TOLLESON, AZ — A contentious battle is unfolding in the Tolleson Union School District after lawmakers approved an audit in response to allegations against Superintendent Jeremy Calles from a former employee.
Tuesday, the bipartisan Joint Legislative Audit Committee ordered what Representative Matt Gress called a "full nose-to-toes audit" after hearing what he described as "stunning testimony" from a longtime principal in the district.
Felipe Mandurraga, the former principal of Tolleson Union High School, accused Calles of multiple instances of misconduct, including allegedly allowing a teacher accused of inappropriately messaging a student to resign without filing a law enforcement report.
"The explicit message was this teacher with his shirt off saying, 'Hey, what are you watching tonight?' somewhere to that effect," Mandurraga testified.
Gress said he contacted the state Board of Education after the meeting to ask if the teacher had been referred for investigation.
"The answer is no," Gress said.
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However, Calles pushed back during a press conference on Wednesday, disputing the characterization of the incident, saying he was not made aware of the full extent of the allegations.
"There's not a copy of an image in that employee record," Calles said. "What was shared with me was we had an incident of a teacher who was viewed as being overly familiar, and we're going to move forward with resignation instead of termination."
Additionally, Calles has filed a defamation claim against Gress as they continue their ongoing dispute which began around the agreement between TUSD and the Isaac School District.
Calles said he will cooperate fully with the audit.
"Do I expect they'll look at something we've done and tell me it's not aligned with best practices? Absolutely. I'm not status quo. I do a lot of things outside the box, and we can have a discussion on what we feel is best practices," Calles said. "Do I expect they'll be able to find any criminal activity on me no matter how hard they dig? No."
The auditor general has already begun the audit process and is expected to complete the investigation by January 2027, though officials hope to finish sooner.
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