Tucson Unified Governing Board member Michael Hicks says that the effort to recall him is a political stunt by people who would ignore the needs of all TUSD’s students. Hicks is responding to a recall effort by a heretofore unknown group calling themselves Citizens for Educational Excellence.
Citizens for Educational Excellence was founded recently by the racist blogger David Abie Morales. Morales blogs as the Three Sonorans on the TucsonCitizen.com. Morales, five other adults, and two children held a press conference outside of the district’s headquarters this afternoon to “hereby move to recall Michael Hicks.”
Hicks has become a target of the media as a result of his outspoken objections to the exploitation of TUSD students by political activists. As a Republican, he has also taken on some conservatives; he does not support Superintendent Huppenthal’s effort to ban Mexican American Studies on the college level.
“This is about kids,” said Hicks. “This is about the exploitation of children by political predators.”
The small group needs to gather over 24,000 signatures in 120 days.
At least two different Latino organizations have formed in Tucson due, in part, to their opposition to the classes at TUSD. One has formed specifically to run mainstream candidates for the TUSD overning Board as well as other offices.
Randy Parraz attempted to form a recall group in Tucson, less than 20 people showed up for his organizational meeting, three of which were reporters.
Morales and his small group are calling for the recall of Hicks, based on their accusation that “he does not have the interests of all members of the Tucson educational community.” To that Hicks responds, that “it is the fact that I have the needs of all kids in mind in my decision making that this group really objects to. Because we will not be held hostage by a few radicals, for a few classes for a handful of kids, I am being targeted.
The group says, “He has shown a lack of willingness to work with all TUSD constituents.” Hicks responds that it is willingness to work with all constituents that most aggravates this group of radicals. “If we do not bend to their every whim, we are attacked. When we attempted to make the MAS classes electives, they were the ones whose actions disenfranchised ALL of the residents and students of TUSD.”
“They claim that the Cambium audit proves the classes success, yet they ignore the most relevant part of the audit which stated that the classes have an over abundance of political material. Because they only want politics in our classrooms,” says Hicks. “That is their ultimate goal. To use kids to further their political agenda. I will not allow them to succeed. And the people of this community will not allow bullies to succeed.”
“I have not and will not allow adults to exploit our kids for their political agendas. It is unfortunate that this group is willing to waste our precious time, energy, and money on a witch hunt, rather than seek solutions to the common problems facing all public schools in the State of Arizona, and more particularly the needs of the students in our care,” said Hicks.
If the recall is successful, and a special election is required, it will cost the district approximately $1 million.