Town employee cries foul
New man at CUSD helm
PAGE 3
PAGE 6
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
BUSINESS................20 Medical center marks decade of cancer fighting.
OPINION....................22 EVIT’s big plans for the future.
SPORTS...................... 23 Gilbert High coach sets big goal.
COMMUNITY....................................... 16 BUSINESS.............................................20 OPINION................................................ 22 SPORTS..................................................23 PUZZLE..................................................24 CLASSIFIED..........................................24
See Page 9
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
Sunday, August 1, 2021
Birdwell case looms over Higley bond vote BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
T
he head of a group pushing Higley Unified School District’s $95 million bond does not expect the recent indictment of an ex-superintendent on fraud charges dollars will scare off voters’ support for the measure. The State Grand Jury on July 13 indicted Denise Birdwell on 18 felony counts related to procurement fraud, fraudulent schemes
and practices, fraudulent schemes and artifices, conflict of interest, filing a false return and conspiracy at HUSD and Scottsdale Unified School District. Three other people also were indicted. Voters “know that the stewards of our schools operate with the best interest of students and teachers in mind,” said Ben Harrison, chairman of Higley’s Bond Political Action Committee for three years. He pointed to the election in 2019 where voters “came out and wholeheartedly and
outstandingly supported” the continuation of a 15-percent budget override and the repurposing of left-over funding from an earlier bond. Harrison, who retired from the district years ago as a teacher and coach, said Birdwell was the superintendent when he was an employee but he didn’t have much interaction with her. Ballots begin going out to voters on Oct. 6
GPS students return as Colorful guy health measures change
see BIRDWELL page 8
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
O
ptional masks, daily health checks and 3-feet social distancing when possible are in place for Gilbert Public School students as they return to campuses this Wednesday. Overall, GPS is close to pre-pandemic normal with no restrictions on parents and volunteers coming onto campus or on students during recess and a green light for day and overnight field trips. “Our main goal is to make sure we get students in the classroom, keep everybody as safe as possible and give them the very best education that we know we can give,” Superintendent Shane McCord said at last week’s Governing Board
see GPS page 4
FAST CASH!
TO GET
Gilbert artist J. Pierce may be one of Arizona’s best-kept secrets in spite of his eye-catching work.You can read about him on page 16. (Courtesy J. Pierce)
