Tucson Unified School District superintendent, John Pedicone, has resigned amid the flight of administrators across the District. Last week, Maggie Shafer resigned to reportedly take a teaching position with the University of Arizona.
According to former Board members and other inside sources, Governing Board president, Adelita Grijalva, hopes to replace Pedicone with either Steve Holmes, an administrator with Sunnyside who had played a role in the selection of former Board member Alexandre Sugiyama, or Becky Montanyo, a former TUSD administrator. Grijalva has also worked to place Augie Romero, the founder on the District’s Mexican American Studies program, in a position of power due to rumors of Pedicone’s departure.
Despite his efforts to appease the Girjalva camp, sources say nothing short of a resignation was acceptable, according to former administrators. The concentrated effort to push the superintendent out began in earnest when the new Governing Board was installed.
Recently Pedicone had incurred the anger of staff when he instructed school personnel to refuse to speak to Board members.
According to various sources, Pedicone submitted his resignation to Board members last night. An investigation has been called for in order to ascertain who leaked the information to a Tucson blog and shared the details of the Executive Session.
In a statement released today, Board member Mark Stegeman said, “It is important for the Board to act in unified fashion as we go forward, with the help of the cabinet and the community.”
At a press conference this afternoon, Pedicone claimed that it had become “fashionable” to want the District to fail. Contrary to that statement though is the fact that 9 Tucsonans were willing to serve the District and ran for the School Board just this past election and countless volunteers continue to serve on multiple District committees ranging from technology to bond spending.
Board member Michael Hicsk said that while he had his differences with Dr. Pedicone, he was disappointed to see him go. “Dr. Pedicone will be missed,” said Hicks.
The District has experienced tremendous family flight due to its focus on political issues rather than educational excellence.
Pedicone asked the Board to release him from his contract as of June 30. His original contract ran through June 30; last August he and the Board agreed to an adjustment in compensation and a one-year extension through June 30, 2014. Pedicone’s deputy superintendent, Maria Menconi, is expected to leave at the end of the year as well.
The Board is expected to vote to accept his resignation at the next Board meeting.
Pedicone’s letter:
March 20, 2013
Dear Faculty and Staff,
After much consideration, I have submitted my resignation to the Governing Board effective June 30, 2013. This decision did not come easily, but I believe it is in the best interests of the district that I do so. The timing is right. It makes sense to allow our newly elected board members to work with a superintendent who will be in place for the duration of their first board terms. The sooner that happens, the more likely it will be that you will have a leadership team that provides long-term consistency and the stability that you deserve.
I want to let you know that I am very proud of the work that we have done together. There have been numerous difficult challenges we have faced as a team, but I am always gratified by the resiliency you show and the passion for excellence that guides what you do. We have made significant progress toward making our vision our reality. We have experienced the transformation of our culture which recognizes that together we can accomplish anything. This district is a special place and it is so because of the spirit that drives our mission on behalf of the children and families we serve.
It is a source of personal pride that in the past two and a half years, we have put the district on a positive trajectory – improving student achievement, fixing inefficient business practices, and showing those we serve that TUSD occupies a place of respect in our community.
We have begun to transform TUSD through significant improvements, including:
• Implementing a district goals process that focuses on student achievement and accountability.
• Increasing the number of students meeting or exceeding AIMS requirements and improved schools labels by doubling the number of “B” schools and reducing the number of “D” schools by 40% in 2011-12.
• Improving achievement at the district’s two persistently lowest performing schools through the turnaround model, resulting in Palo Verde showing a 22% improvement in AIMS math scores and Rincon showing an 11.3% improvement in passing grades. Every indication suggests these schools will continue to improve.
• Adopting rigorous mathematics and language arts curriculum that is based on Arizona’s Common Core standards.
• Raising the quality of instruction, training 4,000 administrators and teachers in the Essential Elements of Instruction to establish a common research-based instructional model. This promises to continue to pay dividends as continued training and mentorship programs are initiated.
Morrow Center – 1010 E. Tenth St. – Tucson, AZ 85719 – (520) 225-6060 – Fax (520) 225-6174
Governing Board
Adelita S. Grijalva; President, Kristel Ann Foster; Clerk, Mark Stegeman, Michael Hicks, Cam Juárez• Launching full-day kindergarten at every elementary school, improving the opportunities for all students and increasing kindergarten enrollment by 12% in 2012-13.
• Creating business practices that will reduce systemic obstacles and improve efficiency and effectiveness of operational procedures.
• Being released from Court oversight by successfully completing the requirements of the Consent Judgment related to the procurement action brought against the District by the Attorney General.
• Implementing an E-Rate federal funding plan, resulting in the District receiving more than $10 million in funding, the first time the district received such funding in a decade.
• Launching a technology initiative to bring the district up to 21st Century telecommunications standards by replacing all wide-area and local-area networks, replacing more than 100 mission-critical servers, upgrading phone and data systems, replacing 7,300 aging school computers, and adding campus-wide wireless networks to every school site.
• Launching a customer service plan to provide a high standard of service to the community.
• Establishing a transportation efficiency and accountability management system to ensure all eligible and requesting students are scheduled and routed one week prior to the start of school. Significantly reduced complaints and problems related to transportation.
• Directing resources from closed schools to support quality across all remaining schools and departments.
• Developing a Unitary Plan that will guide the district forward in support of student equity and opportunity.
• Developing community partnerships with local businesses to support student success.
• Developing a set of values and a vision for action through a collaborative approach that defines who we are and what our focus must be – “Delivering Excellence in Education Every Day…Grow, Reach, Succeed!”
These are meaningful improvements that have come to TUSD through the hard work we have done together. I want to express my appreciation to each of you for the energy and expertise you exhibit each day in pursuit of providing a quality educational experience to our students. We are motivated by a common purpose and linked by our desire to do what is right for the thousands of students in our care.It has been an honor to serve with you and get to know you. I thank you for all you have done and will continue to do in the months and years ahead. I have been pleased to be a part of the TUSD family and will remember the time we spent together with fondness and gratitude.
I know that you will continue to put students first and work as a team to ensure that our efforts to lift our district will continue in order to create the organization that our children, families and community deserve.
Sincerely,
John Pedicone