On Tuesday, TUSD’s Multicultural program director, Auggie Romero, told the Governing Board that the Arizona Department of Education had reviewed his proposed curricula and implied it had been approved.
On Wednesday, the District’s new superintendent said that he understood, based on his conversations with Romero and administrators Abel Morado and Maria Menconi that the curricula had the State’s seal of approval. When asked if he would be surprised that the state had not issued an approval, he said, “I would be very surprised if that were the case.”
On Thursday, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) notified the District that not only had it not approved the curricula, it was displeased that the District staff had asked the Governing Board to approve it, calling the District’s move “premature.”
The ADE has worked to cooperate with the District in the development of the courses, after the District’s prior race-based classes were found to violate state law. That law prohibits the resegregation of students, and the promotion of resentment of persons due to the color of their skin or ethnicity.
The board approved the literature courses 3-2, without knowing much about the curriculum including what texts might be used. Arizona law requires Board to review curriculum in its entirety prior to implementing it in the classroom.
On Tuesday, Romero told the Board that without exception, his experts approved the Multicultural curriculum he had created. He didn’t mention that as late as April 29, Dr. Francisco Rios, of the Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University, contacted Romero with concerns about the classes’ lack of standards. Rio, who is acting as an advisor to Romero on the development of the classes wrote of the version he was asked to review, “there’s nothing in the common core section.” Rios also encouraged Romero to give “greater depth to how the state standards might be enhanced via a critical, multicultural orientation.”
Rios had reached nearly the same conclusion as the ADE curriculum experts. The State had provided guidance to the District after the District has submitted curriculum that appeared to not only meet state standards but Common Core Standards.
In response to the state’s concerns outlined in May, Maria Menconi recommended spending more district funds to “engage the curricular services of WestEd to work with our teams, as we edit and improve the courses for another ADE review. Once these steps are completed and the ADE has had another opportunity to give their feedback, we would release the completed courses for public review and ultimately Governing Board approval,” wrote Menconi in an email to other District administrators.”
The ADE had not completed that review at the time of the Board’s vote.
ADE spokesperson, Kristen Landry said, “During ADE’s review of the district’s initial proposal, we found the curriculum lacked alignment to Arizona’s academic standards and was not in compliance with the law. We are disturbed the board took premature action.”
State approval is not the only misinformation provided to the public and the Governing Board by District staff. At the Tuesday meeting, Romero told the Board that those involved in the development of the curriculum worked “pro bono.” While some of the unidentified “experts” may have offered free advice, many involved in the curricula development and teachers training were paid.
Julio Cammorata, a University of Arizona professor who was instrumental in the student takeover of the school board meeting in the spring of 2011, will receive $3000.00 for professional development services related to the new curriculum. Cammorata was also commissioned by the federal court through the Special Master to study the effectiveness of the former Mexican American Studies classes. Naturally, he concluded that they were highly effective.
Click here to view purchase order. Julio Cammorata Purchase Order
Purchase orders show that District staff received up to $7000 on top of their salaries for their roles in the curriculum’s development. Former MAS teachers who are plaintiffs in the failed lawsuit against the District and are currently TUSD staff, Maria Federico Brummer and Norma Gonzales, were both paid $3000 each for their work on the curriculum. TUSD staffer Penelope Buckley received $7000 for her services. TUSD staffer Desiree Cueto was paid $5000 for her contribution to the African American curriculum. Manuel Galvan and Salvador Gabaldon were each paid $3000 for their work.
The District claims that the Board’s approval was appropriate because they were never required to submit anything but the government and history curriculum for review. However, correspondence indicates that the District’s former superintendent John Pedicone had agreed to the review, and a public review as well.
The public was only allowed to review what amounted to be an overview of the curriculum on the District’s website.
Emails reveal that Romero had intended to create a curriculum that would only appear to meet state law.
The District is required to offer “culturally relevant” classes by the federal desegregation order. However, the Court told the District that it must develop classes that comply with state law.