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Voces de Casa Maria

If I had my way

2 min read   If you didn’t already know Cesar Aguirre AKA Ceaze, who lives and works at Casa Maria with his two daughters, is also a rapper. But he doesn’t waste his talent rapping about nonsense, or glorifying drugs, alcohol and violence. He uses his talent to spread messages that matter, messages that impact the community. He raps about things that effect him and his kids… things like Red For Ed! Check it out here.   *Disclaimer- This song has not been endorsed or sponsored by Red For Ed, Arizona Educators United, Arizona Education Association, or any other association, union, group or

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Stegeman and the Attack of MAS

< 1 min read By Sarah Launius I got this mailer delivered to my home recently. My first thought was: Why would anyone want to bring attention to the fact that Michael Hicks thinks you’re a great board member? And then as I actually read the excerpts from Hicks and Carolyn Cox it made much more sense. The mailer is really just a barely “coded” attempt to communicate to Anglos that a new board majority, which includes Stegeman, will sway away from concerns of the majority, students of color it serves. Hicks says that Stegeman is necessary to change the current majority – away from Adelita, Kristel

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What’s the “CHANGE” being offered?

< 1 min read By Cesar Aguirre There’s been so much negative talk about TUSD leading to the election that it’s been hard for our barrio to make sense of what we hear in the news and what we’ve experienced. I know Michael Hicks goes on right-wing radio and calls Superintendent Sanchez “King Sanchez” – suggesting that he rules the district with an iron fist and that he lies to board members Stegeman and Hicks. I know too that Stegeman and Hicks have never spoken for me or my barrio. I also know that it can be really convenient in a city like Tucson

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TUSD Candidate Forum – School Closures

4 min read We asked candidates: Do you believe closing and consolidating schools is a practical approach to addressing a budget shortfall and will you protect the over $1 million in Magnet funding that South and West Side schools receive? ¿Creés que la clausura y combinación de escuelas es una estrategia práctica para abordar una escasez presupuestal y protegerás los más de $1 millón de dólares de fondos para las escuelas especializadas que reciben las escuelas en el sur y el oeste? *Some of the candidates’ responses seemed to contradict previous statements or actions or conflict with our experiences and information. We include

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RAZA Beware! / Raza, ¡tengan cuidado!

< 1 min read By Brian Flagg Someone I know saw this at a southside yard. The point is that Mark Stegeman and Betts Putnam-Hidalgo are working hand-in-hand with Republican Margaret Burkholder and wealthy Republicans such as Jim Click. He and others have raised $35,000 to fund a so-called independent committee whose focus is to change the school board. In this case, “Change the Board” means using lots of money to kick-off one of two Latin@s from the TUSD School Board who consistently advocates for west and southside schools. Raza, ¡tengan cuidado! Alguien que conozco vió esto en el patio de una casa en

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BIG MONEY VS. THE PEOPLE / LOS ADINERADOS CONTRA EL PUEBLO

4 min read by Cesar Aguirre It seems things are getting interesting in the TUSD governing board elections. Last week I wrote a piece titled TO REALLY UNDERSTAND TUSD BOARD ELECTION READ DAVID SAFIER, NOT JUST DAILY STAR because I feel that the mainstream media does a poor job in covering this years elections. I’ve been following the KGUN 9 News story regarding the sizable campaign donations made to Cam Juarez and Kristel Foster by a company that is contracted by the district. Out of this story came a request, by board member Mike Hicks, that the district attorney investigate the legality of these campaign contributions. It may

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TUSD Board Candidate Forum, V1

< 1 min read On Thursday, October 13, the seven candidates running for the three TUSD seats on the November ballot attended a Casa Maria forum held at the Capilla de Guadalupe. We asked them to introduce themselves and to share what they have done for the southside. Here’s what they had to say.            

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Thank you to all / Gracias a todos!

2 min read Thank you to the over 140 people who joined the Casa Maria Voter Project at the final TUSD School Board Candidate Forum on Thursday, October 13 at the Capilla de Guadalupe. Gracias a las más de 140 personas que acompañaron a Casa María en el Foro de los Candidatos para la Mesa Directiva de las Escuelas de TUSD el Jueves, 13 de Octubre en la Capilla Guadalupe. In addition to hearing from the seven candidates, community members took time to discuss critical issues related to funding priorities, disciplinary practices, and experiences from previous school closures and consolidations. These conversation led

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FORO DE CANDIDATOS DE TUSD / TUSD CANDIDATE FORUM

< 1 min read Acompañenos para la cena y una conversación sobre la educacion publica en nuestro barrio. Conoce los candidatos que quieren ser elegidos para la mesa directiva de TUSD y preguntales si van a luchar por las escuelas en el barrio. Aprende por que estas eleccion son tan importantes y acerca de que podemos hacer para defender las escuelas en nuestro barrio. Join us for dinner and a conversation about public education in our barrio schools. Meet the candidates running for TUSD school board and ask them if they will fight for our barrio schools. Find out why these elections are so

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GREAT TEACHERS LOVE TO TEACH // LOS MEJORES MAESTROS AMAN LA ENSEÑANSA

6 min read After reading an article in the Star I decided to reach out to some real teachers to get their perspective on the current situation with teachers’ wages in Tucson. Julie Elvick is a 4th/5th grade teacher at Ochoa Community Magnet School and has over 20 years experience as an educator. My daughter Alissa had the privilege of having her as her 5th grade teacher last year. It was a great experience for my daughter and me. She is one of the best, most supportive and caring teachers we’ve had the opportunity to work with. She also participates in the community,

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Fighting for Justice, Liberty, & Peace in Barrio Libre