No other topic can generate more clicks of a mouse than the Tucson Unified School District or any matter remotely related to it. If a headline includes the letters T-U-S-D in that order, it is guaranteed to draw the readers’ attention and the coveted “click.”
In other words, TUSD is “clickbait.” This explains the Arizona Daily Star’s practice of ginning out old “news,” no-news, and a heaping pile of opinion on everything TUSD.
In fairness, the District generates more real news than just about any other government organization in the entire state. That says a lot.
It is because the District is beleaguered and means so much in the lives of so many families, that the Star’s treatment is so disturbing. Rather than focus on real issues that affect both students and teachers in the District, the Star’s coverage too often focuses on Governing Board politics, and sexy minutia that has no significance to anyone but a few District insiders.
Every once in a while, education reporter Hank “clickbait” Stephenson stumbles across a real issue like the unapproved Koch brothers’ curriculum in classrooms. The failure of District leaders in that case is important for a number of reasons and to a number of interested parties. Indoctrination is never acceptable, but far too common in the District’s classrooms. There can be no doubt that parents and the general public should know when it occurs and are given an opportunity to demand that it end.
Unfortunately, an informative piece like that referenced above is too rare. And let’s face it, we probably only know about it because it involved the evil Koch brothers – the bogeymen for simpletons and the lazy writers who cater to them.
On Sunday, simpletons were served up the epitome of a “clickbait” screed by Star editor Sarah Garrecht Gassen. Garrecht Gassen focused laser-like attention on the “Director of Staff Services to the Governing Board,” Mary Alice Wallace.
Wallace, one of the few directors in the District that only manages a staff of two, earns $79,000 – plus benefits – a year. Garrecht Gassen was outraged that Governing Board member Mark Stegeman had the nerve to question whether the cash strapped district, facing another round of school closures, could afford a “Director of Staff Services to the Governing Board,” at last week’s meeting.
Over the years, Wallace has been the subject of criticism from Board members and others for her less-than-stellar performance. When her son was working as a reporter for KOLD, Board members dared not complain about her for fear of coming under attack. It was widely understood that if they stepped out of line, they would risk becoming the subject of uncomfortable coverage.
With that threat long gone, and being unaware of the pitfalls that come from expecting competence, Board member Rachel Sedgwick questioned Wallace. Garrecht Gassen wrote of a complaint filed by Wallace against Sedgwick. Wallace filed the complaint based on the fact that she took exception to Sedgwick’s questions: “Who hired you? Do you think you are replaceable? “How many people do you think the board needs working for it in the Board office? Do you think the TUSD community thinks your salary is fair?” So did Garrecht Gassen, who described them as insulting and intimidating.
Garrecht Gassen never mentioned that Wallace’s complaint was found to lack merit.
Garrecht Gassen also never mentioned the fact that under Wallace’s leadership, minutes of public meetings are rarely posted in accordance with Arizona’s Open Meeting laws.
Garrecht Gassen’s screed followed an article by Stephenson in the November 17 edition. In that piece, Stephenson implied that Sedgwick, “who seconded Stegeman’s motion to review Wallace’s salary,” should have recused herself from the vote. Stephenson only mentioned the fact that the complaint was resolved while quoting Stegeman.
Stephenson begins his piece: “Less than two months after accusations that a member of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board harassed a longtime district employee became public, the Governing Board is considering slicing that employee’s pay.” He follows up immediately with a claim by Wallace that she is being retaliated against.
Stegeman’s mention of the resolution of the complaint is in the third from the bottom paragraph.
No mention is made of calls by the public for a review of “1010” administrative positions. Wallace is one of the few employees who work directly for the Board, so the fact that the Board begins reviewing the necessity of administrators under their direct supervision would make sense to anyone except someone looking for a scandal.
In response to Stephenson’s article, Sedgwick issued the following statement:
I do not have a problem with any employee in TUSD. I recently graduated from law school and have been studying for the Bar, so I am not a lawyer yet. However, based on what I have learned over the past three or four years, I have to say that I disagree that the decision to audit the Director of Staff Service’s salary exposes TUSD to legal risk.
Any attempt at framing our decision to audit the salaries of high-paid TUSD employees as personal is misplaced, and I am sorry the newspaper reporter who did just that earlier this week has the faith of so many. I would encourage people to watch our board meetings, reach out directly to board members, and gather other first-hand information before determining the reliability of any given article about TUSD.
In fact, the audit may result in a lower salary–but it may result in a higher one as well. That fact has been lost in this discussion. If we receive the recommendation that the salary is low, I will vote to raise it; however, if we are told that the salary is unfairly high, I will not hesitate to vote to lower it.
We are in a financial crisis. We lose teachers and students in the hundreds (thousands) every year; the board is inundated with emails from TEA members, blue collar workers, family members, and many others who feel they are not supported financially, they are not supported with resources in the schools, they are not supported in essential ways. So they leave.
It is time that TUSD budget according to our priorities. It is time that TUSD treat the people who work directly with children with financial respect–more financial respect than those who seldom or never see children. I presume many have read about a board member’s comments last Tuesday about how important it is to honor our office managers who have been in the district 27 years, but that board member had little to say to the many bus drivers who have shared with us that, after 26 or 27 or more years in TUSD, they are making poverty level salaries, and they have not had a raise in six years.
Six years.
Why should the Governing Board pay our office managers as though they are our most precious resource when the people who bring our students–the reason TUSD exists at all—to school every morning, afternoon, and sometimes on evenings and weekends are egregiously underpaid? Longevity is important. It is most important for our students, our teachers, and our site leaders. And until the board sets the budget with equity and fairness to ALL, to promote the longevity of our truly most important employees–those who work with children and in the schools–I will do all I can to lower the salaries of the overpaid.
Empty threats, false allegations, words that verge on defamation, or ire based in ignorance or misunderstanding will not give me pause. We must fix our budget, and I will vote to do that, no matter what.
Sedgwick spoke for many of us who are tired of the petty bickering that always seem to get in the way of repairing those things that have been broken for so long. What we want to talk about isn’t sexy. The changes we want to see will not win us friends. The headlines we want to write will not garner clicks.
At this point we can only hope that Garrecht Gassen and Stephenson put their thinking caps on and find a way to make what matters clickable.