On Tuesday night, the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board vote to accept the resignation of Superintendent H.T. Sanchez. Board member Kristel Foster made an impassioned plea on behalf of the superintendent, in which she made bold claims about his performance.
On Wednesday the Arizona Auditor General released the annual “Dollars in the Classroom” report. The report show clearly that the statements made by Foster and Sanchez about the condition of the District under his leadership were false for the most part.
While schools across Arizona increased for the first time the monies that go directly into the classroom, the Tucson Unified School District only increased classroom spending by .1 percent. According to the report, the District spent 48.7 percent in 2015, compared to 48.8 in 2016 on the classroom.
Administrative costs increased in 2016 to $914 per student. The peer per student cost is $673, 35.8% higher than other large districts.
Sanchez was one of the highest paid administrators in the country. With a base salary of $240,000 his annual contract including benefits was worth nearly a half a million dollars.
