The stage is set for another year of nuttiness over transgender students at the Catalina Foothills School District. The candidates who failed to win seats on the district’s governing board last year, ****after campaigning against social emotional learning and claiming CFSD teachers were indoctrinating students, formed a political action committee this month for the 2024 election cycle. (July 31, 2023) (Tucson Agenda)

Fake it till you make it: The Catalina Foothills Unified School District governing board unanimously voted earlier this month to sign a joint resolution with other Pima County school districts expressing “concern and disapproval” over the Arizona School Boards Association’s hiring of an executive director who falsified his credentials, UA journalism student Sam Parker reports. (October 17, 2023)

Coming up: Tucson Sentinel columnist Blake Morlock previews this week’s public meetings, including a $10.8 million budget deficit at the Tucson Unified School District, now that pandemic funds are drying up. The Sahuarita Town Council is getting an update on the proposed hot-asphalt plant and the Catalina Foothills School District Governing Board is discussing when kindergartners should be expelled for bringing dangerous weapons to school. And much, much more. (February 13)

Contract terminated: The former head of the NAACP in Spokane, Washington who was accused of misidentifying herself as Black has lost her job with the Catalina Foothills School District, KVOA’s Eric Fink reports. Rachel Dolezal, who now goes by Nkechi Diallo, was teaching kids as an after school instructor until district officials learned of an OnlyFans page featuring explicit photos that appears to be operated by her. (February 15)

CFSD officials are taking steps to streamline the enrollment process for foster kids. When foster kids switch schools, the goal of a proposed new policy would be to get them enrolled within two days. As it stands, finding the usual required documents from prior schools can be a difficult task that often falls on foster parents. Under the new policy, district officials would help find those records to help ease the transition for everyone involved. The board discussed the policy change last week and they’re planning to vote on it next month. (March 18) (Tucson Agenda)

Amid a statewide shortage of school counselors, a counselor at Esperero Canyon Middle School got creative. The counselor, Britney Griffith, created a student self-referral program, which cut down on wait times for students to see a counselor after class. She also established a “Meeting Minute” to talk to more students and build relationships with them, regardless of whether they scheduled an appointment with her or not. As a result, more of them felt comfortable reaching out when they needed help. Griffith was named Arizona Counselor of the Year and presented with the Catalina Foothills STAR Award at the March 12 meeting. (March 18) (Tucson Agenda)

Years of summer heat and monsoon rains have taken a toll on the track at the Catalina Foothills High School stadium. Now the district is going to spend $1 million to fix it. The Catalina Foothills Unified School District governing board approved spending the money at their March 12 meeting. The track is used by students, but it’s also widely used by local residents during non-school hours who want to run, walk, or jog on the track recreationally. District officials plan to start work on the track after graduation in May and have it completed by August for the new school year. They estimate the new track won’t need any significant renovations for 20 years. (March 18) (Tucson Agenda)

Open seat: The Catalina Foothills governing board is looking to fill the seat of Amy Bhola, a longtime board member and teacher who died last month, the Star’s Jessica Votipka reports. The term for Bhola’s immediate successor will last through the end of the year, with the seat also on the November ballot as a two-year term. Candidates who would like to be considered for the position must submit an affidavit of qualification and candidate appointment questionnaire by May 10. (April 16)

Seat filled: Pima County School Superintendent Dustin J. Williams appointed Carole Siegler to fill the vacancy on the CFSD governing board left by Bhola’s death, the superintendent’s office announced in a news release. (June 10)