School board member calls for firing Birdwell
Scottsdale administrator on leave nearly a month
A Scottsdale Unified School District board member wants to terminate embattled Superintendent Denise Birdwell’s contract, although it’s unclear yet whether it will go to a board vote.
Birdwell has been on leave nearly a month from the district roiled in investigations into finances, bidding practices and potential conflicts of interest. School board member Pam Kirby told
The Arizona Republic that she requested Birdwell’s contract go to a board vote March 20.
“I’m hopeful that these matters are placed on the agenda so our district can try to move on from rancor to reforms that will continue to make progress in student achievement,” she said.
However, Kirby said board President Barbara Perleberg and acting Superintendent Amy Fuller decide what items make it on the meeting agendas. Neither immediately responded to whether Birdwell’s contract would go to a vote.
Also unclear is where the four other board members stand. Perleberg and board members Kim Hartmann and Sandy Kravetz said they could not comment on a possible personnel action.
Kirby, who is up for re-election this fall, pledged her move to dismiss Birdwell in an op-ed published in The Republic last week. “Superintendent Denise Birdwell has lost the confidence in the community, and me,” the two-term board member wrote.
Birdwell could not be reached for comment. Birdwell, whose contract runs through 2019, joined the district two years ago. Some teachers and residents criticize her leadership style.
The teachers union cast a rare “no confidence” vote against Birdwell and the board in January and about 200 residents rallied for her dismissal in February.
The discontent began shortly after Birdwell forced all educators at Coronado High School to reapply for their jobs last school year. She says it was necessary to jump-start transformation at the underperforming high school. Some parents and educators say it was poorly communicated.
Birdwell also changed the chain of command for school psychologists. More than half of the district’s 28 psychologists resigned or retired by the end of the 2016-17 school year.
Residents concerned by a lack of community input sought on school renovation projects, began looking more closely into Birdwell’s hires and construction spending. Their concerns culminated in two ongoing investigations, one launched by the district and another by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office in late 2017.
“I’m hopeful that these matters are placed on the agenda so our district can try to move on from rancor to reforms that will continue to make progress in student achievement,” she said.
So far, the AG’s Office has filed a civil lawsuit against the district for alleged procurement violations and has confirmed a criminal investigation is underway.
The district’s investigation turned up conflicts of interest involving former Chief Financial Officer Laura Smith, who resigned in January after being placed on leave.
The board and Birdwell recently were at odds over who would foot a roughly $4,300 bill from an attorney the school chief hired to send warning letters to a resident and to The Republic. Twice in the past year, residents received official letters that threatened them with lawsuits after they raised concerns about the district. Birdwell on Friday hand-delivered a check to the district from an attorney to reimburse the district for the legal bills, a district spokesman said.
The board placed another Birdwell hire, Chief Operating Officer Louis Hartwell, on leave in February. Residents have long questioned Birdwell’s close ties to Hartwell and his qualifications to oversee multi-million dollar bond projects.
The board has said Birdwell and Hartwell are on leave pending the outcome of investigations.
“The District remains committed to a fair, legal due process, reliant on facts,” Perleberg stated in February.