“This is so stupid,” said Scottsdale resident Dan Drake Thursday. “The Attorney General has had to do what the district should have done. The district’s governing board should have done this months ago.” www.azfamily.com/story/37568967/attorney-general-files-lawsuit-against-scottsdale-unified-and-unlicensed-architect
The Bird is not Well
Because it’s been widely broadcast by the mainstream media, you may have already heard that Scottsdale Unified School District superintendent Denise Birdwell was placed on administrative leave last night by the SUSD governing board. This action comes after a tumultuous two-year tenure, which has seen almost complete turnover in senior-level district staff, wholesale replacement of […]
The most important government
SRP’s Trish Moeck posted a well-written article (which I’ve copied below) yesterday on the Scottsdale Leadership website, and I’d like to use as a jumping-off point for an expanded look at some of the topics Trish discussed. As you may know, Scottsdale Leadership is at its core a training program run by the Scottsdale Area […]
Conflict of Interest: What’s the Big Deal?
A number of folks who I know to be educated (and presumably intelligent) have been astonishingly dismissive of recent findings that Laura Smith, the chief financial officer of our Scottsdale Unified School District lied about the degree of a conflict of interest between her role as steward of taxpayer money budgeted for schools, and her […]
Quote of the Day: Ethical standards matter
“We expect our children to learn that ethical standards matter.” Rose Finocchiaro Smith, long-time Scottsdale Unified School District employee and parent, speaking on the ethics crisis in SUSD administration; via KTVK interview.
Schools Superintendent charged with perjury
Preview of things to come for SUSD? Former Baltimore County Schools Superintendent, Dallas Dance, charged with perjury – ABC2News.com https://www.abc2news.com/news/region/baltimore-county/former-baltimore-county-schools-superintendent-dallas-dance-charged-with-perjury?google_editors_picks=true
Our roots as a suburban, low density community.
“I would ask that we return to our roots as a suburban, low density community that draws residents and tourists looking for a low-density, scenic experience.” Matt Metz, Scottsdale citizen and longtime city volunteer; via the Scottsdale Independent.
Quote of the Day: Malice vs Stupidity
In honor of the superintendent and governing board of the Scottsdale Unified School District… “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. But don’t rule out malice.” Via John Groseclose and Wikipedia. Commonly known as “Hanlon’s Razor,” or “Heinlein’s Razor,” the expression is attributed in parts to science fiction writer Robert […]
More than $100 million in taxes lost to a taxpayer-subsidized office complex
This isn’t the first time ASU has been involved in a tax scam involving use of taxpayer-owned land to build a taxpayer-subsidized office complex. See “SkySong”: https://www.scottsdalecitizen.com/?s=skysong Source: Arizona’s largest office complex pays no property taxes (but we do)
Scam School
If there was a school to teach the art of scamming, it might look at lot like the present-day Scottsdale Unified School District. Before I delve into the more delicious details… SUSD is a political subdivision of the State of Arizona, and the tenth largest school district in the state. SUSD has massive taxing authority. […]