Another one of Arizona’s 14 career and technical education (CTE) districts can’t prove it effectively prepared students for high-need technical occupations despite spending over $1.4 million.
A report issued last week by the Arizona auditor general revealed that the Cobre Valley Institute of Technology (CVIT) didn’t collect, validate, and use complete data to assess whether students were successfully prepared to enter high-need occupations or earned industry certifications through its programs.
“Without collecting, validating, and using complete and reliable key outcome data about jobs obtained and certifications earned by its students, the District could not demonstrate to students, parents, the public, and State policymakers that its programs were effective in achieving the statutory purpose of preparing students for entry into high-need occupations,” reported the audit.
CVIT reported that it didn’t factor student employment and industry certification data because it didn’t have a reason to distrust self-reported data from its students and member districts. The auditor general rejected the permissiveness as prone to corrupting the data quality with errors and misreporting.
High-need occupations are those defined by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity and the Arizona Department of Education as high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations. These careers normally don’t require a higher education or advanced degree, and may require certification or licensure.
CVIT paid over $176,000 to partner with Eastern Arizona College: $130,000 in tuition and other fees for its students to attend the program and $46,000 for classroom supplies and equipment purchases. It also paid over $575,000 in satellite funding to its member districts and about $120,000 on grants passed to member districts and equipment purchases.
Administrative costs were the second-biggest portion of the $1.4 million collectively, totaling about $529,000. CVIT spent about $356,000 on salaries and benefits for its superintendent and business manager, administrative supplies and equipment, audit services, and advertising, as well as nearly $173,000 on support services for the salaries and benefits of staff performing program director duties, attendance software and services, insurance costs, school safety supplies and equipment, and cell phone services.
According to the auditor general, CVIT didn’t have consistent processes in place to collect student job placement data, though it surveyed students who completed a CTE program to determine if they were employed, enrolled in postsecondary education, or enlisted in the military, and were using skills and knowledge acquired in their CTE programs.
Additionally, CVIT only validated certification data for students who attended central campus programs, not member districts.
The auditor general recommended CVIT develop and implement consistent data collection protocols for all CTE programs: collecting and validating complete data such as student certifications earned and post-graduate jobs obtained. CVIT issued a response agreeing with the auditor general’s finding and recommendations.
CVIT wasn’t the only CTE district to fail to prove its funding adequately prepared students for high-need occupations. The auditor general reported in September that the Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology also didn’t.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) extended its application deadline for a sex ed curriculum committee serving grades 6-9 to about mid-January.
The district disclosed that it had received enough applicants to form the Sex Ed/Human Growth and Development (HGD) committee, but that not all of the desired learning communities were represented in the applicant pool.
SUSD divides its schools into five learning communities that comprise a school feeder pattern: Arcadia Learning Community, which includes Arcadia High School, Echo Canyon K-8, Ingleside Middle School, and the Hopi and Tavan elementary schools; Chaparral Learning Community, which includes Chaparral High School, Cocopah Middle School, Copper Ridge K-8, and the Cherokee, Cochise, and Sequoya elementary schools; Coronado Learning Community, which includes Coronado High School, Tonalea Middle School, and the Hohokam, Pima, and Yavapai elementary schools; Desert Mountain Learning Community, which includes Desert Mountain High School, Desert Canyon Middle School, Mountainside Middle School, Cheyenne K-8, and the Anasazi, Desert Canyon, Laguna, and Redfield elementary schools; and Saguaro Learning Community, which includes Saguaro High School, Mohave Middle School, and the Kiva, Navajo, and Pueblo elementary schools.
The committee will be tasked with learning Arizona laws establishing processes and guidelines for HGD/sex education materials; discussing and identifying criteria for evaluating resources beyond statutory criteria; reviewing, evaluating, and discussing vendor-submitted resources; reviewing teacher and parental feedback; and recommending resources to the SUSD Governing Board for formal approval and adoption.
Arizona law requires parental permission for any sexual education lessons in grades 6-12. Sexual education is prohibited before the fifth grade.
Even prior to seeking out parental permission, school districts and charter schools must make all sex ed curricula available for review online and in person, and notify parents where these materials may be reviewed at least two weeks prior to offering the instruction.
Development of the curriculum also requires public notification, review, and input for at least 60 days before the governing board votes on the curriculum.
SUSD sex ed curriculum committee application deadline extended – APPLY HERE: ⬇️https://t.co/RTnZsJpYak
NOTE: Even if you are not selected as a committee member, all curriculum review meetings will be open to the public and we encourage you to attend. pic.twitter.com/bOMxtvhou5
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) December 26, 2023
Committee members serve as unpaid volunteers, though eligible certified employees could receive horizontal move hours for committee meetings that occur after the school day. Members are scheduled to meet twice in January, and once in February, March, and April, though SUSD noted that there will be the possibility that more meetings could occur to accomplish their work.
The original application deadline was scheduled for earlier this month, in mid-December, with an announcement of the committee members promised for Dec. 22. The new deadline is end of day Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
The first meeting date is scheduled less than a week after the new deadline.
At least half of the committee members will be SUSD-certified teachers who possess content knowledge of sex ed/HGD curriculum.
Those deciding on committee membership are three individuals from the SUSD Cabinet, Ed Services Department, and/or the Teaching and Learning Department.
Parent and community member applicants are asked to provide experience and/or expertise relative to sex education, such as any training, prior employment, health care background, and education levels; examples of membership on past teams that were successful; and the main reason for interest in serving on the committee.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Arizona State University’s (ASU) former information technology (IT) manager was indicted for embezzling over $124,000 from the institution over the course of over four years.
According to the auditor general, ASU leadership was partially at fault for the embezzlement.
Carlos Urrea, ASU’s former University Technology Officer (UTO) manager, allegedly embezzled the money through unauthorized personal purchases using his ASU purchase card. (The UTO is now the Enterprise Technology Office). ASU reported their findings on Urrea to the auditor general for further investigation.
In a report published last Friday, the auditor general found that Urrea used his purchase card to make over 800 personal purchases amounting to over $124,000. Urrea then attempted to conceal the purchases using over 700 forged receipts and falsified the business purpose descriptions to make them appear as if they were for valid ASU purposes.
According to the auditor general report, an ASU audit in December 2021 revealed discrepancies between Urrea’s receipts and the issuing bank’s line-item details of the purchases. Urrea reportedly refused to comply repeatedly with further auditory efforts by the university. At the time, ASU found over $95,000 of unauthorized personal purchases made by Urrea.
Upon further investigation by the auditor general, the amount Urrea allegedly embezzled grew by over $28,000.
Among those unauthorized purchases were gift cards, including $11,000 in Costco Shop cards; electronics and accessories, including 10 smart watches; household items and furniture, including two Christmas trees; appliances, including a washer and dryer; gaming products, including 12 gaming consoles; fitness and recreation items, including a treadmill and a rowing machine; and warranties.
The auditor general reported that Urrea admitted to using the ASU purchase card for personal purchases. Urrea told the auditor general team that he used ASU’s Adobe Acrobat Editor software to alter his personal purchase receipts in PDF format.
Urrea also reportedly called his actions “very dumb,” and characterized the purchases as his means of providing for his family.
According to the State Presssalary database for ASU, Urrea made $45,000 in 2016, $75,000 in 2017, $77,250 in 2018, $92,700 in 2019, $100,116 in 2020, and $106,000 in 2021.
According to the auditor general, ASU revealed that its executive administration officials allowed Urrea to bypass appropriate university policies and procedures for purchase cards so that Urrea could either provide immediate IT-related equipment or maintain his support for senior leadership. As a result, Urrea was exempted from engaging in the procurement process, obtaining prior purchase approval, submitting detailed business purpose descriptions for purchases, submitting receipts on time, and bypassing restricted spending protocols when receipts were submitted late.
“Mr. Urrea was able to make and conceal his personal p-card purchases because management allowed him to: use his p-card instead of procurement process on the pretext of providing immediate support to senior leadership, make p-card purchases without seeking prior approval, submit vague business purposes, [and] submit p-card receipts 2-3 months late without restricting his p-card spending to $1 in accordance with policy,” stated the report.
The auditor general noted that ASU modified its purchase card policy by requiring executive administration adherence where possible, or requiring the business team — not individuals — to make purchases where not possible.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office passed on the auditor general’s findings to the Maricopa County Superior Court Grand Jury. The latter indicted Urrea on 14 felony counts of theft, misuse of public monies, fraudulent schemes, and forgery.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Arizona’s schools chief is continuing his quest to make state schools safer.
Last week, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne released a number of recommendations from his administration’s task force meant to strengthen school safety.
Superintendent Horne said, “The safety of our schools is of the utmost importance. There is no greater nightmare than to contemplate a maniac shooting up a school and it’s essential that everything is done to increase campus safety. This committee has done remarkable work and now the task is to get these proposed changes implemented so we can make the state’s school safety program even stronger.”
A handful of the recommendations from the task force involve changing state laws, which the Arizona Legislature would have to approve through legislation and then the governor would have to sign. Those changes are as follows:
Removing barriers to allowing retired law enforcement officers to work as School Resource Officers.
Allowing for the school safety program to pay for School Safety Officers and school psychologists in addition to the other positions currently included in the program.
Adding increased mental health training to focus on adolescent mental health issues, education privacy law and civil rights matters.
Adding language to the law requiring attention to school architecture, ingress and egress and safety technology and training.
The task force also recommended steps for the Arizona Department of Education to enact within its statutory responsibilities, including the following:
Reviewing and providing additional safety training and materials.
Hosting an annual conference for educators, law enforcement and mental health professionals.
Pursuing partnerships with entities that can help encourage workforce development in the social work and mental health sectors.
According to Horne’s office, his task force “consists of educators, legislators, representatives of mental health professions, law enforcement, and other community leaders.”
With the next legislative session just weeks away, the recommendations from the school safety task force may come at a perfect time to put the issue in front of lawmakers returning to work in January. Since school safety is a priority of Horne and his administration, he and his team will surely be lobbying for these changes and attempting to work with legislators from both sides of the aisle as they attempt to keep Arizona boys and girls safe at their schools.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
An unidentified man believed to be behind a string of back-to-back attempted kidnappings and sexual assault at the University of Arizona (UArizona) has yet to be apprehended.
So far, three female UArizona students have reported instances of being followed and/or attacked by the mystery man to police. The incidents occurred on Dec. 6, 7, and 11. The UArizona Police Department (UAPD) have partnered with the Tucson Police Department (TPD), Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD), FBI, and Marshal Service on the investigation.
In a press conference on Wednesday, TPD Assistant Chief Chris Dennison provided an update on their investigation. Although several victim reports indicate that one suspect was behind the attempted kidnappings and assault, Dennison didn’t rule out the possibility of multiple perpetrators.
Dennison confirmed that TPD is working with the victims to create a sketch of the suspect. Dennison explained that the FBI offered assistance with evidence processing and technology, OVPD has offered patrolling and augment resources, and the marshals offered surveillance assistance.
UAPD Chief Chris Olson said they were also partnering with safety aides and student community service officers to bolster its patrol presence. Olson recommended that students not walk alone, and to wear one instead of two headphones when walking to maintain situational awareness.
Olson further encouraged students to utilize UArizona’s SafeRide program, ridesharing services, the LiveSafe app, and, if necessary, a UAPD escort.
UArizona’s Counseling & Psych Services also offered itself as a resource, with survivor advocate Jess Glass Walsh speaking on behalf of the department. Walsh said that her department has assisted over 900 students in the last five years.
The first victim was followed at approximately 11 am last Wednesday, but not apprehended by the suspect near North Campbell Avenue and East 3rd Street.
The second victim was walking around 8th Street and Mountain Avenue last Thursday around 8 pm when the suspect jumped out of his car and grabbed her from behind. The suspect released the victim once she dropped to the ground and screamed. The suspect was described as wearing an orange fleece hoodie.
On Monday, the third victim reported that she was groped but not injured by the mystery man near East 7th Street and North Vine Avenue, just south of the UArizona campus. The man was wearing an orange shirt and jeans, but the victim didn’t notice a vehicle nearby.
UAPD described the suspect as a Hispanic-looking man with a close buzzcut around six feet tall and 30 to 40 years old. He reportedly drives a dark blue four-door hatchback or crossover vehicle with a dented front bumper, tinted windows, and an Arizona back license plate and no front license plate. The vehicle may be a Toyota Camry or Corolla.
UArizona officials warn students against walking alone, especially after dark, and have deployed additional patrolling officers to increase campus security. Law enforcement has also requested that members of the community register with TPD’s open camera registry to help track down the suspect.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Arizona’s only Jewish statewide elected official, Department of Education Superintendent Tom Horne, will testify on Tuesday morning at a House meeting concerning antisemitism in education.
Horne’s testimony will be heard by the House Ad Hoc Committee on Antisemitism in Education. Tuesday’s meeting will consist of public testimony. Chairing the committee is Rep. Neal Carter (R-LD15). The other committee members are Reps. Seth Blattman (D-LD09), Michael Carbone (R-LD25), Alma Hernandez (D-LD20), Consuelo Hernandez (D-LD21), Alexander Kolodin (R-LD03), Teresa Martinez (R-LD16), Barbara Parker (R-LD10), Jennifer Pawlik (D-LD13), Marcelino Quiñonez (D-LD11), and Julie Willoughby (R-LD13).
Horne warned last month that antisemitism is a burgeoning issue in the U.S.
“Antisemitism is rising across the country and especially on college campuses,” said Horne.
Following the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict with the Hamas terrorist attack in October, reports of antisemitic speech and activism in schools have became more frequent.
Last month, Horne addressed one widely publicized incident of a Desert Mountain High School club using materials from UNICEF and Amnesty International to encourage students to side with Hamas. Horne debunked various claims of pro-Palestine materials distributed by the club and its affiliates as propaganda, such as that Israel is an apartheid state and that Jewish peoples illegally obtained land in the Middle East following World War II.
“In none of this propaganda is there any reference to what happened on October 7, not a single reference. All of these kids have an obsession with libels against Israel and the Jewish people,” said Horne. “The actions of Hamas are a repetition of what happened during World War II, yet the materials that are presented by UNICEF and Amnesty International and used as propaganda in our schools make no mention of it at all.”
Hamas murdered over 1,400 innocent civilians on October 7, sparking an escalation in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
According to Horne, his parents fled Poland in September 1938, exactly one year before World War II broke out, because his father, an avid history reader, predicted that the Nazis would invade Poland. Horne shared that his father had warned his Jewish community at the time of the looming Nazi threat, but that not many listened. The remainder of the Hornes’ extended family abroad reportedly perished in the Holocaust.
“I’ve been a big advocate of teaching our students history because our immediate family survived because of my father’s knowledge of history and ability to interpret current events, and I believe that our next generation’s survival depends on their knowledge of history and their ability to interpret current events,” said Horne.
About a week later at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting, Horne turned his back on pro-Palestine protesters attempting to obtain the attention of him and other members.
Superintendent Horne will not tolerate antisemitism. When protestors started speaking in support of a terrorist organization at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting, he turned his back to hatred. pic.twitter.com/s2DTM6DSF5
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) responded to the protest with condemnation for growing opposition to Jewish people and the defense of Hamas.
“The rise of antisemitism is alarming in our schools, and support for the terrorist group Hamas across the country can’t be accepted,” stated ADE.
Superintendent Horne's parents fled Poland in 1938. His entire extended family was murdered in the Holocaust. The rise of antisemitism is alarming in our schools, and the support for the terrorist group Hamas across the country can't be accepted. https://t.co/Sy6AOrlqYY
