Former Scottsdale Unified School District Superintendent Denise Birdwell was recently hired by Fountain Hills Charter School as its middle school teacher.

In addition to being the new middle school teacher, Birdwell is also taking on the lead teacher role, handling academic leadership at the school after principal William Ambos left the school in August.

School Manager Doug Pike says he is familiar with Birdwell from her time as the superintendent at Higley Unified School District, where his children went.

“I think everyone is aware of (Birdwell’s) past,” Pike said. “She has a wealth of academic experience, and I think she just wants to be back in the classroom with kids.”

Pike further updated the FHCS community on Birdwell’s hiring on Oct. 25 through email.

“In the current environment of teacher shortages and our own school’s efforts to improve, we have had difficulties with this position,” Pike said. “We are very fortunate to have found a very well qualified teacher willing to provide a caring environment with academic rigor for our students while at the same time being able to strengthen all of the teaching on campus.”

Birdwell’s past that Pike is referring to is Birdwell’s tenure as Scottsdale Superintendent.

Her tenure ended with the with Scottsdale Unified School District paying Birdwell a settlement agreement of $150,000 to end her contract a year early after more than a year of controversy.

The SUSD board alleges that Birdwell violated 16 ‘policies, administrative regulations, statutes, rules and contract provisions,” including allegedly accepting $30,000 from the architectural firm she brought in to do construction work in the district.

The Arizona Attorney General alleged that SUSD and the architectural firm violated state procurement laws but has since settled with both the district and the firm.

Pike commented on Birdwell’s past as a superintendent in his email.

“Dr. A. Denise Birdwell has many years of experience,” Pike said. “As the news has portrayed, it is not all without some conflict. Her past services as superintendent is not what we hired her for. She is a well qualified teacher.”