by Jonathan Eberle | Nov 10, 2025 | Education, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Voters in the Tolleson Union High School District decisively rejected two funding measures last week, signaling a sharp reversal from past election outcomes and raising new questions about public trust in district leadership.
Both a proposed bond and budget override failed by wide margins, marking what state leaders are calling a significant shift in community sentiment. According to Arizona State Representative Matt Gress, who chairs the House Education Committee and co-chairs the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, the margin represents an estimated 40-point swing from the district’s last round of voter-approved measures.
“That kind of reversal doesn’t happen by chance,” Gress said in a statement. “It reflects taxpayers’ deep concern over how their money is being managed and the direction of district leadership.”
The vote comes as the district faces ongoing scrutiny from lawmakers over financial transparency. Gress first requested detailed financial transaction data from Tolleson Union on August 26 following a legislative audit hearing. The district declined to provide electronic records and instead issued an estimate exceeding $26,000 to fulfill the request. A follow-up clarification was sent on September 17, and as of last week the district had not complied.
Gress said the lack of cooperation has only fueled public skepticism. He pointed to delayed responses to official requests and continued planning for an $80 million domed stadium as examples of misplaced priorities, particularly as some governing board members face an active recall effort.
“When a school district refuses to provide basic financial records to the Legislature … public trust deteriorates quickly,” he said. “The Tolleson Union Governing Board should halt any further work on the stadium until transparency is restored and confidence is rebuilt.”
Supporters of the failed measures argued the additional funding was needed to maintain educational programs, address facility needs, and manage enrollment growth. But Tuesday’s results underscore a shifting climate in which voters appear more reluctant to approve additional spending without stronger fiscal assurances.
“The people of Tolleson have made their position clear: accountability must come before new spending,” Gress said. He added that lawmakers will continue to press for the financial records needed to assess how taxpayer funds are being used. School districts often rely on bonds to finance major capital projects and budget overrides to supplement operational funding. The rejection of both measures could force Tolleson Union to adjust spending plans or scale back initiatives in the months ahead.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Oct 18, 2025 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
Ever since Arizona passed universal school choice, the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program has been the target of the Red for Ed teachers’ union, Democrat lawmakers and their corporate media allies. They demand transparency and accountability for alleged abuse of ESA dollars—all while scandal after scandal continues to pop up in our state’s K-12 public schools.
We saw it at the beginning of the year when the Isaac Elementary School District (IESD) was placed under a state receivership after it was determined that it had a budget shortfall of over $12 million! And this wasn’t a surprise. The Auditor General had been sounding the alarm on IESD’s mismanagement of funds for five years!
But where was the corporate media? Where was the digging? Where was the series of articles and threads on X exposing the corruption?
We got none of it. Instead, we have certain Red For Ed reporters, like Craig Harris, attacking Arizona’s popular ESA program with liberal talking points about unspent funds and alleged waste and abuse.
But if the failures of IESD weren’t enough, now we have the sordid financial tale of Tolleson Union High School District, a story so scandalous that it should make every taxpayer’s blood boil…
>>> CONTINUE READING >>>
by Staff Reporter | Oct 9, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
The superintendent of Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD), Jeremy Calles, declined to show up to a legislative hearing to audit his district.
Instead, Calles had a notice of defamation claim served to the committee ahead of their hearing. State Representative Matt Gress, House Education Committee chairman and Joint Legislative Audit Committee vice chairman, explained that Calles filed the $150,000 defamation claim because lawmakers were holding the hearing.
Gress also said Calles wanted to charge him up to $28,000 for “basic” public records pertaining to the district’s finances. Gress requested those records in August following a separate committee hearing the previous month.
“This is a very unusual situation,” said Gress. “I’ve not seen a school district or any political subdivision of the state for that matter, be so antagonistic to the legislature’s constitutional authority and responsibility to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.”
Lawmakers held a joint audit committee hearing on Tuesday to discuss TUHSD finances under Calles.
TUHSD came under legislative scrutiny following a $25 million leaseback agreement to rescue the Isaac School District (ISD) at the start of this year — another district with allegations of financial mismanagement. Calles disclosed in the July hearing that initial conversations on the ISD deal began with the other role he holds as a consultant. Calles is the highest paid superintendent in the state.
Gress flagged the deal as potentially unlawful and challenged Attorney General Kris Mayes’ approval of the deal.
“This agreement raises glaring legal and financial red flags,” said Gress. “The Isaac School District has a long history of financial mismanagement, and now it’s relying on a last-minute bailout that may not even be legal. The Attorney General owes the public clear answers about how this deal was approved and whether it complies with state law.”
ISD was placed into receivership in January. Preliminary investigations into the district’s finances found it overspent nearly $30 million — mainly federal relief dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic — and falsified financial records.
Over the summer, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed legislation inspired by ISD that would oust the school board of any district placed in receivership.
“[T]he financial mismanagement of the Isaac School District is unacceptable, and governing board leadership must take accountability and resign,” said Hobbs. “This bill appears to seek broad retribution rather than providing targeted methods to address problems. Mandating the upheaval of an entire elected school board is blatant legislative overreach that would create disruption and confusion for school districts during a time of crisis.”
Last November TUHSD spent nearly $77,000 on “luxury vacations” for its board members and administrators over the course of two days for just 30 people.
The bipartisan committee voted unanimously, 9-0, to audit TUHSD following testimony.
Felipe Mandurraga, who was a principal at Tolleson Union High School for eight years until he resigned following this spring semester, testified that Calles abused funding. One of Mandurraga’s allegations was that Calles handed out $20,000 vouchers to teachers without rules on their expenditure.
Apart from finances, Mandurraga also alleged TUHSD officials allowed a teacher in a relationship with a student to resign with full benefits without launching an investigation, filing a report with police, or reporting the incident to the Arizona State Board of Education (ASBE). Mandurraga further alleged the teacher in question was hired two weeks later by another district and has no pending complaints according to ASBE.
Mandurraga also alleged that Calles denied the removal of a student suspected of possessing a gun on campus; several months later, that same student was involved in a Phoenix shooting.
Calles denied knowledge of the alleged incident to members of the media.
The committee also heard testimony from the Citizens for Schools Accountability.
Auditor General Lindsay Perry said the audit would take until January 2027 to complete.
Last December, TUHSD placed Calles on paid leave amid tensions between himself and several board members. Months before, Calles had filed a formal sexual harassment complaint against then-Governing Board President and current State Representative Elda Luna-Najera.
An independent investigation by TUHSD found that Calles and Luna-Najera were in a consensual, sexual relationship. Calles filed a complaint of retaliation for his placement on paid leave.
In January, TUHSD paid Calles $450,000 to settle his complaints of sexual harassment and retaliation. TUHSD Governing Board President Leezah Sun read the statement announcing the settlement. Sun resigned from the state legislature last year to avoid expulsion after the House Ethics Committee found she violated ethics rules.
Prior to becoming TUHSD superintendent in 2023, Calles served as the district’s chief financial officer for six years.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Oct 4, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona State Representative Matt Gress (R-LD4) issued a call to action after completing a day-long tour of homeless encampments across Tucson.
The visit revealed an awful situation that Gress described as a “pure and unmitigated human disaster,” highlighting the urgent need for systemic change to address homelessness, public safety, and access to treatment in Arizona’s communities.
During the tour, Gress met with individuals living in the encampments, including a young man in his early 20s who shared his disturbing story. In and out of jail, the man said he had been attacked by other homeless within the encampment, suffering a broken arm from being assaulted with a baseball bat. There were also visible needle marks on his arms, showing his struggle with addiction.
“He needs help. He deserves help,” Gress emphasized, pointing to the spiral of despair that traps many in similar circumstances.
The tour also brought Gress to a Tucson bike path, the site of a recent tragedy where a cyclist was fatally stabbed in an area known for a large homeless congregation.
Reflecting on the visit, Gress noted, “It doesn’t feel like what Tucson is doing is working, so why are we going to invest more into it? We need greater accountability for people living on the streets, for the cities, and for the nonprofits.”
In response to these alarming conditions, Gress announced plans to introduce legislation in January 2026 aimed at addressing the crisis.
The proposed measures will focus on increasing accountability for individuals, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations while expanding access to treatment resources for those struggling with addiction and mental health challenges.
“Things must change, or more people will die,” Gress warned, underscoring the importance of the situation.
Gress’s visit highlights the challenges facing Tucson and other Arizona communities as they grapple with rising homelessness, public safety concerns, and strained resources.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Oct 1, 2025 | Education, News
By Jonathan Eberle |
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.
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.
