When Tucson Unified School District Superintendent H.T. Sanchez stated that Arizonans would not adequately fund schools based on the “fact” that they would not pay for the education of children who “did not look like them,” many were surprised, some disappointed, and the vast majority maintained a wait and see attitude toward the seemingly inexperienced administrator.
The truth is emerging thanks to the upcoming school Board Election. The fact that Sanchez is anything but inexperienced has been exposed by District staff recently. Those past failures and shortcomings are now being exposed by a group of self-described “progressive” educators, who are supporting TUSD governing board candidate Betts Putnam Hidalgo.
In their letter entitled H.T. Sanchez is on the “Ooops” Tour in Tucson the educators reveal Sanchez’s failures since taking the lead job. The letter reads:
We had not planned to put another communication out until the issues outlined in our last correspondence had been looked into. A few things have happened to alter our plans. From the point that our letter to H.T. Sanchez was received by him and widely distributed by others (thank you everyone) he has been very busy in attempting to explain all of his misdeeds away. At the same time, he executed a crusade to find out who we are and how many of us are involved. We are committed to keeping our identities concealed for the time being. Sanchez has gone as far as to have told insiders that we should have gone to him before “going public,” that what we did was not fair and that he wanted to be able to face his accusers. He has said that we are not team players. Those who have tried to discuss matters with him have suffered and we were not about to put ourselves in a similar position. We believe that what we are doing is a display of commitment to do what is right for students. We are on their team.
This correspondence is addressed to Board Members with the request for an investigation into the issues outlined here and in our previous correspondence, which is included for those of you who had not received it previously. (It is found at the end of this correspondence as “Item A.”) This is also addressed to the Pima County Superintendent since a specific certification issue is addressed below.
Some say that the new apology trend in American politics and sports is to apologize- only when you get caught. Then, any stated regrets are packaged and filled with justifications and/or lies. No doubt, the TUSD Superintendent is in-trend, not having demonstrated the slightest level of humility until he was caught with a projected 15 million dollar deficit and with a list of issues, which he certainly has not made any effort to explain publically. Ooops! He is making the rounds in what we refer to as his “ooops tour-” meeting with individuals and small groups and declaring his desire to do better. His words may come off as being sincere and his efforts, in reaching out, may be seen as notable. We warn that you should be very cautious in believing that any real change in Sanchez is in the horizon.
The last TUSD Superintendent’s update was entitled “Reaching Out to Do Better” and came out the day after our last correspondence. The first paragraph of the Sanchez update goes onto say, “As a fairly new superintendent, I have a lot to learn. I am very fortunate to work with great district, campus, classroom, and operations professionals and support staff. We become better by opening ourselves up to criticism and learning from points that are made by people who agree with us and from points made by those who do not.”
H.T.’s behavior does not match the above words and, again, we caution you in believing any degree of performed sincerity, as he takes to his “oops tour” in reaching out to do better.” We believe any apologies offered would be shallow and only a part of his ongoing self-campaign. He has drowned out top level administrators who have disagreed with him; mid-level administrators have been treated as pawns – treated as we are here only to comply with H.T.’s directives; he has shut out site administrators by minimizing the important connection we have in serving our students. H.T. has never been open to criticism and he has punished many who have disagreed with him. It is not that he holds people accountable; it is that his definition of accountability means agreeing with him regardless of how wrong he may be on issues such as the budget, his poorly thought-out 27:1 staffing ratio, managed curriculum, procurement practices, hiring practices, the use of Title I funds, the use of desegregation funds, the inappropriate use of District resources, the treatment of community members, etc. H.T.’s nasty and unprofessional methodology in pressuring administrators -out or down- in the direction of resignation, retirement or demotion- has provided real insight into the sort of person H.T. is. His tactics have nothing to do with improving performance.
A very short list of administrators who have been pushed out, pushed down or intimidated into submission includes: Teri Melendez, Elizabeth Redondo, Jim Fish, Cara Rene, Augustine Romero, Yousef Awwad, Jeffrey St. Claire, Maggie Shafer, Candy Egbert, Ana Gallegos, David Scott, Kathyrn Manley-Crocket, Rex Scott, Sam Brown, etc. Some, like Sam Brown and Ana Gallegos were put out to pasture, until they changed their ways and stopped questioning “the man.” Gallegos was going to be moved to Pueblo; she protested and then agreed to work with him- landing her in his graces and a gigantic promotion. Brown was moved into the legal department, stripped of many of his functions. He then bent to the will of “the man” and now has been moved back into the desegregation department. Many have said that he was “punished” for advocating for African American and Latino students which was, in the view of Sanchez, advocating for “the plaintiffs.” This is frightening for any of us who believe that we must advocate for our students.
Sanchez visited Santa Rita High School once or perhaps twice, where St. Claire served as principal, and based on what he saw, yanked him out of the school into a forced demotion; without an evaluation; without due process; and without any respect. Everyone got the message; this is the REAL new professional development in TUSD.
You may ask why we show little compassion for Sanchez. The simple answer is that Sanchez lacks empathy and compassion for others; he is self-serving. He has treated many within TUSD and the community without dignity, respect and compassion. The following is one of the best illustrations of Sanchez’ lacking level of professionalism and compassion:
Last spring Sanchez recommended that the Governing Board not renew Rex Scott’s contract as the Catalina High School principal. This was based on the school’s “D” grade, although the most current grade had not yet been provided by ADE. Approximately eight months prior, Sanchez recommended Adrian Vega as the Deputy Supt. Vega was the Principal at New Tech High School in the Ector County Independent School District, where Sanchez had served as Interim Superintendent, prior to landing the TUSD supt. position. According to the Texas Education Agency, New Tech did not meet standards and its status was deemed as “improvement required” (the period is reflective of the time Vega was principal).
New Tech nearly met standards; nevertheless it did not meet standards, which is very similar to the Catalina High School scenario and once the most recent school grades were released by ADE, this last summer, Catalina’s grade went from a “D” to a “C.” “Ooops”- too late; the harm by Sanchez had already been done. Vega was snapped out of a school, which did not meet standards, and was elevated to deputy superintendent without any transparency of the facts. We know of no better word than “hypocrisy” to describe H.T.’s treatment of Rex Scott. The following site provides the standards information on New Tech:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/src/2013/static/campus/c068901011.pdf
Rex Scott’s correspondence to H.T. on this issue reveals a great deal about his character and management style. It is a MUST read! It is found at the end of this correspondence, as “Item B.”
What the Board and public do not understand is that there is no place within TUSD for employees to report wrongdoings. There is no independent complaint office; the teachers’ union has all but gone debunk and the existing and struggling TEA is not protecting its members in any real sense of the word. Their enrollment is at an all-time low. Educational Leaders, Inc. (ELI) has not, for a long time, supported TUSD administrators. The conditions make for a perfect storm for the abuse of employees at the hand of an outrageously power hungry superintendent. It is an indictment against the Board, whether they know or do not know about such abuses. They are either oblivious and do not know what they should know or know and choose not to correct the situation.
The most honest statement made by H.T. during his 14 months as TUSD Supt. is that he is new and that he has a lot to learn. Up until this point, he has come across as knowing everything about any and all matters.
At the end of last week Sanchez visited with leadership from ELI to discuss the creation of a focus group comprised of administrators with the goal of better collaboration. He has kept site administrators and directors in the dark for fourteen months and now, overnight, we are to be blessed with a process to improve collaboration? It will be yet another manipulated process, facilitated by one of HIS cronies and used only to “report” to the community and his Board majority on how he is collaborating; the meaning of which is unknown to Sanchez.
H.T.’s first “oops” was when he got caught playing procurement politics. You can find information on this at: http://tucson.com/news/local/education/tusd-s-sanchez-gave-consultant-early-track-on-tucson-contract/article_010f280f-959a-557d-b7bd-d6d1a79ce7d6.html
First he recommended that the Board increase the approval threshold for procurement bids to $100, 000. Of course, at the time they approved the threshold increase they were unaware that their newly hired supt. had contacted Cathy Mincberg, one of his named references in his application for supt., to inform her that he would be reaching out to her to work as a consultant in TUSD’s strategic planning. This was three days after he was appointed TUSD Supt. Sure enough, she wound up with a $92,500 contract which did not have to go to the Board for approval. If you followed the coverage on this in the news, Sanchez changed his story a few times before finally stating that he was not perfect in front of the Board. “Ooops”!
The 15 million dollar projected deficit is a massive “ooops.” The “ooops” trickles down to our schools and departments in very damaging ways for our students. We do not have the resources needed to serve our students (textbooks, workbooks, supplies, etc.) We listed several areas of concern in our previous correspondence. Here is one more glaring example: There are three math programs in TUSD- the schools using EnVisions have not yet been provided with the K-2 workbooks. There was either a massive error in ordering the workbooks OR they were never ordered. Schools have been asked by central office if they “absolutely need the large workbooks” and if they can make do with the homework and practice book. The dilemma, principals have been told, all has to do with the lack of $$$$. We believe that a massive “ooops” took place and now students who are in the EnVisions math program, are absent critical materials; they are being asked to “make do” without the consumable workbooks. If there is no shortfall in funds; why are the students who should have these workbooks be cheated, along with all others who have not been provided with textbooks, workbooks, materials, supplies, etc. ? Think about this- the salary increase for Julie Tolleson and the bonuses for central administrators could have paid for a great deal of these NEEDED student learning materials. Ooops! Sanchez’ priorities are clear.
We remain concerned about the lack of consistency in moving toward a single math curriculum; especially after the findings of the Curriculum Audit and its many recommendations. We continue to hear from Sanchez that this problem goes back to Dr. Fagan. On many problems, according to Sanchez, when she is not at fault, of course, it is Dr. Pedicone. The honeymoon period has come and gone. When, oh when, will this Supt. own up to the current problems at hand?
Perhaps more focus on these K-12 issues should have taken place instead of the day care center-pet project that consumed millions of dollars and lots and lots of staff time.
On the whole issue of the budget short-fall, after the news broke on September 30th on a local television news report about the inquiries that were made of Mr. Yousef Awwad by a Board member, we were able to obtain a copy of the what was requested, along with the responses (see the site which follows for the news coverage). http://www.jrn.com/kgun9/news/Is-TUSD-being-reckless-with-your-tax-dollars-277684002.html?lc=Tablet
We believe that Mr. Awwad’s responses provide a strong indication of just how terrible finances have been misdirected by the Supt. It specifies the period of time that the Supt. has been warned about budget decisions that should have gone through the finance office or his review. It is no surprise that Mr. Awwad found it in his best interest to seek employment elsewhere. Ethical and perhaps legal challenges that he had to confront seem obvious. Mr. Awwad was one of the first people that Sanchez promoted immediately after he was appointed Supt. (in July of 2013). Awwad went from Chief Financial Officer to Assistant Superintendent. Sanchez did so because he had ALL the confidence in the world in Awwad. We will see how Sanchez tries to discredit Awwad’s work as things heat up. He who has spent all of the money will undoubtedly make an attempt to discredit the projected deficit. A copy of the listed questions by Mr. Hicks and responses from Mr. Awwad follow:
Correspondence between Board Member Hicks and Mr. Awwad (late September):
1. When was Superintendent Sanchez made aware of the information you shared with me, which has now gone public? I understand the delicate nature of this inquiry since Supt. Sanchez is your supervisor but it is essential that the Board and public have this information. Please inform me if there are any adverse consequences to your addressing any of my inquiries. Were any other Board members apprised of the dire financial projection which you shared with me and, if so, when were they made aware?
I and Karla have been talking to the superintendent and cautioning him against decision being made without consultation with finance or my office as early as Last March and April. Emails and memos from myself and the CFO were sent to the sup to caution against the budget process and financial decisions.
2. It is my understanding that you had compiled a contingency or reserve fund which had accrued to a considerable amount (in excess of $25,000,000 dollars) for the purpose of addressing a deficit situation such as facing us at this time. Is this a fact? If so, please present a detailed account of the status of this fund account , at its peak and at its present status, as well as a detailed account of any and all expenditures from this fund.
By the end of the FY2013 we have had the following cash balances Indirect: 7.7 Million, E-Rate 2.7 million. Mediacid $1 million, Impact aid 245K and Civic for about 2.7 million that is in addition to the surplus of about $4.5 million when we balanced the budget. These amounts are considered our cash reserves.
3. Are there any other areas of concern relative to budget/finance matters that you believe the Board should be made aware of prior to your departure? For example in areas such as Title I funding, desegregation funding, etc.
I would be concerned about the decisions made in Seg fund, Title I and Desegregation.
4. In your professional opinion is it appropriate for the Independent Financial/Budget Auditor to report directly to the Board? Had we had this position in place, the current situation in the Board and public getting caught off guard would have been prevented. According to the news conference that was held yesterday by Superintendent Sanchez and Board Members Grijalva and Foster, an external review of the current financial picture will be reviewed. In your professional opinion, should this consultant report directly to the Board?
In my professional opinion, Internal auditors should report to the governing board as it is consistent with the literatures from AICPA and Institute of internal auditors. In our district case, I believe a sub committee from the governing board should be established to be the audit committee and have citizens advisory group help them in the process.
Internal auditor would play important role in preventing certain things from happening and if they are empowered, they will strengthen the internal control.
The 27:1 teacher/student ratio has resulted in absolute chaos. Sanchez did not listen to those who raised concerns about moving forward with this half-cooked idea. Many schools continue to have long-term substitutes and many classes are NOT at 27:1. At least two middle schools have had between 14-20 substitutes which have now turned into long-term substitutes. Yet, the TUSD employment web site suggests that advertisement for these positions has halted. It is the end of the first quarter for these students- without a full-time teacher! Will students who now have long-term substitutes have them for the remainder of the year? Long-term subs are not required to go through the professional development training that teachers must attend which adds to their lack of qualifications for a long-term situation. It is cheaper to have long-term subs than to have a full-time teachers. Are our students paying for the Sanchez staffing formula that really could not be fully implemented (as he was told prior to doing it)? Poor planning; poor education will produce poor results for these students. We believe that the use of long-term substitutes is not a major issue in more affluent neighborhoods and that it is students who most need quality and consistency who are once again being short-changed. This is tragic.
In our last correspondence, we stated that a principal had been hired who had not passed the state test which is required for certification. We surfaced this to illustrate the inconsistency in hiring practices concerning Ms. Grijalava’s mother-in-law. Ms. Grijalva’s mother-in-law was hired, although she was not the top candidate. A candidate who scored above her did not hold an Arizona administrator’s certification which Sanchez said was the reason for not hiring the candidate. The administrator to whom we made reference to not having passed the required state exam is actually a higher level administrator -an assistant superintendent- (the administrator is Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Eugene Butler, Jr.). This raises questions about the lack of consistency in following policies/procedures in the hiring and/or promotion of individuals. It also invalidates the excuse used for hiring Adelita’s mother-in-law; that the candidate had not yet obtained state certification. We believe that when lies are told, the string to that lie often becomes exposed, which reveals the truth. This matter must be looked into for very obvious reasons. (It is appropriate to point out that the EEO person who should be assigned to investigate these type of matters works in HR. HR obviously approved the promotion of this assistant superintendent, therefore, HR should not investigate HR. An external investigation requested by the Board is needed.)
Since Friday, we have heard many positive things about our correspondence to H.T. and there has been a general appeal by many to join our group, however in our own interest for safety, we will continue to work underground. Some just cannot stand this and they need not read our correspondence. One comment was that little credibility could be given to us as a group because we had not identified ourselves. We are not seeking credibility for ourselves. We are seeking that what we reported will be investigated and validated. The information is credible and that is what should matter. The Board should take action to investigate the listed issues and until this occurs, we will continue these communications.
We know that many of you will continue to support the dissemination of this information and we are overwhelmingly grateful.
One former principal has challenged us via Facebook based on her not being able to assess the size of our group. Honesty and concern may surface from one or from many; honesty is just that- honesty and concern is part of honesty. We are a well-represented group; we are progressive educators.
Adelita Grijalva has noted that her sister was not part of the Strategic Planning Committee. We stand corrected on this point.
Sanchez has said to some that he does not think we should have made his wife an issue. We didn’t. She is present at central administration a great deal. She attends TUSD related meetings, including professional development sessions. She has used a security code to enter a TUSD facility. As a non-TUSD employee she should not benefit from tax-paid professional development, nor should she violate security protocol to use TUSD facilities. She has “intervened” on her husband’s behalf in very inappropriate ways. This is habitual, as she did the same thing at Ector Independent School District where she served as principal while her husband was Superintendent. In July of 2013 she spoke to the Ector School Board, promoting her husband’s bid for superintendent, without revealing the fact that she is married to him (see the following article and comments http://www.oaoa.com/news/education/ecisd/article_5f91a77c-dd3d-11e2-9252-001a4bcf6878.html#facebook-comments )
We did not make her an issue. The issue was created by the Superintendent. The issue has been talked about all over the District; overwhelmingly with displeasure.
It goes against good business norms to have one’s spouse hovering at their work place, intervening and lobbying on their behalf and exploiting services to which the spouse is not entitled. The problems were created by H.T. and his spouse and the whistle-blowers should not be blamed!
Kristel Foster responded to our email and has assessed us as being angry and resentful and says that she is aware of some of the people hiding behind our letter.
She says that some of the things in our letter are true, while some are not and that the rest falls somewhere in between. She says that Adelita has been on the Board, while six superintendents have served and that the District needs stability- therefore, we should all work with Sanchez. Kristel also states that the people who rallied against Fagan and Pedicone are the same people rallying against Sanchez and will also rally against the next supt., implying that we have been a part of the “rallying.” This is our response to Ms. Foster: We are not angry; we are concerned. We are not hiding; we are protecting ourselves. We are concerned and worried that TUSD is being grossly mismanaged. Our students pay the consequences of this mismanagement. We worked well with Dr. Fagan and were not involved in any “rallying” against Dr. Pedicone. We are unaware of any “rallying” that took place from anyone except the obvious players. We were not, nor are we now part of that.
We agree that the District is desperate for stability; the desperation for stability has heightened since H. T. took over as Supt. Fear is prevalent. Communication is selective and poor. Favoritism, cronyism and chauvinism worse than ever. There are very serious matters that we have brought to your attention and we think that you should not diminish these issues by casting incorrect judgment on our purpose or on our identities. You take exception to our anonymity which shows us your deep lack of understanding about the retaliatory nature of Sanchez. You are often depicted as being captivated by Sanchez and this is just one more indication in support of this depiction. We did not fully believe the depiction until now. We have been dismissed by you, which is extremely disappointing. As it turns out, we all voted for you and felt that you would offer a fresh and fair perspective. We were wrong. Our interest is ONLY our students. All the listed grievances are huring our students one way or another. Although we vote and have opinions about local and global matters- we have not been involved in TUSD politics- which is what we believe you have also implied. The Board is split and dysfunctional in many ways. We are not interested in entering into that dysfunction. We are reporting our concerns to the Board as a whole; as a unit- all of the Board should be concerned and even outraged by many of the problems we have reported.
Tucson Weekly blogger David Safier takes on the role of psychiatrist as he criticized the number of words in sections of our correspondence, certain terms used, the tone, the complaints that were listed and just about everything else he could think of, it seems. He questions the mental stability of the writer(s) of our correspondence and compares us to those who have blasted President Obama during his presidency. (This was likely the harshest of insults thrown at us by him.) He takes exception to our stating that Sanchez is being watched. Our response to Safier: Sanchez is being watched; this is a reality. It is not a threat; it is just a fact. How do you think so much information is revealed about his (mis)conduct? Sanchez is a public figure who happens to be seen and observed a great deal. David, you are not a shrink and you hit below the belt with many of your shrink-like assessments of us. Sanchez had many of the same issues in Ector Independent School District as he is having here. He is said to have undermined the superintendent who he served under in order to get the position himself. Here, he undermines anyone who gets in his way- be it community members, administrators, Board members, etc. Many in Ector County believe that their loss (of Sanchez) was their gain and that our gain of Sanchez was really our loss. When Sanchez left his former school district he did not have a solid board majority that would vote for anything put before them by him; as is the case now. Perhaps the following article will remind you of some of the warning signs about him.
David, here is a hold-up mirror for you. You really have no idea about what is going on inside of TUSD. You only think you know, based on what you are told by Sanchez and a few Board Members, which is not very credible. Sanchez “invited” you to a few meetings which has given you some sense of importance but no real knowledge about what is happening in the District. You now believe yourself to be a “player.” Come on!
Are you aware that the job requirements for those working at the day care centers are minimal? The requirement is a high school diploma; the same as for many low-skilled positions. The term “early childhood learning center” is not appropriate when those providing the services have the same qualifications as those flipping hamburgers, scrubbing toilets, or digging trenches. You can try to glamorize it all you want, as Sanchez has done, but TUSD’s day care centers are day care centers. The staff who work directly with the children are not certificated. Those working the most direct with children at the day cares have been trained far below what many day care centers provide for their employees. The issue that we addressed was the loan that was taken out to pay for the day cares; you seemed to have lost that point along with many others. Safier’s blog is at: http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2014/09/29/the-letter-against-tusd-superintendent-sanchez-from-anonymous-administrators#more
We still want to know the source of funding for the day care centers. Was it a loan? Was funding used from MO or another funding source; if so which one? If we are headed in the direction of a deficit, as projected by Mr. Awwad, has the day care expense been part of what has created the deficit? If so the public should be made aware of this.
We hope that the information that we have brought forward will support getting the District to focus on the schools, programs and most importantly- the students.
Item A.
Correspondence from Rex Scott to H.T. Sanchez:
On Mar 29, 2014, at 11:13 AM, “Scott, Rex” <Rex.Scott@tusd1.org> wrote:
Dr. Sanchez-
This is an incredibly difficult message for me to write, but the dictates of conscience require that it be composed and sent to you. Yesterday, during a phone conversation with Dr. Morado, I informed him that there was absolutely no interest on my part in pursuing other positions within TUSD after my contract ends on June 30th. I feel that you and our Board members deserve to know why, after 14 years of service to TUSD as a teacher and administrator, that I have no intention of seeking to extend my tenure in our district.
Last Tuesday, you recommended to the Board that my contract not be renewed under the terms of a regulation that affects principals who lead “double D” schools. This same regulation affected the renewal of my contract last year after it was put in place by Dr. Pedicone. There was no doubt in my mind that it would come into play this year as well, but what I did not expect was how you would recommend that the regulation be carried out.
When the notice of non-renewal was given to me and two other principals last spring, we were told that contracts would be issued to us if our schools showed the “significant growth” called for in the language of the regulation. Once the AIMS scores were released and information from the Arizona Department of Education made it clear that Catalina would gain 10 points (from 88 to 98 points) in the state letter grade calculations, Dr. Pedicone recommended to the Board that I be issued a contract for this school year and they agreed.
Bear in mind, please, that 98 points put us just two points shy of a “C” letter grade. Moreover, we missed earning the three points that schools can receive for reclassifying a certain percentage of English language learners by just a handful of kids. Had we gotten those three points, we would be a “C” school right now. That’s how close we came.
AIMS Reading scores will be released to schools very soon because that test was administered at high schools in late February. Students take AIMS Math on April 8th and we will receive those scores right before graduation. The preliminary state letter grade is made available to us in June and is released to the public in July. The language of the regulation allows you to use either AIMS score or the state letter grade to make the determination of “significant growth.”
I had every reason to expect, based on last year’s experience, that the terms of this regulation would be applied this spring in the same manner, but you made clear on Tuesday night that this would not be the case. Your intention, based on your public comments, is to not allow me to return to Catalina next year, even though we have no AIMS scores reported to us yet. You stated that the “trajectory” of currently available data shows that we will be a “D” school yet again.
To say that I was shocked and disappointed by your public statements would be a gross understatement. I was also surprised that neither you nor anyone else on your team told me before the meeting that things would be handled this way. Moreover, the ATI benchmark score reports that we have most certainly do not point, with any certainty, to the fact that we will be a “D” school when those determinations are made.
As the principal of the one “D” high school in TUSD and the sole principal currently affected by this regulation, I would have very much enjoyed and appreciated the chance to discuss these matters with you before Tuesday, but that opportunity was never made available to me. Despite your assertions that night that you and I have established some kind of relationship, we have never had a substantive conversation about Catalina, nor my leadership role at the school. We have never discussed our school’s Title I plan and the AIMS interventions therein. Despite being invited to visit Catalina on three occasions, you have never been to our campus during the school day to visit classrooms and observe teaching and learning. Indeed, other than some pleasantries exchanged during breaks in ILA meetings, you and I have never spoken with each other about anything.
I asked Dr. Morado about your comments on Tuesday night and why the regulation was being handled this way as compared to last year’s process. He replied that he would not speak for you and that I would have to direct any inquiries directly to you. Frankly, there is no interest on my part in having this dialogue with you now after I have made several attempts since you were appointed to talk to you about Catalina and the challenges we face. Since you have never responded to those overtures, what value would there be in talking with you now that you and the Board have already decided I should no longer lead the school?
My assumption all year long was that you, as a new superintendent, would take a great deal of interest in Catalina, given our unique status within our district, but that has not been the case. Moreover, during the five years that I have served as the principal, only one Board member has visited classrooms on our campus during the school day. No Board member has ever asked me to provide substantive information to them about our school improvement plans. Thus, it is my sad conclusion that neither you, nor the Board has much interest in hearing about the work we have been doing at the school to help our students…but somehow you are still able to conclude that the school needs a new principal.
To be frank, if Catalina could not gain two points in one year and become a “C” school, I would not advocate keeping me in place as the principal either. However, we don’t know that will be the case yet, but you and the Board have already made up your minds. Given that fact, I have no choice but to reach the conclusion that TUSD is now an organization where decisions are reached before all the facts are known and without attempts being made to establish dialogue and relationships with the people who work at the sites.
There were comments made by you and certain Board members on Tuesday night that I am a “great guy” with a solid “skill set” and a “compassionate” manner. There were also hopes expressed that I will apply for other leadership positions within TUSD. Given everything stated above, I found those remarks to be both insulting and patronizing.
You and the Board have my commitment to undertake all the responsibilities entrusted to me between now and June 30th with professionalism and concern for the well-being of Catalina’s students and staff. I have no intention of ever commenting publicly on the matters outlined in this message. However, you also deserve to know that I will leave our profession rather than work in TUSD one day past June 30th. Prior to last Tuesday’s Board meeting, I would never have imagined that I could ever say that.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Rex
Rex Scott
Principal
Catalina Magnet High School
3645 East Pima Street
Tucson, AZ 85716
(520) 232-8400
“The meaning of your life is to help others find the meaning of theirs.” -Viktor Fran
Item B
If you did not receive our first correspondence it is found below:
September 2014
To: H.T:
On our own time, a few TUSD administrators have gotten together to share our concerns about the serious mismanagement of TUSD. For months we have felt that we are heading straight into a financial crisis. As we prepared to get this out, the news hit on a potential deficit of over $15,000,000. We are glad that an expert will be hired to examine the situation. The expert should report directly to the Governing Board. Those of us in schools feel abandoned, having to make due with little to support our teachers and students. Those of us in departments keep experiencing the “sweeping” of our budgets with no control over our budgets. Some have not even been allowed to see their budgets. “TUSD transparency” does not exist. Even desegregation budgets are being “swept.” Now we know why the sweeping is taking place. What we see is that you have treated TUSD as your own personal bank account, funding YOUR projects without thought of the impact on students. How can you possibly think bonuses for those who go along with you benefit children? How does Ms. Tolleson’s extravagant salary increase support for the schools or students? She represents only your interests. We are just fed up and, in writing you, we are making the effort to let you know that you are not as clever as you act and not as popular as you assume. Recently you said that TUSD is the most political school district in the state. You have made it so. You are the most political superintendent in the history of TUSD; shallow on educational expertise and deep in the manipulation of board members and those who report to you.
You talk at us and seldom with us. The youngest of the site and department administrators are naïve about the emptiness you spout. We realize that your effort to get rid of so many seasoned and assertive administrators had more to do with your building personal support for YOU than staffing departments and schools with exceptionally qualified professionals. You have frightened seasoned and strong administrators out of the District.
By copy of this to many of our peers, community activists, to those involved in the desegregation case and to those who have the power to investigate, we are hoping that the facts in response to our questions will surface.
We have many questions of you:
-When you wash-out ALL of the budget reserve to use on YOUR projects and then make every effort to point to the state as the wrong-doer, it shows your level of immorality. You have depleted Title I funding and you are attempting to misuse desegregation money. The audits were funded for PR purposes; now you mostly ignore or twist the recommendations that were made in the audits.
– When you dominate every meeting by your incessant talking, we all wonder; do you ever want to hear any other voices? Does anyone else count besides you? May it be that your personality has many deficiencies? Get help. Meanwhile, stop talking so much.
– When you talk about Texas, Texas, Texas it is irrelevant to Tucson. Do you understand that we do not give a damn about Texas? Stop talking about your single reference point. This is not Texas. If you miss it so much, go back! Stop the Texas references. Stories of how you get out of your truck to kiss the Texas earth when you return to the lone state are obnoxious.
– When you profess to have a 3 digit IQ (most of us do) it makes it sound like you have a 2 digit IQ. Do you honestly believe that we believe that you are an expert in everything? We don’t! You spout off on every topic as though you are its sole expert. You are not.
– When your wife appears at 1010 and attends meetings; it is inappropriate. Your wife is not the 1010 first lady and she should not assume the role. You should not exploit her or your children by flaunting them at professional meetings such as TUSD meetings, the Hispanic Chamber, etc. She is not your mediator or PR agent. And she should not be attempting to influence people who attend TUSD meetings on YOUR behalf.
-When your wife attends professional development training sponsored by TUSD it is not only tacky, it is legally inappropriate. She should NOT be attending professional development training at the expense of TUSD. (Is she applying the training to obtain Arizona certification?) It is a good thing she was not hired as a principal in TUSD. Keep your personal life to yourself!
-When your wife enters a TUSD facility by using a security code, it is a violation of policy. It is likely your code she is using, which you were not supposed to disclose. If any of us did something similar, we would be disciplined.
-When you take out a loan for the day cares and spent all spring and summer advertising for the days cares, other things get forgotten; like K-12. We checked Board agendas and it does not look like you got approval for the loan.
– When you use insults in speaking about your staff, community members, board members and others, it is rude and unprofessional. Your insults are all repeated.
– When you use language that is disparaging, based on race, ethnicity or sexual orientation; do you really believe that what you say is not repeated?
– When you want to play games with the budget; do you not understand that there still remain some staff who will not be part of the unethical conduct? (We wrote this before the 15 million dollar projected deficit hit.
– When you question whether ‘the three people who speak during call to the audience the most- represent the community’- it makes you sound unsound.
– When you tell a large group of individuals that the people who filed the complaint at Tucson High Magnet ‘will all be gone..’ it is blatant retaliation. You may not like the fact that they complained but you should understand that YOU cannot punish those who complained based on the fact that they complained. (Steve Holmes, shame on you for doing H.T.s’ bidding.) Do you need to learn that lesson through the courts? Remember, there are now several witnesses to your statement.
– When you challenge your bosses (board members) when they question what the administration is doing or wants to do- it is unprofessional. That is their job. Do you not understand checks and balances? Stop threatening the board with your departure and learn how to be a superintendent. Stop being a whining politician. You talk over female governing board members and attempt to intimidate them. Stop the sexism. You are outrageously rude to Dr. Stegeman and Mr. Hicks and whether you agree with them or not, they are your bosses; treat them with respect. You are condescending to Mr. Juarez and pretentious.
– When you mispronounce words and have the nerve to correct others it makes you look small(er). Learn how to pronounce curriculum? You are supposed to be an educator!
http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=curriculum
– When you almost cross the state/church line- it is offensive. STOP the religious overtones in meetings by having people stop for a moment of contemplation and group energy against those contesting YOU. You talk about the change you have brought about as though you have “saved” TUSD. It is offensive. You speak about good and evil as though you are the blessed one. You are not. If by change you mean disorder, confusion and turmoil; yes, you have brought about change.If by change, if you mean bankrupting the District- yes, you have brought about a lot of chaotic change.
– When you interfere with the hiring processes- everyone knows what you have done to “wire” the outcome. We know that there is a principal you hired who has NOT passed their state test. Yet, this is the reason you gave for not hiring a candidate that ranked above a board member’s mother-in-law. Stop tampering with the hiring processes. It has already burned you. Stop your pre-selection maneuvering; telling people that you are going to hire Lorenzo Lopez for the CRP Director months before any process is finalized. This just shows how corrupt the processes have become.
– When you move administrators and teachers around like chess pawns it is bad for the District and paranoid of you. Moving people out of 1010 so the “leaks” will stop is paranoid and retaliatory! If there is nothing to hide, H.T., why all the moves? There are more leaks now than ever…because everyone is watching you.
– When you do not empower administrators they take their power elsewhere. Your site administrators may not speak much during meetings but you should trust that they are talking a lot elsewhere. If any principal raises questions or concerns during any of YOUR meetings, it is understood that they are “HT blackballed.”
– When you retaliate against those who have opinions different than you but who are devoted to TUSD, it is another sign of your weak character. Your retaliation tactics have been exposed and at some point it is going to make headlines. How many administrators have you intimidated out of the District?
– When you lie to the Board about teachers having all that they need, it is sinful. Teachers do not have materials, textbooks, workbooks, etc. Problems with discipline continue, due to lack of quality training. A few power point slides is NOT sufficient to be called training.
-When you lower class size at the last minute before school starts and only for the sake of publicity and not kids, YOU wind up with a mess. You call this YOUR initiative; the Board did not vote on it except through the budget. This is NOT the way to adopt policy. You are not a Board Member. You may manipulate them (three of them), but you are not one of them. We have lost so much respect for the three Board Members who we believed were there to represent the students, parents, teachers, etc. They are there to serve YOU.
-When you have various department budgets “swept” these departments are left without the ability to do their job. This includes not being able to hire or purchase needed materials and supplies. That must be your intention.
– When you cut teachers at the kindergarten level- it has not been done fairly across the District. There are kndg. classes below 20 students at Fruchtendler (your neighborhood school) which have not been cut, while others have. This shows your lack of morality and fairness.
-When you say that if A. Grijalva loses, you are ‘out of here’- it shows that your destiny is closely tied to one single person. This is dangerous and does not say much about the depth of your work, which we agree is shallow. You are hurting her by making this statement.
-When you think you are the slyest of sly, think again. Everything you say is repeated in one fashion or another. Just know that. Everything you do is being watched. No matter where you move those who you believe to be “leaking” people will continue to talk. You, the talker of all talkers, should know that.
-When you got your bonus; where did it go? In YOUR pocket? Other superintendents have given it back to the District. You should have followed in this tradition.
-When you put the Strategic Planning Committee together did you inform the entire Board and the general public that Juarez’ wife and A. Grijalva’s sister were and are on the Strategic Planning Committee. You loaded the committee with your selection of TUSD employees, which was the majority of those who attended, and then manipulated members of the public into believing that they had contributed.
-When you allow Adrian Vega to get away with harassment of all types, you endorse his behavior.
Your reputation for gag-ordering people is wide-spread; for taking retaliatory action against those who question you; for your use of Adrian Vega as your hatchet-man and for your vindictive verbal attacks behind the backs of anyone who “stands in your way.” Be a “man” and confront people with your attacks; otherwise, please stop the attacks.
-When you lie to the Governing Board, administrators, teachers and the public…many know and many are getting the truth out.
We will not disclose our names. We ask Board Members to look into answering each and every question that has been put to you. We do not expect any level of honesty from you.
Copies: Board Members
TUSD supporters (please distribute to interested individuals)