Two members of TUSD audit committee resign

Two members of TUSD’s audit committee have resigned after public discussion about their spouses being employed by the district.

Bill Tong and Todd Anderson stepped down Monday from the volunteer committee, which is designed to help strengthen the Tucson Unified School District’s internal financial controls and help provide greater transparency of TUSD’s management of taxpayer money.

It also receives anonymous tips about financial wrongdoing within the district.

Though Anderson did not provide any reason for his resignation in his notice to the Governing Board, Tong said he didn’t want to be a “distraction” for his wife, who months after Tong was appointed to the committee was named TUSD director of employee relations.

“The remaining community members of the Audit Committee, led by Chair Charlie Andrade, are really top quality individuals,” Tong said in his notice. “I believe that any conflicts of interest could be dealt with very easily and do not see a problem with spouses of employees serving on the Audit Committee, with the exception of director level or above.”

Tong asked that the district and Governing Board support the committee.

One other member, Ricky Hernandez of the Pima County Superintendent’s Office, continues to serve even though his wife and a sibling work for the district.

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TUSD has argued that nothing in the committee’s charter prohibits that kind of relationship since it was revised earlier this year.

The revisions, which allowed the appointment of spouses and disallowed anyone living outside of the district’s boundaries, were meant to ensure that those serving on the Governing Board committee would have a stake in what is happening in TUSD.

TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez has said that the advisory nature of the committee means the ultimate say comes from the Governing Board.

Tong is the Vice President of Alliance Bank of Arizona. Anderson is the managing partner of Anderson Financial Group.

Both Anderson and Hernandez previously told the Arizona Daily Star that they felt they were capable of serving in a watchdog role despite their TUSD connections.

“I made it very clear to everybody involved that if they were looking for somebody to be a yes man, I’m not their guy,” Anderson said. “My reputation is too important within the community to sacrifice my integrity based on trying to play favoritism to anybody.”