Outgoing Deputy Superintendent Youssef Awaad advised TUSD Governing Board earlier this month that the district was facing a $15 million shortfall. At last night’s Board meeting, with only hours to spare to file their budget with the Arizona Department of Education, the district now claims to have a $14 million surplus.
The fire drill, which as usual only allows the Board hours to review and ask questions related to the budget, was perfectly choreographed for the viewing audience. Like children dutifully exiting classrooms in a single file upon the command of a calm but firm teacher, Board members Grijalva, Juarez, and Foster followed the lead of Superintendent H.T. Sanchez.
Two unruly Board members; Michael Hicks and Mark Stegeman refused to behave. Their careful and polite questioning of Carla Soto about the budget presentation was obviously viewed by President Adelita Grijalva and Superintendent Sanchez as impolite.
After unsuccessfully getting solid answers to his questions, Stegeman said, “The district is not known for rolling in money. Obviously it’s good news if we don’t have any financial trouble.” Stegeman said the district was now presenting “a very strange picture. I hope it’s as rosy as this sounds.”
It wasn’t only Hicks and Stegeman who questioned the district’s miraculous economic recovery. Members of the public attempted to ask questions about the financial turnaround as Sanchez loudly crumpled his bag of chips and guzzled his bottle of water during the Call to the Audience portion of the meeting.
Popular TUSD Governing Board candidate, Betts Putnam Hidalgo, told the Board that she too was confused by the economic outlook change, and questioned the “lack of transparency,” which she called “very unfortunate.” She stated that she found it “refreshing that the board was finally asking questions.” She stated that she “found it regrettable” that board members had to apologize every time they asked staff a question and hoped that would change after the election. “Certainly from what we heard here tonight,” Putnam Hidalgo joked to the Board, “Awaad had a nervous break down. After all these years, he was the golden boy, and all of the sudden he’s given us the wrong information. I would hope that we would challenge what we’re seeing here.” Putnam Hidalgo called for the board to engage in critical thinking.