Parents Of Canutillo Cheerleaders Question Delay In Uniform Delivery

Parents at one Canutillo middle school are fired up about their daughters’ cheerleading uniforms. They paid nearly $500 for a variety of cheerleading gear, some of which has not been delivered even though the money was due in July.

District officials met with concerned parents at the library of Jose Alderete Middle School Monday afternoon to address concerns.

“We have yet to receive three sets of camp wear, the sweats for the cold season, and the bags with our girls’ names on it,” said mom Stephanie Ortega. “It was cold the other day and the girls didn’t have their long sleeves so they were pretty cold at the beginning of the game.”

Ortega and other parents said said they wanted to find out why it’s taking so long to deliver the purchases when each parent was required to bring in their $475 checks in July.

District officials said the delay is not due to the uniforms vendors. The two companies have stuck to the timelines they promised the school district. So what happened?

Canutillo Indepenedent School District Spokesman Gustavo Reveles said it was all because of “time management issues.”

Here’s how the contract was supposed to work: first, the parents pay the cheerleading coach, also known as the sponsor, for the purchases. The sponsor then takes the money and the purchasing order paperwork to central office. Reveles said the sponsor at this middle school’s squad neglected to turn in the materials on time. That sponsor resigned right before the parent meeting.

“The parents have been assured that we’re going to talk to the (uniform) companies to see if we can get the items in a much quicker manner and that the quality will be to the satisfaction of the parents and the school district,” said Reveles.