someone who will govern with accountability and transparency. That someone is Tamara Hinckley!