Ricardo Hernandez Rebuilds Trust in the Community

Ricardo Hernandez accepted an unenviable role at the Tucson Unified School District, where he immediately had to ask taxpayers to raise their own taxes

Ricardo Hernandez, CFO, Tucson Unified School District

BY BILLY YOST, HISPANIC EXECUTIVE

Ricardo Hernandez grew up a “borderlander,” straddling two cultures and two countries near the border of Arizona and Mexico in the small town of Nogales.

“You’ve gotta be Mexican enough to the Mexicans and American enough for the Americans,” Hernandez remembers. “You’re right in the middle. It’s one of the poorest parts of the country. But there was always the promise of education.”

Now, Hernandez is the chief financial officer of the Tucson Unified School District. He understands what it means to grow up in an impoverished, under resourced area where it seems like the only way to get ahead is to leave. He doesn’t want Tucson to feel that way for any of the kids or families he serves, but in a state like Arizona, that can be challenging.

Arizona passed sweeping legislation in 1994 creating charter schools and allowing students to attend schools outside their neighborhood boundaries. During the 2022–2023 school year, the state began implementing a “universal voucher” program, which lets families use public funding to underwrite private or homeschool education. Public education isn’t exactly a priority.

“Those moves have created an undercurrent of resources for families, often families of means, who want to seek other educational experiences and opportunities that they think we can’t provide,” Hernandez explains. “We have to find a way to get back to those families with messaging and a demonstration of what a well-rounded education we can provide before it’s too late.”

The CFO came to TUSD in 2022 in what many would consider an unenviable position. The school district hadn’t passed a bond issue in twenty years. A full generation of students had come and gone without desperately needed infrastructure and other updates. Five years earlier, the district had attempted to pass a bond issue, with 60% of voters rejecting it.

“When our kids didn’t have what they needed to go home and learn during lockdown, it wasn’t a positive experience for a lot of people. We led with humility and tried to highlight how much our kids were missing out on without this bond.”

Ricardo Hernandez

Multiple factors were working against TUSD. The school district had lost some credibility with its community in the past, and even the school board couldn’t agree on a unified messaging campaign for the bond election. TUSD was seeking $200 million. With Hernandez at the helm of the district’s financial operations, the school district sought a bond of over $500 million.

“Our goal was to rebuild trust,” the CFO explains. “When our kids didn’t have what they needed to go home and learn during lockdown, it wasn’t a positive experience for a lot of people. We led with humility and tried to highlight how much our kids were missing out on without this bond.”

Hernandez says he was incredibly heartened by the outpouring of support from the Tucson business community, who he knew would take a tax hit for the betterment of their community. The CFO was also grateful for the community organizations that partnered with the school district to get the vote out.

“I’m so proud that we had real estate groups, chamber-of-commerce-type groups, and even heads of industry come out and say they were with us,” the CFO says. “That affects their bottom line, but they understood the need for our kids and for our future.”

The bond passed, this time 60% in favor of the bond, a legitimate mandate. Hernandez accepted a role where he knew he was immediately going to have to go, hat in hand, to taxpayers and ask them to raise their taxes. And he did it successfully.

In many ways, Hernandez shouldn’t have had to ask. The CFO says you can go anywhere in Arizona and see the immediate need for capital money and infrastructure dollars. Most school districts have to go directly to their local tax base because the state legislature is either unable or unwilling to do the legwork.

“School districts are essentially going to their local neighborhoods to pass bonds to do what the state has abdicated, which is providing resources to build schools and provide what our kids need.”

Hernandez says that in his role, humility is key. His job is to serve kids, but he’s also often serving angry constituents. Not to mention eighty-eight individual schools, all with their own challenges and particularities. But since taking on the CFO role, Hernandez has tried to redefine what it means to be the financial head of the school district.

“There was the feeling that no one ever met the CFO here,” Hernandez explains. “I’m just not like that. I love engaging with our principals, our teachers, and our students. As a dad myself, I know I’d want to know who was making these decisions, so I try to be present.”

The bond won’t fix everything. It’s a one-time influx of desperately needed capital. Hernandez says his district is working to make sure that resources will go toward long-term projects. The reality is that some schools have challenges with their enrollment, but the CFO won’t let them go down without a fight. Often, the schools that most need support serve communities that are on the outside looking in. These communities frequently lack access to resources such as grocery stores, medical care, and public transportation.

Hernandez grew up understanding that some communities don’t begin at the starting line; they’re pushed further back. But he wants to ensure all Tucson students get the best education their school district can offer.

Hispanicexecutive.com