After Palominas Elementary School Principal Olga Gomez resigned on June 24, 2014, she was hired by her daughter-in-law and Tucson Unified School District Governing Board president Adelita Grijalva later that same day as the new principal of Myers/Ganoung Elementary School.
Gomez, described as “brusque and difficult,” was surrounded by controversy while at Palominas. So much controversy in fact, that Grijalva told TUSD Board members this week she kept their relationship secret from the public “because of the politicized environment there,” referring to the Palominas.
In her resignation letter, Gomez wrote, “After serious consideration, my husband and I decided to take a leap of faith and relocate to Tucson to be near our family. Because of the invaluable skill set I acquired a Palominas, I was able to secure a position as a principal with Tucson Unified School District.”
Gomez first became the interim principal at Palominas Elementary School in 2009. Gomez was a teacher when she was selected to act as interim principal after the former principal resigned for personal reasons, according to the Sierra Vista Herald.
According to District sources, the District under the leadership of Superintendent Sanchez and Adelita Grijalva is quickly returning to the good old days when Adelita’s father Congressman Raul Grijalva, Marybelle McCorkle, Judy Burns, and Joel Ireland used the District to hire their children and other family members.
Acolytes and cronies continue to benefit as well under the leadership team of Sanchez and Grijalva. Abel Morado, a Grijlava supporter who was elevated to assistant superintendent after his work on behalf of the controversial Mexican Americans Studies classes, is expected to retire at the July 8, Board meeting, and join the ranks of TUSD’s double-dippers when he returns to the same job the next day at 75 percent of his current salary.
Grijalva sent a message in anticipation of the controversy coming to light. She wrote, “Mrs. Gomez is my mother-in-law. Sadly, because of the nature of this board, I felt like this information would negatively impact and eliminate the possibility of an unbiased evaluation of her as a candidate. On previous boards, having children and other family hired (with the obvious legal exception of spouses) was celebrated. Mrs. Gomez is an excellent administrator who should be judged by her merit and what she can bring to this district and NOT because her son married me.”
According to the 2010-2011 TUSD White Collar/Food Service Agreement, under item 6-4 Nepotism: “Supervision, evaluation and the recommendation for hiring, retention, promotion, transfer, assignment, leave, salary, grievance adjustment, or discipline of an ESP shall not be made by a member of the family or an established person within the ESP’s household.”
Grijalva appeared to try to dodge this provision by holding a very quick voice vote and after ensuring that Gomez had received four votes from her fellow Board members, announced that she was recusing herself. She offered no explanation for the recusal at the time.
Only after Board members had been alerted to the nepotism, did Grijalva admit that Gomez was her mother-in-law.
In her email sent after the vote, Grijalva asserted that she had done nothing wrong, “If you will recall, I did not participate in the exec conversation about her, nor did I vote for her (something I legally could have done since it IS NOT a conflict). Since, is an election year, I’m nauseous at the thought of what one of my colleagues will do with this information. Mrs . Gómez was looking for opportunities outside of her district because of the politicized environment there. I hope that this environment doesn’t prove to be worse.”
One can only imagine how politicized the small school of 436 students in sleepy Hereford must have been for Grijalva to think TUSD would be an improvement. However, since the Grijalvas are the source for and in control of the political environment in TUSD, it could be an improvement.
For years, the Grijalvas have used the District’s children and resources to further their political agenda. Two years ago, Raul Grijalva’s Chief of Staff Ruben Reyes, husband of Tucson City Councilwoman Regina Romero, came under scrutiny when it was discovered that he was sending fundraising requests to TUSD teachers at their TUSD email addresses. Those requests were then sent to TUSD students.
According to the Sierra Vista Herald, Gomez is “leaving the district to find a replacement on short notice and get them set for the start of school in August.”
Sanchez could not be reached for a comment. According to his most recent newsletter, he is away from the District enjoying “a trip to San Antonio to enjoy the River Walk and a few days at Fiesta Texas theme park.”
Governing Board member Mark Stegeman said, “The board received very little information about this appointment before the vote and was unaware of the potential conflict of interest. I thought TUSD had learned from the CRSS episode that potential conflicts of interest involving district leadership should be revealed before board members vote. Keeping such information hidden blindsides the rest of the board and creates the suspicion that the decision would not survive scrutiny. TUSD had (as far as I know) largely ended the practice of hiring the relatives of board members, but that history means that the district should be very sensitive to this issue.”
Fellow Board member Michael Hicks was circumspect in an effort to avoid politicizing the issue in an election year, “We need to make sure that we are hiring the very best. Our parents, teachers, and stakeholders need to have confidence that the district is transparent. We can’t recruit the best and brightest if people think the system is rigged. Ms. Grijalva might see this as a political nightmare, but it is not; it is an educational nightmare. I am disappointed that this was allowed to happen.”
One of the primary reasons behind the successful recall of two members of the Sunnyside Unified School District Governing Board was their abuse of office. Board members were known to hire family members and award contracts to cronies.