MesaZona > Table of Contents : Here's The Menu. Enjoy: Corruption Crisis

21 January 2019

Corruption Crisis > Arizona: Schools for Scandals

This is just the latest: 1 of 2 recent reports in the news about investigations by the Arizona Attorney General that follow a series on charter schools by investigative reporter Craig Harris. Here in Mesa last year, financial wrongdoings of Michael Cowan, the Superintendent of Public Schools, avoided the spotlight by resignation to go on an
'undetermined mission'.
_________________________________________________________________________________
In the East Valley on top of that two other institutions of 'higher learning' - Maricopa County Community College and Rio Salado - have undergone shake-ups of one kind or another with on-the-job allegations of sexual harassment and forced resignations of administrators and governing boards of those institutions.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Story image for Dr. Sally Downey from 12news.com KPNX

EVIT superintendent, principals on administrative leave amid ...

12news.com KPNX-13 hours ago

At a public meeting Thursday night, the governing board for EVIT placed Dr. Sally Downey, superintendent for EVIT, and principals Craig Pearson and Mark ...

In a statement the governing board says:
“In light of ongoing investigations and information that we have, the board feels this action is in the best interest of the school district in order to ensure full transparency with the offices of the auditor and attorney general. We also intend to begin an internal investigation to be conducted by the Gust Rosenfeld law firm.”
_______________________________________________________________

Did they say TRANSPARENCY?

The Easy Valley Institute of Technology is a public educational institution

EVIT is tuition-free for high school students and offers about 40 career and technical education programs tuition-free for high school students who reside in 10 east Valley districts – Apache Junction, Queen Creek, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Higley, Fountain Hills and J.O. Combs.

Students spend a half-day at EVIT and a half-day at their high school.

School districts provide transportation to EVIT for most students.

Dr. Wilson named interim EVIT superintendent pending investigation of others, board says

Jan 18th, 2019 · by Apache Junction Independent

“There will be no further statements from EVIT at this time regarding this investigation,” according to the EVIT release.
“This is a legal and personnel matter and there will be no further statements at this time,” CeCe Todd, EVIT’s public information officer, said in an e-mail.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Hard-To-Believe: ASU President Michael Crow Has "No Idea" Why Arizona Attorney General Is Suing The ASU Board of Regents

Called by the interviewer working for Arizona PBS/Arizona State University "the most powerful man in Arizona", Michael Crow spun his highly-prepared implausible story made-for-public consumption last night on Arizona Horizons.

Crow's tight and tense body language tells more than his rehearsed responses to the pending lawsuit. Turns out that he and Attorney General Mark Brnovich have not spoken to each other or met in-person the discuss the problem of a non-profit educational institution dealing in for-profit deals.

Tight-lipped and filled with double-speak, Crow rattles off his long litany of responses for ABOR's plans to lease land "in lieu of taxes" [he never uses the correct word GPLETS] to a private family-owned private hotel corporation for a Hotel/Convention Center built to ASU's specifications and solicited publicly by Requests For Proposals RFPs.

Listen to the long history of how ASU engineered the deals using the establishment of "Athletic Facilities Districts" that were devised then submitted and approved in a public relations push to get them passed in the AZ State House years ago.

The lawsuit has been all-over-the-news for weeks [see below]

Arizona Board of Regents sued over ASU land deal

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has filed suit against the Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s three universities.

Brnovich says in his lawsuit that an Arizona State University real estate deal with the Omni Hotel breaks the law. ASU President Michael Crow responds to the suit.

There may or may not be a transcript of the interview available to viewers.

LINK > ASU/AZPBS

_________________________________________________________________________________

Sponsor message: