TUSD hires new legal firm to handle desegregation

TUSD has selected a new law firm to represent the district in preparation for its request to get out of a decades-old desegregation order.

While the Tucson Unified School District cannot apply for relief from court oversight until the 2017-18 school year, Superintendent H.T. Sanchez says work must begin now to ensure the district has all of its ducks in a row.

The Phoenix office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP was awarded a contract by the TUSD Governing Board Tuesday for up to $1 million a year over the next five years.

For the last two years, TUSD has contracted with the Tucson firm Rusing Lopez & Lizardi. Before that, DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy served the district for 39 years.

Though satisfied with the service of Rusing Lopez & Lizardi, TUSD says it started a search for new counsel based on the desire to have a firm with federal judiciary experience.

“Our request was to identify legal counsel not to go to court, not to fight the particulars of the USP, not to fight the particulars of what’s already been agreed upon but rather to take our annual reports, to take our documentation and information and to put it into a format to take before the district judge for his review,” Sanchez said.

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The district was previously granted unitary status in 2009 but that was revoked in 2011 due to a lack of a good faith effort to eliminate the vestiges of discrimination.

The new law firm is expected to “provide a lens and view and expertise to say that it looks like the district has established a good record in this area, it looks like the district is lacking in this area, here’s what you need to do to prepare the way for a request for partial and/or full unitary status when the time comes,” Sanchez said.

Steptoe & Johnson bills itself as a firm with a reputation for handling complex litigation and arbitration with offices in Beijing, Brussels, Century City, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Phoenix and Washington.

TUSD’s primary contact at Steptoe & Johnson will be former U.S. Attorney for the district of Arizona Paul Charlton.

Both Michael Hicks and Mark Stegeman voted against awarding the contract, raising concerns about bringing new players into the game at this stage and the cost of the switch despite assertions that the district isn’t looking to spend more than it already is.

Governing Board President Adelita Grijalva supported the change, saying “I just think we need to have different counsel for different pieces.”