by Corinne Murdock | Jan 5, 2024 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
65 Arizona educators and 23 certified in Arizona faced discipline relating to sexual misconduct with minors in 2023.
According to Arizona State Board of Education (ASBE) board meetings, 88 educators’ alleged and/or admitted behavior with minors resulted in their certificates being either revoked, suspended, or voluntarily surrendered, with two given letters of censure with conditions:
- Deniz Akca (Cartwright Elementary School District)
- Enrique Alvarez (Nogales Unified School District)
- David Atzenweiler (certified in Arizona)
- Felix Armenta (Gadsden Independent School District)
- Keith Armstrong (Legacy Traditional School)
- Joshua Bahen (certified in Arizona)
- Darangelo Balark (Maya High School)
- Samuel Bauman (Mesa Unified School District)
- Brent Becenti (Florence Unified School District)
- Steve Belles (Chandler Unified School District)
- Lucas Bogard (Blue Adobe Project)
- Ray Borges (Agua Fria Union High School District)
- Wulfido Caday (certified in Arizona)
- Christopher Carter (Tempe Union High School District)
- James Conkle (certified in Arizona)
- Gregory Boujikian (Phoenix Union High School District)
- Scott Brockish (Arizona State University Preparatory Academy)
- Nicholas Brozina (certified in Arizona)
- Holly Craft (Agua Fria Union High School District)
- Timothy Dargon (Mingus Union High School District)
- Troy Davis (Tolleson Union High School District)
- Melissa Didiana (certified in Arizona)
- James Dillon (Yuma Union High School District)
- Stephen Escudero (Prescott Unified School District)
- Cody Fortune (certified in Arizona)
- Irvin Garcia-Flores (Aqua Fria Union High School District)
- Esmeralda Velasco-Guerrero
- Walter Halaberda (Flagstaff Unified School District)
- Douglas Hester (Phoenix Union High School District)
- Robert Holland (Phoenix Union High School District)
- Michael Hood (certified in Arizona)
- Cheng-Hsuan Tsai (Tempe Montessori School)
- Miles Huff (Payson Unified School District)
- Michael Irving (certified in Arizona)
- Nathan Jellicoe (Dysart Unified School District)
- Antonio Jordan (Mesa Public Schools)
- Cory Kapahulehua (Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center High School)
- Jon Kizzia (Scottsdale Unified School District)
- Daniel Scott Larsen (Winslow Unified School District)
- Lou Lernor (ASU Preparatory Academy South Phoenix)
- James Limones (Sunnyside Unified School District)
- Mark Lindrud (certified in Arizona)
- Salvador Lopez (Sunnyside Unified School District)
- Mark Lucero (Douglas Unified School District)
- Kelly Martin (Legacy Traditional School)
- Shane Martin (Yuma Elementary District)
- Lynn Matthews (certified in Arizona)
- James Miller (Dysart Unified School District)
- Michael Molina (Douglas Unified School District)
- Marissa Montero (Chandler Unified School District)
- Jalen Montgomery (Scottsdale Unified School District)
- Elaine Mooneyham (Parker Unified School District)
- Michael Naumann (Pendergast Elementary School District)
- Gustavo Orellana (certified in Arizona)
- Samantha Peer (Lake Havasu Unified School District)
- Marvin Pacheco Villa (Western School of Science and Technology)
- Zachary Parker (Phoenix Union High School District)
- Eric Popely (certified in Arizona)
- Jacob Ramirez (Paradise Valley Unified School District)
- Jaron Rheinlander (Marana Unified School District, ASU Preparatory Academy)
- Dylan Riddle (Vail Unified School District)
- Todd Roatsey (certified in Arizona)
- Celedonio Rodriguez (Flagstaff Unified School District)
- Eric Sapul (Altar Valley School District)
- Humberto Sauceda (certified in Arizona)
- Andrea Schembre
- Brandon Shinault (Adams Traditional Academy)
- Joshua Silverthorn (certified in Arizona)
- Scott Sims (Deer Valley Unified School District)
- Jessica Smith (Accelerated Learning Center, Phoenix Charter High School)
- William Thorpe (Vail Unified School District)
- Angel Torres (certified in Arizona)
- Ryan Trerise (Glendale Preparatory Academy Great Hearts)
- Clarence Walker III (certified in Arizona)
- Justin Walters (Desert Garden Montessori School)
- Christopher Walton (certified in Arizona)
- Shawn Watson (certified in Arizona)
- Colin White (Payson Unified School District)
- Nathan Williams (certified in Arizona)
- Sommer Wilson (Kyrene School District)
- Brandon Wingert (Tanque Verde Unified School District)
- Jorge Valencia (Flagstaff Unified School District)
- Zobella Vinik (Tucson Unified School District)
- Dante Yarborough (Mesa Unified School District)
- William Yaw IV (certified in Arizona)
- Blake Young (Maricopa Unified School District)
- Jose Garcia Zepeda (Phoenix Union High School District)
- Russell Zysett (certified in Arizona)
Some cases brought before ASBE await adjudication. Their case summaries cited inappropriate behavior with minors. Select portions of these cases are reproduced below:
- Manual Gavina (Phoenix Elementary School District), teaching certificates suspended pending a public hearing and final decision of ASBE: “On or about December 10, 2019, officers from the Phoenix Police Department arrested Manuel Gavina for three counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Educator Gavina inappropriately touched several female students’ breasts and buttocks. Educator Gavina admitted to touching hundreds of female students’ breasts.”
- Levi Jackson (certified in Arizona), teaching certificates suspended pending a public hearing and final decision of ASBE: “On or about October 4, 2022, Educator Jackson was arrested for five counts of Felony Sexual Abuse, 2 counts of Felony Lure Minor for Sexual Exploitation, 1 count of Felony Sexual Conduct with a Minor, and 19 counts of Misdemeanor Contribute to Delinquency of a Minor by officers from the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office. Educator Jackson inappropriately touched his foreign exchange host student, Student A, over a period of several weeks. Educator Jackson touched Student’s A private area, gave Student A an inappropriate massage near Student A’s groin, asked to see Student A’s private area, discussed masturbation with Student A, and rubbed his own groin against Student A.”
- Joanna Reyes (Sunnyside Unified School District), teaching certificates suspended pending a public hearing and final decision by ASBE: “Educator Reyes was involved in a romantic relationship with her former 5th grade student, Student A, who was twelve-years-old. This case was presented to the Pima County Attorney’s Office on February 13, 2023 for felony charges. The felony charges were declined. However, multiple misdemeanor charges of Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Nuisance will be filed with the Tucson City Court.” ASBE informed AZ Free News that her case is under review for appropriate next steps in the disciplinary process.
- Jacob Williams (Yuma Union High School District, Somerton School District), teaching certificates suspended pending a public hearing and final decision of ASBE: “On or about October 6, 2022, officers from the Yuma Police Department arrested Jacob Ray Williams for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Educator Williams was ‘Snapchatting’ with a minor female student, requesting her to send naked pictures. Educator Williams sent pictures of his genitalia to this minor female student.”
ASBE meeting materials may be reviewed here. As per our previous reporting on this subject, some of the accused educators have denied the allegations against them.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 3, 2024 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Mere days before the start of the 2024 Arizona legislative session, the state’s Democrat governor is finally telegraphing her primary plan for the months ahead – though her proposal is likely dead on arrival with the Republican-led House and Senate chambers.
On Tuesday, Governor Katie Hobbs issued a press release to reveal “her plan to increase accountability and transparency in the ESA voucher program.” The governor’s plan has eight elements, including “increasing student safety, protecting rights for students with disabilities, requiring accountability for taxpayer dollars, expanding auditor general authority, prohibiting price gouging, raising educational standards, establishing program transparency, reinstating eligibility requirements.”
In a statement, Governor Hobbs said, “The ESA program lacks accountability and transparency. With this plan, we can keep students safe, protect taxpayer dollars, and give parents and students the information they need to make an informed choice about their education. Arizonans deserve to know their money is being spent on educating students, not on handouts to unaccountable schools and unvetted vendors for luxury spending. My plan is simple: every school receiving taxpayer dollars must have basic standards to show they’re keeping our students safe and giving Arizona children the education they deserve.”
Hobbs’ announcement was followed by two volleys from leading Arizona Republicans. House Speaker Ben Toma immediately highlighted his opposition to the governor’s announcement, saying, “Empowerment Scholarship Accounts are wildly popular with Arizona parents because they leverage private sector solutions to offer the best educational opportunities for their children. Meanwhile, Governor Hobbs and Democratic Party legislators now seek to strangle ESAs and private education with bureaucracy and regulation. I won’t allow that to happen.”
The state’s schools chief, Superintendent Tom Horne, also issued his own statement, focusing on the governor’s proposition to mandate “accountability” for user purchases in the ESA program. Horne said, “One proposal stands out because it’s already in place: The governor recommends a manual review of ESA purchases over $500. My office already reviews all expense requests regardless of amount, unlike the previous superintendent who approved many frivolous requests. In 2023, we rejected several thousand ESA applications for lack of adequate documentation and suspended almost 2,200 accounts totaling $21 million because the student was enrolled in a public school. We’ve also rejected more than 12,000 ESA purchase order requests.”
Other legislative Republicans shared their sentiments against Hobbs’ proposals. Senator Jake Hoffman posted the following to his “X” account: “Let’s be very clear… Katie’s half cocked attempt to destroy an invaluable parental choice option via ‘death by a thousand cuts’ is DOA at the Capitol. The Arizona Freedom Caucus will make sure of it.”
Representative Jacqueline Parker added, “Nothing lacks more accountability & transparency than the government school system. ESA’s are an extremely successful & equalizing solution, so of course democrats want to mess it up.”
Arizona’s universal ESA program has long been a significant point of contention between members of the two major political parties in the state, though legislative Republicans scored a huge victory in 2023 when they negotiated a budget compromise with Hobbs that left the historic school choice opportunities completely unscathed. After news of the budget agreement hit the wires, many Democrats and education interest groups levied their disappointment and disapproval over the governor’s inability to extract any concessions with the program. Hobbs spent the rest of the year picking fights with Horne over the stewardship and leadership of ESAs in an attempt to win back political capital, leading to this announcement just ahead of the commencement of the upcoming session.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 3, 2024 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s historic universal school choice program has seen significant growth in its first full year of operations.
Last month, the Executive Director for Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, John Ward, sent three emails to give a comprehensive update to families about the state of the program at year’s end. Ward first noted that the ESA program had grown from 13,400 students to 72,500 students over 15 months since the Arizona Legislature approved the expansion and then-Governor Doug Ducey signed the bill into law.
Director Ward also highlighted the economic efficiency of ESA, stating that “ESA parents educate their students for 27 percent less funding than students in traditional public schools.” According to the email from Ward, “State taxpayers currently spend approximately $9,800 per ESA student on average” compared to $13,400 from “federal, state, and local taxpayers to educate students attending traditional public schools on average.” Ward also pushed back on one of the main attacks against the program, sharing a projection from the Department of Education that the “State will end fiscal year with a $57M education budget surplus,” adding that “a surplus is not an indication of bankruptcy.”
In the second email to ESA families, Ward offered helpful tips to ensure that account holders would be compliant with their submissions. Those tips included “reviewing state law and the ESA Parent Handbook to become familiar with program requirements, submitting complete purchase documentation and curricula when required,” and refraining from purchases of unallowable items.
Ward’s final email gave a look at the future of the ESA program. The focus for the ESA program in 2024 would be further enhancements to the ClassWallet platform to improve user experience and to reduce times of approval for purchases and reimbursements. Fixes to the ClassWallet Marketplace are expected to occur first, followed by tweaks to DirectPay, reimbursements, and debit cards.
The new ESA Director inherited the program in a strong position thanks to the work of Superintendent Tom Horne’s first director, Christine Accurso, who did not have that luxury at the start of the year. Accurso, who has been one of the state’s leading pro-life and school choice leaders for years, joined the Horne administration after thwarting a ballot challenge to the universal ESA program. Horne and Accurso were tasked with bringing the expanded program under compliance with the law and eliminating the significant backlog of requests left by the previous administration. She resigned her position in July, expressing her grateful heart “to have had the opportunity to get the ESA program back on track and functioning well.”
As the Arizona Legislature returns to session in a matter of weeks, the ESA program will be under even more scrutiny as Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs and her legislative allies may attempt to gut or trim school choice in the state. Horne, though, has proven to be a relentless defender of the program, as have Republicans in the Legislature. This issue will undoubtedly be one of the top points of contention between the two sides – especially in an election year, when both Democrats and Republicans believe that they can use ESAs and school choice to their political advantage with undecided voters.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 2, 2024 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The holiday season didn’t bring holly and jolly to the ongoing feud between Arizona’s Democrat Governor and Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction.
In the days leading up to Christmas, Governor Katie Hobbs and Superintendent Tom Horne exchanged press releases over their dueling perceptions of the due date of the quarterly Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) report.
On December 21, the Director of the Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Budgeting, Sarah Brown, transmitted a letter to Horne, asking him to send the FY 2024 Quarter 1 Report for the ESA Program to statutory recipients by the following day. Brown opined that this “late report comes after a number of stories showing a concerning lack of accountability and transparency in the ESA program.”
Governor Hobbs posted a short statement to her “X” account, asserting that “Arizonans deserve to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent. We need true accountability and transparency in the ESA voucher program.”
Horne wasted no time in responding to the latest attack on the program he guides and stewards, saying, “The Department of Education has been in contact with the Governor’s Office for nearly three weeks regarding this issue. They are fully aware that we are preparing the report she has requested. Nothing is being withheld.”
Brown also accused Horne of essentially mismanaging dollars in his budget, highlighting the Department of Education’s spending of “millions of dollars advertising the program even with the escalating costs that threaten to crowd out critical spending from the State budget.”
The superintendent’s marketing efforts for the ESA program were practically mandated and empowered earlier this year with the passage of the State’s budget between Governor Katie Hobbs and Legislative Republicans, when freshman Senator Janae Shamp reportedly earmarked $10 million for school choice advertising at the Arizona Department of Education. On August 24, Shamp responded to a critical piece about the targeted funds, writing, “Families are not getting the REAL facts. So called ‘reporting’ by the left and their media henchmen fails to acknowledge the true winners of this money well spent…THE KIDS! Now they will receive education that meets their personal needs.”
Before Shamp’s allocation, Horne had executed marketing campaigns for the ESA program, though at far less expense than the levels he obtained after the latest State budget.
The Governor’s Office also pointed out the revelations of ESA dollars being used to fund “ski passes and luxury car driving lessons.” In his response to this criticism, Horne retorted that those “frivolous ESA spending approvals occurred under the administration of the Governor’s friend, Kathy Hoffman.” He added that his department had “reviewed more than 15,000 ESA applications, rejecting thousands that were incomplete in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2024 alone.”
As he closed his statement, the Republican schools chief wished his readers a “Merry Christmas!”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 29, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
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.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 28, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
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.
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.
