By Mike Bengert |

Every election for the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Governing Board the Scottsdale Education Association (SEA) teachers’ union endorses candidates. This year is no exception. But this time they may have outdone themselves with this slate of unqualified, activist candidates.

None of these SEA-endorsed candidates feels the need to make any changes in SUSD.  In fact, according to their campaign website, they are running to, in their words, “protect” the district.  From whom? You, of course, and anyone else who might point out declining enrollment, declining proficiency scores, increasing ESA participation in a run for the exits, and, of course, increasingly dissatisfied parents and students who stay behind.

From August 2021 to August 2024, SUSD lost over 2,200 students, nearly 10% of the enrollment. In 2023, SUSD had over 8,000 students who were NOT proficient in ELA, over 9,000 who were NOT proficient in math, and over 12,000 students who were NOT proficient in science. Dr. Menzel failed to meet even one of his academic performance goals last year. But he got a raise.

How can any reasonable, objective observer who cares about the quality of education in Scottsdale see these metrics and decide, I will run for school board to ensure more of the same for my kids? How can any reasonable, objective voter support this?

One of these SEA-endorsed candidates, Mike Sharkey, seems to be against parents having rights when it comes to educating their children. He wants parents to step aside and leave it up to the experts and trained professionals who know better.

In announcing his candidacy, he said:

“Over the last few years, there’s been an uptick in the ‘parents rights’ movement….This is the notion that parents are best situated to make educational and healthcare decisions for their kids.”

He doesn’t want parents involved in healthcare decisions for their children, one of the most fundamental duties of a parent. Mr. Sharkey says to leave that to the professionals as well.

I guess he has never heard of the Arizona Parents’ Bill of Rights. He might want to read A.R.S. Section 1-601 Section 1-602.

Of course, after a major outcry on social media, he removed those words. But don’t be fooled. As we all know, someone’s first comments are what they truly believe.

Another SEA-endorsed candidate, Donna Lewis, has an abysmal record of academic achievement in a district of less than 25% the size of SUSD when she was superintendent and has a reputation as a bully. Listen for yourself.

Great choice SEA.

The final candidate, Matt Pittinsky is the CEO of a company (Parchment) that provides transcript services to SUSD. Click here and see for yourself.

It gets better. Parchment is part of a larger organization that provides educational software to schools and professional development training for teachers and school administrators. Will we see new contracts in the future?

As a candidate who professes to respect parents and the community, it would be nice if he would disclose this potential conflict upfront, so the voters know before they vote.

We deserve better than a governing board committed to “protecting” Dr. Menzel with his dismal academic record at SUSD and his failed policies. This November let’s start building a “strong” SUSD focused on academic achievement, fiscal responsibility, parental rights, and the safety of all our students and staff.

Mike Bengert is a husband, father, grandfather, and Scottsdale resident advocating for quality education in SUSD for over 30 years.