Tucson Unified School District board member Mark Stegeman announced his resignation Thursday mid-term after 11 years on the board, effective immediately.
βI came onto the board with a vision for TUSD, a very ambitious vision,β he said later Thursday in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star. βI felt and still feel it could be the best district in the Tucson region, that it should be able to compete with any charter or private school if itβs run in a way that maximizes its potential ... and I still think itβs all possible, but I donβt see the road.β
He announced his decision Thursday afternoon on the Bill Buckmaster Show on KVOI.
Stegeman is a University of Arizona economics professor and has been on the board since 2008, serving as its president at various times.
He says although he loves TUSD, his day of resignation was one of his happiest in the last decade.
He says he resigned for βtwo-and-a-half reasons.β First, he doesnβt think TUSD is capable of the massive reform he thinks it needs to be competitive with other districts and charter schools.
The changes he thinks the district needs include an overhaul of certain administrative departments; and restructuring of high schools, the compensation and evaluation structure of teachers and principals and the systematic process of employee input.
He also calls for reducing class sizes in the lower grades, better professional development, having a culture of compliance with policy and statute, complying with open meeting law, and focusing more on academic achievement.
Stegemanβs second reason is his family. He has two children under 3 years old and says itβs because of them he decided to resign mid-term.
βEvery hour I spend with TUSD is an hour Iβm not spending with my little children, and if I really thought I was having a big impact, then I can manage that trade-off,β he said. βBut if I donβt feel like Iβm having a big impact on TUSD then Iβd rather spend that time with my kids, and I donβt need to wait 15 months to do that.β
And his last reason, which he called βhalf a reason,β is the feeling of bearing the responsibility for everything that happens in the district.
βA lot of things happen in TUSD that arenβt all that good, and the sense of accountability for everything that happens β¦ it wears on you,β he said. βThe sense that when something bad happens, Iβm on the top of the food chain and in some sense, Iβm accountable.β
Stegeman says the long and contentious battle over TUSD updating its sex ed curriculum had nothing to do with his seemingly sudden resignation. In fact, he knew he was going to resign months ago and says he told the county schools superintendent of his intentions about six months ago.
Stegeman says he was waiting to wrap up a few key issues.
What happens next
Pima County Schools Superintendent Dustin Williams is responsible for deciding how to select a new board member to finish out Stegemanβs term, which ends at the close of 2020.
The TUSD governing board has 30 days to submit three names for consideration, but Williams isnβt required to choose one of the boardβs recommendations. He also has the option of calling a special election to fill the vacancy.
βI would like to personally thank Dr. Stegeman for his service towards education in the Tucson Unified School District,β Williams said in a statement. βI wish him much success on his new endeavors. Our office will help expedite the governing board vacancy process going forward.β
The TUSD board consists of five members, with staggered non-partisan elections every two years. The board will be down to four members until a replacement is appointed. It is not uncommon for the boardβs vote to be split 3-2, with Stegeman and board member Rachael Sedgwick losing the vote.
Sedgwick says Stegeman told her about his decision after Wednesdayβs meeting, and she was surprised. She knew there was a chance he might not run for reelection but thought that he would finish out his term.
Sedgwick said sheβs nervous about who will be appointed and hopes Williams will appoint someone who is more focused on issues rather than politics, as well as having a knowledge of public schools, TUSD, the districtβs budget and the desegregation order it operates under.
Board President Adelita Grijalva, who has been on the board for 16 years and has three children in TUSD, says she feels optimistic that Stegemanβs resignation will be better for the board and the district.
βIβm glad he acknowledges that he just is not the best representative for the district, and his children do not attend our schools,β she said. βSo him acknowledging that and walking away β Iβm glad that he chose to do that.β
