All across town people are complaining about the rise in their property tax bills. However, only two or three of them showed up to express their concerns before the rate increase was passed by ever irresponsible TUSD Governing Board this past summer.
You can’t blame them though, ever since the takeover by radicals of the TUSD School Board meeting in April, fewer and fewer people attend the meetings. The new Board policy precedent set by the new Board president, the abusive treatment both physical and verbal of those who opposed the district’s MAS classes and the district’s failure to protect them has scared off many public school supporters.
This morning the Arizona Daily Star agreed to go along with the TUSD’s blame game. Bodfield gets her figures wrong, and does not challenge Superintendent Pedicone’s finger pointing. She doesn’t question how the money was spent, and if any of the requirements of the deseg order have ever been met.
Most who complain will buy the district’s excuse that the desegregation order was the reason for the increase. Truth be told, many of the representatives of the desegregation plaintiffs think the funding should end. They know that the money never went where it was supposed to go, and it never will.
After years of trying to get the district to meet the basic requirements of the deseg order they know one thing for sure; the district will always scapegoat them and always take any opportunity to grab more money to do less.
This past year TU4SD (of which I am a member) asked for a forensic audit of the deseg monies. They did so, due to an investigation they conducted based on information that came to the organization during the last School Board election. After talking to those very familiar with the district and meeting with some of the representatives of the deseg plaintiffs, it was apparent that the monies were not be utilized for students.
Bodfield writes “State Sen. Frank Antenori, R-Vail, who said the blame doesn’t fall with the Legislature but with the TUSD board, which he said was “too lazy and pathetic” to adopt deeper spending cuts.”
He is partially right. Not only did they not reduce spending, they spent money recklessly. They lost money needlessly.
Bodfield writes, “Pedicone says the district has forgone employee raises for four years and has closed nine schools in an attempt to cut costs.”
He is partially right. They have closed schools. They voted on a pay raise. However, the teachers got a token compared to the administrators.
The article does mention that they lose students, but it doesn’t mention the fact that the district staff estimates that they will lose over 1900 students this year which will result in a $18 mil loss.
The article mentions that the district has closed schools, but doesn’t mention that the continual threat to close certain schools has been a source of flight from the schools mentioned.
The article didn’t mention that Sahuaro, Sabino, and Santa Rita have been receiving deseg funds, and just recently the district decided to give it to them again. When challenged, Pedicone brushed off the deseg plaintiffs concerns and basically said, well it is already done so there is nothing to be done.
The article doesn’t mention the millions of dollars in fines they incurred for failing to do what they were supposed to do.
The article doesn’t mention the misuse of deseg funds, on the practice gym at Tucson High, which had already been approved by voters in 2004 to come out of bond funds. Some deseg money was used, which is not only an inappropriate use of deseg funding, but a supplanting, which is illegal.
The article doesn’t mention the massive amount of money spent on consultants for deseg the district chose to spend at the last minutes before Judge Bury’s decision. The district knew full well how the Ninth Circuit would rule, but they proceeded to spend the money despite that knowledge.
According to the article, “Pedicone said some taxpayers think the district has control over the tax changes, “we’re really at the mercy of these kinds of things.”
And the kids are at the mercy of the district.
Scapegoating is the name of the game at TUSD.