Voters approve measure to increase school board

SECRETARY. A BIG CHANGE IS ON THE WAY FOR THE A-P-S SCHOOL BOARD. YESTERDAY VOTERS APPROVED IN...  More »

SECRETARY. A BIG CHANGE IS ON THE WAY FOR THE A-P-S SCHOOL BOARD. YESTERDAY VOTERS APPROVED INCREASING THE BOARD FROM SEVEN MEMBERS - TO NINE. BUT GET THIS, THE MEASURE FAILED IN ALBUQUERQUE. IT PASSED BECAUSE VOTERS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE SAID YES - - EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T AFFECT THEM. JEFF MAHER IS LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM TO EXPLAIN. JEFF? THIS AMENDMENT HAD TWO PARTS TO IT - AND YOU COULDN'T VOTE ON ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER. BUT THE SCHOOL BOARD PORTION ONLY APPLIES TO ALBUQUERQUE. TODAY APS BOARD MEMBERS ARE DIVIDED - SOME ARE NOT HAPPY THE ISSUE WAS ON A STATEWIDE BALLOT - OTHERS ARE GLAD IT PASSED. 'so what's great about this is the westside in my opinion is going to have better representation in the future' A-P-S SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ROBERT LUCERO SAYS THE TWO ADDITIONAL SEATS ON THE SCHOOL BOARD WERE BADLY NEEDED. HE SAYS THERE'S NOT ENOUGH REPRESENTATION ON ALBUQUERQUE'S WESTSIDE. IT'S ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS STATE SENATOR BERNADETTE SANCHEZ CAME UP WITH THE BILL IN THE FIRST PLACE. 'and I think it's going to make a big difference, we're one of the largest school districts in the United States and it's not unusual to have boards across this country with nine members' BUT BOARD MEMBER MARTY ESQUIVEL DOES NOT FEEL THE SAME WAY. HE SAYS NOW THAT TWO MORE BOARD MEMBERS NEED TO BE ADDED -- THERE'S A GREATER CHANCE THOSE MEMBERS WILL COME IN WITH THEIR OWN AGENDAS, INTERFERE WITH THE DAY TO DAY BUSINESS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, AND COULD RUIN THE RECENT STABILITY WITHIN THE BOARD AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE VOTE WAS CLOSE - - IT FAILED BY JUST A FEW PERCENTAGE POINTS IN ALBUQUERQUE - - BUT VOTERS IN OTHER REGIONS OF THE STATE PUSHED IT THROUGH. ESQUIVEL SAYS AS FAR AS THE ELECTION GOES, THE WHOLE THING COULD LIKELY END UP IN COURT. HE SAYS ON THE BALLOT, VOTERS WERE PRESENTED WITH TWO QUESTIONS FOR THE AMENDMENT. FIRST - TO EXPAND THE SCHOOL BOARD TO NINE MEMBERS. AND SECOND - TO GIVE APPROVAL FOR MAIL-IN BALLOTS. ESQUIVEL SAYS IT FORCED VOTERS TO MAKE ONE DECISION FOR TWO VERY DIFFERENT ISSUES. LUCERO SAYS THE STATE WILL DECIDE WHERE IN ALBUQUERQUE TO ADD THE TWO ADDITIONAL SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS BASED ON THE NEXT CENSUS - - WHICH DOESN'T HAPPEN UNTIL 2010, THE SAME YEAR AS THE NEXT SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION. LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM. JEFF  « Less