Elizabeth Celania-Fagen took over at TUSD last month

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Closing in on her first month at the helm of the embattled Tucson Unified School District, Superintendent Elizabeth Celania-Fagen has made her first big move: She's picked her team.

Her roster is nearly identical to her predecessor's, minus a few high-dollar standouts.

But if the lineup is largely the same, the structure is different.

No longer is the organizational chart a vertical list of deputy superintendents and assistant superintendents listed above the departments they oversee. It's been flattened, meaning Celania-Fagen will have more direct contact with more staff members, who will in turn have more direct contact with schools.

Take Steve Holmes, for example. Formerly an assistant superintendent, he was in charge of teaching and learning strategies and dealt directly with department heads. Now, he's one of six chief academic officers the district's schools are divvied up among. He'll continue to oversee desegregation and English-language learners, but he also will watch over 11 middle schools, helping to ensure there's less disconnect between policy and what's actually happening in classrooms.

Celania-Fagen did not fill the slots left open with the retirements of principal supervisor Maria Patterson and desegregation administrator Richard Gastellum, resulting in savings of $192,000.

"This structure will allow us to provide high levels of support to schools and classrooms. It is also lean without compromising levels of service," Celania-Fagen said, adding that she sought input from principals and other staffers before making her decisions.

Reaction was mixed.

Some had hoped TUSD's recent problems with budget shortfalls, declining enrollment and administrative issues would have spurred more change.

"I was hoping she would come in and really sweep out some of the administration and put in her own team," said J.D. Herron, father of three elementary students and chairman of the budget committee for the Tucson Unified School Supporters, a fledgling community advocacy group.

"There's just such an ingrained network of good ol' guys and good ol' gals, and I'm concerned that that ingrained network could really undermine her ability to make the big transition that people have been hoping for."

After his children's school, Rogers Elementary School, was targeted for closure last school year, Herron said he learned "that TUSD has this astounding hierarchical, dictatorial structure and things were done from on high without consulting the other stakeholders. I would want this new administration to do a lot more outreach and interaction with school staffs and with parents in the schools."

Steve Courter, who leads the district's teachers union, said he was struck by how many more staff members will report directly to Celania-Fagen.

"I was really impressed. The more people you have directly reporting to you, that means the more hours and energy you're putting into the job and that's pretty ambitious."

Courter said he hadn't been anticipating wholesale staff changes because Celania-Fagen came in at the start of the fiscal year and isn't familiar with the district leadership yet. "She's going to want the benefit of the historical experience these people will bring, but at the same time, that doesn't preclude her from making changes as time goes on."

Laura Shaw, a spokeswoman for Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, agreed. Just because the staff is in place now, doesn't mean it will remain the same, she said. And, she added, the staff also can operate differently under new leadership.

"It's too early for us to say much other than we're just going to trust that she's got the expertise to transform the district. I think we just need to let things play out under this new leadership."

Celania-Fagen, who said she also will start a new superintendent's advisory council, said that if she had come in wielding an ax and pink slips, "that creates a culture of fear where employees are always wondering what you might do next that's radical like that."

The new structure will allow her to work closely with the leadership team so she can assess their strengths and hold them accountable for progress.

Celania-Fagen said she's been heartened by some good news in the first few weeks of her tenure. The district was able to balance its budget, in part by cutting almost 100 positions from academic support positions at a savings of $7 million. TUSD's bond rating also was upgraded to A1 by Moody's based on its tax base, debt management and payout of principal.

"I'm still wading through funds and there are no children in schools yet, so it's too early for me to issue a sweeping statement on the state of education," Celania-Fagen said. "But I am feeling like the structure we've built is one that will support the way I want to work."