I Got It Wrong When I Defended Sanchez’s Contract/Salary Package

1. Then I am willing to give you partial forgiveness.

   The outright cries for funding increases for education took a shot to the heart when it was learned that the Superintendent’s salary exceeded that of the POTUS.

   It is or should be based on a scale of importance to the taxpayers.

   The children are still waiting.

2. I’m not willing to forgive. A typical liberal wet noodle. Once he saw the teachers protesting, he collapsed.

   Total failure of integrity.

3. You’re damn right it’s a serious error — and the best case scenario for Tucson would be for it to be an error from which Sanchez, his cabinet of know-nothings and his “gang of three” staunch supporters cannot recover. On top of everything else, 50 days of vacation that can be converted into extra pay at a rate of $1,000 a day? Unbelievable. No wonder they didn’t let Hicks and Stegeman see the proposal until the day it was to be voted on. All of them — Sanchez, Grijalva, Foster and Juarez — should be forced to resign over this.

   Stop excusing them, for God’s sake, David. Even now you try to say “this is bad, but there’s much that’s good.” There is absolutely NOT much that’s good in the past two years — not in Awwad’s resignation and the financial embarrassments, not in the bad policies RE opting out, not in defending students from rankings- and outcome-driven policies and practices, not in defending labor and advocating for just wages, not in supporting adequate education levels be required of district-employed early childhood educators, not in requiring professionalism, efficiency and civility (or even basic social skills) from the site administrators and other district employees, not in ensuring that minority and low-SES constituencies are well-served by the district’s programs. I could go on, but I won’t. From a progressive perspective, it’s pretty much all bad. When will you start admitting it?

4. You’re right what again. After 20 minutes of consideration I’m not either. I watched him waffle back and forth on Friday trying to placate his normal supporters and they weren’t even buying it. Thanks to all of you that kept the pressure on.

   It is time to stand up to this malfeasance.

5. To be grammatically consistent in the parallel clauses in the above comment, I should say:
   not in FAILING TO defend students from rankings- and outcome-driven policies and practices
   not in FAILING TO defend labor and FAILING to advocate for just wages
   not in FAILING to support adequate education levels be required of district-employed early childhood educators
   not in FAILING to require professionalism, efficiency and civility (or even basic social skills) from the site administrators and other district employees
   not in FAILING to ensure that minority and low-SES constituencies are well-served by the district’s programs.

   My point is that the policies implemented during the past two years are NOT progressive — not in this forced ridiculous compensation package and not in any other policy area. The district has moved in the wrong direction consistently for the past two years. A board majority elected with a progressive mandate has no business supporting all this. They have failed miserably to deliver on what those who understand progressive public policy and education should have had a right to expect from them.

6. “From a progressive perspective, it’s pretty much all bad.”

   Well said by the last author and their comment calls into question the judgment of many local Democrats, most notably Steve Farley, for their public support of Sanchez and the reactionary manner in which run Tucson’s largest school district. He has dumped principals over standardized test scores, cozied up to Diane Douglas, directly lied to the MAS teachers, disrespected substitute teachers and their important work for the district by outsourcing their jobs, has added more administrators to the payroll than any other recent superintendent and now we have this salary fiasco.

   Employees and families continue to flee TUSD, but so-called progressive politicians (our mayor is another Sanchez toady) express their adoration for Sanchez and his decisions. TEA, the teachers’ professional association, is also oddly aligned with him…and they are losing members as a result. Is this the Grijalva influence, or are my fellow Democrats really so easily bamboozled?

7. A strong leader always makes decisions in consideration of how it will affect his leadership. A strong leader may feel she has to make a tough decision that disappoints the base of her support, but is necessary for the good of the institution. But a strong leader does not make the decision to push for this kind of raise, at the expense of already sagging underpaid employee morale where the only interest at stake is his own.

   The appearance is that HT is all about HT. Leadership be damned, he got his raise. I’m angry and disgusted. I can only imagine how TUSD employees feel

8. David, I’m glad to see that you now realuze the problem that is evident in this arbitrary and caprices action that this board took in approving this exorbitant pay raise for the TUSD superintendent, HT Sanchez.

   It speaks volumes about the Board majority’s integrity when teachers and other District staff get peanuts for pay, yet handouts a “market rate” raise to the superintendent at a time when the district is hurting financially. The TUSD Board/Administration must ensure that each child gets a high-quality education and be good stewards of the District’s tax dollars.

   As a TUSD taxpayer and voter, my confidence has been sorely misplaced in this lack of governance and diligence that this Board and administration has exercised.

9. So what are you going to do now? It isn’t like you haven’t choked on your foot before so what will it take, being a little less “liberal”? Maybe a little more tolerant? You may have the pen & pulpit but that doesn’t mean you have the answers. Maybe you should stick to just TUSD issues giving the board the same close scrutiny you give the governor.
   No, you don’t have to sing the praises of the politicians but you don’t need to be so single minded. Even with this one you let your “rich guy envy” into something that should have been COMPLETELY contrite. You still have work to do to show improvement and let’s hope your next article will be less juvenile.

10. By now the TUSD board (majority) and HT know what they need to do. Specific advice on how to end this debacle is available on this site and others. If there is not action taken at the next board meeting, at the superintendent’s request, to address this issue, then the public will know what they are dealing with. Getting slick Manny of of Sunnyside cost SUSD $500k. TUSD taxpayers need to be ready for an ugly process and political battle if the Majority ignores this issue. The ball is resting squarely in HT’s court. Soon we will find out if he has the political acumen he likes to think he has, or if he will be just another slick willie. Stay tuned…..

11. The three board members who cut this outrageous deal with Sanchez thought that this would shut the community up, silence the anonymous letter writers, squelch the desegregation plaintiffs and special master and make Sanchez appear superior to Pima County’s CEOs- both in the public and private sector; thereby creating a leader based on a 400,000 dollar deal. All the money in the world will not result in Sanchez as a leader. He is a rookie and a sloppy one at that. All four of them thumbed their noses at the community. The most damage, however, continues to take place in the classroom. Teachers have to buy supplies out of their own pockets and TUSD’s Rookie Supt. is pocketing over 400 thousand dollars. It is beyond disgraceful. Meanwhile TEA and Sanchez fall over each other with their compliments. It is not only a cozy relationship; it is corrupt. TEA members are paying wasted dues. The whole scenario is beyond despicable. And all Safier has to do is say- “oops” I was mistaken one more time. His mistakes about TUSD have been ongoing and he should not be allowed to blog about TUSD. He backed Grijalva and Darland during the school board race- because HT did. He went after Mike Hicks with hateful vengeance (thanks to Krystal Foster). There is nothing neutral in the way that Safier looks at TUSD because he has allowed Sanchez and his three puppets flavor his opinions (which have all been wrong.) It is not enough to now say- ‘oh, I goofed.’ Reform has to be widespread and part of it is demanding objectivity from TW. Safier does not cut it. I am thrilled that the Arizona Daily Star FINALLY has seen the light about the TUSD Board and Sanchez. Three Sonorans has been on target for quite some time about Sanchez. But at the top of my list of those who deserve the most credit for exposing Sanchez and his three board member are the anonymous letter writers. This community owes a lot to the TUSD administrators, teachers and parents. Sanchez had better not go after anyone he suspects of being involved with the group- because now WE are all watching.

12. David its nice that you see your mistake however you just couldn’t go as far as to condem these criminals. I said in an earlier comment TW would lose credibility over this , and they have , unless TW gets on board with the Star and Three Sonorans on this , they will lose all integrity and readership. I love today’s comments they are right on target, even if Sanchez should regect this contract now , it will be to only save face, remember he was the genius behind this. The only solution now is for Sanchez to resign along with the majority. I have already sent an email to Sanchez and the majority demanding their resignations, I will be at the board meeting to do the same. I have contacted the AG about the majorities violation of open meeting laws. I am involved with a recall effort against the majority. If everyone that writes these comments would do the same , these criminals would be gone. Join me in the RECALL contact me at bsauber8@hotmail.com. one last comment, David I also am a supporter of TUSD I have many friends that work for TUSD, all say what the whistle blowers are saying, because I support teachers parents staff and students I can not let Sanchez and the majority do this anymore , as a former teacher it is disgraceful that you would support these people. ASFCME and TEA members file a complaint with the national organization, and quit , these unions are not protecting you.

13. What actually happened is that you were serving as an apologist for the Grijakva political machine (what’s new?) and you were forced to write this piece because the entire community is in revolt over the school board’s action.

14. I have been willing to give Sanchez the benefit of the doubt based upon some of the good things I have seen but this is indefensible! Teachers get maybe $500 a year ( their first raise in at least five years) and he takes home some $75 K? I’m sorry but this represents inequity bordering on a criminal scale!

15. Wow. Education in Tucson is a crater filled minefield full of corruption and cronyism.

    Trust no one and perform audits repeatedly by multiple accounting firms from different areas.

    Arizona is a mess. Between a lack of transparency of Charter Schools and Public Schools, overpaid multiple administrators, and rampant self interests – we need reform and a miracle.

16. David, I appreciate your careful analysis of this issue & your willingness to reconsider your position when presented with additional facts. You’re a thoughtful commentator on educational issues.

17. It’s worth taking a closer look at an issue raised in one of the comment streams on Sanchez’s new compensation package.

    Someone commenting under the screen name “Sad” noted that they will not donate to TUSD again and that they will tell the TUSD support organization to which they had previously donated to ask for money from Sanchez and central administration. This is a reasonable and predictable response on the part of a donor, but I wonder: does the board understand fully what the potential consequences are when they produce this kind of reaction in the community? Do they realize how much is funded through voluntary donations in this district? Support positions in school offices, critically important classroom supplies, essential science equipment and technology, library books, instructional support tools…and, if you include tax credits together with outright donations, fine arts programs and extracurriculars as well. The TUSD sites I know best can’t function properly without constituents being willing to pony up substantial contributions every year.

    When the board majority signs off on public funds being used to pay inadvisable, inflated salaries and bonuses to central administrators, they are not only mis-using available public funds, they are, as the comment referenced above makes clear, potentially undermining constituents’ motivation to continue providing supplementary funding without which, in the current funding context, student needs cannot be met. The board majority’s failure to understand the potential fiscal consequences for the sites of their recent administrative compensation decision just underscores their ongoing detachment from the reality of what happens in the schools. When the schools are forced to patch their operations together with charitable donations — the financial equivalent of duct tape and chewing gum — because the legislature does not support them adequately, the “leader” of this school system must be prepared to get by on less than $400K per annum. His willingness to serve on a relatively modest salary supports and encourages the willingness of donors to give up some of their disposable income to support the underfunded schools. When he is seen allowing a starved school system to buy his willingness to stay in town with a fat salary, bonuses, and expense accounts paid with money the district should be applying in the schools, it kills people’s willingness to contribute. Like other unwise decisions Sanchez has made, this will produce collateral damage to the schools and students — collateral damage which, if he were competent and had the right motives for serving, he would have been able to understand during the decision-making process, before he and his board majority committed themselves publicly to yet another decision that has caused scandal and outrage and further harmed the district.

    The board majority’s decision about Sanchez’s compensation highlights their seeming complete inability to think through what the actual, “on the ground” results of their governance decisions will be when implemented. The results produced by reducing student-teacher ratios provide another good example of this: the practical result given the insufficiency of teachers’ salary levels and the limited labor pool of professional educators in Tucson has been that many classrooms may have fewer students in them, but instead of being covered by a permanent, full-time professional educator, they are now covered by a rotating staff of subs who don’t have degrees in education or teaching certification. Think for a moment about what being taught by a rotating staff of subs who are not professional educators means to a child in a K-5 classroom. Will the new sub be able to explain a math concept to you in a way you can understand, and will they know how to illustrate the concept effectively with the concrete modeling tools available in the classroom? Will they know the right methods to help you progress in reading? Will they know the personalities and learning levels in the classroom well enough that they will be able to arrange group work in such a way that learning goals can be achieved? There are thousands of things that a permanent, professionally educated teacher knows about valid teaching methods and about her students which she uses to manage the class efficiently and to make sure that students’ learning moves forward from one day and one week to the next — a thousand things that are missing, every day, from classes managed by a rotating crew of subs. The fact that far too many students in this district are experiencing this as the norm for their “education” is the direct result of Sanchez’s failure to understand what the “on the ground” consequences of one of his initiatives would be. One of the commenters in these streams has repeatedly noted that the kinds of mistakes being made at 1010 should receive more than a response of “Oops!” — in other words, the consequences are grave, and responsible educators and administrators don’t consider these kinds of mistakes something to shrug off. I agree. But the mode of operating at TUSD central seems to be to make a mistake, and, having gotten away with that, to feel free to make another one that deepens the damage. In recent weeks, knowing how many classrooms in his district were currently covered by subs, Superintendent Sanchez then made matters worse by outsourcing subs to save money: the district will now trust an “employment agency” managed by non-educators to recruit and manage the people covering day to day delivery of instruction in far too many TUSD classrooms? Grijalva, as quoted in the AZ Daily Star, believes that the district’s ability to take care of employees who do not have direct responsibility for educating students is more important than provision of benefits to and direct management of the recruitment and retention of the subs delivering instruction in many of the district’s classrooms? This is another failure to “connect the dots” that will result in further degradation of classroom conditions.

    Low quality results like this are to be expected when you recruit a Superintendent with no demonstrated history of success managing a complex operation of this size, but the problems are exacerbated when the board president then completely fails to use her much vaunted “institutional knowledge” to correct this neophyte’s course when necessary. Instead she follows him blythely down a primrose path that ends in the implementation of unwise policies that damage teaching and learning conditions and violate the progressive principles the Grijalva family supposedly wants to uphold.

    If we had a board majority that understood progressive education policy and was capable of keeping the goal of improving conditions for the most vulnerable children in TUSD classrooms in sight, Sanchez’s poor performance up to this point would have resulted in him being put on probation with increased oversight by the board — with perhaps some seasoned administrators being brought in as advisors to keep the young Superintendent’s more impractical ideas and budget-busting splurges in check — and the board majority would have ensured that the advice these people offered was heeded by their employee. It is beyond belief that any “progressive” board member could be persuaded that Sanchez’s poor performance to date merited a raise, bonuses, and a contract extension which will enable him to continue having free reign to damage the district for the next three years.

    This latest blunder is yet one more example of the poor judgment of those currently at the helm of the “big ship” of TUSD, to use a figure from Safier’s allegory of March 30, 2015. Looks from the commentary on this compensation package like the Titanic may have finally made contact with the iceberg that was its destiny all along. In any case, it seems no one is buying Safier’s story that the overall quality of the ship’s navigation is basically sound and all that’s needed is a little course correction on the compensation issue.

    Increasingly, people in Tucson understand that what is needed is a Superintendent qualified to do the job and a board majority that knows enough about education and about TUSD to govern the district and manage their employee, rather than treating an incompetent (and apparently greedy) rookie superintendent as their master. As one of the above commenters noted, the anonymous administrators have had an important role in spreading awareness of the district’s problems. They have performed an important service to the community, in a context where people like Safier and TW have failed utterly, month after month, to provide the public with valid information about TUSD’s governance and administration.

18. From the AZ Daily Star’s article of July 19, 2013 about the Sanchez hiring decision:

    “Sanchez’s contract has not yet been negotiated, but the superintendent position was advertised with an annual salary ranging from $190,000 to $215,000. Pedicone’s annual base salary is $211,000.

    As the interim leader of the Ector County Independent School District, Sanchez earns $190,000. He oversees 28,000 students compared to TUSD’s 50,000. Ector County also has fewer schools – 39 vs. 83 in TUSD – and fewer employees – 3,399 compared with TUSD’s 8,500.

    Sanchez’s 15 years in education have not included any time as a superintendent until three months ago when he was named interim leader in Odessa.”

    The full article is available here:

    http://tucson.com/news/local/education/precollegiate/tusd-hires-sanchez-as-superintendent/article_fefa25c3-c515-5e22-b201-da035bdaf5a4.html

19. Each week randomly publish a government employee (elected or not) W-2

20. I also gave far too much credence to the salary (with benefits) raise, thinking more about what happens when going through another change of leadership again (and again) in the future. The pressure is on this current superintendent to really show some spine and make more than a loud splash. Given such a generous raise, Sanchez has survived the learning curve and now must show what true professional commitment is. And another one I want to re-mention – I think the superintendent’s new “Internal Auditor Position” sounds like pure buck-passing, assigning duties and professional responsibilities to someone else when they are exactly what a good school superintendent should most certainly do anyway.

21. @ JL Curry – An internal auditor is supposed to serve as a watchdog, providing independent verification that the finances as reported by the Superintendent and the employees under him are in order and are being correctly represented to the public. The problem with the position as it has been constructed by Sanchez-Grijalva is that is has no proper independence and hence cannot fulfill the function it is supposed to fulfill for the district and its constituents.

    @ Supporting Public Ed — I noticed the comment about donations, too — and also a comment on the AZ Star article on Sanchez’s raise that said this: “Be on the lookout for a hefty TUSD override.” The schools are in desperate need of supplementary funding, and it’s precisely the type of negative PR Sanchez and his gang of three groupies on the board have just produced with their fat salary and benefits package that so angers the voters that they won’t pass bonds or overrides until hell freezes over. This was nicely done by the conglomerate entity Sanchez-Grijalva-Foster-Juarez, wasn’t it? The students won’t have the money they need in their schools because the many headed hydra SGFJ has killed both the motivation to donate and the motivation to pass bonds and overrides, but at least HT will have more annual compensation from the government institution that employs him than the President of the United States does. They must feel a real sense of accomplishment, having achieved that. What a great benefit to the Tucson community.

22. It is obvious that there will be no reconsideration of HT mountain high salary hike and his contract extension. Krystal Foster and Adelita Grijalva have taken to the Facebook provide us with their AFTER THE FACT rational. Three Sonorans makes a great contrast in how this Board’s rational in one situation contradicts the rational in another. Months ago Sanchez, Adelita Grijalva, Krystal Foster and Cam Juarez moaned about paying the Mendoza Plaintiffs’, legal counsel who are located in California, comparable fees to attorneys in California and payed their legal counsel to dispute the fees, while now using California “comps” to justify Sanchez’ exorbitant raise and extended contract gives us just one glimpse at the hypocrisy that these two Sanchez worshipers demonstrate on an ongoing basis. Their effort to convince the community of their rational AFTER THE FACT, shows lack of respect and understanding of just how smart the community is. (Fool it once; shame on them…but it is not going to happen again!) Cam Juarez is a lost cause and will ride the Grijalva train off a cliff if told to do so. And, guess what; that is where they are all headed.

    Adelita’s facebook page also shows pictures of her children involved in a Catholic religious ceremony. Is this somehow to convey a message that she is a good Catholic, raising good Catholic children? So much of raising children comes from what the parents model. Catholism, like most religions stresses the importance about telling the truth; this is foundational. HT and the board majority have no credibility since HT’s hire. He lies on a continuous basis and Adelita, Krysal and Cam support the lies; adopt the lies and create more lies to defend the lies. Adelita’s ways have turned pretty corrupt and her treatment of others is despicable, especially Michael Hicks and Mark Stegeman (not very Catholic; not very professional; not very humane. Foster “fosters” the behavior and she herself has shown ugly sides of herself that most who originally supported her had never seen. She colludes with HT and Krystal and then Cam folds in. The Adelita/Foster Facebook sharing of data to support their sin is one great example.

    The salary comparisons that Grijalva and Foster provided on their FB pages assume that the public is stupid, which is enormously stupid on their behalves. As has been pointed out dozens of times already, Sanchez has less than 2 years of experience as a superintendent. Before that he was an interim superintendent in his former district in Texas for a period of four months. He is at best, an entry-level superintendent- not worthy of the top tax dollars that Grijalva, Foster and Cam have GIVEN him WITHOUT justification, hard as they may try to come up with it AFTER THE FACT. Conducting comps form Cali and other states was also stupid and DESPERATE.

    HT’s treatment is vicious towards those who he believes he has no “NEED” for or those who have not agreed with his twisted schemes. He makes horrific lies up about those who he considers his enemies. As just one single example, he has made up extreme lies about Yousef Awaad’s reason for his leaving the District. Awaad was eloquent in his resignation from TUSD but those who knew him and his work well understood that Sanchez was asking Awaad to do things that would compromise his integrity and potentially violate finance mandates.) Sanchez also knew this truth, which he attempted to cover up by defaming Awaad to dozens of people, including state legislatures. Awaad could easily sue Sanchez for defamation of character and win.

    In addition to having flagrant incompetency in the superintendent and his majority board, there is ugly and malicious behavior like has never been seen before.

    I spoke to administrators from the George Garcia, Stan Paz and Roger Pfieffer’s eras, which covers a good stretch of 15 to 20 years. Their cabinets did not get bonuses. Sanchez’ crew has received hefty bonuses two years in a row. More stupidity.

    Just more information for Safier to ponder.

23. SGFandJUIS…The public is stupid. They allowed these three to sit on the board.

24. News just broke that HT has donated $17,000 of his income to a bilingual (Davis) school and University High.

    They will also present a check for $10,000 to UHS for its College and Career Center, where students gather for homework help and meet with college recruiters. The center was created and funded by parents.

    So TUSD took money that could have been used in the classroom, gave i to him, and he gave it to promote college recruiting?

    NO. NO. NO.

    He and the three board members need to go. Right now. Look at how they treat our money.

    Call for their removal David.

    We will sign the petition.

25. In the past, i thought, supes have donated to EEF. It seems really questionable to donate to a particular school or program as it implies that schmoozing with the supe or the board may be a legitimate funding stream. This seems quite shady to me as it establishes all sorts of misguided incentives…

26. Now HT’s donation to UHS college recruitment project makes MUCH more sense:

    http://tucson.com/news/blogs/ednotes/principal-of-tusd-s-university-high-resigns/article_9bd56e70-69b0-5ee0-9ba4-1dfd851da1b5.html

    Follow the money you suckers.

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