Pima County approved a $122,000 contract for Southern Arizona Education Council (SAEC) despite community criticisms that it has failed to provide services and fulfill obligations under its leadership, failed state senate candidate Rocque Perez.
As reported previously, Perez is the CEO and president of SAEC which was, until last year, known as the Metropolitan Education Commission. SAEC represents a rebranding under an already-failed service expansion initiative.
The board approved the contract, 4-1. Supervisor Steve Christy voted against the renewal. Three Sonorans reported at length on how the vote went down across several motions.
Perez took the stand to address the supervisors at Wednesday’s meeting. He claimed the opposition to SAEC’s contract renewal was “political and personal,” and said that those who were critical of his performance were speaking “without context.” Perez indicated that some of the criticisms aimed at SAEC were rooted in supervisor inaction.
“We will continue to the best of our ability in working with our city and county partners, but I think it would be disservice to really hit us when we’re already on a strong upward momentum with, I think, some much-needed action that, I think, could be remedied by this board,” said Perez.
Perez also submitted written responses to new questions posed ahead of the meeting by Supervisor Rex Scott (the previous questions that revealed SAEC’s failure to fulfill certain obligations are here).
When asked about SAEC’s infrequent meetings, Perez blamed scheduling conflicts and promised to meet more often in the future. When asked about SAEC having half the required number of members, Perez promised to recruit more.
The following were among those who submitted letters of support for Perez and SAEC renewal to the supervisors: Carolina Silva, executive director of ScholarshipsA-Z; Karla Silva, SAEC member and University of Arizona Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives director; June Webb-Vignery, longtime executive director of MEC and former University of Arizona women’s studies professor; Jennifer Vasquez, Rincon High School career coordinator;
Contrary to what Perez implied, public comment was bipartisan. One speaker identified himself as a “proud Democrat.”
Most public comment leaned heavily against approval of Perez’s contract for SAEC.
Pima County Small Business Commission leader Kent Blumenthal reminded the board members of SAEC’s history of performance shortcomings and unfulfilled promises in recent years, topics which came up at length in public comment during the last discussion on the subject.
Blumenthal argued SAEC’s proven underperformance doesn’t justify the funding proposed by the county.
“You know and I know that SAEC has underperformed,” said Blumenthal. “Many questions about SAEC remain unanswered. Why the underperformance? What programs does it actually produce and which does it simply promote? What are Pima County’s expectations for deliverables? Why should the county contribute more money than the city of Tucson? Why are nearly one-half of [SAEC’s] board seats vacant? Why did Santa Cruz County not join [SAEC]? Why did the partnership with AmeriCorps lapse? Who’s responsible for the oversight as an outside agency of SAEC?”
One former SAEC participant, Marianna Martinez, defended the program as beneficial. She described Perez as a “mentor” that afforded her opportunities she would not otherwise have outside of SAEC, including scholarships.
Other public speakers questioned the validity of the limited reporting of outcomes that SAEC has published, like the number of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications with which they provided assistance.
Maria Garcia, a former Pima Community College governing board member, noted that SAEC totals appeared to be duplicative of high school and college reporting.
Be the first to comment