School Board Races Have Consequences…
… and they’re here for all to see in the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD).
On February 1st, the three LD3 Republican state legislators (Chaplik, Kolodin and Kavanagh) emailed an “open letter” to the SUSD Governing board and the media demanding the immediate removal of Superintendent Scott Menzel for comments he made over three years ago while serving as a school superintendent in Michigan.
In their letter, our legislators expressed their outrage over ‘offensive and hateful comments he [Menzel] made about white people.’ Dr. Menzel is white.
Our legislators acted in coordination with newly-elected SUSD Governing Board members Carney and Werner. Together, their aim is Menzel’s dismissal. Read their letter here.
The SUSD Governing Board holds its next regular meeting on Tuesday, February 21st at 6 pm. The meeting will include a 30 minute public comment period. Public comments are normally limited to 2 minutes each. If the number of potential public commenters is larger than the 2 minute limit allows, the time for each commenter will be shortened. Be prepared to give a 1-1 1/2 minute version of your comments.
I’m asking every one of our newsletter readers who live in SUSD to do SOMETHING in support of your school district and Dr. Menzel. Here is a list of options. Pick one or two and just do it (them).
Attend the meeting & make a public comment. In solidarity wear a black shirt. Arrive at 5:00 pm to submit your name. Sign up here.
Attend the meeting as a show of support. In solidarity a wear a black shirt. Arrive at 5:45 pm and Sign up here.
Send an email to the SUSD governing board in support of SUSD and Dr. Menzel.
Again, the meeting is on Tuesday, February 21st at 6 pm. There will likely be a crowd, with media and local politicians present. There will also be a strong law enforcement presence, too.
Here’s the address. We need to create a sea of friendly faces. This couldn’t be more important.
Scottsdale USD Governing Board Meeting 2/21/23, 6 pm Coronado High School 7501 E Virginia Ave Scottsdale, AZ 85257
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Scottsdale’s Drought Management Plan
Solange Whitehead joined us for a water discussion at our LD3 monthly meeting last Thursday. It was a great conversation which Solange kicked off with the news that there may be a temporary solution in the works to address the Rio Verde Foothills (RVF) water crisis.
The avenue for this solution was opened by an opinion from Attorney General Kris Mayes who, responding to a legislative request declared, “… counties have the power to preserve public health and sanitation by contracting with a utility or another government entity to provide water on an emergency basis.”
With Mayes’ opinion, the county began to see their role in addressing this issue a bit differently and negotiations between the county and the city of Scottsdale began.
Keep in mind that Scottsdale is more dependent on Colorado River water supplies than most other cities in the county. The city expects to face some very difficult choices in the coming year and continuing to sell Scottsdale water (tens of millions of gallons annually) to RVF only worsens an already-difficult situation.
Here is a copy of Scottsdale’s Drought Management Plan. This plan shows clearly how the city’s water sources - both river and ground water are managed. And, here is a summary of how the Colorado River shortage directly affects Scottsdale.
One more thing on this… If you live in Scottsdale and want to know more about how the city manages water, sign up for the city’s Water Citizen Academy. Scottsdale began to reimagine water use years ago and has been recycling water for decades. The Water Citizen Academy is a popular course and hasn’t been offered since prior to the pandemic.
Sign up. If you can’t get in to the upcoming session, see if you can be wait-listed. It will be well-worth your time.
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That’s it for this week. Come back next week when we’ll reveal the influence of dark money on the faux parent groups creating chaos at school board meetings.
Until then, stay strong and stay healthy.
Victoria Kauzlarich
Chair, LD3 Dems
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