Liberty Elementary School District board members call for president, VP resignations
BUCKEYE, Ariz. - Parents and teachers of Liberty Elementary School District in Buckeye are calling for the resignations of the superintendent and two board members.
This comes as enrollment is up, but teachers are leaving.
It was a heated meeting on the night of Monday, Feb. 3, as most of the public comment called for the board president and vice president to resign.
The backstory:
There's now a petition going around this west Buckeye community to remove board president Bryan Parks and board vice president Kris Kenyon. They need just over 2,000 signatures.
Superintendent Dr. Cort Monroe is also under fire, but not named in the petition.
"We had a 38% absence rate in this district. That is significant," said Kellie Zimmerman, Liberty Elementary School District Board Member.
The district had over 1,600 students absent on Monday. The west valley district is home to seven schools with roughly 5,000 students.
Board president Bryan Parks and board vice president Kris Kenyon
"I’ve never seen a boardroom like this. And it's incredible that you care enough about your child's education and the direction of this district that you would teach your children about civic responsibility and their right to protest," Zimmerman said at the board meeting.
Board VP Kenyon thinks otherwise.
"In my opinion, borderline child abuse," he said.
Teachers say they are tired of the toxic culture of intimidation at the district level. They are speaking out against financial mismanagement, overcrowded classrooms and the removal of education services.
"A teacher's responsibility is to teach our students. We do this best when we are able to focus all of our attention on them, the children. However, when necessary supports are removed, we can't do our jobs as well," said Vicki Johnson, a 23-year teacher at Rainbow Valley.
What they're saying:
"We have pushed out well-qualified key district leaders, attempted to remove our most effective principals, and created an environment where teachers, counselors and staff no longer feel valued or supported. The result? Over 50 job openings before contracts have even come out," a district parent named April Smith said.
Board president Parks went against meeting policy, fighting back to public comment even after being advised by legal to put it on the next meeting's agenda.
"Hold on. No, we're not going to have this up for a discussion. I'm responding to criticism. So let me make this clear," President Parks said.
At least 17 teachers have resigned this year alone.
"Dr. Monroe, he must either resign or be removed by you as board members. If you do not support this action, you must be condoning his choices, and we therefore support any recall efforts of board members not making decisions in the best interests of our students," Johnson said.
"These are your kids. This is your community. You are our taxpayer, and it is our responsibility to listen to you," Zimmerman said.
Looking Ahead:
In the past, teachers had to pay $2,500 to get out of their contract at Liberty School District. On Monday night, the board voted to remove that, which could lead to more teacher resignations.
Teachers had planned a "sick out" on Tuesday that has been canceled. A teacher said they were told new legislation made doing so illegal.
Board President speaks out about calls for his resignation
The other side:
"Voters elected in three very conservative board members," Parks said in an interview with FOX 10 on Feb. 4, a day after the meeting.
Although board elections are non-partisan races, Parks says that’s when the uproar started.
"We removed all political ideology out of the classrooms. Kids deserve a sanctuary away from politics," he said.
The district removed DEI, gender ideology, and critical race theory. They also implemented a traditional discipline policy, removed restorative justice and positive behavior intervention.
"We are already seeing huge success with that. Disruptions are out of the classroom. We are seeing better instruction time and better proficiency scores," he said.
Here's what some in the district had to say.
"You have pushed out well-qualified key district leaders, attempted to remove our most effective principals, and created an environment where teachers, counselors and staff no longer feel valued or supported."
"If you replace all the leadership in Liberty, you'll have no leadership, and you'll end up with no teachers. I'm calling for you all to change your policy of divisiveness."
This comes as the district is booming with growth, something Parks admits has been difficult to keep up with after a 2024 bond did not pass.
"We're kind of bursting at the seams," he said.
Parents are concerned the district's reserve fund is going dry. Parks says they spent close to $3 million on it after the bond didn’t pass.
"That money we needed to spend ahead of getting state funding, we needed to pre-order stuff before the build started, so we will get that money back," Parks explained.
He says his best interest is with the Liberty students.
"At the end of the day, I'm in this for one reason, and that's our students and that's it," he said.
He says he will not be resigning.
"No, no," Parks said. "We have work to do."
On Feb. 4, Parks was at the Arizona State Capitol meeting with lawmakers. He says he's working to get more funding for public education and pay raises for teachers.