Well, Tucson Unified School District governing board member Adelita Grijalva is doing exactly as she promised the last time she talked with the Range about the Dec. 11 school board meeting that sent a wave of confusion that left some of the public wondering exactly what happened.
On the agenda at that meeting was “Fisher-Mendoza v. Tucson Unified School District — Approval of or Objection to the Proposed Unitary Status Plan/Consent Decree.” In response to the release of the final draft desegregation plan by U.S. District Court-appointed special master Willis Hawley on Dec. 10, the district’s governing board voted on the plan, as well as objections filed against specific areas of the plan.
Before voting on the plan, Grijalva pointedly told legal she couldn’t vote for the plan if the resolution presented to the board included the district’s objection to cultural relevant curriculum, i.e. Mexican-American and African-American studies. It was agreed to separate the objections from the vote on the deseg plan. The board voted it liked the plan, and then Stegeman brought forward a second resolution on the objections. That resolution failed — with Grijalva, and former board members Alexandre Sugiyama and Miguel Cuevas voting against the objections, and Michael Hicks and Stegeman voting for the objections.
Folks thought the votes and the direction Grijalva asked from legal meant that the district’s outside council would begin the legal process of removing its objection filed with U.S. District Court Judge David Bury. Those who support MAS were happy and excited. Adding to the confusion was Stegeman insisting that he be able to bring it up for a revote so that his resolution could unanimously be defeated, rather than just 3-2. If you want more play by play, go to “Sunday Morning Primer: WTF Happened at the Tuesday TUSD Board Meeting?”
After the meeting, Grijalva confirmed she also thought she was providing legal direction to remove the objection against cultural relevant curriculum, and said she’d be able to make it right at the next scheduled meeting — which is tonight’s special meeting. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. and includes an executive session. Girjalva’s resolution on the objection is on the agenda at 7 p.m. But be warned. These meetings tend to go too late and agendas get changed once the meetings begin:
Fisher-Mendoza v. Tucson Unified School District — Consideration of the Joint Unitary Status Plan Noting Areas of Party Disagreement Filed on December 10, 2012, and District Objections thereto as Noted in November 9, December 10, and December 14, 2012, Court Filings — Requested by Board Member Adelita Grijalva
This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2013.
The last paragraph says it all. Agendas get changed. How convenient. What a way to avoid letting citizens get involved. Either stick to the agenda or resign your position and stop playing games.
Ethnic studies does not belong in the public schools.
I agree, it does not belong there, they have problems coming up with the funding just to teach the 3 Rs let along teaching ethnic studies and it also sounds like she is just throwing in African American studies just to make it look like MAS it is not racist.
The availability of Ethnic Studies, and many other studies, DOES belong in public schools that are not only tasked with teaching Anglo kids like myself. If you don’t like it, don’t send your kid to it. But if you have a child whose sense of self worth and subsequent “achievement” will be improved by such a course, it should be available. Get real, friends. If you support public schools then you need to support diversified learning, not teaching to a smaller and smaller sector of the population. Even if you don’t believe the statistics about improved graduation rates, etc., with all the talk about increasing enrollment, diversified learning is the way to go
I don’t understand why Stegeman wants the board to look 100% unified, just scratch under the surface and you will see that the board, and Tucson, is divided on the issue, no doubt. And there are divisions within the Latino community.
Cuevas said previously of MAS, “The vast majority of Latino parents have elected not to put their children in these classes.” OK, makes sense as Latino parents want their kids to have a full range of opportunities in the broad American society. So, I’m not sure why he changed his vote, he seems like a pretty introspective and independent board member.
I’m kinda concerned how Latino students have been treated during all of this. When I was in TUSD, the teachers would rally us to vote for pay raises for them. I didn’t disagree, but I didn’t like it because I think that stuff shouldn’t be in the classroom. There is a clear conflict of interest if MAS educators are rallying, or intimidating MAS students to be vocal, as they stand to financially profit from such actions.
I doubt that national media outlets with a liberal slant will cover the MAS story anymore. It is obvious that there is enough fodder here to make MAS look bad, accusations of racism, now inclusion of African American studies but no Native American studies, possibility of selection bias in the studies, i.e. MAS students are different from other Latino high school students because they actually care to sign up for an elective that interests them, i.e. more motivated (?), hence the class will make it look like MAS students are graduating at a higher rate because of the class. Kinda surprised the investigators of these studies didn’t address the shortcomings, like all researchers do, the problem might be that they could financially benefit from having these classes reinstated.
And irregardless of what happened with Sean Acre’s multiple charges related to domestic violence . . . it ain’t helping MAS advocates’ case. Should FOX news look more closely at this, it would be a field day and make TUSD look very bad.
MAS is sort of behind the times, society is becoming more homogenous, and I think the fair way to go is with standard US History courses which discuss in an academic manner, the history of whites, blacks, latinos, native americans, asians, indians, russians, LGBT, women, and many other new immigrants, in a detailed manner.
Paradoxically, it is a win for conservatives as the longer this dead horse issue keeps bouncing up, the more political hay can be made over it. Is that why Sugiyama voted for it? As revenge to make the board look bad over the coming months and years?
To all you racists who don’t think ethnic studies belong in the classroom: WTF do you think has been going on there for untold years? It’s White Studies. No need to label it that because your white privilege doesn’t allow for the study of anything else. BTW– I’m white.
Anonymous said: “MAS is sort of behind the times, society is becoming more homogenous, and I think the fair way to go is with standard US History courses which discuss in an academic manner, the history of whites, blacks, latinos, native americans, asians, indians, russians, LGBT, women, and many other new immigrants, in a detailed manner.”
Exactly…thank you.
All local school boards should be allowed/encourage to teach the
wide panoramic history of the many cultures that affect/effect
us.
For instant some one said stick to the basic 3 Rs. Do we know
that alphabets and numbers trace their roots back to the Middle
East.
Broad education should be encouraged. But since money is a
realistic driver…we ought to look at voucher system to fund
education for all our students through out Arizona.