David Safier

by David Safier

This isn't a new idea. It's a revival of an idea TUSD board member Mark Stegeman proposed during the whole school closure debate in 2012. It's on the agenda again (Item 10) for the upcoming board meeting Tuesday, November 12.

You can read the proposal here. The basic idea: Shut down a TUSD high school, send all of its kids to other schools and reopen it as a new, larger University High School (UHS). I assume this would mean shutting down the current UHS at Rincon High, though that isn't spelled out in the proposal. The purpose is to expand UHS, both to accomodate a larger number of TUSD students as mandated by the desegregation plan, and to continue to make space for students from neighboring districts to enroll in the school.

I think this is a terrible idea, not because I oppose the expansion of UHS — I think it's a good, and probably a necessary, idea — but because I oppose the way Stegeman wants to go about it. He's putting TUSD back into that nasty, divisive school closure territory once again, this time at the high school level. His proposal would mean displacing an entire high school student body and sending the students elsewhere. An all-inclusive high school would be closed, which would have a negative impact on the neighborhood. I haven't seen any specific recommendations from Stegeman about which school he's targeting — I imagine he has one or two possibilities in mind — so I don't know what school would be emptied of its current students.

Stegeman's plan has an elegance to it because of its simplicity. Any other solution to the overcrowding problem at UHS would be more complex, and possibly more expensive. But if a simple idea is a bad idea, as this one is, the district needs to do something it hasn't done for ages: think outside the box, look for creative solutions which, if not entirely win/win, are at least win/don't-lose-very-much-with-ways-to-mitigate-the-losses.

by David Safier

Tucson's Allsport Academy Charter School's charter should be revoked due to failing academic grades, according to Judge Thomas Shedden. The Star story gives all the necessary information but little background on the school. Here's more information based on a web search.

The school began in 2004 as a for profit corporation, Allsport Enterprises, Inc., and was granted nonprofit status by the Arizona Charter School Board in 2009, changing its name to Allsport Academy. The odd thing is, I can find no record of it filing any tax returns since it's been a nonprofit. All nonprofit tax returns should be on the NCCS website. I've never had trouble locating the forms of any nonprofit school before. It makes me wonder whether Allsport has failed to file tax returns since 2009.

Allsport has fewer than 60 students — about 55% white, 29% Hispanic and the rest listed as "unknown." According to its records, 90% of the students are on free or reduced lunch.

The school is run by Moses Montoya, listed on the school website as its Administrator and Board Chairman. Raquel Montoya is the Manager and Board Secretary Treasurer. I'm reasonably certain Raquel is Moses' wife, since, according to records I found, they are similar ages and live in the same Foothills home. Aaron Montoya, 33, used to teach at the school until he was arrested in 2010 for having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student. I'm reasonably certain Aaron is Moses and Raquel's son. [I qualify the relationships by noting I'm "reasonably certain" because I don't have completely verifiable information.] This "All in the Family" situation is all too typical in charter schools, which are often family businesses — usually to the detriment of the students.

by David Safier Great story out of Palo Verde High. A school assembly was held, but the reason wasn't clear. When the students were assembled, out came 40 people from UA, "including cheerleaders, members of the pom squad and Wilma, one of the beloved U of A mascots." All to give UA letters of acceptance … Read more