Tonight the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board will consider the goals for Superintendent H. T. Sanchez in the coming year, and authorize spending money for a Denver junket in March.
Last year, Sanchez and Board members Adelita Grijalva, Kristel Foster and Cam Juarez enjoyed several days in Boston on the taxpayers’ dime and this year they hope to spend money to attend the 77th Annual Conference of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), in Denver, Colorado, in March.
The timing of the travel request is unusual given that both Juarez and Foster may not be re-elected this November.
The duo have earned the wrath of many TUSD stakeholders including the TUSD Whistleblowers. On Monday the Whistleblowers issued a missive blasting Foster. They wrote in part:
“Kristel Foster is not genuinely an advocate for anyone or any cause. She is an opportunist. Foster is a walking scam artist and an embarrassment to herself; to women; and to TUSD. Don’t be fooled! Foster has not voted as a progressive during the four years she has been in office. And, since every vote she takes is the same as A. Grijalva and Cam Juarez, of course, the same applies to them. They have each supported retaliatory action taken by Sanchez against anyone who has spoken up about concerns at their schools. They have gotten so brazen that they also have made attempts to squelch any bad press by complaining about specific reporters. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are rights that have not been respected under the Sanchez Regime (and whatever Sanchez asks for is always rubber-stamped by Kristel Foster, Cam Juarez and Raul Grijalva’s eldest daughter or his progeny.) They each make fun of Mark Stegeman and Mike Hicks for any number of unfounded reasons.”
According to sources, while trying to squelch bad press, the District’s PR director, Stephanie Boe, formerly with KVOA, was successful in securing a positive puff piece about Utterback Middle School on Monday. The charade covered by KVOA included assistant superintendent Abel Morado acting as the crossing guard for students. The PR move was much needed after parents and staff last week delivered painful pleas to the Board. They called on the Board to restore order to the school, which according to parents and staff is steeped in chaos with few resources, including permanent teachers.
Goals serve Sanchez, not kids
Meeting agenda item #8: Superintendent Goals for 2016-2017 asks the Board calls for the Board to “identify and approve goals for the Superintendent to meet during fiscal year 2016-2017. Based on the Superintendent’s contract approved by the Governing Board on June 9, 2015, the Superintendent shall be eligible to receive up to an additional six percent (6%) of his Annual Base Salary current to the 2016-2017 fiscal year for achievement of these goals.”
As in the past, the Board will be asked to approve vague or otherwise unmeasurable goals. They include:
1. Increase student enrollment.
2. Increase student academic achievement.
3. Increase the amount of district dollars associated with classroom instructional spending in line with the Arizona Auditor General’s criteria.
4. Decrease the number of classrooms without certified teachers of record.
5. Decrease the amount of dollars directly associated with litigation opposing the implementation of the Unitary Status Plan (excludes any Board directed expenditures to pursue litigation).
6. Increase parental and community participation in the education of their children.
7. Increase opportunities for prekindergarten education.
8. Strengthen district curricula to reflect all students served by the Tucson Unified School District.
9. Create campus cultures that promote safety and security.
10. Create learning environments that provide students with simulated real-world experiences with tools used in today’s workplace.
Under the leadership of the Board majority which includes Grijalva, Juarez, and Foster, the District’s decline continues at a rapid rate. So far this school year, 17 teachers have resigned, and the District is currently advertising 14 principal positions.
Board member Michael Hicks stated, “I question how we can vote on a trip to Denver when we do not know who will be on the Board next year. I hope the voters elect members, who will not ask the taxpayers to foot the bill for one more junket that does nothing to benefit our teachers and students. Last year, the majority spent a small fortune on a trip to Boston and came back claiming that they learned a lot about bullying. All I have seen is that they learned how to be bigger bullies. As for the superintendent’s goals, those proposed by Sanchez are vague to the point of being unquantifiable. We must expect more. The status quo is harming our teachers and kids.”
In April 2016,Sanchez, Grijalva, Juarez, and Foster had a grand time at the NSBA’s Boston Convention Exposition Center conference.
In 2015, while students did not have access to music lessons, Grijalva, Foster, Juarez, and Sanchez had a lovely time in Music City. Grijalva, Foster, and Juarez charged the taxpayers $2,600 each for their trip to the National School Board Association (NSBA) annual expo and gala in Nashville. Sanchez, in need of a suite for a night, charged the taxpayers $3,000 for his Nashville visit.
In the fifth poorest metropolitan area in the country, few TUSD students even have the opportunity to visit the world famous instrument museum in Phoenix, much less a visit to Music City.
Betts Putnam Hidalgo told the ADI in an email: An addendum should be added; goal number 11: Answer this multiple choice question and proceed to Part II. (Choose one answer only) ‘The District has currently close to 20 million dollars carried over 301 monies for teacher performance pay which has accumulated because a) “we didn’t know about the surplus,” b) “Hoarded?! That was not our intention,” c) “we never knew it until our new computer system was installed,” d) “We are being good stewards of the money by holding onto it until the 301 monies are cut off,” or e) the District has been balancing the budget with it.” Regardless of which answer you select, move to Part II, “Given the surplus, beginning in the year 2016, the Superintendent and his administrators will not receive their benefits or performance pay until all of the teachers who qualify receive theirs. Yes or no?”
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