| Steptoe & Johnson | |
| January 2016 | $15,290.00 |
| February 2016 | $110,273.53 |
| March 2016 | $182,671.93 |
| TOTAL | $308,235.46 |
| Dr. William Hawley | |
| 1/6/12 – current | $402,241.41 |
| Appointed IC Consultants | |
| 2013 – 2014 | $11,933.75 |
| Rusing Lopez & Lizardi | |
| 2013 – 2014 | $260,095.38 |
| DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy | |
| 2011 – 2012 | $56,398.26 |
| 2012 – 2013 | $187,127.94 |
| 2013 – 2014 | $105,121.00 |
| TOTAL | $348,647.20 |
| Maree Sneed, Hogan Lovells | |
| 2011 – 2012 | $97,816.44 |
| 2012 – 2013 | $191,249.53 |
| 2013 – 2014 | $14,341.50 |
| TOTAL | $303,407.47 |
| TOTAL ALL | $1,634,560.67 |
Since before hiring Superintendent H.T. Sanchez, the Tucson Unified District was accused of dealing in bad faith with the plaintiffs in the District’s desegregation case. Shortly after taking the job, Sanchez increased the District’s assault on the plaintiffs and as a result, legal fees have mounted to serve that agenda.
Recently education advocate and former TUSD teacher Lillian Fox took the time to review the mounting legal fees, and has questioned the District’s payments to outside attorneys. Fox and Board member Michael Hicks have expressed concerns about the District’s decision to “become aggressive with the special master and the plaintiffs.”
According to Fox, TUSD paid Rusing, Lopez & Lizardi $658,817.16 in fiscal year 2014-2015 . TUSD almost always received two invoices a month from the Rusing firm while they represented the District. According to documents, the District paid the Rusing firm an average of about $55,000 every month . As Fox notes, to make that much in a year, a TUSD teacher would have to teach for 43 years.
TUSD paid more than it has spent before for outside deseg legal support in 2014-2015, according to Fox. In 2013-2014, TUSD paid a total of $379,557.88 . That is about $1.04 million for the two years combined.
The District was forced to hire new counsel, Steptoe & Johnson, this year. Since January 2016, that firm has already billed the District over $300,000.
In contrast, TUSD paid the Mendoza counsel $56,804.92 for January 1 through March 31, 2015 and $60,000 for April 1 through June 30, 2015, reports Fox. That is $116,805 to the Mendoza’s for 6 months. For the same 6 month period, TUSD paid the Rusing firm roughly $236,500. That does not include TUSD’s costs for its internal desegregation legal support.
View Steptoe and Johnson Invoice – Jan 2016 here, Steptoe and Johnson Invoice – Feb 2016 – here, and Steptoe and Johnson Ivoice – March 2016 here.