Opinion

For a community of purportedly intelligent people, the demands for the School Board to say more about the circumstances leading up to Dr. Schmidt’s resignation as superintendent are depressingly repetitive in their overlooking of the simple truth that as a personnel matter, Dr. Schmidt and his performance are not subject to public discussion by the board. 

There is exactly one person who can reveal what happened in the closed sessions and that is Dr. Schmidt himself. Since he has chosen not to, I suggest that the community consider the matter done and begin Read More

I was surprised by the uproar over Superintendant Schmidt’s resignation and the implication that the School Board is “hiding behind a law purposefully designed to give them political cover” as quoted by the Los Alamos Monitor publisher Ben Carlson. In fact, Mr. Carlson noted that the School Board can not publically discuss personnel matters and, in fact the law was specifically designed to provide protection for the employee. However, nothing is preventing Dr. Schmidt from sharing this information if he so desires.

Having spent 24 years as a teacher in the district, Read More

I write in support of Morrie Pongratz’s request at Tuesday night’s (March 4) School Board meeting for some explanation by the Board of its reasons for not renewing Dr. Schmidt’s contract.

I recall that when Dr. Schmidt became District Superintendent five years ago, Los Alamos schools had major issues regarding funding and maintaining our schools. He immediately held open strategic planning sessions with input from teachers, students and the public to chart a course for our schools.

On his watch major recapitalization of the high school and middle school was successfully Read More

By STEPHEN T. BOERIGTER, Chair
UNM-LA Advisory Board
and long-time Los Alamos resident

I would like to thank George and Chris Chandler for their letter to the editor. It’s vitally important in this community to ensure open and honest communications, to get facts and issues in front of citizens, and to work towards a shared vision and future for a better Los Alamos.

It’s a small town and we’re all in this together. Many facts regarding the UNM-LA re-zoning request are accurate: the current zone allows only 41 units however there are currently 64 units on the 1.88 acre site.  Read More

Sounds like Los Alamos School Board President Judy Bjarke-McKenzie has a personal agenda per her statement that “there were some things from previous evaluations that he has not done … It is a personnel matter.” Is this – ‘a personnel matter’ – one(s) that would stand up in court or personal agendas of some of the board members?

Actually, who deserves termination? Schmidt or the school board? Who is doing the best for Los Alamos?

Decisions behind closed doors: “when a ‘vote’ is not a vote!” Read More

The School Board has blundered. This is a poor way to run a school district.

If the School Board wants to see changes and a smooth transition to a new superintendent then they need to make a one-year agreement with Dr. Schmidt and initiate a broad search for a new superintendent with a year to plan the transition.

If in this confusion they can not do that then they need to bring back someone formerly on the admin team to serve as an interim superintendent while they do a careful search for a new superintendent.

Dr. Schmidt has been a good leader for the Los Alamos Public Schools. Read More

I find the circumstances of the resignation of Dr. Schmidt and comment by the LAPS Board members to be disconcerting.

Dr. Schmidt has guided LAPS through rather stormy seas these past five years with astute understanding, skill, and reasoned balance — surely qualities of leadership that have been, are, and remain essential.

Beyond this, he has been a “hands on” and participatory superintendent — he doesn’t simply sit in his office giving direction, he is in the schools with the teachers and, most importantly, the kids. How many Read More