Elizabeth Celania-Fagen

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An Iowa educator has been selected to lead Tucson's largest school district.

A split Tucson Unified School District Governing Board voted at about 7 p.m. Wednesday to offer the superintendent's position to Elizabeth Celania-Fagen. Less than 30 minutes later, she accepted the offer and will replace Roger Pfeuffer, who plans to retire at the end of June.

Celania-Fagen became an associate superintendent in the Des Moines Public Schools district in July. Since 1995, she has worked in education as an instructor and in administrative positions.

About 20 TUSD personnel attended the announcement. Some community members shook their heads in disapproval when it became clear that the board was not going to offer the position to local businessman Richard Myers.

Myers worked for IBM for 25 years before retiring in June 2003. He has since worked with more than a dozen local groups and committees, from TUSD's Blue Ribbon Committee to the Southern Arizona Leadership Council. Myers was the only candidate without a formal background in education.

Board President Alex Rodriguez was the swing vote.

Board members Bruce Burke and Judy Burns, often adversaries on other issues, supported Myers' bid to lead the district. When they emerged from the executive session to announce the decision, their faces were solemn and angry.

In contrast, board members Adelita Grijalva and Joel Ireland were relaxed, and they chatted comfortably.

All board members praised Celania-Fagen's education background and made note of the strong community support for both candidates, calling them both strong "change agents." But Burns and Burke said they were looking for a candidate who could address the education issues facing TUSD, as well as its financial problems.

"I don't think she has the qualities we need right now," Burns said.

Rodriguez and TUSD Principal Supervisor Ross Sheard visited Des Moines last week to meet with Celania-Fagen's colleagues.

"What was clear to me from conducting my visit to Des Moines is she is a teacher's teacher," Rodriguez said.

Celania-Fagen, who was not at the meeting, said she was not concerned about the split board.

"Now the decision is made; we can move forward together," she said.

With her father living in Phoenix and her mother spending winters in Tucson, Celania-Fagen said Arizona will not feel foreign to her.

The application for the superintendent's position offered a salary range between $185,000 and $230,000 annually, as well as a benefits package worth up to $50,000. The salary and the length of the contract have yet to be negotiated, Celania-Fagen said.

Phil Brenfleck, the board liaison to TUSD's School Community Partnership Council, was among the community members who were disappointed with the decision. He said he believed partisan politics played a role in the decision, and he took the decision as a sign that the board isn't as serious about change as it has indicated.

"The Democratic machine in Tucson was against (Richard Myers). I think that's unfortunate," Brenfleck said. "It's obvious from our financial difficulties that we need to do business a different way."

He said he didn't think a career educator would change the district's fiscal problems.

Myers, a registered Republican, was questioned during the search process, publicly and privately, about his politics and specifically about his work with the Southern Arizona Leadership Council.

In 2001, the council proposed changing the City Charter to add two new wards. By extending the charter to unincorporated areas, Tucson would be able to retain local taxes, Myers explained last week. But the proposal was criticized for possibly disenfranchising non-white voters.

There would have been a power shift in voting groups, Myers said, but he maintained the proposal was well-intentioned.

On Friday, Myers said that whether or not he was chosen, he intends to support TUSD.

The search for a new superintendent began about a year ago. Then, board members expressed a willingness to find someone from outside the district with fresh ideas to address financial responsibility, school closures, ending the decades-old federal desegregation case and teaching methods for English-language learners.

Ireland, who is up for re-election in November, initially said he was partial to a local candidate, while Burns, also up for re-election this year, said she was looking for a candidate from outside TUSD's administration.

In early January, 22 people were selected to serve on the TUSD Superintendent Search Advisory Committee. Myers was initially one of the 22, as a representative of TUSD's Blue Ribbon Committee, though he was replaced after he told officials he had put his hat in the ring.

About one month later, the committee reviewed 21 applicants for superintendent. Ten applicants were forwarded to the board, which announced four finalists on Feb. 21.

After the announcement, public forums were held with each candidate. Last week the board narrowed the field to Myers and Celania-Fagen.