Over 1,500 individuals want the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) to remove one of its board members for criticizing an overweight health official.
Board member and state senator Carine Werner made the comments during a presentation by Nutritional Services Director Patti Bilbrey at a board meeting last month. It appears Werner intended to make the comments to herself, but her remarks were caught on a hot mic. Werner was attending the meeting remotely.
“This is what I have to listen to,” said Werner. “She’s in nutrition services and she’s like morbidly obese.”
Werner also uttered the comment “chub” amid some indiscernible audio.
General Mills Foodservice has recognized Bilbrey as the only “trayblazer” in Arizona — one of around 40 nationwide — for her innovative approaches to feeding students.
A coalition of mainly progressive parents and community members say Werner, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, had committed fat-shaming in conflict with board policy. Werner has previously caught the ire of this coalition of parents for pushing to rid SUSD of books advancing DEI and LGBTQ+ ideologies.
An organization, Swing Left, organized a protest to demand Werner’s resignation during the September 9 board meeting. Around 50 individuals showed. Werner was absent, as was board president Donna Lewis.
Public comment focused on Werner’s remarks from last month’s meeting.
Shea Najafi, an SUSD parent and progressive activist organizer who founded Scottsdale Women Rising, has led efforts to recall Werner. Najafi is gathering signatures to hold a recall campaign, which would require around 4,000 signatures.
“It was deplorable. We couldn’t believe she called a beloved district employee ‘Chubs’ during a presentation in which she was speaking about how we can feed kids during the summer,” said Najafi.
Najafi and others seeking Werner’s recall plan to attend the October 7 meeting with TV crews in tow.
“You’re f****d, Werner,” wrote Najafi in a Facebook post.
SUSD governing board vice president Mike Sharkey, who Najafi and other progressives support, disclosed that he asked legal counsel whether Werner could be censured over the remarks. According to Sharkey, counsel advised the board couldn’t act in that manner.
Sharkey then read aloud a pre-written statement to the protesters.
“I do not condone the conduct of the board member given what I heard at the board meeting on August. 5. I know what I heard, but only the speaker can know why she said what she said,” said Sharkey during the September 9 meeting. “This behavior does not reflect the board member ethics as adopted in policy nor is it representative of SUSD’s core values.”
Yet, Sharkey later admitted in a statement to The Progress that he didn’t hear what Werner said at first. It was only after he reportedly received an email containing Werner’s remarks that he understood what had been said.
“I heard crosstalk at the original August 5 meeting but didn’t comprehend what was said,” said Sharkey.
Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity stated that an AI analysis of the board meeting audio compared to prior board meetings indicated the audio had been enhanced to make Werner’s comments audible. Those who attended the meeting in person reported not hearing Werner’s commentary.
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Two Arizona lawmakers are raising concerns over what they describe as a failure by the Governor’s Residential Utility Consumer Office (RUCO) to assist local families facing steep water and sewer rate hikes.
Representatives Teresa Martinez and Chris Lopez, both Republicans representing Legislative District 16, sent a letter to RUCO Director Cynthia Zwick questioning the agency’s handling of constituent requests tied to two pending Picacho Water & Sewer Company rate cases. The utility, which is foreign-owned, has sought increases that residents say are excessive and unfair.
According to the lawmakers, multiple constituents reached out to RUCO for support but received delayed responses—or, in some cases, no intervention at all.
“RUCO exists to stand up for utility consumers, not ignore them,” Rep. Martinez said. “Our constituents are understandably frustrated. They’re facing steep hikes from a foreign-owned utility, and when they turned to the Governor’s office for help, they got silence and a refusal. They deserve better.”
The letter from Martinez and Lopez asks RUCO to provide detailed information about how the office logs and tracks consumer complaints, its response timelines, and who within the agency handled calls regarding the Picacho cases. It specifically requests the dates those calls were received and when responses were issued
Rep. Lopez emphasized the need for accountability: “We’re pressing for answers because these families deserve accountability. Ratepayers shouldn’t be left in the dark when they turn to the very office meant to advocate for them.”
The lawmakers, joined by Senator T.J. Shope of the same district, also requested an in-person meeting with RUCO to review its consumer response practices.
The dispute centers on Docket Nos. W-03528A-25-0056 and SW-03709A-25-0057, in which Picacho Water & Sewer Company has asked regulators to approve rate increases. Residents have argued the proposals would impose unfair financial burdens, particularly given the utility’s ownership outside the United States.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The Autism Academy for Education and Development (AAED), Arizona’s first fully accredited autism-only K-12+ private day school, has officially expanded its reach with the opening of a new campus in North Phoenix. The school marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by families, community leaders, and representatives from the Phoenix Mayor’s Office. Academy Founder and Director, Laura Newcomb, also recognized Arizona attorney and Attorney General candidate Rodney Glassman for his support and advocacy on behalf of families with children on the autism spectrum.
Founded in 2013, AAED now operates six in-person campuses across the Phoenix and Tucson areas, along with a virtual academy. The organization serves students across the autism spectrum through individualized education and therapy services designed to foster both academic and social growth.
The new North Phoenix campus has been purpose-built with features tailored to students’ needs. These include:
Multi-sensory classrooms
Small group instruction and low student-to-teacher ratios
Individualized education plans (IEPs)
Integrated speech and occupational therapy with oversight from Board-Certified Behavior Analysts
Beyond academics, the facility also offers sensory rooms, outdoor learning areas, and collaborative spaces designed to help students develop life skills such as communication, independence, and decision-making.
“Bringing our proven, individualized approach to autism education to North Phoenix allows us to reach more families and students who deserve access to specialized services close to home,” Newcomb said. “We designed this campus to foster independence, social growth, and academic achievement in every student.”
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A dispute over public records has emerged between state lawmakers and the Tolleson Union High School District, after the district declined to provide financial transaction records requested by the Legislature.
The conflict began after a July 21 Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) hearing on school district finances. Committee Co-Chairman Rep. Matt Gress (R–LD4) followed up with a formal request on August 26 seeking two years of financial records, including purchase orders, contracts, and payments to vendors.
Instead of complying, the district responded by refusing to release electronic records and imposing more than $26,000 in fees for hard copies—charges Gress argues are intended to deter requests. State law allows agencies to charge for the actual cost of copying or mailing records, but not for producing electronic files.
The Tolleson Union High School District wants to charge me $26,000 to access basic financial records as a way to discourage such requests.
In a September 17 letter, Gress accused the district of setting “a dangerous and unacceptable precedent” by blocking access to basic financial information. He described the district’s stance as unprecedented, saying that other Arizona school districts have provided similar data without incident.
“Exporting purchase orders from financial software is simple, and other districts have complied quickly,” Gress said. “This refusal denies lawmakers the basic financial information needed to evaluate reforms and ensure tax dollars are spent responsibly.”
The lawmaker also raised concerns about the district’s reported consultation with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Gress noted that Attorney General Kris Mayes has previously provided records to the Legislature when her own office was under review. “It would be deeply troubling,” he said, if the Attorney General advised a district to withhold documents from legislative oversight.
In correspondence with the district, Gress emphasized that Arizona law (A.R.S. § 39-121 et seq.) grants the public the right to inspect government records and restricts fees to copying or mailing costs. He criticized the district’s explanation that the charges were meant to compensate staff time and discourage what it called “unreasonable” requests.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona State Representative Walt Blackman, Chairman of the House Government Committee, urged Governor Hobbs to declare a State of Emergency in Gila County following catastrophic flooding. The flooding that began on Thursday, September 25, 2025, has already claimed at least three lives, with one still missing.
Hobbs waited days before declaring an emergency, finally declaring one on Saturday, September 27.
The floods have washed away vehicles, damaged historic buildings, and scattered hazardous debris, leaving the communities in a state of disaster.
Search and rescue operations, supported by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS), and cadaver dogs, continue across Globe and Gila County.
“The people of Gila County are facing a disaster that has taken lives, destroyed homes and businesses, and left our communities in crisis,” said Representative Blackman. “I am in constant contact with local and state officials and working around the clock to make sure families get the help they need. I urge Governor Hobbs to act immediately so state resources can be mobilized for rescue, recovery, and rebuilding.
He added, “Gila County residents need help now. I am calling on the Governor to issue this declaration without delay. Every hour counts when lives and property are at risk.”
The state’s emergency operation center is operating at level 1 with 24-hour staffing from 20 agencies and over 45 personnel.
Globe Mayor Al Gameros confirmed three deaths and one missing as of Monday, September 29, 2025.
“This morning (Sunday), we brought in an incident command team, type 3 team from the state, and they bring in so many resources,” said Mayor Gameros. “They bring in over 150 team members … We also have helicopters on standby.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Superintendent Tom Horne and Treasurer Kimberly Yee are at odds over a sizeable loan to a school district.
Horne wants Yee to approve a $3 million cash advance to Nadaburg Unified School District (NUSD), located inside Wittman. He stated in a Monday press release that Yee failed to conduct a proper review of the district’s finances before denying the advance.
The superintendent cleared up previous reports of a projected deficit as a “clerical error.” Horne called Yee’s denial “irresponsible” and urged her to reconsider.
“Our Finance Division did its research and determined that Nadaburg is operating within its budget, and by the end of the year they will have a projected positive cash balance of $1.3 million. Initially it was thought that they would have a negative cash balance at the end of the year, but the Department of Education, being a service institution, checked the forms and found the district made an unintentional clerical error that they can correct,” said Horne. “The Treasurer could have done the same review because she has the necessary forms, which were provided to her by our office, and her office failed to follow up with us to determine why we approved the advance.”
Yee not only denied the district a $3 million cash advance to address a $5 million deficit, she asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to direct a special investigation of the district through the Auditor General. The reported deficit amounted to three times the total amount of revenue NUSD anticipates from property taxes.
Yee’s announcement came last week, several days before Horne issued his response.
The treasurer expressed concern that Horne and the Arizona Department of Education had approved an advance to a district “in considerable financial crisis.” Although Horne alleges Yee failed to conduct a proper review of NUSD finances, Yee claimed in that preceding press release that she identified poor financial practices.
“The state’s top education agency should have been able to identify, as the Arizona Treasury has, that this District may desperately need financial experts to bring their books into the black,” said Yee.
In the denial letter to NUSD Superintendent Aspasia Angelou, Yee said the district failed to justify the necessity of the expenses the advance would cover and failed to show efforts to reduce current expenses to the minimum.
“[This] raises concern that the deficit is not necessary due to the timing of property tax collections, but could potentially be indicative of gross financial mismanagement,” said Yee. “[Our office] is seriously concerned that an advancement of funds now will only compound the district’s deficit and harm the financial stability of the district for years to come.”
In his Monday press release, Horne dismissed Yee’s claim of financial mismanagement as lacking any evidence. Rather than evidence of impropriety, Horne said the request was normal.
“District cash advances are common because a school district’s income and expenses may fluctuate,” said Horne. “As long as the district’s cash position is positive by the end of the year, and the funds will be paid back, cash advances are allowable.”
NUSD cited a low ending fund balance from the prior fiscal year and decreased property tax collections in 2024 as the main reasons for the deficit.
There are nearly 1,500 students in NUSD.
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