by Cesar Aguirre & Brian Flagg
If you didn’t make it down to El Casino Ballroom last night you missed one helluva party!
The kids from Davis’ Mariachi Aguilitas were really very soulful. The Ochoa kids danced up a storm! The Color Guard from Cholla High School ROTC was there to open the show. The birria, rice and beans were killer! So was Congressman Grijalva’s speech in defense of public education and the magnet schools.
More than 300 people were there, mostly parents and students, but also supervisor Richard Elias, State Rep. Victoria Steele, and 3 school board members who don’t get along. So there was even a little drama!
And then…
A banner headline in today’s Daily Star, Overseer OKs plan for TUSD magnets, proclaimed that it is likely that the 5 schools that have been in danger of losing their magnet status (and the funding that goes with it) will likely be spared for at least a year! This assumes that the Federal judge will approve of the new updated recommendation of his appointed desegregation expert.
This is great news- a partial victory, something for parents and students to build on in the struggle for quality education in Tucson.
But why no recognition from the Star about the parent and student role in this victory? We guarantee you that the Overseer’s original recommendation to demagnetize and de-fund would have been enacted by now if not for the action of parents and students.
Voces de Casa Maria 
Great effort, Cesar, Brian and Petra! Comida Chingona, Laura, Amalia y todas las mujeres colaboradoras, trabajadoras de Casa María! Great job moderating, Jimmy Ojeda. Thanks for supporting Adelita Grijalva and Cam Juarez. Honored by your presence Raul Grijalva, Richard Elias and Dan Eckstrom. I know there are others to appreciate but, just understand how grateful I am for your tenacity and audacity in standing up for the traditionally-voiceless in the community; for working to educate us, organize us, for helping us to find and raise our voices and take effective action. Excited to be a part of this educational movement💓 Adelante!