In 2010, Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva congratulated Cholla Magnet High School and Safford Magnet Middle School in Tucson for receiving more than $58,000 from the Department of Education to expand International Baccalaureate Arabic program saying that it was a “great opportunity for Tucson schools to lead the way in modernizing their curriculums (sic) and meeting the needs of the modern economy.”
At the time, many questioned Grijalva’s support for the classes designed for kings and ambassadors. Grant funding is often unreliable, and the International Baccalaureate program is known for its high price tag. One that only kings and ambassadors can afford.
Since 2010, districts across the country have dropped the program due to its expense and the scarcity of grant funding. Over the years, TUSD has been able to hold onto their program with the help of the Qatar Foundation International (QFI). The group, closely associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, has granted considerable monies to TUSD to implement “innovative curricula.”
Still, the program is expensive and requires extensive travel for training on an annual basis.
In July of 2014, the District spent over $28,000 sending Adelle McNiece, the Magnet Office’s Senior Marketing Coordinator, and Sally Jacunski, a Marketing Project Specialist in the Magnet Office, as well as other administrators and teachers to Washington D.C. for the International Baccalaureate Conference of the Americas.
During the conference, educators received a myriad of opportunities to learn about the IB way. For example, educators who attended the Beyond Food and Flags presentation, were warned against the “Two common traps for teachers:” Universalism and Multiculturalism.
According to the power point of the presentation, Universalism is the “belief that there are some universal truths, not influenced by culture, which frame the study of particular disciplines. The argument is used most often for math and science.” Multiculturalism “is the acknowledgement and introduction of other cultures to the classroom, though not necessarily in meaningful way.”
The Beyond Food and Flags presentation focused in part on “Themes of global significance,” which included global warming, energy consumption, and waste disposal.
In March, Natasha Conti, a TUSD IB Coordinator, attended the IB Category 3 Evaluating Your DP Training event in Seattle, Washington at a cost of $1,450.46.
In April, teacher Angela Walker attended the IB Category 2 Environmental Systems & Societies training in Dubai, UAE, for the astonishingly low cost of $627. According to District spokeswoman Stefanie Boe, the dedicated teacher picked up the cost of her flight and the District picked up the cost of the conference. The UAE sessions included: The Ecosystem, Human Population, Carrying Capacity and Resource Use, Conservation and Biodiversity, Pollution Management, The Issue of Global Warming, and Environmental Value Systems.
In June Cholla principal, Frank Armenta, had to attend the IB Category 2 DP Administrator Training in “St. Pete’s Beach, Florida”, according to District records, at a cost of $1,382.23.
Also in June, teacher Nicole Kalal had to attend the IB Category 2 DP Training in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at a cost of $525.
Despite requests by parties involved in the District’s desegregation lawasuit, information related to how many students have actually graduated with a IB diploma has been unavailable.
Related articles:
TUSD accepts grant from group with ties to Muslim Brotherhood (updated)
Tucson school district spends millions to market social justice and create change agents