The Former School Superintendent’s Legal Woes: A Closer Look
Former school superintendent Denise Birdwell’s legal journey has come to a close, as she recently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense and received a sentencing of six months of unsupervised probation. This marks the conclusion of a tumultuous case that began with Birdwell facing 18 felony charges related to her time as the superintendent of the Higley Unified School District.
The indictment against Birdwell, which dates back to 2021, focused on alleged misconduct in the procurement processes of the Higley Unified School District during her tenure in 2012. Specifically, Birdwell and other defendants were accused of bypassing procurement rules to award a construction contract to a specific bidder, along with conflict-of-interest offenses.
In a surprising turn of events, Birdwell entered a plea agreement on Sept. 6, admitting to a misdemeanor charge of accomplice to purchase or appointment of office while the remaining felony charges were dropped. As part of her probation, Birdwell will pay a fine of $2,750 and has agreed to address any outstanding tax issues with the Arizona Department of Revenue.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has refrained from commenting on the resolution of the case, leaving many questions unanswered about the details of the plea agreement. Birdwell’s troubled tenure extended beyond Higley Unified School District, as she faced conflict-of-interest allegations during her time as the superintendent of the Scottsdale Unified School District, ultimately resulting in a severance agreement to end her contract prematurely.
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