During an emotional outburst at last week’s Albuquerque Public Schools board meeting, member Kathy Korte said she is “so goddamn grateful she (her eldest of four children, a high school senior) is leaving the public schools” system at the end of the school year.
On Monday, Korte said the remark was not meant to be a slight against public schools but was borne out of her frustration over the use of standardized tests in schools.
“That comment I made was in regards to the fact my senior is getting out in the nick of time. She’s not going to have take as many (end-of-course exams) as my fourth-grader,” said Korte, who has argued testing in New Mexico schools has increased too much.
Board member Don Duran said he doesn’t want to tell other board members what to do, but he thought Korte’s choice of language was poor.
Korte made the remark during a debate about whether the board should pass a resolution calling for the state to delay the use of its new standardized test, the PARCC exam, which will be given to students for the first time this year. Or to suspend the use of test scores in teacher evaluations. Or do both.
As a member of the Albuquerque school board, Kathy Korte should be somebody that students look at as an authority figure– do we need kids to have cursing as an example to them? Don’t they get enough of that in real life without another angry person leading decision-making in the school system?!
In a tweet from earlier this week, Korte encouraged parents to learn about social media, including a quote and reminded parents about the importance of social media in the lives of kids, “Our kids are growing up on a digital playground, and no one is on digital recess duty.”
https://twitter.com/kskorte/status/532594600142454784
If kids play on a digital playground, is Ms. Korte a playground bully? One would think Korte could demonstrate an ability to share her message without jumping to conclusions, calling parents she supposedly represents “whiny”, little kids she’s never met “jerks” and a state Representative a “traitor”.
Can the woman conduct herself as befitting a person who should be leading the school district by example?!
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Political Fireball 
Kathy Korte has done an effective job of playing up the “I swore, so what” angle. But, educators and parents alike should be OUTRAGED that she is glad her child is leaving the school system she helps run. It’s like a Marriott employee saying “well, I would never stay there.” Embarrassing and demoralizing. Instead, she asks us to let her continue destroying APS for four more years.
I am damned grateful to be an APS product and an APS parent.
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Korte has done a fantastic job making the issue about her language. Parents and teachers alike should be OUTRAGED that she is “grateful” her child is no longer part of the APS system she helps run. Imagine a hotel manager saying “I would never stay in my own hotel,” or a restaurant employee saying “I would never eat at my own restaurant – it sucks.” But, Korte thinks she should get 4 more years to help run APS.
I am grateful to be an APS product and an APS parent, and I think if she is so grateful her child is out of APS, she should step aside and let someone else fix the system.
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