A former Tolleson Union High School District employee contends she was terminated after participating in an investigation into the superintendent's conduct, according to a lawsuit that is headed to mediation.
The lawsuit was filed in March by Cruzita Mendoza, who also serves on the Tolleson City Council. According to the lawsuit, Mendoza worked for the district for nearly 40 years. Before the 2025-26 school year, Mendoza said her contract with the district was terminated, according to court documents.
The complaint accused the district of retaliating against her after she participated in an investigation into Superintendent Jeremy Calles' conduct in late 2024.
In August, the case was ordered sent to mediation by a Maricopa County Superior Court
judge. The two parties were scheduled to meet on or before Dec. 11.
The lawsuit joins other controversies that have plagued the district. Also in 2024, an investigation was conducted after Calles filed a Title IX complaint against school Governing Board member and state Rep. Elda Luna-Nájera, D-Phoenix, who was the board’s president at the time. According to a statement read at a meeting by former board member Kino Flores, the investigation found there was a sexual relationship between the two.
In a statement at a board meeting Flores said that it was "inappropriate" for Luna-Nájera to engage in a relationship with Calles, "even if that relationship was fully consensual between the two individuals,” because Luna-Nájera held power over Calles. Luna-Nájera denied the allegations and was ousted from the board presidency.
The sexual harassment investigation concluded in September 2024, and the investigation into Calles' conduct concluded in December 2024.
In January 2025, the newly seated governing board declared the previous board's action retaliatory, and Calles was ultimately awarded a $450,000 settlement.
Calles also has an ongoing retaliation lawsuit against his own district because of a poor performance review given by Luna-Nájera after the investigations.
The district has also been criticized for its spending, particularly for Calles' push for an $80 million football stadium and a $25 million loan to neighboring Isaac Elementary School District.
Neither the district, Calles nor Mendoza responded to requests for comment.
Tolleson Union district denies retaliation
According to the lawsuit, Mendoza also filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging discrimination and retaliation. Mendoza was first hired by the district in 1986 and was terminated when she was 72 despite not having any disciplinary history, according to the complaint.
At the time of her termination, Mendoza worked as the facilities management supervisor in the district's facilities department.
In Mendoza's complaint, she sought compensatory damages, lost wages and attorney's fees, among others.
In its response, the district denied that Mendoza was wrongfully terminated and stated that her non-renewal was for "legitimate, nonretaliatory reasons." According to a separate court document, the district restructured the facilities department where Mendoza worked and eliminated her position.
According to the district's response, Mendoza's disclosure in the investigation was never communicated to Calles and therefore could not be retaliation. Mendoza also did not have a legal right to continue her employment beyond her termination, the district argued.
What did the investigation into Calles' behavior find?
According to Mendoza's complaint, the district began investigating Calles in 2024 after numerous employees complained about him. The investigation was conducted by Ernest Calderon with Calderon Law Offices in Phoenix.
During that investigation, Mendoza gave "truthful statements regarding Superintendent Calles' financial mismanagement and damage to the District," according to the complaint.
According to Mendoza's court documents, she disclosed information that she believed violated Arizona state statutes prohibiting misuse of public monies and immoral or unprofessional conduct in the education profession.
According to the report, Calles was accused of several different governing board policy violations. The law office interviewed about 35 witnesses, including Mendoza. While some statements made by interviewees are included in the report, they are not quoted by name.
"Dozens of complaints" were made against Calles once the interviews started, but the investigation focused on complaints made to the district's human resources department, according to the report.
Calderon's report said he was able to corroborate that Calles spoke in a condescending tone to employees, publicly embarrassed staff at a board meeting and described his conduct as "arrogance with no concern for accountability." The report noted that, of the governing board members, Calles only clashed with Flores and Luna-Nájera once their interpersonal dispute arose.
Some of the accusations made against Calles were uncorroborated, the Calderon report said, such as the complaint that he was "autocratic and 'military-like' in his management approach and interaction with employees," and that he displayed gender bias against women.
According to the report, Calles was accused of not taking the advice of a female district executive on numerous occasions, but the investigation found that he "rejected recommendations and counsel without relation to gender."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former employee claims retaliation in Tolleson school district lawsuit
