The Range learned yesterday that City Councilwoman Regina Romero returned a campaign contribution of more than $400 to her reelection campaign from Mark Stegeman, president of the Tucson Unified School District governing board.

Romero faced criticism from Mexican American Studies advocates who questioned the contribution and told the councilwoman that if she supported Mexican American Studies classes in TUSD, that the contribution from the board's most contentious figure on the issue needed to be returned.

The Range is working on getting a copy of the letter to post. The letter was posted on Romero's reelection Facebook page.

The letter, dated Aug. 9, starts with:

Thank you for your donation to my campaign. While I appreciate your support, I strongly disagree with your position on the Mexican American Studies program within the Tucson Unified School District and for that reason I am returning your donation. I want to send a message to fellow Democrats and the public that allowing the dismantling of the Mexican American Studies program is an unacceptable affront to democratic core values.

The letter ends:

It is my opinion that your efforts to rework the MAS program and the department are misguided and do a disservice to the students benefiting from these classes. The significance of this program and its impact on our youth is too great to ignore or diminish by efforts to modify the courses. I will be encouraging my fellow Democrats and the public to make their voice heard on this issue and take a stand in support of Mexican American Studies at TUSD, and I hope you will consider doing the same.