The Cave Creek Unified School District (CCUSD) governing board appointed Marcie Rodriguez, the district’s chief financial officer, as “acting superintendent” at a Feb. 27 board meeting, after current superintendent Dr. Cort Monroe has been on extended leave.
According to the meeting agenda, “The superintendent is currently on leave and there is no other administrator currently authorized to act as superintendent. The acting superintendent would be authorized to act in the capacity of the superintendent in the superintendent's absence.”
It is unclear how long or why Monroe has been absent, and he did not respond to requests for comment. Monroe became CCUSD superintendent in January 2021, and was previously employed as the assistant superintendent at Queen Creek Unified School District.
While this does not necessarily correlate to when he went on leave, the last time Monroe was present at a board meeting was Jan. 23, which was a typical meeting. He was absent at the Feb. 13 and Feb. 21 governing board meetings, as well as the Feb. 27 meeting where Rodriguez was appointed. It is also worth noting that Monroe’s personal Twitter account was highly active with multiple posts a day up until Jan. 28, at which point there has not been any activity since.
The CCUSD governing board has not provided any official statement or information regarding the situation. In response to a request for comment, CCUSD governing board vice president Scott Brown only said, “Per governing board policy, the board president is the only member that is allowed to make any public comments or statements.” Board president Janett Busbee has not responded to requests for comment at this time.
The board unanimously voted to make Rodriguez “acting superintendent,” which Busbee said was “effective immediately” at the meeting.
“Rodriguez has over 20 years of cabinet experience with school districts in the Valley. Her financial expertise coupled with her administration experience will lend itself to moving the district forward in a positive light,” Busbee said at the meeting.
“Rodriguez is keenly aware of the needs and issues currently facing our staff and students. She is committed to working diligently to reestablish a cohesive environment in which all will thrive and to make the remainder of the school year a positive and successful teaching and learning environment for all. Congratulations and thank you for your service.”
This is a developing story. Stay tuned at CitySunTimes.com for updates.
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