Parents must be vigilant observers and participants in school board meetings across the country. Taxpayers should be deeply invested in the quality of education in our public schools and the future of our communities. Yet, time and again, we have seen elected officials like Tiffany Shultz fall short of the responsibility they owe to the people who put them in office.
A Disturbing Pattern of Negligence
Tiffany Shultz has consistently demonstrated a lack of commitment to her role on the Higley School Board. Her tenure has been marred by behavior that would raise red flags for any conscientious voter. Texting during meetings, having side conversations (in violation of open meeting laws), and arriving late or not showing up at all to board meetings have become the hallmarks of her time in office. Is this the kind of leadership we want for our children’s education?
Here are just a couple examples of her empty seat.
Here she is slipping out of a board meeting. Must have more important places to be.
Even more troubling is Shultz’s evident disregard for the laws and responsibilities associated with her position. In a recent court case, of the 329 signatures Tiffany submitted, a concerned citizen challenged 102 as invalid, and the county confirmed that 61 of these were indeed problematic. The issues with these signatures included duplicates, fake addresses, signatures from unregistered voters, missing year and town information, and signatories from outside the district. Despite these findings, Judge Viola made a perplexing decision to ignore the county’s conclusions and reinstated 17 of the challenged signatures. Tiffany also submitted three signed affidavits, which violated Arizona Rules of Evidence 801, 802, 803, and 807. The judge allowed these affidavits to be used, despite having stated that affidavits were inadmissible in court. Additionally, Tiffany cited the SCOTUS case McKenna v. Soto but misapplied it; the judge improperly allowed this misapplication to validate 10 signatures. Tiffany testified that she had properly instructed her team on how to collect signatures, yet nearly a third of them were invalid. This raises concerns of either dishonesty or incompetence in her instructions. In her defense, she relied on claims such as “people like me” and “they want me to be a board member.” As an incumbent, she was expected to meet a higher standard, but instead chose to cut corners, assuming she could get away with fraudulent signatures. Despite being the first to file for the position, she did not collect the most, second most, or third most signatures. Wade, a current board member, along with Brooke Garrett, a failed candidate from 2022, and candidate Kathleen Richards, collected signatures on her behalf.
Speaking of not following the law, Tiffany was charged by the Highland Justice Court for selling liquor without a license on February 4, 2021—just two months after her 2020 election win. She used a diversion program, which led to the prosecutor adjudicating the charges. Why would the community want a board member who can’t seem to follow the law?
A Rubber Stamp for Special Interests
Shultz’s voting record is another cause for concern. She never comes to board meetings prepared. Why prepare when you are just going to vote yes on everything placed in front of you? This level of conformity raises significant questions about whether she is truly representing the interests of the community or merely acting as a rubber stamp for special interests.
One of the most concerning examples of this is her vote to eliminate the dress code policy, a decision that outraged many parents and even made national news. Shultz argued that a dress code sexualizes students. Her own attire (see image below) at board meetings often falls short of what’s appropriate for a professional setting, reflecting a lack of seriousness about the standards she sets for our students.
She also believes that giving children sexually explicit books “expand young minds and help our kids grow” (see image below). It’s deeply troubling that a board member would support giving children sexually explicit books, as this can be incredibly harmful to their development. Exposing young minds to inappropriate and graphic content undermines their innocence and can lead to confusion, emotional distress, and unhealthy perceptions of relationships. It’s the responsibility of educators and leaders to protect children, not to endorse material that could harm their well-being. For a board member to condone this is not only irresponsible, but it also raises serious concerns about their priorities when it comes to safeguarding our kids.
Ties to Special Interests
The concerns about Shultz don’t end there. Her campaign is supported by individuals and organizations that do not have the community’s best interests at heart. She was an afterthought, but ultimately endorsed by Save Our Schools who are anti-parental rights. This is the same organization that collected signatures to eliminate Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs), and they failed due to being short approximately 30,000 thousand signatures. The majority of her petition signatures were collected by Heather Balch, the Higley Education Association (HEA: also known as the union) secretary, and she was represented by Austin Yost, a Planned Parenthood attorney, in court. Is it any wonder that Shultz is pushing an agenda that seems more aligned with these special interests than with the needs of Higley families?
What’s in It for Her?
Why is Tiffany Shultz running for re-election? Given her dismal record, it’s hard to believe it’s out of a genuine desire to serve the community. Instead, it appears that she is more interested in using her position on the board to promote her self-interest. She has been using her position on the board to gain an unfair advantage and campaign to school staff while visiting schools and attending district events. Her behavior at school board meetings—often more focused on her phone than on the issues at hand—suggests that she views this role as a steppingstone for her own ambitions rather than a serious commitment to improving our schools. Curious about Tiffany? Don’t worry—she’ll share more information “as we get closer to the election” (see image below). How much closer are we talking about?
The Real Consequences for Higley
The families in Higley deserve better. They deserve a board member who shows up, does the work, and makes decisions based on what is best for the community, not what is best for herself or the special interests that support her. Tiffany Shultz has proven repeatedly that she is not that person. From her careless approach to collecting signatures to her lack of engagement at board meetings, Shultz has shown that she is not fit to continue serving on the Higley School Board.
The stakes are too high to allow someone like Tiffany Shultz to continue in this role. The future of our children’s education and the well-being of our community depend on electing leaders who are committed, accountable, and truly represent the interests of the people. Tiffany Shultz has had her chance, and she has failed. It’s time for a change.
How do people crawl out of the woodwork! And then we put them in positions of authority!!