Alamogordo School Board Trading Political Favors verses Making Educated Decisions on the Taxpayer Dole

On Monday the Alamogordo Public School Board will consider cancelling the contract with Dreamscape Learn which was a contract for IVR learning. Local Alamogordo Business Owner Michael Shyne has offered to pay for a trip for every school board member and the newly appointed interim superintendent to fly to Arizona State University and meet the owners and developers of this software and to see it in action.

Why would the school board NOT take Mr. Shyne up on the offer to learn and make an educated decision? If they don't, they are playing political games with your tax dollars and your child's education and future.

The best-in-class major school systems around the nation have recognized both the urgent need and that the best in digital tools is available to provide first-class educational experiences and implementing proven technology with project leaders with years of proven experience.

The Alamogordo Public School System is playing political games with taxpayer money and the future.

The APS board in fast tracking a decision in an ill-informed manner from a standpoint of ignorance is jeopardizing a best-in-class educational opportunity for students at Holloman Air Force Base Middle School and at Alamogordo High School.  

The Dreamscape Learn technology is a collaborative venture between Dreamscape Immersive and Arizona State University, merging the most advanced pedagogy with the entertainment industry’s best emotional storytelling. Dreamscape Learn could redefine how APS teachers teach and vastly improve student learning outcomes next year while aiming to eliminate student learning gaps, with a system that is proven and been implemented into over 120 systems around the nation.

Alamogordo and Holloman students deserve a best-in-class program not some program implemented with a company that does not already have the program in house but from 3rd party vendors.

The new APS board is leaning in hard to cancel the contract with the best-in-class service provider and offer it to a local Michelle Perry who was just awarded a $1 Million dollar loan to open an innovation center in downtown Alamogordo. 

Do the taxpayer also want to award another contract valued upwards to $1 Million dollars to a company that is focused on a major project already and would be hard-pressed and over stretched to launch a major IVR project with Alamogordo Schools AND to launch the most important educational enhancement program in Alamogordo's history? 

Mr. Shyne has championed the Dreamscape Learn program for the community understanding the need for excellence in education. Mr. Shyne is a graduated of Arizona State and as an alumni is deeply aware of the needs for changes and enhancements to the APS system. 

The school board is scheduled to potentially cancel this program on Monday. None of the members have even done the research and visited the campus to see Dreamscape in practice. They are making this potential decision to cancel based upon hearsay and innuendos rather than from a standpoint of hands on research.

This decision to fast track this cancellation is a political witch hunt to cancel anything that was done by the previous administration and to pay back political favors to the mayor, the sheriff's wife and others in the inner circles of Alamogordo that placed these board members into office.

It is imperative that the APS board members hear from you prior to Monday's 2 pm board meeting. There are NO public comments scheduled as this is a "special meeting" by the board. This is being addressed in the special session and at record speed because of the pressure and concern by citizens. This is done clearly as a vindictive measure and not in the best interest of the students.

The leadership of Holloman AirForce Base was supportive of this technology, community leaders such as Micheal Shyne are supportive of this technology and implementation. It could be a game changer.

Demand that each board member and the superintendent take Mr. Shyne up on his offer to pay for them to visit the Dreamscape Learn labs and offices and to make an informed and educated decision. 

We should not expect anything less of our school board then informed educated decision making. Email each board member at 

Superintendent Michael Crabtree michael.crabtree@alamogordoschools.org
Board President Angela Cadwallader  angela.cadwallader@alamogordoschools.org
Vice President Brandy Murphy brandy.murphy@alamogordoschools.org
Secretary Craig Danekas craig.danekas@alamogordoschools.org
Shannon Wright Member shannan.wright@alamogordoschools.org
District 5 is vacant