Sunnyside finalist says district problems can be fixed

Having attended Sunnyside schools as a child and later going on to serve its students in an administrative role, applying to be superintendent of Tucson’s second largest school district was a natural next step.

“I am extremely humbled to come from this community, and to have the opportunity to serve in this capacity — I wouldn’t have dreamed of this as a kid,” said Holmes, one of two finalists for the position.

Over his 20-year career, Holmes has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal and central office director, plus an assistant superintendent at Sunnyside and now Tucson Unified School District.

While Holmes has spent most of his professional life in TUSD, he left the district in 2009 for a four-year stint in Sunnyside to be the executive director for secondary schools and then as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction — the title he has held in TUSD for nearly two years now.

The time Holmes spent working under former superintendent Manuel Isquierdo proved to be one of his greatest challenges at a community forum Wednesday night, where he was questioned about how he differed from the district’s former leader and what he would do to repair the damage left behind.

Isquierdo was ousted amid controversy over personal indiscretions, as well as his management style, student performance and what was considered to be wasteful spending.

Holmes told about 130 people attending he left Sunnyside because of professional differences with the leadership.

“People that worked with me know that I have a different leadership style than the previous administration,” Holmes said. “I don’t want my role to be defined by who I worked for, but what I’ve done.

Holmes vowed to be transparent and open to constructive criticism in an effort to improve Sunnyside, not vindictive in the face of opposition. Questions on how Holmes would improve performance in a district that has long struggled with academic achievement also came up.

Though Sunnyside has been recognized nationally for its technology focus, the effort has not translated into academic success for many of its 17,600 students, most of whom are Hispanic and qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Forty percent of Sunnyside’s 20 schools were given grades of C for last school year by the Arizona Department of Education; only one earned an A; six earned B’s; two were rated D; and three were found to be failing.

Holmes said one of the critical components for success Sunnyside lacks is an assessment system to ensure that students are performing. But that can be fixed, he said.

The forum is the first of two. The second will be at 5 p.m. Thursday with finalist Manuel Valenzuela, currently superintendent of the Sahuarita Unified School District, in the Sunnyside High School Learning Resource Center, 1725 E. Bilby Road.

Both candidates will interview with the Governing Board in closed session Thursday, after the Valenzuela forum.