The federal court that’s been dealing with Tucson Unified School District’s desegregation lawsuit is getting quiet a few letters from parents, and others, concerned with the future of eight magnet schools. With the support of the TUSD Governing Board majority, many parents argue that the court, as well as the plaintiffs in the suit, need to consider their opinion, since they actually have children who attend these schools and will be affected by any changes.

Sylvia Campoy, the long-time representative of the Mendoza plaintiffs, says in a mass email that the letters “reflect a great amount of misunderstanding by the public regarding the changes underway to TUSD’s magnet program.” And who’s guilty of providing the community with misguided information, according to Campoy and other critics? Well, the TUSD majority and Superintendent H.T. Sanchez. (Read up on some of the things TUSD has to comply with, here.)

In the latest cour order, which was issued this month, it says: “The TUSD Board is the appropriate venue for the community to obtain information regarding this case and the best venue for the community to provide input and express concerns regarding this case.”

“With this specific order, it is made clear that the TUSD Board is accountable for ACCURATELY informing the public about matters concerning the Desegregation Unitary Status Plan,” Campoy says in her email. “Given this, it is my hope that the misinformation campaigns that have attempted to divert attention from the real issues at hand will halt and that the misdirected blame aimed at the special master, the court, the plaintiffs’, legal counsel and representatives will also cease.”

She adds that in the more than 40 years she has been involved in the lawsuit, she, and the plaintiffs, have never faced the scrutiny they are going through these days. Again, she points the finger at the district and the alleged misinformation the board and superintendent have been spreading to the parents (who a couple of weeks ago hosted a public meeting, where they invited the TUSD Governing Board, Sanchez, the plaintiffs, and others involved in the lawsuit). Campoy has also said in the past that the suit is in the hands of the district, the plaintiffs, and the plaintiffs’ representatives, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF—no one else. 

But to TUSD Governing Board President Adelita Grijalva and the board majority, this idea is extremely outdated. Neither one of the plaintiffs, Campoy, or the special master appointed by the court to oversee the district’s desegregation progress, Dr. Willis Hawley, have children who attend TUSD schools. 

“The community is very frustrated,” Grijalva told the Weekly. As much as she respects Campoy, she says, “She is not negatively affected by any of these decisions,” referring to the eight magnet schools—elementary schools Bonillas, Ochoa and Robison; Safford K-8; Utterback Middle School and high schools Cholla and Pueblo—that could lose that status—and maybe the desegregation funding that comes with that label—given they don’t meet court orders, which include the integration goal of NOT having a certain ethnicity make up more than 70 percent of the student body. All of these schools are mostly Latino. 

Grijalva feels it is unrealistic to have one person represent the approximately 30,000 Latino students in TUSD. “This one person,” she says, referring to Campoy, “can’t represent that may diverse interests.” Not even Grijalva pretends she can represent so many different ideas, she adds.

Many are disappointed at the court, Hawley, Campoy, and so on, for not taking into account the fact that the district’s demographics have dramatically changed in the past 40 years. TUSD is in a region that is now primarily Latino.

“If you look at some areas in town, the percentages are 99 percent,” Grijalva says. “These programs were created to offer more options for children of color. And it is ironic that, because the demographics in our district, those schools are going to lose funding because they are too brown.”

Also, removing the magnet programs for that reason will be counterproductive in a way, she argues. If they lose the programs, which are a major incentive that attracts enrollment from all over town, the schools will become more racially concentrated, Grijalva says.  

Campoy, and the rest of the TUSD critics, put the blame on the district—that the leadership has been financially starving these schools, ignoring the court’s orders, and neglecting them for so long, what could they expect but lose the desegregation funding and magnet programs?

Grijalva says the Unitary Status Plan the district is supposed to obey continuously changes, making it hard to line up the magnet schools in a pathway to success. 

“This is not the same plan that was in existence a year ago, 40 years ago…This continues to change,” she says. “When I agreed to be a part of the majority of the board, voting to implement this plan that is currently in the books, I was also acknowledging the fact that we were going to have a special master I thought was going to work with the district and plaintiffs to come up with some compromises.”

“It is almost like the special master has become another plaintiff. We have a document that we think we are adhering to, and then we get other emails and correspondence from either the special master or the plaintiffs…adding and changing things. It is not that TUSD is fighting. If we stick to the plan that is written down, we would be in good shape. The problem is, it continues to be a moving target,” Grijalva says.

There is a huge gray area that needs to be looked at—demographics, new principals at many of the magnet schools at risk, and so on, Grijalva says. Also, parents want answers, and the district isn’t able to provide them, because the district itself isn’t sure what the future will bring. 

“When it comes to the Unitary Status Plan, really, there are four other groups who have a say. If the court says, ‘Hey, this is what we are going to do,’ we don’t have a choice and we have to implement it, regardless of whether it makes sense or not,” she says. “The plaintiff representatives are un-elected people. I am elected, whether you like my opinion or not, you can always vote me out, but those positions are un-elected and have MORE power in this case than the governing board as a whole.”

Read the latest court order:

This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2015.

I was born and raised in Guatemala City, Guatemala. I moved to Tucson about 10 years ago. Since I was old enough to enjoy reading, I developed an interest in writing, and telling stories through different...

19 replies on “The TUSD Magnet Schools Dilemma Continues: Will There Ever Be a Gray Area?”

  1. ABOUT CHRONIC SUSPENSIONS:
    We do not send kids home any more when thy are suspended. Because we believe that most of the problems are caused by the parents in the first place. All suspensions are in school. They are given all their homework and a special class where they must complete it with INTENSE supervision instead of just awarding them a vacation.

    Kids who are chronic behavioral and criminal problems are separated from the general student body into the Alternative School which has additional police supervision allowing the general body to have uninterrupted classes and less police supervision. There are more shop classes and after school jobs provided by the community so they have after school supervision gearing them to a job and keeping them out of trouble. And this is predominantly an all white non magnet school.

    A magnet school shouldn’t have any suspension problems.

    Just a suggestion.

  2. The Demographics were looked at… The current USP is just 2 years old and has CURRENT data, and Adelita herself signed off on it!

    SQUIRREL! That’s their tactic as they continue to spend Deseg Money while TUSD neglects Magnet Schools.

  3. Adelita Grijalva says “These programs were created to offer more options for children of color. And it is ironic that, because the demographics in our district, those schools are going to lose funding because they are too brown.”

    These programs were created to integrate the schools. Integration means INTEGRATION, not generic benefit to minorities. UHS has moved from a school that had minority enrollment in the single digits to a school that has minority enrollment of more than 30%. This was achieved because the district actually invested resources in installing programs and staff that could effectively accomplish it. If UHS can be 70/30, the magnets, if properly supported, can be 30/70. The problem is that while the district has wanted to achieve integration at UHS, it has NOT wanted to achieve it at the magnets. Why? Ask Ms. Grijalva. But you might want to cross-check her answer because in many instances what she says turns out, on further investigation, to be unreliable.

    “I am elected, whether you like my opinion or not, you can always vote me out.”

    Easier said than done, in a district where her father is a U.S. Congressman and makes calls during her election campaigns to various influential people in the community, trying to influence their degree of support for her versus other candidates. Does he use his people and connections to support her? Take a look at publicly accessible information on her last election campaign’s funding and compare her war chest to that of other candidates in the same election.

    The court has done the community a tremendous service by requiring that all documents relating to the desegregation case be posted on the district’s website. Anyone who wants to do the research necessary to find out what’s REALLY going on, and whether what the court is asking of the district is reasonable or not, can read the documents themselves and become better informed. My impression is that the Special Master’s intention is to ensure that genuine student benefit takes place through the proper investment and oversight of the taxes collected in support of integration.

    Read the documents yourself and make your own decision.

  4. The tangled web we weave when we first try to deceive. TUSDs Four Horsemen of Apocalypse have done nothing but throw a monkey wrench into the USP. Which was agreed to by all parties BEFORE HT Sanchez arrived. Prior to this agreement community meetings were held across the district, open to all. Voices were heard by the plantiffs and the Special Master. Why did we need another process in the form of HT’s 5 year strategy plan? The decision was made in the form of the USP. All HT had to do was comply with the Federal mandate. 3/4 of a million dollars spent on legal fees paid to the law firm fighting the USP. Unnecessary audits performed by HT cronies. Anyone who has their ear to the ground knows this motley crew is withholding information that should be privy to the pubic. Their favorite work “glitch.” There’s a glitch in the accounting system, there’s a glitch on the payroll system, there’s a glitch in Adelita’s campaign donation tracking system making her 7 mos late in filing her campaign finance reports. The deseg has been around for 4 decades, does this board really believe they have the chops to interfere?

  5. The waste in TUSD is disgusting. And it appears to be about nothing more than continued discrimination. Neighborhood schools. Close them when they drop to less than 60% occupancy.

    They will find a solution if we have to force them to do their jobs.

    Does nobody ever get fired here or brought up on criminal charges?

  6. Good point, “Read the Docs Yourself…” about UHS.

    What would people be saying if the district’s message to Anglo parents at UHS was “our kids don’t have to sit next to brown kids in order to learn” just as the message to brown parents at the magnets is “our kids don’t have to sit next to white kids in order to learn”? The community would be up in arms.

    Why is it somehow OK to say this to Hispanics in the magnets? What kind of attitude does the district’s counter-productive message create among Hispanics in the “magnets” toward Anglos that enroll? Will Anglo students who enroll be welcomed, or will they be resented because kids have been hearing at home, “my mom and dad say I don’t have to sit next to white kids in order to learn”?

    Reverse racism is still racism, and it’s still ugly and counter-productive.

  7. TUSD needs board members who will ensure that the district:

    …STARTS documenting that it is applying desegregation funds to actually benefit Hispanics and African-Americans.

    …STOPS using taxpayer money to build a political machine & loyalties rather than to educate our young people.

    …STOPS running deliberate campaigns to spread misunderstanding of the courts’ actions and stir up resentment against the desegregation authority.

    …STOPS its INEXCUSBLE attempts to turn the community against the idea of integration.

    Just say “NO” to Grijalva’s allies Foster and Juarez and any other Grijalva-cronies put forward in the 2016 board elections. This school district desperately needs a leadership change.

  8. Fact Checks on Adelita Grijalva:
    I am actually very happy that I was able to find Sylvia Campoy and ask her to send me the desegregation updates which I have been receiving for over two years. As a teacher it is the best information that I have been able to get about what has been occurring with the magnet schools on the desegregation case. I even set up a meeting with her and several teachers at my home. They were thrilled. I understand why Ms. Grijalva and her dad would want to wipe her out along with the Special Master. They want “their” people in place to carry their water. The Grijalvas’ point people have been asking current parents to demand that they be able to replace her and the Mendoza Plaintiffs. I know because I attended a meeting where this took place. What a disgrace!

    Based on the updates and what I have learned in speaking with Ms. Campoy, here are the FACTS:
    1. I have downloaded her updates and she has never said that “she” represents TUSD’s Latino students. What she has said is that she is a Mendoza Plaintiffs’ Representative. In the meeting with her, she explained that the Mendoza Plaintiffs are part of the 4 decade class action suit and, legally, the Plaitniffs represent the Latino class of students attending TUSD. Check your facts Madam President.

    She also shared that her family has been in Tucson for 6 generations and that she is committed to this community and to TUSD. But her words have actually been lived out in her community and professional work. She was a TUSD student, TUSD teacher and administrator, she served on the Governing Board and her children attended TUSD. She has decades experience in public education, social justice and civil rights work. Her reputation in the area is phenomenal.

    By the way, the Mendoza Plaintiffs and Ms. Campoy live within TUSD boundaries and are property owners, which is contrary to what Dr. Sanchez said at a school meeting.

    2. Dr. Hawley is a nationally recognized expert in civil rights and public education. His research in the area is very impressive. The appointment of special masters are not made within the communities that they live. Dr. Hawley is not a Plaintiff in the case but it is interesting that Adelita and HT Sanchez both have gone on the attack. He called him “another superintendent”. Dr. Hawley is a Special Master and perhaps, Ms. Grijalva, you should do some real homework and find out what his role is. At least it is understood by the Court, if not TUSD.

    3. If Ms. Grijalva has a “thing” for people who represent students living within TUSD, why did she and her dad endorse and support Krystal Foster get on the TUSD Board? Krystal has no children. Strange that she votes with Grijalva 99% of the time after gaining such support from Adelita and her dad. Madam President, do not speak out of both sides of your mouth.

    4. As far as being “elected” to represent children. I am not elected either Ms. Grijalva. I do not have children attending TUSD but every single day of school, I represent my students. I advocate for them. I love my magnet school that YOU have not supported for as long as I have taught at the school. And did you read what Ms. Campoy said in her update? If not, here it is: “TUSD officials must understand their intention in dealing with all of us who are engaged in the desegregation case and when the District- its officials- cast public dispersions upon those of us who are involved- the District must understand that it is dividing; not collaborating. Reference has recently been made to me as an “unelected” Plaintiffs’ Representative, and while the statement is accurate its intention is far from pure. My position as a Plaintiffs’ Representative is not political. It is not contingent on campaign promises, fund-raising, name recognition or political endorsements; nor should it be. But too, the position should not be threatened or belittled by political figures. I represent the Mendoza Plaintiffs, both of whom remain engaged in the case and I do so with honor.”

    5. The recent Court Order specifically stated: “Because of the highly visible nature of the magnet schools, the Court has received large numbers of letters from concerned citizens. These letters reflect a great amount of misunderstanding by the public regarding the changes underway to TUSD’s magnet program.” This assessment affirms both the Fisher and Mendoza outlook on this matter, as well as the growing opinion within the community, for which I am pleased. Additionally, and more significantly, the Court has ordered that the President of the Board will be provided with any substantive Order it issues, starting with the Order discussed in this update. The Court Order states, “In this way, on an ongoing basis, she may be kept abreast of the facts of this case, including the Court’s logic and reasoning, and the progress of the USP.” Adelita, you know that the letters were all developed by the administration and send out fromthe schools. I work at one of the schools and know this for a FACT. I refused to have anything to do with the smear campaign and have been criticized for my lack of “team support”. Really, it is nothing more than bullying all the way around. “Team support” has become nothing more than attack strategies against the desegregation court order.

    6. Once again- the demographics that were used to develop the Unitary Status Plan were current. How many times does this need to be said? And as far as I can see the changes that have come about, that Ms. Grijalva has taken up as her stump speech, all fall back on the administration and Board. They turned in a lousy magnet plan. The Judge instructed them to re-do it. They then put a third plan together, which has been approved. The District is being supervised by a Federal Court because it cannot seem to get it right without that kind of supervision.

    7. The most offensive statement from Adelita is that magnet schools are going to lose funding because they are too brown. This flames racial tensions and she knows it and does not give a hoot. These are the exact words that Cesar Aguirre has used. I have heard him. Both of them are dead-on WRONG. Schools like Ochoa have refused to integrate and have fought it because of influences such as Aguirre. He and HT Sanchez are full of race-based divisive statements, which if made by a non-minority would be considered bigoted. Well- they are bigoted. Adelita, shame on you for buying this cheap and divisive argument and using it to defend the fact that the schools have not complied with the desegregation court order, which is a FACT.

    Just a thought, Madam President. Get your facts straight. Do some research. Step outside of your parroting mode and think for yourself. Is that possible?

    (I obviously cannot use my name, which I regret but writing and sending this during my lunch break makes me feel as though I am contributing- to the facts.)

  9. TUSD is in its death throws. I’ve said it many times before, TUSD will not survive with this leadership. My organization has demanded Sanchez’ resignation after his racist comments, this majority chose to ignore it, law makers have not. The Federal handed Grijalva her butt, yet reading her statement in this article , it appears she doesn’t care . Statements made here by Grijalva could get her held in contempt . I hope the judge sees this article. As for the Weekly , you over looked many facts on this issue, try reporting with no bias . The public needs the truth , not Grijalva propaganda.

  10. Brian, the public will only get the truth when the public demands the truth. Until then the bias will continue. It’s a constant drip, drip, drip,…..

    Some of the blame for what TUSD has become lies at the feet of those that did nothing. I left so long ago and can’t believe how fortunate I was to “think” that something is wrong here and it won’t be fixed before my kids graduate HS.

    Leaving was the best thing I could have done for my children. Shame on TUSD.

  11. Fact Checking Teacher, you are so right and I thank you for saying it. I also support Ms. Campoy, but I don’t have the access that you have. The court ordered that Grijalva receive all orders and documents as a warning, she has been put on notice about spreading misinformation, clearly she doesn’t care. I hope that you will relay this to Ms. Campoy , if she should notify the court it may expedite her removal.

  13. It used to be that the media informed the public. Now it’s the other way around. If single payer works in health care, then the only way to make the public responsible is to give them all edu-credits and let them shop for a school. If it can be done more cost effectively they get to keep the savings. That would get their attention.

  17. This article is by Maria Ines Taracena, not by David Safier.

    The editorial Ms. Grijalva wrote in the Star recently is available here:
    http://tucson.com/news/opinion/adelita-grijalva-desegregation-efforts-in-tusd/article_646aa410-3b66-5894-a32f-a19b8754a95d.html

    It gives a better summary of her views on desegregation in TUSD than the Star article by Alexis Huicochea linked in the above comment.

    Unfortunately, it takes quite a bit of research and background knowledge to understand what is REALLY happening here. For those who want a quick summary of the opposing position, this comment by Rich Kronberg on Ms. Grijalva’s editorial piece seems to provide a pretty representative example of what people on the other side of the debate are saying:

    “The desegregation case has dragged on for decades. It has cost TUSD taxpayers more than a billion dollars in money that went to the district for the express purposes of (1) desegregating TUSD schools and (2) improving the academic achievement of non-white students.

    “Much of [the money collected for the past 40 years to desegregate the district] has been wasted on superfluous administrators and ineffective programs. While Ms. Grijalva tries to position herself as an advocate for magnet schools, she has, in fact, not been willing to support those schools with enough resources from desegregation funds to make their programs magnetic enough to attract out-of-attendance-area students to enroll. In short, these magnet schools have been less than “magnetic” because the desegregation money that should have been directed towards them has been used to build a gym, buy vehicles for TUSD, hire useless administrators, and operate as a slush fund…not for the plaintiffs in the case as Ms. Grijalva would have you believe, but for TUSD’s administration and the politicans who use the district’s resources for their own personal and political purposes.

    “Just a few days ago, Judge Bury issued a new order in the desegregation case. In that order he specifically denies the request of Superintendent Sanchez and the Board majority (Ms. Grijalva and her amen choir) to run the magnet schools the way they…Sanchez and Grijalva…want them run. He approves the recommendations of the Special Master and the Plaintiffs in the case and orders they be implemented. […] Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, he ordered that his orders be specifically transmitted to Ms. Grijalva so there can be no pleas of ignorance or misunderstanding about what he is directing TUSD to do.”

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