MIKE BENGERT: Are Scottsdale School Board Members Leaders Or Menzel Followers?

MIKE BENGERT: Are Scottsdale School Board Members Leaders Or Menzel Followers?

By Mike Bengert |

At the June 23rd meeting, the three-member progressive majority of the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUDSD) Governing Board approved a $20,000 raise and contract extension for Dr. Menzel. His annual salary, not including stipends, bonuses, or other benefits, is now $245,000.

Member Amy Carney voted no. Explaining her vote, she said:

“My vote for extending the superintendent’s contract through 2029 is based on performance, accountability, and the financial realities facing our district. Scottsdale Unified School District continues to face significant challenges. Enrollments declined by approximately 6,000 students over the past decade, resulting in ongoing budget pressures and difficult decisions about closing and consolidating neighborhood schools. And at the same time, district academic performance indicators, including ACT scores, are still declining. This year, the superintendent received a lower evaluation score from the board than he received in previous years. Despite that decline, the board majority has approved both a salary increase and a three-year contract extension. I believe contract extensions should be earned through demonstrated results. When academic goals have not been met over a long span of time and a district is operating in a season of budget deficits, extending a contract is wrong. In most organizations, declining performance would not earn you additional compensation or a lengthened contract. Given those realities, I don’t believe giving our superintendent a raise or long-term contract extension is appropriate. My responsibility is to exercise sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars and hold district leadership accountable for results. So, for those reasons, my vote is a no.”

With this statement, Member Carney again showed the principled leadership she has brought to the Board throughout her four years serving SUSD students and parents.

For those who have been paying attention, this is not surprising.

Over the years, Member Carney has consistently challenged Menzel’s radical and destructive policies. For the past four years, she and outgoing Member Werner were the only voices of reason and common sense on the Board. Despite attacks and ridicule from progressive members who backed Menzel, they refused to serve as rubber stamps and would not be silenced.

Now let’s compare what the Menzel-aligned board members said about his new contract.

Menzel’s Followers on His Leadership

Explaining his vote to approve Menzel’s raise and contract extension, Member Pittinsky said in part:

“I think under Dr. Menzel’s leadership, we’re in the midst of several critical initiatives, all of which are multi-year, and he deserves the opportunity and we need his leadership and his expertise to see them through.”

According to Pittinsky, SUSD needs Menzel’s “leadership and expertise” to carry out “several critical initiatives,” including closing and consolidating schools. Yet those initiatives stem from actions Menzel took, with support from the Board majority, as part of his effort to disrupt and dismantle SUSD.

Then came comments from Governing Board President Dr. Lewis, another public education expert and former superintendent of the year.

Explaining her yes vote, Dr. Lewis said:

“Menzel’s asked frequently to serve and guide other superintendents around the state and that’s a compliment and a badge of honor for this district.”

She conveniently left out that Menzel is paid for his involvement in the Superintendents Collaborative Network with Grand Canyon University.

Dr. Lewis went on to say:

“I appreciate that he symbolizes who we are and what we’re about and is very in touch with some of the points of disagreement. And that takes a sophistication and complexity to weather while leaning in and taking the risk of leading.”

I’m not sure exactly what this means, especially the last sentence. But since Lewis and the other Menzel supporters on the Board routinely approve what Menzel wants, one interpretation is that, if Menzel “symbolizes who we are and what we’re about,” they also support his effort to “disrupt and dismantle” SUSD.

Menzel’s Followers on Enrollment

Pittinsky continued:

“I would point out that if you look at retention, which is the number of students who are in our schools that continue in our schools, every single year that Dr. Menzel has been superintendent, our enrollment has grown. We’ve had more than 100% of our students renew, which means we are attracting more students. Our enrollment trends are a function of starting kindergarten classes that are much smaller than graduating senior classes and that is largely a function of demographics. That is simple math.”

To try and understand Pittinskys’ statements about retention and enrollment trends, I went to the  various presentations used by Menzel at the Board meetings.

Member Pittinsky’s statement that enrollment has grown under Menzel is proven wrong by Menzel’s own chart. Go to the 4/29/25 Enrollment Planning Study Session, slide #10, and see for yourself. From 2021 (21,455) to 2024 (20,930) enrollment has declined every year for a total of 525 (-2.4%) students. If you extend it to include 2025 (19,722) (from District Financial & Enrollment Overview 10/28/2025, slide #4) during period 2021-2025 the total drop in enrollment is 1,733, with 1,208 of that reduction happening between 2024 and 2025 alone. During Menzel’s tenure as superintendent the 1,733 enrollment reduction represents 29% of the total 6,032 between 2010 and 2025.

Again, using Menzel’s numbers, while SUSD enrollment was declining by 2.4% from 2021 to 2024, Great Hearts enrollment increased 5.6%. Must be demographics.

Pittinsky is arguing that Menzel should not be blamed for declining enrollment because kindergarten classes are smaller than graduation senior classes, due in large part to demographics. Yes, the math is simple, but it has followed the same pattern since 2010, with kindergarten enrollment lower than the number of graduating seniors every year by an average of over 500 students. But in the last five years under Menzel, we have graduated an average of over 700 more seniors than kindergarten students.

Explain again how we are attracting more students.

Menzel’s Followers on Capture Rate

During the February 11, 2025, board meeting, where the 2025-2026 budget was reviewed, Member Pittinsky commented that, due in part to demographics and the SUSD capture rate (currently 55%), the district would be “doing the same thing again in 12 months” without rethinking its expense structure.

At the February 2025 meeting, Pittinsky viewed the district low capture rate as a problem, but apparently now he views it as a positive while trying to defend his vote to give Menzel a raise and contract extension, he says:

“…if you look at our capture rate under Dr. Menzel, our capture rate has declined at the lowest rate of any of the recent superintendents.

So, according to Pittinsky, while the SUSD capture rate under Menzel is bad and is declining, it is not as bad as other SUSD superintendents. This is the same logic Menzel uses when he says SUSD academic performance may be bad, but we still lead the state, a state where overall academic performance is a disaster.

I think this kind of logic is what they call spin.

Menzel’s Followers on Academic Goals

Pittinsky also notes that in this contract extension, the Board has set multi-year academic achievement goals for Menzel. But in his five years at SUSD, Menzel has not met a single academic goal. Why should this time be different? Goals may sound meaningful, but if they are repeatedly missed without consequences, they become little more than wasted time.

Menzel’s Followers on the State of the District

Pittinsky claims that according to surveys SUSD is a well-run district. Perhaps Pittinsky needs to review slides 30 and 31 from the 4/29/25 Enrollment Planning Study Session. Those exit surveys identified parents’ concerns about academic rigor, technology overuse, discipline and policy enforcement, bullying and safety, and dissatisfaction with school leadership.

According to Arizona Auditor General, a “review of the District’s data indicates that the District may be moving toward the highest-risk category.”  The Auditor cites five areas at SUSD as high risk, including the change in weighted student count (-7.19% in 4 years), and four critical financial measures. You can review the details here Scottsdale Unified School District Approaching Highest Risk.

The Scottsdale Unified School District Spending Report shows that the District FY2025 instructional spending percentage of 54.0% is near the 25-year low of 53.6%

This story from March 2024 talks about the poor performance of 8th graders on the math testing with only 54% being proficient on the standardized math test. Look at the FY2025 8th grade math test scores on the Arizona Department of Education website here. You will see that only 49% of all 8th graders are proficient in math.

Does this sound like a well-run district?

Here is the bottom-line.

This November we have a choice. We need principled leadership on the SUSD Governing Board. We can’t afford to elect another member with no ties to the district other than being a Menzel supporter. Do your homework.

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

YENDI PARKER: From Yuma To The Capitol: How A Local Effort Helped Deliver Historic Property Tax Relief For Arizona Veterans

YENDI PARKER: From Yuma To The Capitol: How A Local Effort Helped Deliver Historic Property Tax Relief For Arizona Veterans

By Yendi Parker |

For anyone who has lived in Yuma, the sound of military aircraft overhead isn’t unusual. It’s part of daily life.

So perhaps it is fitting that an effort to significantly expand property tax relief for Arizona’s disabled veterans has roots here.

The reforms, championed by Rep. Michael Carbone, whose Legislative District 25 includes portions of Yuma and Maricopa counties, have unfolded over multiple legislative sessions. They significantly expand Arizona’s property tax benefits for disabled veterans, with additional changes taking effect in tax year 2027.

But the story didn’t begin at the Capitol. It began with his constituents.

Yuma resident and military veteran Josh Pembleton wrote the original constituent proposal and brought it to Carbone about two years ago. Fellow veteran Josh Wright also provided his thoughts and perspective as the idea developed.

“That makes me so proud, because it came from our citizens,” Carbone said.

Pembleton said the idea grew from conversations with veterans frustrated by Arizona’s existing property tax exemption system. Income restrictions and other requirements meant too few veterans were benefiting from the policies already in place.

He began looking at what other states were doing and saw an opportunity for Arizona to do better.

“I think it is more than fair to provide a benefit to those that have sustained lifelong injuries while providing service to our great country,” Pembleton said. “If the VA recognizes these veterans in reference to disability rating, we should too.”

Barry Todd, also a veteran, was part of the effort, listening to disabled veterans across Arizona about where the system was falling short.

“Our goal was never political,” Todd said. “We simply wanted the law to reflect the sacrifices veterans made and remove barriers that kept them from receiving benefits they had earned.”

That persistence eventually paid off.

Arizona now provides a full property tax exemption on the primary residence of qualifying veterans with a 100% service-connected disability. Veterans with service-connected disability ratings from 10% through 90% can receive property tax relief prorated proportionally according to their disability rating.

The reforms also removed the previous property-assessment ceiling for disabled veterans and provide protections for qualifying surviving spouses. Beginning in tax year 2027, disabled veterans and their surviving spouses will no longer be subject to the household income limits that previously prevented many from qualifying.

For Carbone, the changes represent a dramatic improvement in Arizona’s treatment of veterans.

“The thing that makes me the happiest is going from one of the worst to one of the best now,” Carbone said. “We want you to stay here in Arizona. And it is the right thing to do.”

House Republicans describe the resulting program as one of the most generous veteran property tax benefits in the nation. For those who helped push the reforms forward, the goal is to lead from the front while honoring veterans and making Arizona a place where they can afford to put down roots after their military careers.

Passing legislation, however, is only part of the job. Arizona’s county assessors now have to make it work.

Yuma County Assessor Stevie Seale said his office will be prepared to help local veterans navigate the new benefit when implementation begins.

“Starting in January 2027, Yuma County will be ready to implement this new law and make the process as clear and straightforward as possible for our veterans,” Seale said. “The Legislature got this right. This was an issue I advocated for while running for assessor, and it’s rewarding to see it become a reality and provide this benefit to those who have served our country.”

Veterans seeking the exemption will work through their local county assessor, putting those offices on the front line of turning the statewide reform into a tangible benefit for veterans and their families.

For Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls, the effort fits a community where supporting military families and veterans is part of its identity.

“Yuma is a community that takes a lot of pride in our military and veteran presence,” Nicholls said. “We want Arizona to serve as our veterans’ home after they retire. We welcome them here in Arizona and in Yuma.”

That commitment has earned national recognition. Yuma was named a 2025 Great American Defense Community, one of only three communities nationwide selected that year.

As a Yuma resident of eight years and the wife of an active-duty Marine now in his 21st year of service, I’ve seen that relationship firsthand. Here, military service isn’t something observed from a distance. It is woven into everyday life.

That’s also why this story is about more than property taxes.

Veterans who choose Arizona after leaving the military become our community members. Helping them build their next chapter here honors their service while strengthening the communities they join.

And maybe that is the best part of this story.

A Yuma veteran saw a problem and wrote a proposal. Other veterans lent their voices. Their state representative listened and carried the issue to the Capitol. Lawmakers acted. Now local officials will help deliver the benefit.

Years from now, most Arizonans probably won’t remember the bill numbers.

But disabled veterans and their families may remember something far more important: Arizona made it easier for them to remain in the place they chose to call home.

And behind that statewide change is a story with roots in a community where military service has never been an abstract idea.

It has always been part of life in Yuma.

Yendi Parker is an English teacher at Yuma Catholic High School. She also serves as the Western Arizona Chapter Manager for Our America and 3rd Vice President for the Arizona State Federation of Republican Women.

ALLEIGH MARRÉ: Sophie Cunningham Stuck Her Neck Out For Our Daughters. It’s Time For Parents To Join Her.

ALLEIGH MARRÉ: Sophie Cunningham Stuck Her Neck Out For Our Daughters. It’s Time For Parents To Join Her.

By Alleigh Marré |

Sophie Cunningham seemed to have it all. As a guard for the Indiana Fever in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Cunningham’s star power was on the rise. She boasts 5 million Instagram followers, countless brand partnerships, and appeared as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model.

Then in a July interview with ESPN, Cunningham said that biological men shouldn’t be in women and girls’ sports or private spaces. She is now receiving the backlash from far-left activists we’ve come to expect. Despite it, she hasn’t backed down.

I said what I said,” she told reporters questioning her position. “I think it’s kind of common sense … it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category.” She later doubled down on her stance saying, “That’s why you have Title IX. That’s why you have some of the greats in women’s sports. If Title IX and women’s sports weren’t protected, then you wouldn’t hear about any type of women in sport. And so, I think in the future, it’s just really important to protect.”

Most people agree. A majority of Americans believe biological males should not be permitted in female private spaces like locker rooms, dorm rooms, or bathrooms. And nearly 80% of Americans oppose biological males competing on women’s sports teams.

Those numbers reflect something people understand intuitively: biological males have physical advantages over their female peers. In fact, the United NationsAmerican Parents Coalition (APC), and He Cheated, have each documented countless incidents in which biological males competing in female sports have cost female athletes of trophies, podium spots, and even championship titles. In some cases, the consequences have gone beyond lost opportunities and resulted in physical injuries.

But you’d never know that from looking at the mainstream coverage of Cunningham’s remarks. Instead, the WNBA, the public, and the mainstream media, are allowing a small but loud segment of the population to bully Cunningham for speaking the truth.

The aggression of Cunningham’s opponents has made recent WNBA games look more like violent brawls than professional basketball. Just last week, Cunningham was flagrantly fouled and could have been seriously injured. Some responded by calling it “karma.” She has also been protested and booed at games and even branded as a “MAGA Barbie.” Despite this, the physical, personal, and political attacks have failed to diminish Cunningham’s courage.

“I think that I am here to extend love,” Cunningham has said. “But I also think that with love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in a sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

These words from a professional athlete like Cunningham, or a former top collegiate athlete like Riley Gaines, carry enormous weight. But Cunningham and Gaines should be amplifiers for what we already know the public overwhelmingly supports, not the only ones willing to speak up.

It’s our duty as parents to support their courage, not leave them to stand as the sole advocates for our daughters. We must defend the future of women’s sports as well as the safety, privacy, and opportunities of girls in our own communities. Whether in youth sports leagues, high schools, or even at the collegiate level, parents have an obligation to speak truth, stand up for our daughters, and hold the line. We cannot be afraid of or intimidated by pushback within our community and social circles and idly stand by expecting others to fight these battles for our daughters. We cannot afford to be the silent majority any longer.

That anyone would attack a woman for defending women’s sports, Title IX, and the safety and privacy of female athletes is an outrage. That so few have come to her defense is equally appalling, especially when we know where the public stands. Parents should ask themselves why they are letting her hang out to dry. If more of us were willing to speak up, would Cunningham’s words even seem so remarkable?

As a former athlete and coach, I know firsthand how important being on a sports team can be to the development of young girls. The benefits extend far beyond their athletic careers, giving girls the confidence and skills to thrive later in life. If a boy takes a spot on the team that could have gone to a girl, that girl misses out on crucial opportunities during a formative period of her life. She loses opportunities to develop teamwork, build healthy eating and exercise habits, form friendships, benefit from mentorship, and learn how to win and lose with grace. Allowing boys into female sports threatens the very opportunities those teams were created to provide.

Cunningham stuck her neck out for your daughters. We need parents, coaches, and our community to stand up too.

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Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Alleigh Marré is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation, executive director of American Parents Coalition, and a mother of four.

CLIFF MALONEY: Democrats Want ID For Hot Pockets But Not For Voting?

CLIFF MALONEY: Democrats Want ID For Hot Pockets But Not For Voting?

By Cliff Maloney |

While the left has been lecturing us for decades that requiring ID to vote is somehow an overt example of systemic racism, they’re now planning to require ID for the privilege of shopping in government run grocery stores. 

Democratic New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced in a recent press conference that he intends to spend over $70 million in taxpayer dollars to launch five government run grocery stores across New York, promising a 30% discount on all groceries. 

And when questioned on how he intends to ensure people won’t just travel to New York and buy up the inventory for resale elsewhere in a predictable arbitrage play, his answer was both astounding and hypocritical. This is par for the course with his failed promises.

He said that they would implement a “library-esque” ID card that only New York citizens could obtain.

Yep, you heard that right — according to Democrats, it’s racist to ensure that only United States citizens are voting in our elections, but it’s totally fine to require ID to buy a box of Hot Pockets. 

Someone else will have to make it make sense, because I sure as hell can’t. 

For now, let’s set aside the absurdity of government run grocery stores. Let’s also set aside the fact that Democrats are claiming they have the magical ability to provide a 30% discount in an industry that operates on a 1-3% profit margin. And last but not least, let’s set aside the fact that every single industry the government gets involved in instantly experiences massive cost increases that destroy the budgets of hard working Americans. 

Instead, let’s unpack their initial claim that requiring ID to vote is somehow racist

What explanation have they used to justify that claim? 

Across the board, nearly every Democrat politician, lobbyist, activist, and political pundit has consistently stated that black Americans either don’t know how or can’t afford to get a government issued ID.

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has consistently been one of the most vocal critics of voter ID, and recently made the ridiculous statement that, “We are not going to turn our elections over to Donald Trump.”

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a law to completely ban local voter ID requirements.

And Matt Dietrich, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections, said that Illinois does not require voters to show any type of photo ID at the polls, and went on to say voters only need to sign a sworn statement on their voter registration application that they are a U.S. citizen.

These are just a handful out of hundreds of examples.

Personally, I think the claim that black Americans either don’t know how or can’t afford to get a government issued ID, in and of itself, is pretty racist. 

Virtually every single human of every race in America knows that getting an ID is a simple matter of going to your local Department of Motor Vehicles. And even if someone doesn’t know where one is, it’s hours of operation, or even what documents they’ll need, finding those answers is as simple as a quick Google search. (Although Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul did claim in May 2024 that black children don’t know what computers are, so I can see why Democrats might be confused here.) 

So the claim that voters of any race don’t know how to get an ID is absurd.

The claim that black Americans can’t afford a government ID is equally absurd because the cost of a driver’s license ranges from $10 to $90, depending on your state.

But beyond that, an ID is already required for typical life in America anyway. 

You need to show ID to drive a vehicle, visit a doctor, pick up prescriptions, travel on an airplane, buy a firearm, get a job, open a bank account, join the military, rent an apartment, enter a casino, purchase alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and some video games, register for government benefits, get married, get divorced, cash a check, rent a car or hotel room, register for health insurance, get a piercing or tattoo, donate blood, go hunting or fishing, sign any legal document, and countless other activities that most Americans do every single day.

And now, apparently, we can add shopping at Democrat run grocery stores. 

According to Democrats, requiring an ID for all of these activities is perfectly fine, but when it comes to voting in our elections, it’s somehow an egregious burden that disenfranchises black voters.

What’s clear to me is that Democrats don’t want secure elections because they know they can’t win without cheating the system. 

We’ve seen case after case of voter fraud. Recent examples include illegal aliens who were registered to vote, dead citizens still on the voter rolls, and harvesting ballots from the homeless population. 

And in nearly every single case, this fraudulent voting favors Democrat candidates. 

You don’t have to be a statistician to realize that it’s mathematically impossible for that to just be a coincidental fluke. It’s a clear case of systemic voting fraud perpetuated by the Democratic political machine.

The bottom line is that if Democrats think ID should be required to buy groceries, then the least we can do is require the same for our elections. 

If it’s good enough for Hot Pockets, it’s good enough for the voting booth.

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Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Cliff Maloney is a contributor to the Daily Caller News Foundation, the CEO of Citizens Alliance, and the author of Run Right: A Complete Election Playbook to Win. You can follow him @maloney on X.