On June 8, the Tucson Unified School District received a letter from the Arizona Department of Education outlining the finding of an almost year long investigation of the use of Title 1 monies on a program called Promotoras, and a demand for repayment of over $3.5 million. The district’s response to that letter was due last Friday, July 22.
The ADE’s inquiry into the district’s Promotoras program came as a result of a concerned citizen who “questioned whether the use of Title 1 funds was allowable for the Promotoras program” at TUSD. After the district explained that they were using the funds under the provisions outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, §1118 Parental Involvement, the ADE determined that the citizen’s concerns had merit, and an investigation began.
They made that determination based on two critical points of specific and clear guidance provided in the law; there must be significant consultation and involvement with the parents of participating children, and at least 95% of the funds reserved were to be distributed in Title 1 schools.
Instead the investigation found that the Promotoras program focused on developing community organizers that had little or nothing to do with TUSD schools or students. In an internal memo Rosalva Bullock, the program’s administrator wrote, “the Promotoras do not have to be Title 1 parents in TUSD schools.” There was absolutely no evidence that these monies were used to engage parents in their kid’s schools or of any focus on academic achievement of students.
The only school that benefited from these monies was Pima Community College. The Promotoras program enrollees and the community organizing classes they took at Pima Community College had little or no relation to TUSD’s Title 1 schools. The State found that they “were unable to establish any nexus (between the classes at Pima) to the Title 1 program.”
The State did find that the “funds were given to adult students via Pima Community College and then paid back to a central ‘NC/PdIB’ Foundation account” otherwise known by program participants as the “olla*”. In other words, Pima was overpaid for the classes provided to the women in the program and the over payment was put into the “olla” and not repaid to the Title 1 program which made the over payments. The allegation has also been made by concerned citizens that another foundation would give the same women scholarships for the same classes. Those scholarships would be awarded in an amount over the cost of the classes and the overpayment would be returned to the students themselves, who would then turn hand those monies over to the “olla.”
Immigrants were preferred and the vast majority of the Promotoras participants either came through Derechos Humanos or supported their efforts. Participants earned what now appears to be called a “Basic Social Service Certificate”. The certificate was earned taking classes entitled Introduction to Social Welfare, Community Organization and Development, and Social Service Delivery Systems. Rosalva Bullock taught some of the classes, and reportedly Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias regularly hosted the “graduation” ceremonies and proudly handed the women their certificates. According to the Tucson Citizen, “More than 150 women have undergone training to participate in the program, part of the Rose Family and Wellness Center.”
The women described their training in a newsletter; “It is marvelous to acknowledge that for us as Mexicans, we consider it an opportunity to assess and make improvements to our community….. we can develop knowledge in the following areas: Education and Leadership; Human Rights and Immigration; Death and Illness; Environmental Health; Personal Health (Physical, Mental, Intellectual, Spiritual and Social); Politics.”
Some of the women did engage in some environmental issues and secured a $252,692 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. Some efforts were productive in the area of of health education about lead paint in homes, and the need for regular mamograms and according to the 2007 story in the Tucson Citizen, several “members of the group last week received a congressional medal for their work.”
The most obviously egregious spending was for travel. The Title 1 monies paid for international travel for a conference in Mexico City, out of state travel for a National Refugee and Immigrant conference in Chicago, and out of state travel for the Organization of Human Services.
While Pima appears to be the only school to benefit from the Title 1 monies, it appears that a few charities benefited from the monies. With those “gifts” came power and prestige to those “philanthropists” who took credit for giving away the tax dollars that should have gone to help poor kids learn. One district insider wondered whether these same “philanthropists” will take responsibility for costing TUSD millions of dollars.
According to a press release issued by TUSD, “In December, 2009, Rosalva Bullock,” (TUSD’s Title I Family Center Program Coordinator) “requested and was granted a district-approved leave.” She has recently served as a political appointee** to Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias and the Supervisor recently voted to give Pima County tax funds to support the discredited social justice program at UA.
When first confronted with the misuse of monies, Richard Ellias became angry. He then told district officials that he would find a place in Pima County’s budget for the “program.” It is unclear if that threat was successfully carried out by the Supervisor. Our investigation continues.
When Richard Elias stood guard at the TUSD School Board meeting takeover, he was beaming like a proud papa. It makes you wonder how many in the raging mob that night were graduates, or the progeny of Promotoras graduates?
While Board members Judy Burns and Adelita Grijalva and Superintendent Pedicone try to paint the district as the cradle of social justice to the local and national media, some of us have to ask, where is the social justice for the kids?
To view the ADE’s letter click here.
*one witness referred to it as the “hoya” others referred to it as the “olla”
EDITOR’S NOTE:
**As late as March of this year, Rosalva Bullock served on the Pima County Outside Agency Community Advisory Committee as a political appointee of Richard Elias.
Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership (PNIP) Office
3810 S. Evans Boulevard, Ste. 130
Tucson Arizona 85714
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Present: Mr. Corey Smith, Chair – District 1 Appointee
Ms. Mary Soltero – District 2 Appointee
Ms. Hope Green – District 3 Appointee
Ms. Jeannine Mortimer – District 4 Appointee
Ms. Rosalva Bullock – District 5 Appointee
Mr. Steve Huffman – County Administrator