ONLY ALBUQUERQUE, LAS CRUCES AND LOS LUNAS SCORE WELL

New Mexico school districts earned an overall “F” for information available on their websites according to an analysis conducted by Sunshine Review, a pro-transparency group.  The analysis found that 76 of the 89 school districts in the state, including Santa Fe, scored a “D” or lower.  Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Los Lunas Public Schools received New Mexico’s only “B” grades.

Sunshine Review employs a “10 Point Transparency Checklist” to assess state and local government websites on proactive disclosure of government information.  The checklist measures content available on government websites against what should be provided.  Checklist items include information about budgets, meetings, elected and administrative officials, background checks, audits, contracts, academic performance, public records, and taxes.

“Fabulous news,” says Albuquerque Public Schools spokesperson Monica Armenta.  “In January we revamped the APS website.  One of our goals was to improve trust by making sure information was easily accessible and timely.  The New Mexico Technology Council recently gave us an award [TechEx] for an outstanding contribution to the community through our efforts to provide timely and accurate information.  We understand the public’s right to know.  Things are better for everyone when information is easy to get to.”

In April, APS Superintendent Winston Brooks received the William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award from the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.

Bobbie Gutierrez, superintendent of Santa Fe Public Schools, did not dispute the report’s evaluation.  “It is timely as we’re in the process of updating our website to make it more user friendly; some of the information identified as “bad” we’re aware of and will be working to correct as we roll out upgrades.”

The Rio Grande Foundation, which sponsors this site, has ongoing a major transparency project focused at public schools.  Paul Gessing, President of the Rio Grande Foundation, said this is response to the Sunshine Review’s grading:  “Government transparency remains a high profile for the Rio Grande Foundation. To this end, we have been requesting information on payrolls, teacher contracts, and spending for a new website under development by the Rio Grande Foundation, www.newmexicospending.com which is set to release in the next week or so. This process has not been easy as school districts have repeatedly stonewalled and made it very difficult for us to obtain necessary information.”

Sunshine Review is a non-profit organization dedicated to state and local government transparency.  Sunshine Review collaborates with individuals and organizations throughout America in the cause of an informed citizenry and a transparent government.  Since its inception in 2008, Sunshine Review has analyzed the websites of all 50 states, more than 3,140 counties, 805 cities, and 1,560 school districts.