Op-Ed: Elections Have Consequences. So Do School Closures.

By Jeanne Beasley Elections have consequences. This week, Scottsdale families saw just how significant those consequences can be when the Governing Board voted 3-2 to close two more neighborhood schools. Copper Ridge and Laguna will join Pima and Echo Canyon as schools our community is losing. Four schools in less than a year. Behind every closure are students, teachers, families, … Read More

Scottsdale Unified Keeps Losing Students, Then Asks Taxpayers for $375 Million

By Ronald Sampson Scottsdale Unified’s board votes Tuesday on closing more schools. Days earlier, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office found the district violated the open meeting law while drawing up the options. Four weeks later, voters will decide whether to hand the same district $375 million through a bond. A Decade of Losing The enrollment trend is not subtle. According … Read More

Public Schools Are Closing. The Blueprint for Survival Is Right Next Door.

The Phoenix Business Journal recently published its annual ranking of Arizona’s largest nonprofits by revenue. At number 18 was the nonprofit entity behind BASIS schools. It pulled in $176 million last year against $168 million in expenses. That is not a cautionary tale. It is a case study. A charter school network built on rigorous curriculum and purposeful design is … Read More

Where There’s Smoke: One Pervert at SUSD Ends Up Being Multiple. Is This a Real Problem?

In what now seems to be a recurring theme, Scottsdale Unified School District faces another troubling chapter in its ongoing struggles with employee misconduct. In just the past three months, three district employees have lost their positions over allegations of inappropriate behavior involving minors. This isn’t merely another bureaucratic misstep; it’s a pattern that demands serious attention from parents and … Read More

Scottsdale Unified is Considering Closing Schools: a Failure in Leadership

Scottsdale Unified School District is facing a difficult decision that’s sending ripples through our community: the potential closure and repurposing of two neighborhood schools. And the choice they’re seemingly leaning towards is the wrong one. Scottsdale Unified is considering repurposing Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon K-8 School, citing low student enrollment as the primary reason. Both schools currently have fewer … Read More

A New Critic of SUSD Comes Out of the Woodwork: Legitimate or Political?

The Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) has been under a microscope lately, with examinations and criticisms coming with varying degrees of merit. Regular readers will remember that SUSD curriculum came under fire recently for what some people have considered “woke” (you can get up to date here).  The criticisms have recently hit an all new echelon however, as a new … Read More

Social Justice in SUSD: Reason for Concern?

By Ronald Sampson We probably don’t need to tell you that social justice was one of the biggest hot-button issues of the last few elections on the national level. Its need motivated much of the political left, and its excesses motivated much of the political right. However it has generally been the domain of national politics and not as much … Read More