PHOENIX — The Cartwright School District is cutting off the union that represents roughly 450 of the district's employees.
The district will no longer collect or distribute the thousands of dollars in union dues it collects from members of the Cartwright Education Association. The decision comes as Phoenix police investigate the disappearance of thousands of dollars under the union's management.
12News was the first to report the ongoing investigation by Phoenix police into possible mismanagement of funds within the Cartwright Education Association.
The investigation is centered on a former CEA board member in charge of the union’s finances.
So far, Phoenix police have not made any arrests, or submitted charges in the case.
According to the Cartwright School District, it collects hundreds of thousands of dollars in dues from teachers and workers. The amount of dues collected for each worker is tied to their pay level.
The money collected by the district is given to the AEA, which then distributes a portion to the National Education Association, and then the Cartwright Education Association.
According to its taxes in 2023, the Arizona Education Association collected $8.4 million in revenue. It’s unknown how much of that money was given back to the Cartwright Education Association.
In an email sent to workers last week, the district told workers it would temporarily withhold distributing membership dues that were collected by workers to the Arizona Education Association. It would also indefinitely stop payroll deductions for membership dues for the Cartwright Education Association, Arizona Education Association, and National Education Association.
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The decision came after the Cartwright School District Governing Board meeting last week where board members discussed its legal options regarding the union's financial woes in an executive session.
The status of the funds being held by the district, along with the status of the investigation was among many questions members had for CEA President Melanie Cobos during a Wednesday evening Zoom meeting.
Cobos said it’s looking at options in getting the district to release the dues collected by the district, including starting a petition.
When asked how much money is unaccounted for, Cobos responded, “substantial.” But did not give an exact dollar amount, due to the ongoing investigation.
Cobos defended herself and the board, saying the financial mismanagement was a problem before she became President. She claimed that it was her leadership that led to the discovery of the missing money.
But during the meeting, Cobos also admitted to not reviewing the union’s finances when she became president in June 2022.
“My intention was to be on the account,” she said. She added that she did not review those finances based on outside advice.
When asked who gave her that advice? “Several people,” she added. Cobos said that from now on she will be on all accounts.
One member asked about the process of leaving the union, another asked Cobos if she would resign from her position.
Cobos responded by saying she would if the majority of members wanted her to, saying, “I don’t think that stepping down will be a good idea for anyone right now. It will hurt the process to bring people together right now.”
Cobos also admitted that the CEA owes money to the district for her time spent performing union duties on district time. Cobos didn’t share how much the amount is, but sources tell 12News, that it could be more than $20,000.
According to the CEA, members first learned about possible financial mismanagement in late November. Days later in early December, an audit was ordered and the findings were revealed.
The union claims that the person at the center of the investigation “admitted” to their actions. It would be nearly three weeks before a police report was filed.
In that statement, the CEA called the incident “unacceptable” and said it’s working with Phoenix police to get the money back for members.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Cobos tried to ease fears over the unknown money telling members that it is protected. “The money is fully bonded. The issue has never been if we’re going to get our money back,” she said.
12News has filed an open records request with the Cartwright School District to learn how much money has been collected by the district, and given to the Arizona Education Association.
12News has reached out to the AEA, NEA, and every CEA board member for follow-up questions about the CEA’s finances, and financial protocols.
So far, our questions have gone unanswered.
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