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
Chaparral’s Future Ready Conference Showcases Scottsdale Schools’ Commitment to Excellence
When 480 Career and Technical Education students gathered at Chaparral High School for the 2025 Future Ready Conference, they weren’t just attending another school event: they were experiencing the kind of transformative educational opportunity that defines excellence in Scottsdale Unified School District. The full-day conference, presented by SUSD’s CTE department in partnership with Scottsdale Rotary, brought students face-to-face with real-world … Read More
SUSD Assistant Principal Scandal: What Can You Do to Protect Your Children?
The resignation of Saguaro High School Athletic Director Lucas Ackerson following allegations of inappropriate messaging with a middle school student has sent shockwaves through the Scottsdale community. While Scottsdale police determined there wasn’t sufficient evidence for criminal charges, the incident represents a deeply troubling breach of trust that every parent must take seriously. The student’s father, speaking at the school board meeting, … Read More
Concerns About Transparency at SUSD with Latest Vote: Are They Warranted?
By Ronald Sampson The Scottsdale Unified School District’s 3-2 vote to close Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon School has left the community deeply divided, and the emotional public meeting that preceded it raised important questions about process and transparency. While the district faces legitimate fiscal pressures, the concerns voiced by board members Carine Werner and Amy Carney, both of whom voted against … Read More
When Results Speak Louder Than Politics: SUSD’s Academic Success Story
By Alexander Lomax Scottsdale Unified School District has found itself under intense scrutiny lately, particularly from Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. But when the latest state test scores arrived, the numbers told a story that’s hard to dispute: SUSD students are thriving academically. With 62% of students passing English Language Arts assessments and 58% passing math across grades … Read More
Tom Horne vs. SUSD: When Education Policy Meets Political Theater
By Ronald Sampson Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has once again trained his sights on Scottsdale Unified School District, this time criticizing a community flyer for a “Girls in Gear” cycling event that invited girls, nonbinary, and gender-expansive youth to participate. His diagnosis? SUSD is promoting “woke ideology” that’s driving families away and causing declining enrollment. Let’s be … 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
Don’t We Have Anything Better to Protest?
By Ronald Sampson In a world where inflation is crushing middle-class families, schools are struggling with chronic teacher shortages, and students are falling behind in basic reading and math skills, what has mobilized the activist parents of Scottsdale? A state legislator’s unfortunate hot-mic moment where she described a district employee as “morbidly obese.” Yes, really. Over 1,500 people signed a … 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
Inflation Hitting Scottsdale Schools: Is It Justified?
Inflation…it was the political hot potato of the last elections. It has hit us all since the pandemic and has entered nearly every single aspect of our lives in some capacity. Note that I said “nearly all” however; some places have been safe havens, protected (mostly inorganically) from price increases. One of those safe havens were Scottsdale’s schools…until now. In … Read More