TUSD’s Augustine Romero a little too candid in front of the camera
An excited utterance in November made by Augustine Romero, the mastermind behind the Tucson Unified School District’s Culturally Relevant classes prompted an impromptu visit from Arizona Department of Education staff on Monday.
Romero, now the principal at Pueblo High School, had to be escorted out of a meeting after losing his temper during the National Association of Multicultural Educators conference at the swank El Conquistador Hotel in Oro Valley, Arizona. In that emotional meltdown captured on video, Romero admitted that the classes he created to be offered to students this year were identical to the classes that were found to violate Arizona law two years ago.
Shortly after the videotaped meltdown gained national attention, the ADE sent off a letter to the school district’s controversial Superintendent H.T. Sanchez. In that letter, dated November 20, the ADE gives the district until December 4 to prove that Romero was lying.
Should the district be unable to prove that he was lying, the ADE can proceed to find them in breach of the agreement reached when TUSD agreed to suspend its MAS program two years ago, in order to avoid losing nearly $15 million in penalties.
The letter reads:
As you know, since TUSD agreed to suspend its MAS program, this Department has worked with TUSD to monitor its development of appropriate, multi-cultural social studies and English language arts curricula that meet Arizona’s standards and comply with state law in other respects. We have also devoted substantial resources to observing TUSD classrooms, to ensure that classroom teaching adheres to state standards and does not violate A.R.S. § 15-112. Throughout this process, TUSD has assured us that it intends to comply with state law.
Unfortunately, the Department has become aware of statements made at the recent National Association of Multicultural Educators conference that was held in Tucson earlier this month. We understand that the principal of Pueblo Magnet High School, Augustine Romero, asserted at this conference that the Mexican American Studies curriculum that was found to have violated state law is in fact being taught in Tucson Unified School District at present. Such assertions are troubling. As you know, TUSD agreed to suspend its MAS classes and to work with the Department to implement new culturally relevant curricula that would not violate A.R.S. § 15-112, in lieu of having 10% of its state aid withheld as a penalty.
It bears repeating that the Department’s primary concern is the education of this state’s students. That every school district develops and implements curricula that allow students to learn to Arizona state standards is of paramount importance. We thus hope that TUSD is in compliance with state law. However, because of the public nature of Principal Romero’s assertions, we are compelled to request that TUSD provide proof that these statements are false. More specifically, ADE requests that TUSD provide the following information: all tests, assessments, quizzes, assignments (including samples of student work), lesson plans, and all materials used in social studies and English language arts classes designated as Mexican-American, African-American and multi-cultural. Please provide any additional information that the District believes is relevant to the question of what is being taught in these classes. TUSD should provide all such information for every teacher and every class teaching culturally relevant curricula. Please provide such information to us by December 4, 2014.
TUSD should understand that the Department takes seriously its obligation to our state’s students to ensure that TUSD’s curricula meets state standards, and that it does not violate A.R.S. § 15-112. For this reason, if TUSD does not comply with this request, the Department will conclude, based on Mr. Romero’s comments, that TUSD may be acting in violation of its settlement agreement with the Department and will take all appropriate steps available to it under the law.
At the NAME conference, in the heated discussion with Raza blogger David Abie Morales, Romero stated, “The culturally responsive pedagogical instruction, the theoretical framework, the pedagogical understandings, the pedagogical realities are back. That’s the God’s honest truth.” Waving his arms, Romero insisted, “It’s back.”
When Morales challenged Romero’s claims, and alleged that the classes were not back, Romero responded, “That’s semantic bullshit. The theoretical framework is back, the practical applications are back, everything is back. Just because we don’t name it something doesn’t mean it’s not back.”
When Morales says, “If it was back the State would ban it.” Romero responds, “It doesn’t matter what the State does.”
Contrary to Romero’s claims, according to sources, it does matter what the State does so much so that immediately after receiving the letter from the ADE, the district had claimed they needed more time to get the requested materials together. Now it appears as if the district is in the process of creating materials.
That effort may not be very effective in light of the impromptu visit by ADE staff on Monday. They are expected to file their own report on what they experienced during their visit to the Pueblo High classrooms.
Related articles:
TUSD board member calls for investigation of Culturally Relevant courses
Romero claims Mexican American Studies classes never left TUSD
Bill Ayers and brother Rick discuss corporate evils in education at Hilton El Conquistador
TUSD’s “Ethnics Studies” defense in appeal supernatural precious knowledge
Romero to bring educational revolution to Pueblo High School
State of the Re:Union examines TUSD’s Mexican American Studies