Friday the Albuquerque Public School Board of Education announced the suspension of its superintendent.
APS Board of Education president Martin Esquivel announced today that Superintendent Winston Brooks will go on unpaid leave for three days starting Monday.
Esquivel said higher graduation rates and financial stability are some of the reasons the board went with suspension instead of termination.
“Some in this community will question whether he should continue to lead. For this board of education, the answer is a resounding yes. He is our leader and will remain to be our leader,” Esquivel said
The suspension is the result of some messages Brooks sent out on Twitter recently that likened Education Secretary Designate Hannah Skandera to a farm animal.
Esquivel says the board has tasked the district’s communications department to revamp their social media guidelines.
Skandera’s spokesperson says there is a certain level of professionalism expected from school leaders and that the students and parents in Albuquerque should be the ones to decide if the superintendent’s suspension is sufficient.
During the three-day suspension the district’s Chief Operations Officer Brad Winter will be filling in for Brooks.