Tucson friends: I've been asked how I'm voting in the TUSD school board race. I am only voting for two candidates: Cam Juarez and Kristel Ann Foster. I know that they sincerely have the best interests of students and teachers at heart.
I don't believe in the politics of personal destruction but at some point I also think it can be irresponsible for people who have background knowledge about candidates not to share that information at a critical time. That's why I am reposting what I wrote earlier this year about TUSD incumbent Mark Stegeman following an op-ed he wrote for the Star. This is my personal viewpoint based on many, many interactions with Stegeman over the years.
Anyone reading this can take or leave it. It is my personal perspective and I'll decline to engage in any dialogue on FB about it. --Ann-Eve
What is the difference between a reformer and a saboteur? It mostly comes down to motivations. A reformer wants to improve an institution or an organization because it’s the right thing to do. A saboteur acts out of self-interest, pursuing a personal power game. It can become confusing when a saboteur poses as a reformer. By doing so, the saboteur tries to convince people that he is looking out for the organization, when in fact he is trying to undermine it for personal gain.
That is the agenda deployed by Mark Stegeman, who is running for re-election to the TUSD school board. As a TUSD parent and a public education advocate, I have watched Stegeman in action now for many years. I have seen him undermine superintendent after superintendent. I have witnessed him sow seeds of division at school board meetings.
I have watched as he cynically sells his twisted story about TUSD to members of the public.
This is not how functional school board members behave. Yes, they must be watchdogs, not just cheerleaders. But at what point do a school board member’s actions cross over into being destructive rather than constructive? That is a line Stegeman crossed long ago.In his recent op-ed to the Star, he once again launched into his typical diatribe against TUSD, a perspective that the Star’s news section often parrots. Although his op-ed was incredibly self-serving, given that he is running for re-election, the Star ran it anyway, not giving the same space to the other candidates. By doing so, the Star allowed Stegeman to once again spread his twisted story about TUSD. Why is the Star giving so much weight to an individual who has worked so diligently to harm an institution that must succeed for the health of our community’s children and economic development?
Failure is not an option for our public schools. Yet Stegeman is trying to ensure that it happens. In that way, he has much in common with Arizona’s state Legislature. I could counter his arguments point by point, but facts are not really what matter to Stegeman. He also shares that trait with anti-public education legislators.
It’s all about selling a story. So, here’s how Stegeman’s story goes: TUSD is horribly screwed up. I’m really important because I constantly point out how horribly screwed up TUSD is. Although I’ve done absolutely nothing to fix what I constantly point out as being horribly screwed up, you should re-elect me so I can keep telling you how horribly screwed up TUSD is.
So, TUSD voters, is this really someone you really want to re-elect? This circular narrative really doesn’t do anyone any good – it’s a disservice to our community’s children who attend TUSD schools.
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