Letters to the Editor

Why was she fired?

Editor:

Well, well, well; once again one of our illustrious political leaders, Gov. 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 Dr. Karen Trujillo’s appointment as secretary of the Public Education Department, PED, was short-lived and my disappointment with Gov. Lujan Grisham increased exponentially.

Why was Dr. Trujillo not given a reasonable amount of time to prove she was capable of leading the PED? I don’t recall Gov. Lujan Grisham ever having any classroom experience or in managing an education system or subsystem. And, let us not forget that former Sec. Skandara was criticized for the very same thing and never confirmed by the Senate Rules Committee. Gov. Martinez, non-the-less, kept her on and, regardless of critics’ assessments, did a reasonably good job.

Dr. Trujillo’s dismissal, to my way of thinking, was inhumane, cruel and callous. Little or no thought was given to the fact that 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 Dr. Trujillo. She 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, 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 $l million for the replacement. But, not to worry! The treasury is overflowing with oil dollars.

Interestingly enough, a replacement for Dr. Trujillo was found quickly and is now on board. Although Gov. Lujan Grisham claims she did not previously know the new secretary, Dr. 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 that there is an abundance of intelligence and well-qualified New Mexicans that stand ready to assist with any challenges New Mexico faces today and tomorrow.

John Lopez

Bosque Farms