The new leadership order at the controversy-embroiled Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) are planning to make another sudden ouster that comes as a shock to the community.
In March, Ryan LaDouceur took on the superintendency of a district embroiled in conflict over rumors that administration failed to act on complaints of teachers sexually abusing students. However, it appears LaDouceur was not long for the job under PUSD’s newly-established leadership. LaDouceur may have been too independent.
PUSD’s newly-elected governing board president, Jeff Tobey — along with board clerk Rebecca Proudfit and outgoing superintendent K.C. Somers — have arranged to replace LaDouceur with human resources chief Tahlya Vistintainer during another flash special governing board meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning.
The board selected LaDouceur to assume the superintendency in March under prior leadership who proved too keen for certain board members to get to the bottom of reports that complaints about teachers grooming and sexually abusing students were ignored.
Visintainer joined the district less than a year ago, last July, as its chief personnel officer. Before PUSD, Visintainer was the vice president of human resources at Spectrum Healthcare Group.
It was at another recent special governing board meeting that three of the five members of the board coordinated to remove the former governing board president, Heather Rooks, for requesting an investigation into district officials’ handling of teacher predators. Tobey, Proudfit, and board member Melissa Ewing voted to replace Rooks with Tobey.
Somers is anticipated to leave next month for another district out of state, in Colorado. The Arizona Daily Independent reported that Somers applied to leave PUSD around the time when Peoria Police Department delivered its 200-page report detailing the sexual abuse allegations against Centennial High School teachers Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka.
In that report, there were claims that the principal received and declined to act on complaints from students and staff members about grooming and sexual abuse months before police involvement. Peoria police have said that no PUSD members will face charges for failing to report.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has launched her own investigation into those claims of mandatory reported violations.
Failure to report sex offenses is a felony in Arizona.
Rooks alerted the public about this forthcoming ouster of the interim superintendent, so fresh off her own. The former governing board president expressed concern with Vistintainer’s proximity to the nexus of the mandated reporting failures she’d fought to investigate.
Rooks claimed the decision was made from a place of “political convenience,” and that any claims of LaDouceur’s disinterest in the job were unfounded.
“The manner in which this is being handled sends a terrible message to district staff — that loyalty, professionalism, and service can be discarded behind closed doors for political convenience,” said Rooks. “I am also extremely concerned that the individual being advanced for this role was involved in overseeing Centennial High School’s investigation related to former teachers Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka. Given the seriousness of the concerns surrounding those matters, the public deserves transparency, accountability, and open discussion — not a rushed appointment process conducted with minimal public visibility.”
Heather Rooks Statement on President of Peoria School Board Jeff Tobey is backstabbing a good man out of a job with Board Member Becky Proudfit. @GarretLewis @azcentral @AZWomenofAction @SenAnthonyK pic.twitter.com/U25tH4tqwZ
— Heather Rooks The Peoria Mom (@ThePeoriaMom) May 18, 2026
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