An Ortiz Middle School teacher is resigning effective Feb. 29, citing "unsavory practices within Santa Fe Public Schools" and a district-wide "dangerous situation."
Darryl Waller, a choral director and piano teacher at the middle school, wrote a letter addressed to the district Jan. 30 notifying the administration of his intent to resign. In the letter he states that he was assaulted Jan. 25 and then put on administrative leave while "the student and his fellow perpetrators have been allowed to remain in school with nothing less than what appears to be a verbal warning."
In the letter, Waller also alleges that:
- SFPS administrators condone poor student behavior and "clearly send a strong message to students and faculty members that students are allowed to behave in any way they choose"
- Ortiz assistant principal Steve Baca has refused to address Waller's concerns and made "extremely unprofessional" comments, telling Waller if he didn't like the situation at Waller, to ask to be transferred
- Ortiz principal Denine Mares told him that letters documenting the problem "do not scare her"
- When Waller was hired, he was promised a salary that he never received
- The district uses "suspicious hiring practices"
Neither Ortiz leadership nor SFPS superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez returned calls for comment.
Ortiz isn't the only SFPS middle school that allegedly has serious discipline problems. As SFR previously reported, DeVargas Middle School had five fights in six days after removing an assistant principal who was able to control the students more effectively.
Waller's letter specifically exhorts the SFPS Board of Education to "investigate, develop and enforce strict policies before a student or faculty member is severely injured."
A Jan. 6 letter to SFPS from DeVargas teachers also cited safety concerns, describing numerous assaults by students on teachers and concluding that "these students are clearly running the school."
BoE vice president Glenn Wikle says there has been followup to the concerns raised about DeVargas, but declines to elaborate at this point. He said he put middle school discipline on the agenda for discussion at the BoE meeting Feb. 7.
"I saw [Waller's] letter, it was very moving,' Wikle says. "I'll be talking it about other board members at our upcoming board meeting."
A fish rots from the head. Nothing will change without new leadership. Guttierez must go.
I agree completely, J. Murray. Ms. Gutierrez seems to have forgotten that many students stay in school because of music programs and in fact become famous. Thank you, Mr. Waller for trying to reach your students with music. Gutierrez and her gang of inept, incompetent, dishonest cronies must all go.
There is a multitude of documented incidents regarding violence on SFPS' school sites. These events occur at elementary, middle, and high school sites on an alarmingly frequent basis.
The one thing they seem to have in common is the lack of action taken by Ms. Guitterez and others at 610 Alta Vista. When a high school teacher can have her life threatened, ask for help from the district -- only to realize there will not only be no support, but filing a complaint places her job in jeopardy, there is something drastically wrong with the system.
When complaints of violence against both teachers and vulnerable students go unresolved and are pushed aside with warnings to teachers not to pursue them, the community needs to call out district administration and force them to account.
Only when teachers and other employees speak out, like Mr. Waller has, will this stop. Mr. Waller is correct in his warning: the district must do something before a student or employee sustains major injury.
It seems lodging a complaint and asking for help is not enough. Maybe when these people at 610 Alta Vista are sued personally, and have to pay out large settlements filed by employees or parents of children who have been hurt, they will be interested in listening.
The buck stops here. Ms. Gutierrez, Ms. Mares, Ms. Garcia. and of course Mr Baca. These guys have been all over the pace in all kinds of positions. They reak. Please oh please start with Ms. G.