Plaintiffs in the decades-long desegregation lawsuit against Tucson Unified School District say magnet schools have not been given sufficient funding, staffing and other resources to succeed as schools and “much less meet the obligations outlined in the Unitary Status Plan,” and magnet requirements.
Former TUSD teacher and board member Sylvia Campoy, who’s the representative for the Mendoza plaintiffs in the suit Fisher-Mendoza v.Tucson Unified School District, sent a mass email where she shares where the plaintiffs stand after news that five TUSD schools may lose magnet status. Here’re some details on a proposal they submitted yesterday:
In an effort to meet the Special Master’s concerns and ensure the magnet schools the resources and support they require, the Mendoza Plaintiffs have been working on a proposal that would immediately accomplish the provision of support which is drastically needed at the magnets schools. The proposal was presented to all the parties on October 6, 2015.
We understand that the “devil is in the details” and the District has agreed to immediately begin working on the specifics required to make the Mendoza Proposal work. It is the hope of the Mendoza Party that TUSD will fully embrace the Mendoza Compliance Proposal; will put an aggressive plan together in response to the proposal and will, most importantly, immediately and effectively implement the plan. This is an opportunity to “walk-the-talk” of collaboration. The ball is now in TUSD’s court (figuratively and literally).
The Mendoza Plaintiffs have never lost focus of what is authentically needed to support the children they represent and have always been focused on what will best promote the opportunities and educational achievement of Latino and African American students and to that end made the following proposal which was met with large degree of support from District and the Department of Justice. It outlines the critical elements of the Mendoza Plaintiffs’ Compliance Proposal. As the parties respond to the Mendoza Proposal, of course, their input will be considered and discussions will be ongoing.
Compliance Plan Proposed by Mendoza Plaintiffs for Five Schools Special Master Specifically Referenced as Having Not Met Plan Goals (Elementary schools –Bonillas and Ochoa; Safford K-8, Utterback Middle School, and Cholla High School) – Plus Holladay Elementary:
-Push to increase integration in entering grades
-Focus in closing academic achievement gap
-Fill all vacancies by November 1, 2015
-No vacancies at start of next school year
-Implementation Committee Member to monitor:
~In each school once per week
~Report to Plaintiffs and Special Master once per monthTUSD to propose plan with the objective of having more students attending integrated schools.
Almost $1,000,000 was subtracted from the magnet school desegregation budgets from their May to June 2015 submittals.
Eachmagnet school should be fully funded to support their magnet plan at the amount shown in the May 15th Magnet Plans. No decreases should take place.
All magnet schools should be visibly supported.
This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2015.
How can you desegregate a school whose goal was to segregate? And why would that cost money? 30 years ago your enrollment had to improve the racial imbalance. Now, where are you going to find white kids that want to go to TUSD? The majority on the board act as though they are somehow culturally inferior.
If funds are not available close the school.
Problem solved.
These plaintiffs need to face TODAY, not 30 years ago. I had my kid in a magnet school in 2006-9…and you know what the truth is? The students there disrespected the teachers, the teachers that cared got minimal support from parents, and the school had a hell of a time filling vacant positions like MATH CLASSES.
So…I am sick of these plaintiffs and their money wasting battle. Give it up already, and run for TUSD school board and get elected if you want to make real change.
I took my kids out of TUSD when my oldest was in middle school. Enrolled them in charter. Oldest graduated early and 2nd child may graduate early as well. Never regret my decision. The school I put them in has no tolerance for disrespect toward anyone. Individualized learning which couldn’t be better if he was at home. If TUSD ran their schools like this one there would be great improvement.
magnet parent and have met with both District administration and the Mendoza Plaintiffs’ Representative in order to learn more about the case and to assess what the current facts are. There is no comparison.
Within the last 6 months, I have spoken with two administrators at separate times who are assigned top level positions within the desegregation plan and asked questions about the court order and each contradicted the other. They each whispered off-the-record comments to me about their frustrations, which I considered totally unprofessional! As for Dr. Sanchez, his method of showing his “knowledge” is to insult and attack the Mendoza Plaintiffs and their Representative during public meetings with the parents. His conduct does not show knowledge- it shows weakness and an attempt to divert attention anywhere but at his own administration’s failures to support the magnet schools.
Based on the attacks on the Mendoza Representative, I heard directly from Mr. Sanchez at Safford- I asked to meet with her and asked if I could review her vita. She agreed to immediately meet and readily showed me her resumé- though she was baffled why she was needing to show “papers,” as she put it. I got the rattling implication immediately and I am ashamed that I fell into the trap that Dr. Sanchez has set. As she and I spoke, my shame turned to pure anger at Dr. Sanchez. She never once said on negative personal thing about him, his administration or the Board. She just provided data and information.
He has attacked a Latina/Chicana who is well educated, articulate and passionately assertive about desegregation. He has done this in front of dozens of parents with the attempt to strip away her credibility. It is chauvinistic and it is cowardly! She has lived within TUSD boundaries the entire time she has lived in Tucson and she has owned a home for decades. As she responded to my questions, she was graceful even though my question were all prompted by the lies spoken by Dr. Sanchez. My anger grew as we spoke and so did my embarrassment.
She is current on all matters that were covered and she had current data in front of her which she shared with me. She also has historical references which no one else has provided about Safford or about desegregation.
When I met with Ms. Campoy- the Mendoza Representative- I found her to be straight forward, well informed with a long history with our community (Tucson in general and Chican@ community) in working on social justice issues. Her family has been in Tucson for 6 generations. She has actually done the “heavy lifting” (her words) in the area of civil rights in her volunteer and professional work. She has been the head of civil rights departments with school districts and at the City of Tucson, along with other organizations. Her knowledge base and her work record are impressive and includes a decade of teaching. She also taught educators at K-12 and at Pima Community College. Her “papers” are beyond impressive and her credibility should have never been questioned. Period! The work she does as a Mendoza Representative is voluntary.
In contrast, however, the highly paid TUSD administrators who are now overseeing the desegregation court order did not have any civil rights or desegregation experience prior to their TUSD assignment. I researched this fact. In speaking with Odessa School District individuals and community members this week, I learned that Dr. Sanchez was NOT involved in the desegregation case in his former school district so he too had no experience upon his hire in this area. His undermining behaviors are well known in Odessa. As I see it, the Governing Board did not match the needs of the District to the hiring of its current Superintendent.
I contacted Ms. Campoy today by phone to ask her about her response to Dr. Sanchez taking credit for what the Mendoza Plaintiffs proposed as a remedy for the magnet schools. She laughed and said that Dr. Sanchez chose not to participate in the meetings earlier this week, either on Monday or Tuesday and said- “that speaks for itself- the Mendoza Plaintiffs initiated the proposal and if he can demonstrate grace and humility in that fact- there is really nothing more to be said about this. Our record is demonstrated not only in what we say- but in what we actually do. The court records are clear on the Mendoza Plaintiffs’ advocacy for the magnet schools and the neglect shown by the District in operating its magnet schools is also shown through records and what the schools are now living through.”
At the end of this school year my child will probably not return to Safford based on the low-handed politics that Steve Gabaldon and his “team” have involved themselves in over the last 4 weeks- under the direction of the TUSD Superintendent. My attempt to speak to teachers and parents about what I have learned has been met with great antagonism and I actually do not believe that my child will be spared.
HT Sanchez is a cheap, self-absorbed and stunt-pulling politician. He is also ruthless and angry when confronting those who dare to oppose him. Sylvia Campoy is shrewd and wily…and also smart enough to not respond to HT’s adolescent rhetoric. Let’s hope that this latest act of chicanery begins his undoing. It’s tedious and tiresome to live in a world that features the boastful, arrogant Trump on the national level…and his psychological twin here in the Sonoran Desert!
Dear “Safford Parent with the FACTS” …your last paragraph confirms my own concerns over this dog and pony show that is taking place–that it is ultimately going to reduce enrollment in these schools and perhaps in the district itself. I realized, after attending the Board meetings in question, that the hysteria that is being created by the District is damaging, and likely to result in “Exit” from many folks. Now you have confirmed that right-thinking parents may also leave the district NOT because they believe the Official Story, but because of the deceptive practices they are witnessing. Given that the information that site level activists are receiving is incomplete at best, willfully deceptive at worst, one wonders what the end game is? Whether the activist in question is a community member, parent or beholden principal (who, unfortunately, is as victimized as the parents s/he serves by the deception), the consequence may well remain the same. People who truly DO have lots of choices vote with their feet when these type of games are played. And from the financial report that followed the Call to the Audience at the last Board meeting, we know that our ever-dropping enrollment results in lower scores with our ratings agencies…So how again does this benefit TUSD?