As you read the following excerpts from a book titled “Push” found in a Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) school library, ask yourself – does it have any literary, educational, or scientific value? Is this something you would read to your children?
“I don’t fucks boyz but I’m pregnant. My fahver fuck me. And she know it. She kick me in my head when I’m pregnant. …I think my daddy. He stink, the white shit drip off his dick. Lick it lick it. I HATE that. But then I feel the hot sauce hot cha cha feeling when he be fucking me. I get so confuse. I HATE him. But my pussy be popping. He say that, “Bif Mama your pussy is popping!” I hate myself when I feel good.”
“My clit swell up think Daddy. Daddy sick me, disgust me, but still he sex me up. I nawshus in my stomach but hot tight in my twat and I think I want it back, the smell of the bedroom, the hurt- he slap my face till it sting and my ears sing separate songs from each other, call me names, pump my pussy in out in out in out awww I come…. Orgasm in me, his body shaking, grab me, call me Fat Mama, Big Hole! You LOVE it! Say you love it! I wanna say I DON”T. I wanna say I’m a chile. But my pussy popping like grease in frying pan. He slam in me again. His dick soft. He start sucking my tittie.”
Parents, do you think this kind of material belongs in a school library?
Does it possess any serious educational value for minors, or in any way enrich and support the curriculum in SUSD?
In July, a request to pull certain books from school libraries was submitted by an SUSD parent on behalf of Scottsdale Unites for Education Integrity, a local grass-roots organization.
During the September 10th board meeting, Dr. Hart-Wells made the following comments regarding the request. She prefaced her comments by saying she wanted to put some “sunshine” on the topic.
“Recently the Board received an out-of-state political organization’s request along with a super-minority of other like-minded folks, that submitted a demand to ban certain books from our school libraries. I would just like to encourage the super-majority of our community members and taxpayers who are opposed to book bans to request additional information from your neighborhood school and District administration about these efforts.”
At the board meeting on October 1st, during my public comments, I pointed out Dr. Hart-Wells’ comments. In response, she said my “representation was manipulated and were lies.”
Here is what I said:
“At the last board meeting, Dr. Hart-Wells made a bold statement that a ‘super-majority’ of Scottsdale residents agree with her position of wanting their kids to have access to adult-only rated books with sexually explicit content at school, which appears to violate Arizona laws and SUSD policy. She doesn’t just suggest that a few, some, many, or even a majority of Scottsdale residents, but asserts that a ‘super-majority’ supports her stance and wants to provide children with adults-only rated books at school.”
I suggest Dr. Hart-Wells is the one who lied and manipulated information in her September comments.
During my public comments, I pointed out that the request was submitted by a local group and not some out-of-state political organization, as Dr. Hart-Wells claimed in September.
The request was that books containing pervasively vulgar or educationally unsuitable content be removed from SUSD libraries, classrooms, and online curricula. The goal is to ensure that all the books in the SUSD libraries comply with Arizona law and SUSD policy IJL. It specifically states it is NOT a request to ban books, despite Dr. Hart-Wells’ statement in September.
Dr. Hart-Wells knows or should know, that in response to the request from Scottsdale Unites, using its authority under a U.S. Supreme Court decision and its obligations under Arizona law and SUSD policy, the district began a review of the books in question to determine if they comply with the law and policy.
Rather than supporting an effort (something you would expect the president of the governing board to do) to keep sexually explicit and vulgar books out of the hands of SUSD students, Dr. Hart-Wells purposely lied about the request, even going so far as to encourage community members and taxpayers to contact their school and the district administration about the request.
What was the purpose of her making such a request of the community?
During my public comment, I asked if Dr. Hart-Wells was somehow trying to influence the district review of the books. A valid question, given her encouragement for the community to contact the district.
It seems she objects to the removal of sexually explicit books from libraries. Does she also object to SUSD complying with the law and policy? And why is she apparently encouraging others to object as well?
Following Arizona law and SUSD policy is not optional. It is a basic responsibility of the governing board, a responsibility that the current board and Dr. Menzel’s administration have failed to live up to.
Rather than spending time undermining an effort to keep vulgar and educational unsuitable material out of the hands of SUSD students, Board President Dr. Hart-Wells should be spending her time addressing the low academic performance, record high staff turnover rates, and declining enrollment that SUSD has experienced under her leadership and Dr. Menzel’s administration.
Let’s just be honest about this, union-endorsed candidates are running for the SUSD governing board who want to “protect SUSD” and support Dr. Hart-Wells’ efforts to keep inappropriate, adults-only rated books available to students.
Parents, you don’t have to accept that outcome.
In the upcoming election, you can vote for candidates who want to make SUSD strong by focusing on academics, parents’ rights, safety, and fiscal responsibility.
Mike Bengert is a husband, father, grandfather, and Scottsdale resident advocating for quality education in SUSD for over 30 years.
In a heated board meeting on September 10, 2024, Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Board President Libby Hart-Wells declared that a “supermajority” of parents are against removing certain library books with explicit adult content. This bold statement was a direct response to a letter sent to the board on July 31, 2024, by 13 concerned organizations, with backing from former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas.
The letter spotlighted several books in SUSD libraries rated 4 (Not for Minors) or 5 (Aberrant Content) by BookLooks.org. Among these was “PUSH” by Sapphire, available at Arcadia High School. “PUSH” is notorious for its explicit content and frequent use of strong language. The book’s movie adaptation is rated R, which would be banned in SUSD classrooms under current board policy.
An excerpt from “PUSH” vividly describes incest and sexual abuse, sparking outrage among parents and community members who question its suitability for school libraries. Critics argue that Hart-Wells’ stance is at odds with Arizona laws and SUSD policies, which prohibit providing harmful materials to minors and emphasize parental rights in education.
In response to Hart-Wells’ claim, the X account @ALegalProcess posted:
“If she has a “supermajority” of Scottsdale parents that approve of “Daddy…slap my face, pump my pussy…orgasm in me, call me Fat Mama…my pussy popping like grease…” Then we’re done here. ESAs for everyone.” – ALegalProcess
If she has a "supermajority" of Scottsdale parents that approve of "Daddy…slap my face, pump my pussy…orgasm in me, call me Fat Mama…my pussy popping like grease…" Then we're done here. ESAs for everyone. pic.twitter.com/QxvsDuZMOj
— TheLegalProcess (v3.0 | Instruction Not Therapy) (@ALegalProcess) September 16, 2024
Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) 13-3506 and 13-3501 strictly regulate the distribution of harmful items to minors, while A.R.S. 1-602 and 15-711 grant parents significant control over their children’s upbringing and sex education. Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Island Trees Union Free School No. 26 vs. Pico supports the removal of books from school libraries for non-discriminatory reasons, such as vulgarity or educational unsuitability.
SUSD’s own policy IJL requires that library materials enrich the curriculum and uphold ethical standards, adding another layer of complexity to the board president’s controversial position.
SUSD has previously removed the books “Milk and Honey” and “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed” due to their mature sexual content.
SUSD school board candidate Mike Sharkey appears to be part of Hart-Wells’ “supermajority” that supports providing children with inappropriate content. Sharkey launched his campaign on LinkedIn, criticizing parents who advocate for educationally valuable books in school libraries, divisively labeling removal as “book bans.”
In addition to publicly influencing the district’s library book review process, Hart-Wells also interfered with a district committee by repeatedly emailing them to remove “navel” from the list of body parts that children must cover at school.
Outgoing SUSD board president Hart-Wells has not clarified her recent actions; however, critics see the push to allow sexualized clothing and for the availability of hypersexual and vulgar books in school libraries as a concern that parents should be aware of. “This is why it is so important that parents know what their school board candidates stand for,” said an SUSD parent who requested to remain anonymous for concern of retaliation.
The academic success of Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) students over the past five years is shockingly low. Science scores have plummeted by 24% since 2019. Less than 50% of eighth grade students are proficient in math. In the Coronado Learning Community, that number shrinks to 12%. Yet, the district graduates 94% of students. How is this preparing students for success?
Most would think that SUSD, an organization with nearly a half billion-dollar annual budget, would be laser focused on the root cause of academic decline, but we would be mistaken. The simple fact is that SUSD has not prioritized academics. This can be attributed directly to Superintendent Scott Menzel. Since his tenure started in 2019, Dr. Menzel has implemented his stated plan to “disrupt and dismantle systems,” while academics suffer.
Hired by the decidedly “progressive” school board led by disgraced Jann-Michael Greenburg, the intent of finding a Menzel-like superintendent was clear. That board prioritized a candidate in Menzel who would promote “social justice” and DEI over academic achievement, and we are seeing the results. Class time is spent on shaping students’ feelings and framing a political narrative as opposed to reading, writing, and math.
Under Menzel’s watch, spending on student instruction is at an all-time low as a percent of the district’s budget, dropping 9.1% from 2004 levels of budget allocation. For a point of reference, based on the 2023-2024 budget of $458 million, the redirection of funds away from academics represents a $41.7 million loss to teachers, curriculum, and items that have a direct impact on academics.
Spending on social workers and support staff has increased to historical highs, while teaching positions and academic specialists have seen cuts. The 2024-2025 budget shows spending on support staff has increased as a percent of overall budget by 2.6% over the past five years, including an additional 4.5 social workers in this year alone. At the same time 20 teaching positions, 7 reading specialists, and 4.5 math specialists have been eliminated. How does this lead to providing the “world class education” that SUSD claims?
Recognizing the academic decline, parents are finding alternatives to SUSD schools. Enrollment has decreased by over 2,200 students in the past four years, reducing the federal, state, and local funding allocation by more than $17 million per year. SUSD now serves less than 54% of school-aged students in Scottsdale. Instead of correcting the problems to regain the trust and confidence of the community so that families actually want to send their kids, SUSD continually campaigns for additional funding through bonds, overrides, and new taxes, ignoring the reasons for the shortfalls.
We cannot afford another rubber stamp board for Menzel, who ignores academics and imposes his social justice priorities on our kids.
Instead, we need school board members like Jacobs, Beasley, and Hassler who are focused on improving academic outcomes, supporting teachers, and respecting the voice of parents. If we truly want to see improvements in our school district, let’s make it happen this November.
Rich Hoffecker is a parent and Scottsdale resident.
Every election for the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Governing Board the Scottsdale Education Association (SEA) teachers’ union endorses candidates. This year is no exception. But this time they may have outdone themselves with this slate of unqualified, activist candidates.
None of these SEA-endorsed candidates feels the need to make any changes in SUSD. In fact, according to their campaign website, they are running to, in their words, “protect” the district. From whom? You, of course, and anyone else who might point out declining enrollment, declining proficiency scores, increasing ESA participation in a run for the exits, and, of course, increasingly dissatisfied parents and students who stay behind.
From August 2021 to August 2024, SUSD lost over 2,200 students, nearly 10% of the enrollment. In 2023, SUSD had over 8,000 students who were NOT proficient in ELA, over 9,000 who were NOT proficient in math, and over 12,000 students who were NOT proficient in science. Dr. Menzel failed to meet even one of his academic performance goals last year. But he got a raise.
How can any reasonable, objective observer who cares about the quality of education in Scottsdale see these metrics and decide, I will run for school board to ensure more of the same for my kids? How can any reasonable, objective voter support this?
One of these SEA-endorsed candidates, Mike Sharkey, seems to be against parents having rights when it comes to educating their children. He wants parents to step aside and leave it up to the experts and trained professionals who know better.
In announcing his candidacy, he said:
“Over the last few years, there’s been an uptick in the ‘parents rights’ movement….This is the notion that parents are best situated to make educational and healthcare decisions for their kids.”
He doesn’t want parents involved in healthcare decisions for their children, one of the most fundamental duties of a parent. Mr. Sharkey says to leave that to the professionals as well.
Of course, after a major outcry on social media, he removed those words. But don’t be fooled. As we all know, someone’s first comments are what they truly believe.
Another SEA-endorsed candidate, Donna Lewis, has an abysmal record of academic achievement in a district of less than 25% the size of SUSD when she was superintendent and has a reputation as a bully. Listen for yourself.
Great choice SEA.
The final candidate, Matt Pittinsky is the CEO of a company (Parchment) that provides transcript services to SUSD. Click here and see for yourself.
It gets better. Parchment is part of a larger organization that provides educational software to schools and professional development training for teachers and school administrators. Will we see new contracts in the future?
As a candidate who professes to respect parents and the community, it would be nice if he would disclose this potential conflict upfront, so the voters know before they vote.
We deserve better than a governing board committed to “protecting” Dr. Menzel with his dismal academic record at SUSD and his failed policies. This November let’s start building a “strong” SUSD focused on academic achievement, fiscal responsibility, parental rights, and the safety of all our students and staff.
Mike Bengert is a husband, father, grandfather, and Scottsdale resident advocating for quality education in SUSD for over 30 years.
A Scottsdale-area mom is hoping that her success and positions on a local school district governing board will convince voters to elect her to the Arizona State Senate.
Carine Werner is currently running to represent Arizona Legislative District 4 in the state senate. She is an immigrant and small business owner, looking “to address the problems we face and help us protect the community we love together.”
Currently, Werner serves on the Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board, where she has gained valuable experience for a potential move to the state Senate. In 2022, Werner gave an interview to the Scottsdale Progress Newspaper to outline her motivations for running for the position she would later assume, and to preview her action items and priorities for office.
She told the paper that she was running for the board because, “having experienced the past few tumultuous years with children in Scottsdale schools, I know the frustration and pain our students, families, and community experienced. I bring common-sense leadership, an enduring passion for securing our children’s future, respect for parents and teachers, and a skill for building consensus without compromising values.”
Werner then presented six promises to voters and parents of children within the Scottsdale Unified School District. The first was that she would “address parents’ rejection of SUSD.” She made this commitment because “A recent exit survey reveals that parents are concerned about failing academics, politically-charged classrooms, the promotion of ideological and anti-American rhetoric, and that they lack faith in the SUSD administration and the board.”
The Scottsdale mom added, “When I’m on the board, parental input will guide decisions made. I plan to partner with parents to curate the best educational experience for our children.”
The second promise was that she would “reverse enrollment decline and loss of funding.” Werner made this commitment because, “We cannot market our way out of this problem, nor should taxpayers’ foot the bill. We must restore academic excellence, close the achievement gap, and create a culture students will thrive in.”
The third promise was that she would “pay teachers first.” She made this commitment because “Although enrollment is down, SUSD increased administrative staff overhead. The Arizona legislature approved an additional $1 billion in year-over-year education spending, bringing the total K-12 spending for this year to $8.45 billion. In addition, federal funding and property taxes brings that total to $14.88 billion. Governor Ducey called on school board members to ensure these funds are directed to teachers. I commit to using my vote to prioritize those funds for teachers’ salaries and funding our classrooms first.”
The fourth promise was that she would “improve academic performance. Werner made this commitment because “With less than 37% of SUSD 10th graders proficient in math and ELA, a strategy to improve academic scores must be clearly stated, aggressive, and measurable. Yet, SUSD’s strategic development plan treats academics as an afterthought. We must get back to focusing on the basics. My commitment is to ensure that achievement programs will improve student proficiency and mastery of academic standards.”
The fifth promise was that she would “improve student safety.” She made this commitment because, “We must ensure the safety of our schools through support of our valued School Resource Officers, partnerships with the Scottsdale Police Department, and continuous review and improvement of our safety procedures.”
Werner also noted that, “The Arizona Legislature has approved $50 million in ongoing funding for school safety, supporting school resource officer salaries, and $20 million for the school safety interoperability program, which provides funding to county sheriffs for real-time communication solutions between schools and public safety agencies in the event of an emergency.”
The final promise was that she would “remove politics from the classroom.” Werner made this commitment because, “We must develop students’ interests, not identities. Politics and ideological rhetoric should have no place in our classrooms. I will work to remove the divisive curriculum that has been swept into our schools, restoring our education of revered American principles and ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive.”
It was this promise from Werner that led to the most controversy over her efforts to keep her commitments to constituents. Last year, Werner was unafraid to stand with Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne when he addressed educational curriculum that may have been in violation of state law. Her appearance led to accusations against her from the president of the Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board, Julie Cieniawski, claiming that Werner and another member of the board “showcased their inability to honor policy [duties and obligations] and the principles of democracy at an ‘emergency press conference,’ held by the State Superintendent of Instruction, to further complain about the outcome of the collective board decision.”
Cieniawski shared her opinion that “their public commentary contained inaccuracies, disparaged a minority population, and asserted erroneous judgments regarding the benefits SUSD students receive from a comprehensive and multi-faceted education.”
Yet, others saw this episode differently and appreciated Werner’s stand for the children and constituents of her school district. In an op-ed for the Scottsdale Progress, a retired public-school teacher, Susan Winder, defended Werner and called Cieniawski’s earlier piece “divisive, misleading, and frankly, embarrassing for our great city.”
Winder wrote, “Here’s my beef: Cieniawski has attempted to silence her fellow board members – the ones voters elected to represent them. And, while Carney and Werner attacked the content of the curriculum, Cieniawski has stooped to a new low by making personal attacks on Carney and Werner. As an SUSD stakeholder, I do not want the minority board members to be silenced by the majority members. I am grateful that we now have board members who care about the quality of curriculum SUSD offers to our students, as well as the legality of the lessons… and that they are willing to speak up.”
The promises and subsequent actions on the governing board from Werner earned her the support of several women who appeared in a campaign ad on her behalf this summer for her run for the state legislature. In that ad, the women announce their support for Werner, in large part, because of her trustworthiness to keep her commitments to her constituents.
The women say, “I’m not political. I don’t go to rallies. I don’t usually donate to candidates. But this election isn’t about politics to me. This election is about protecting our family and our community. I know Carine Werner. She’s a mom, a school board member, and most importantly she’s a fighter. She stands up for what’s right and not what is politically easy. Politicians say one thing and do another, which is why I trust Carine Werner. She’s not a politician. She’s a mom like me. Carine will fight for our families and help make our neighborhoods safe. It’s time to change who we send to the state Senate. Vote Carine Werner for state Senate. I trust Carine to stand up for us.”
This election isn’t about politics; it’s about standing up and doing the right thing for our families and communities.
The Republican candidate isn’t done making promises she intends to keep in office. She’s made more commitments to the voters in her new district should they send her to the state Senate. On her campaign website, the first of those promises is that she will fight to “increase teacher pay and reduce wasteful spending.” The second is that she will work to “empower parents.” The third is that she will strive to “empower and fund law enforcement.” The fourth is that she will vote to “secure the border.” The fifth is that she will attempt to “address homelessness with compassion and accountability.” The sixth is that she will work to “champion low-tax, business friendly environment.” The seventh is that Werner promises to advocate for policies that “generate job growth.” And finally, she vows to support efforts to “improve cost of living.”
Legislative District 4 is one of the most competitive in the state. According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, it has a 3.4% vote spread over the past nine statewide elections within its boundaries, with Republicans winning five of those contests.
Werner emerged from the Republican primary election in July and is facing off against incumbent Democrat state senator Christine Marsh for the right to represent Arizona Legislative District 4.
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