Mari Herreras comments on Ethnic Studies resolution

by David Safier

The Weekly's Range has an extensive comment by Mari Herreras on the Ethnic Studies resolution proposed by TUSD Board President Mark Stegeman. Among the concerns she raises about the resolution is the question, why now?

While Stegeman, Pedicone and the board's particular brand of "support" for ethnic studies often seems downright odd, the timing of this resolution from Stegeman is peculiar, too. The lawsuit filed last year by the 11 TUSD Mexican-American studies teachers only had its first day in court this week. Current state Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppethal's audit of the classes won’t be completed until mid- to late-May.

Why can’t changes to Mexican-American studies, if any, be discussed after Huppenthal’s audit or after the lawsuit? Logically, it would make sense to wait.

I agree. Pull the resolution from the Tuesday Board meeting (4 p.m. at TUSD Headquarters, 1010 E. 10th St.) and wait to see what happens in the lawsuit and the audit. A preemptive compromise, which to my way of thinking is more of a preemptive surrender, doesn't make sense as a way of dealing with the Huppenthals, Hornes and Pearces of the world, and it especially doesn't make sense when there is a reasonable chance the outcome of the lawsuit against the anti-ethnic studies bill will change the situation dramatically.

Herreras also writes about one of the intangible values of the MAS program, which can't be measured directly by standardized tests or graduation rates:

Auggie Romero, who is responsible for putting together the Mexican-American studies program, told me the secret to MAS isn't just teaching students a bigger part of the story; it's also teaching them with love, compassion and an interest in everything about their students — their lives, their families and their dreams.

Rather than focusing on trying to figure out how to dilute what exists, why aren’t critics and the board thinking of ways to expand these concepts in classrooms and departments throughout the district? After all, MAS has been proven to work for students of all races as classes of academic substance.

The final paragraph is a plea for locals to get involved as they have in other efforts to make TUSD more responsive to community needs.

Miguel Ortega, a member of the MAS community advisory board, has explained that the greater community is the missing piece. Those who fought to have a program like University High School, those who came out to save schools from closing three years ago and helped begin projects like the Arizona Education Network, and those who say they care about public education and work to protect it—all of you should join the students, parents and teachers who've been showing up on their own to save these classes. They need you now.

You can read my post about problems with the resolution here. The complete resolution is at the end of that post.