Higley Schools Blog

This one is just weird. Spending millions on alien searches??

AZ Republic
EV Times
The AP
Hundreds of other stories

Based on early results it looks like the K-3 override was defeated yesterday. Not a lot of votes total but nearly 2/3 of them were No votes.

Based on the current economy I can’t say that is too surprising.

Here is the email message I got:

There are 19 days until the override election.
We can not do it without your “YES” vote.

Dear education supporters,

I can write five pages on why the students of HUSD will benefit from your “YES” vote. I have chosen to write one page with five points.

1. Higley’s tax rate has dropped $.90. A “YES” vote adds an additional $.23 to Higley’s tax rate. This is still $.67 lower than last year’s tax rate.

My children, along with other HUSD children, cannot wait out a bad economy as it relates to their education. The additional $.23 adds up to 1.4 million dollars for the students of HUSD.

2. HUSD is seeking to increase its budget to keep K-3 class sizes at a ration that fosters a quality educational experience. This is not a luxury but a necessity for the academic and social success of our children. There is no stronger case to be made. The K-3 override is not going to be used to offer a new arts program or to create new curriculum.

3. Future reductions in education funding from the State Legislature are imminent. As a parent, I have little control over that. As a parent, I do have the ability to vote “YES” to a HUSD Budget Increase. This “YES” vote will help to maintain, protect and ultimately improve the quality of HUSD schools and programs.

4. The HUSD website provides factual information regarding this proposed override. In the near future the website will also have a link to show how all voter approved funds are managed. (accountability) Over the last year HUSD was presented two awards for excellence in financial reporting.

5. In closing, the financial challenge HUSD faces is further complicated by its rapid growth. Federal funding HUSD receives is from the year 2000 when the district had 9,600 fewer students than it does now. This growth also contributes to larger utilities bills; this is termed excess utilities and is not funded by the State. Additionally, Higley does not have the option to participate in Career Ladder. Districts that are part of the Career Ladder receive more State funding for teacher salaries. All of these costs have to be absorbed into HUSD’s budget.

The proposed HUSD budget increase will bring needed dollars to the students of HUSD.

Vote “YES” for a HUSD Budget Increase
Stacy LaGoy
YES for Higley Kids

I personally will vote yes and hope others do too. I don’t think it will be easy for this override to pass but I do think it will be good for our kids. In the end it might be a matter of who shows up at the polls. Hopefully the folks in favor will show up in droves.

See the AZ Republic article on her rocky history in the district here.

See the AZ Republic article on the subject here.

I am hoping we can go a step further and get on a year round schedule in the district. It is too hot in the summer here to have the kids home the whole time. (Then again, it is nice to leave town on vacation in the summer)

See the EV Trib article on it here.

I like it. Well I like it in principle at least. As long as she can drum up several times her salary it seems like a good investment to me.

We get this from the recent AZ Republic article on the subject:

Higley Unified School District Superintendent Denise Birdwell met with board members in a two-day retreat over the weekend and agreed that the district’s focus over the next few years should be on resources, academics, personnel and communication.

As a whole, the five-member board told district officials where they wanted to go in the future and prioritized the ways in which to get there.

“From my frame of mind, I don’t want to go into the how,” Board member Paul Howell said. “Our job is to provide direction and let the staff determine how that direction is accomplished.”

Emily Gersema and Marissa Belles over at the Arizona Republic published a useful bio piece on some of the new HUSD principals. See the relevant parts below:

DEBBIE YBARRA

School: Centennial Elementary.

Teaching Experience: Eight years, 6th grade for five years and language arts 7th and 8th grade for three.

Years at Higley: Her first.

What makes a good principal: “Being caring, dedicated and committed.”

Philosophy to live by: “A smile goes a long way, why not give one away.”

CORT MONROE

School: Cortina Elementary.

Teaching Experience: I have worked in the field of public education since 1994. My experiences have taken me from educational opportunities inCalifornia,UtahandArizona. I have been a classroom teacher in grades 3 & 6, a 1stgrade Instructional Aide, part - time faculty at theUniversityofPhoenixand an Instructor of Adult English Language Learners.

Years at Higley: His first.

What makes a good principal?: “Have a vision of a great school and the diligence to work toward it. That vision helps you to love the students, ensure their safety, provide a curriculum of rigor and relevance and make parents proud of your school. Another characteristic required of a good principal is the ability to relate and work with others. Daily you interact with students, staff and parents and those interpersonal skills are really what makes the difference in people’s lives. The idea of establishing a school community founded on relationships of trust, teamwork and professionalism is also pivotal in the success of the school for students, staff and parents.”

Philosophy to live by: “People don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care.”

DAWNE TURCOTTE

School: Power Ranch Elementary.

Teaching Experience: Started in 1993 and has taught biology, chemistry at various times in two school districts and the East Valley Institute of Technology before landing at Higley High.

Years at Higley: Five.

What makes a good principal: “Be in the processes, the learning, the supporting, and teaching on a daily basis supporting student achievement. The trench is where the foundation is laid. Collectively we can build a kingdom.”

Philosophy to live by: “To set high achievable expectations, develop collaborative relationships with students and teachers to create a community of respect and value for purposeful learning.”

SUSAN POWELL

School: Gateway Pointe Elementary.

Teaching Experience: Taught six years in Indiana and was a principal in Mesa school district the past 11 years.

Years at Higley: Her first.

What makes a good principal: “A good principal needs to have excellent people skills, communicate well, be dedicated to learning the community and be sensitive to their needs, have a strong knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessments, and have a good sense of humor.”

Philosophy to live by: “No matter how good you are, you can always improve.”

I have taken a little hiatus with the blog but with the school year starting again I figured I would fire things up again.

Stay tuned

Hayley Ringle recently wrote an article on the new all day gifted program HUSD is launching. Here are some excerpts:

Connor, who will be going into the fourth grade, is coming back to the Higley district to join the new all-day gifted program at Centennial Elementary School.
…

District officials are working hard to find those families who have moved out of the district for this reason. They’re also trying to get the word out to other district and nondistrict families who want their children to be a part of the new gifted program for third- to fifth-graders. An informational meeting on Tuesday brought out nearly 100 interested parents and students.

“The new program is designed for those who are among the most gifted who may have not had academic needs met and who need higher academic instruction,” said Steve Nance, Higley’s director of curriculum. “(It’s for students) who need to be with other highly gifted students throughout the day.”

Higley now has a “pullout” gifted program for students who want to take an advanced math or language arts class at their school. The children are pulled from regular classes and put into gifted classes. The new program will have third- to fifth-graders engaging in gifted classes all day at Centennial.
…

About 107 eligible third- and fourth-graders in the Higley district have been notified of the program. Students have to score well on the Cognitive Abilities Test to qualify. The number of classes and teachers needed depends on the interest, said Nancy Foote, a Higley teacher on special assignment who is so far the lone teacher identified for the new program.

Here is my take as a parent of one of those 107 kids: I was pleased that my daughter was invited but we don’t currently plan to accept the invitation. The primary reason is my kids attend Cortina and I want her to attend school with her siblings. All four will be in the same school for the next two years and I love the idea of them watching out for each other there as well as traveling to and from school together. It may be a nice thing but not quite worth it in our case from my point of view.

But if the new program brings more families with good students back to the district that is a very good thing for HUSD overall.

I’m not sure how they pulled it off but full time kindergarten is somehow back. Maybe it was enough arm twisting of state politicians.

In any case I am thrilled because we have a child starting kindergarten next school year.

I’m sure a few teachers will be very pleased to have the jobs as well.

Update: Here is the EVTrib article on the subject. It sounds like the admin just decided to bite the bullet a keep the all day kindergarten in order to stay competitive with surrounding districts.

However, Interim Superintendent Denise Birdwell said Thursday there was no way they can charge for the kindergarten program if surrounding districts are not charging for it. Kindergarten enrollment has already been down and some parents had said they would have to send their children to another district.

“To stay competitive, we are put in this position,” Birdwell said.

I suppose if kids start out of district that is potentially 12 lost years for a student. Regardless of all that — our family is very pleased with the change.

See the EV Times article on the subject here.

Here is a brief article saying HUSD could get and additional $65k of federal money.

Not much but it could potentially save a couple of jobs.

See a recent article over at AZ Central about that here.

More than 200 Mesa Public Schools teachers will be notified Monday that they won’t have jobs next school year.

Janice Ramirez, assistant superintendent for human resources for the Mesa district, let principals know Friday that 208 teachers will receive reduction in force notifications that were mailed out Friday.

Nearly every district in the valley is in the same bind. See an article on that here.

Starting Monday, Mesa Unified will hand out notices to 310 people, including more than 200 teachers. In Higley Unified, more than 60 jobs are being eliminated. Apache Junction Unified will lose 13 percent of its teachers.

The Arizona Daily Star reported Friday that Tucson Unified told more than 600 employees that their positions are being eliminated next year.

Preliminary reports from Scottsdale Unified indicate 230 staff members may lose their jobs. Queen Creek Unified School District’s meeting agenda for Tuesday includes approval of that district’s reduction-in-force list. Preliminary numbers indicate Queen Creek may have 20 to 25 teachers on the list, according to Superintendent James Murlless.

In some districts, more reduction-in-force notices may be given out than necessary, with the possibility some people may be invited back once districts finalize funding.

The latest news of budget cuts from state lawmakers includes a 5 percent across-the-board funding cut for public schools ($257 million statewide), as well as cutting early kindergarten ($11.2 million) and rolling back building maintenance grants ($7 million). The state already reduced this year’s budgets for Arizona schools by more than $100 million.

In addition, schools will likely see a 37 percent reduction in dollars from the state’s sales-tax-driven classroom site fund. That money is used to fund teacher salaries and incentive pay.

Even with federal stimulus money coming, the guidelines are so unclear at this time, districts say they cannot count on that money given their April 15 deadline.

Update: Gilbert school district plans to axe 200-250 teachers.

One notable exception is the Chandler district that seems to have avoided the mess. I don’t know where all their money is coming from but there is some consensus that the now-discontinued funding program (was it called “Career Ladder”?) Chandler got in on more than a decade ago makes a key difference.

See the AZcentral article on the job cuts here and the EVTimes article here. Here is a quote from the Republic article:

Higley Unified School District’s governing board Wednesday eliminated 38 fulltime jobs and 1 part-time position and decided that about a dozen teachers and an assistant principal will have to accept other positions if they want to stay on board next year.

Those changes are effective for the next school year.

Also, six fulltime office aides lost their jobs Monday because of an unexpected surge in spending on substitute teachers, caused by what interim Superintendent Denise Birdwell called an “exorbitant amount” of teacher absences.

There just isn’t any money for a growing district like HUSD. These cuts are pretty painful but if the funds aren’t there what can administrators do?

If you hadn’t heard, due to budget cuts the full time kindergarten program has been cut.  Children can go to half time kindergarten for free still but full-time is $275/month per child.

See a story on it from the EV Trib here and at the Republic here.

Congratulations to Dr. Denise Birdwell on the new contract to be the HUSD superintendent for at least another year.  Despite my earlier thoughts on a search I have changed my mind and I think the board made the right choice — especially in light of the financial crisis the district, community, state, country, and world are facing in 2009. It was a unanimous vote.

See articles on the subject here and here.

Any thoughts?

Apparently HUSD Director of Finance Mark Busch is planning to retire.  See an article on it here.

See here about the recent board vote on the boundaries for Centennial School.

Since I am not involved with this particular issue the most interesting thing to me is the vote split. The proposal passed with Howell, Land, and Anderson voting Yea and Whitener and Standage voting Nay. If anyone knows what lead to these votes please share with us.

We all know the economy is ugly right now. That ugliness is starting to hit home. A recent report over at the Republic says this:

Under the current state cuts, this southeast Gilbert district (HUSD) will have to cut as much as $930,000 from its maintenance and operations budget - the state aid portion that covers teacher salaries and administrative costs.

The district, with about 540 teachers, will have to slash about $160,000 from the soft capital category that covers textbooks, desks and other student needs in the classroom.

One thing that sets Higley apart from other districts is that it still is growing. Many established districts, such as Mesa Public Schools, are losing students.

The state gives school districts aid based on a per-student formula.

Birdwell foresees more trouble ahead, though, as the Legislature weighs where the budget ax will fall next. Ultimately, she and other education leaders expect the next budget round to result in staff reductions.

If that’s the case, Birdwell said the district will do everything it can to preserve teaching positions. However, Higley and every other state-funded district probably will have to cut classroom aides.

What does this mean for students, teachers and families?

Teachers will have bigger classes, Birdwell said.

“The days of the 20 (kids in a classroom), I think, are gone,” she said. “We’ll rely heavily on parent volunteers in the classroom.”

Ouch. Good thing the budget override passed at least… HUSD is going to be feeling the pinch more than most for the next year or two. Be prepared to volunteer parents…

See the recent article on this over at the Republic here.

Here are some relevant quotes:

A report looking at how well states retain effective new elementary- and high-school teachers gives Arizona a ‘D+.’

“Arizona can help districts do much more to ensure that the right teachers stay,” said Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, the nonpartisan, Washington group that prepared the report.

…

Higley Unified School District in southeast Gilbert has been adding staff and students, but it and other growing districts struggle to keep new teachers on board.

Interim Superintendent Denise Birdwell said retention was a problem because Higley, with about 540 teachers and 10,000 students, can’t offer salaries competitive with other districts.

That also means many of its teachers are young. She added that statistically, young teachers are the most likely to leave for other schools or quit the profession after a few years.

Retention improves if a school has more experienced teachers on staff, but they also require higher pay.

The state budget crisis likely will keep the revolving door swinging even in growing districts, Birdwell said.

“The inclination would be to hire less experienced teachers because we’re in a tight budget year,” she said.

Low taxes in Arizona (compared to other states) has its downsides too. One of them is that public servants like teachers often can’t afford to stay. This is worse for newer disctricts like HUSD who didn’t get in on some financial aid programs that shut down before HUSD came to be.

As reported here and here, there is a fresh debate brewing at the HUSD school board.  The question is whether the district ought to start a full fledged search for a new superintendent or just hand the job to Denise Birdwell.  It sounds like Land and Anderson think there ought to be a search, Whitener and Standage want Birdwell, and Howell is undecided.

Here is my take:  Birdwell may very well be the best candidate.  But if the district doesn’t do a proper search how will we ever know for sure?  Why not let Birdwell show she is the best when placed side by side with other qualified candidates?  Handing her the job without an open competition for the job would leave lingering doubts about her.  Smokey Robinson said it best: “You better shop around”.

And this “Let’s give her a year and decide whether to search later” approach I’ve been hearing tossed around is a total cop-out. That is effectively a decision not to do the search.

Now as a caveat:   The one thing I haven’t heard is the costs associated with a superintendent search.  If a search would cost $50,000 or something I would be less enthusiastic about it.  But my guess is the costs could be kept reasonable.  If that is the case, I think it is a no-brainer.  Open the competition for the job and let the best candidate earn it.

Whatever your take on this subject, I encourage you to contact your board members (see here) and let them know. This is a pressing issue that they need to decide upon quickly.

HUSD and Superintendent Lutrey parted ways amicably last night. It is not really a “buyout” situation, rather it appears Dr. Lutrey will be paid through the end of this school year and not beyond that. In the meantime Dr. Birdwell will take over the primary superintendent responsibilities while the new board hunts for a permanent replacement. Here are some articles:

AZCentral

EVTribune

Channel 15 (ABC)

Here is a press release:

HUSD JOINT SEPARATION STATEMENT
December 19, 2008

The Higley Unified School District (HUSD) Governing Board and District Superintendent Dr. Joyce Lutrey have amicably agreed to terms of separation upon Dr. Lutrey’s request. Both the Governing Board and Dr. Lutrey support this separation and are confident the district will continue to make great strides with the district strategic plan* underway and a strong leadership team in place.

The Governing Board and Dr. Lutrey have worked as a team to manage the district’s fast growth and build a strong foundation for the district. In just eight years, HUSD has grown from one school to nine, received North Central Accreditation as the first k-12 district in AZ to do so, achieved two Excelling school labels from AZ State Standards, and surpassed the Arizona average in every subject area tested in every grade level at every district school.

These successes provide the perfect opportunity for Dr. Lutrey to seek opportunities outside the district to advance her career knowing the district is making great strides with a goal and plan in place to achieve Excelling labels for every district school. She believes the district is well positioned to move forward as a new Governing Board takes shape in January 2009.

Dr. Lutrey will officially depart the district June 30, 2009 and will work with the Governing Board and the cabinet to complete district projects from December 19, 2008 through the June 30, 2009 date.

Beginning December 19, 2008, Dr. Denise Birdwell will assume Dr. Lutrey’s daily duties as the Governing Board determines who will assume the Superintendent title beginning July 1, 2009.

The Governing Board wishes Dr. Lutrey well and thanks her for the dedication and commitment she has provided the Higley community over the past five years.

Dr. Lutrey wishes to thank the community, the Governing Boards, the students staff and families for their support. She wishes them all well for the future.

Apparently the initial boundary proposals for Centennial Elementary are making several parents unhappy. See an article on it here. It sounds like they will likely go back to the drawing board.

Here is a link to Hayley Ringle’s article over that the Tribune. She called me for a quote in this one.

Here is the link to Emily Gersema’s article on it over at that AZ Republic, complete with another rehash of the tired old story about Kim Anderson’s brother, and with utterly moronic and unmoderated reader comments below. (Lovely)

Here is a guest post submitted by HUSD Governing Board Member Venessa Whitener. This information will be useful to anyone interested in HUSD as a growth district — Editor

This is communication from me (Venessa Whitener)to some of our legislators. There has been input going back and forth regarding the financial hurdles we face NOW. This next year will be more difficult as the State will cut even more funds in Education. It is our responsibility to inform our representatives and offer our solutions. Lets please put our efforts into positive solutions and accurate information.

Contact Kirk Adams, Rich Crandall, Lorin Hendrix, Thayer Verschoor all at
http://www.azleg.gov

Thank you so much for responding. I always represent a broad base of community members, teachers and staff. I would like to offer some perspectives from a growth district representing the concerns of our community.

It is one thing to talk of cuts and then have to make them from a current budget; most districts can deal with that. A growth district is already so far behind the majority of districts that we can barely stay afloat. These are perspectives, suggestions and concerns for specifics:

-Growth-As you know growth districts do not receive funding for ADM growth until the following year. So this year we are absorbing costs for about 700 students. We have dealt with this before, but compounding the cuts hurts too much. We have to use our Bond funds to build 2 new schools because of the moratorium enforced by School Facilities Board. Now how does our community react when we can now go to them for more bonds to make up for cuts from the state? I have confidence that they would be supportive, but we would be over taxing our constituents because of the burden of taxing for new schools. This burden is so unfair to growing districts. Charter schools get immediate funding (real time) ours is delayed an entire fiscal year. (I am glad though we do receive it. Even if it is a whole year later)

-Growth districts are penalized when it comes to entitlement funds. Title II and Title III Funds are based off of the 2000 census. Our district alone should be receiving 200% more funding according to our current numbers. This is a disservice to these students. In 2000, our population was 1000, now, 2008 is 10,000. We are meeting so many needs based on a number that has no relevance to our population. (Older districts do not mind this at all because they are losing student numbers but keeping the same funding, especially when it comes to Title 3 or ELL funds, if you were losing children but getting the same amount of dollars from 7 years ago, would you speak up, NO)

- Excess Utilities, another way to HURT growth districts. Again, based on a number irrelevant to growth districts. This has been improved minimally, but for example, these numbers are based on 2 yrs. previous, well since 2005, we have added 4 more schools, a warehouse and a district warehouse. Our district almost doubled in size square footage wise in 3 years, but only has half the amount of funds to pay for it.

- Soft Capital, (classroom supplies) how can you take a cut when the number has not increased since 1996? I know 10% cut is proposed, then allow us more flexibility in M & O or go for more override capability.

- Tax credit donations- Our community is begging to be able to use these funds in the classroom. I understand inequality issues, but we are missing an opportunity to use these funds more effectively and for better purposes than for extracurricular activities.

( I see this is where the general obligation bonds could come into play) and/or if CUTS have to be made in soft capital, let the districts be able to use tax credits to subsidize soft capital and/or use tax credits to subsidize sports and arts programs that may have to be cut due to STATE BUDGET DEFICIT

-Teacher Pay/ Taxes/Bonds/ Career Ladder -Our community KNOWS we are growing and struggling and is willing to help out until we stabilize and/or are properly funded. Our community has asked for more obligation bonds so we can better pay our teachers just the current rate as Gilbert or Chandler. WE CANNOT pay our teachers similar to surrounding districts because we constantly have to make up for the shortfalls listed up above. Therefore we cannot attract teachers and retain them when they can always go to Mesa and Chandler for more pay and career ladder, another INEQUALITY. If older districts can have Career Ladder, than let the newer districts pass bonds to make up the difference ( equal to career ladder) AND/or cut Career Ladder (everyone on the equal playing field and save the state $$) and use tax payer bonds to supplement teacher pay and pay for performance or reinstate the Arizona School Tax for Career Ladder.

These are just ideas to think about! I like to present all sides.

I spent 3 years teaching in Philadelphia and its suburbs. I saw a lot of wasted funds, but I also saw a lot of struggling blue collar communities who put their money where their heart was; in its children. They were willing to literally invest in their children. If constituents are willing to offer help, we need to give them opportunities to support our children financially. If they wanted to increase teacher salary, they put it up to a vote.

-This brings up the “Arizona School Tax”. Why is the perception that Adams and Burns are so set on repealing this. Can someone explain why reinstating this is so negative. We cannot afford to do away with this. I obvious do not grasp this issue because I do not understand the reasons for repealing it. Can you help me understand this? (Unless of course you are going for a general statewide sales tax increase that would be funneled into Education)

- Full Day Kindergarten- Majority of the public does not realize that we have had full day kindergarten for 3 years and have NOT been funded by the Sate. The money for teachers, double classroom space and supplies comes out of our pockets. You know this. I am supportive in whatever decision you make in this area, just STOP districts from having to pay for it without funding from the state when Gov. mandates it. I did my Master’s thesis on this topic and am in agreement that low socio-economic, bi-lingual, ELL and Special Education children benefit from full-day kindergarten. Anymore questions just ask!!!

Thank you for listening, I hope this was not the same “woe is me saga” you hear over and over again. There is a sincere attitude from the public that wants what is best for our children and want to improve the situation. Our state is now full of people coming from all over that notice their property taxes are much lower here in AZ than in their hometowns. Then they realize what deficiencies our schools have and see the correlation. Yes, I am a native to Arizona and pride myself in low property taxes, but our students cannot get the upper hand they deserve and meet the expectations from parents, teachers and nationwide expectations without the proper and FAIR funding.
You TWO both know firsthand the potential that lies within the children of this State.

My point in all of this, we WILL make the cuts and will do it responsibly, but PLEASE, if we are all in this together, then level out the playing field. Growth districts CANNOT keep up in this game unless our older districts and legislature meet us half way and until we enlist our local community members who want to get in the game and fight for our students.

I can offer more details and suggestions if you wish, a phone conversation may be best. This e-mail does not intend to relay any negative offense; we know tone and context are distorted in e-mail. My intentions are true and I know yours are too. Thank you for your time and if I may be of any help, please call.

Venessa Whitener

There have been rumblings for some days now that the current HUSD board is working on an exit strategy for Superintendent Joyce Lutrey.  Odds are the Ms. Lutrey sees the writing on the wall with the new board coming in soon and decided to initiate this process before the current board (which hase been generally supportive and sympathetic to her) leaves.

Well it looks like the issue will be discussed tonight at the board meeting — largely behind closed doors in an executive session.  See this from the agenda for tonight:

11.0 Executive Session – Legal Advice
11.1 Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(3), the Governing Board may Convene in
Executive Session for Legal Advice from the Attorney of the Public Body
Regarding the Superintendent’s Employment and Contract

12.0 Action and Information Items
12.1 Possible Action to Direct Attorney of Public Body Following Discussion in
Executive Session

Now I am all for a win-win exit strategy. But there are a growing number of people who are concerned that the current board is going to make the departure package too sweet. People who think Ms. Lutrey has done an atrocious job are especially worried about this. I am inclined to wait and see what the proposed deal is before getting too worried about it, but this is a big deal for the district so you interested stakeholders may want to keep an eye on this one.

If your kids will attend the new Centennial School be sure not to miss the meeting tonight 7:00 at the District Offices.  Here is a recent article on the subject.

Another teacher has been placed on leave by the district. See articles on it here and here. Let’s hope this turns out to be a tempest in a teapot and not something more serious.

A reader wrote in to point out this article that came out just after the election on a new evaluation tool being used to evaluate the performance of the district superintendent.  What do you think?

No not victory for me, but victory for the school district. It looks like the all-important budget override passed! In addition, two candidates that I was really pulling for, Paul Howell and Greg Land, were voted on to the school board. I am thrilled about it all.

Thanks to all of you who voted for me. I was just edged out by Paul, Greg, and incumbent Denise Standage.

Higley USD - school board
4-year term
100.0% of Precincts Reporting
(12 of 12 Precincts)

And more thanks for your Yes votes on the budget override. That is huge. Nearly 16,000 votes were cast and it won by only 200! Awesome stuff. Here is that results page.

100.0% of Precincts Reporting
(12 of 12 Precincts)

With the Budget override passing and Paul and Greg getting elected this is a great day for HUSD.

If you had been meaning to tell your neighbors that they should vote Yes on the Higley Schools budget increase/override or if you had intended to recommend a governing board candidate (like me for instance) now is the time to do it. The election is upon us. While some people have voted already, the majority of voters will be casting their ballots tomorrow so make those calls and send those emails today. HUSD and all of our children could really use your help.

I’ll plan to try keep you updated on the results as they come in tomorrow throughout the day.

Apparently a bunch of Higley teachers emailed Emily over at the AZ Republic after the last article on the override. Here is the follow up article. They reportedly were unhappy that the AZ Republic hadn’t done more to endorse this important measure.

As I have mentioned in the past, it is crucial to the health of Higley Schools and thus to the home values in the HUSD boundaries that this continuation of the Budget override on the ballot Nov. 4 passes. Tell everyone you know in our district to vote YES on the Higley Schools budget increase.

Emily Gersema put up a short article over at the AZ Republic site on the budget override that appears on the ballot this election season.

If you are wondering… VOTE YES! It will not change your taxes now (since it has been in place already for years) but it will help us improve Higley Schools and that in turn will increase your home values.

Here is the link to the article with pictures and all. I think Hayley did a very nice job on this.

Here are some quotes she got from me:

“A high level of distrust” between parents, teachers and administrators comes from a lack of communication, Johnston said.

“I think the administration has done an atrocious job at marketing itself to teachers and families,” Johnston said. “It’s created an utter lack of communication between families, teachers and administration, and caused a tremendous problem and culture of distrust.”

Johnston said teachers and families don’t feel supported by district administration, and they need to feel that their opinions matter. He said some parents feel their concerns are being dismissed.

“The way you make parents happy is to listen to them,” Johnston said. “Parents are the customers. An unhappy customer will be 10 times more vocal and will have more memory of their bad customer service.”

Congratulations to HUSD for achieving AYP.  Here is the quote from the AZ Republic:

The Arizona Department of Education released results this week showing whether districts and their individual schools have achieved Annual Yearly Progress - the federal measurement of a school’s improvement.

Federal officials determine whether a school made AYP based on student achievement on the state’s standardized test, Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards.

In the Gilbert area, Higley Unified School District’s two high schools and seven elementary and middle schools all achieved federal AYP for the 2007-08 school year, when more than 9,400 students attended the district.

See the entire article here.

Yep, you got it — the fine folks over at the Arizona Republic recommended Geoff Johnston for the board. They also recommended Denise Standage and Greg Land. Here is the link to the article and the paragraph about me:

The same goes for Johnston, a political newcomer and concerned parent who wants to make a difference by tapping parent and teacher groups to improve communication. He understands that boosting parent satisfaction starts at the top and trickles down to teachers, students and parents.

It is an interesting mix they recommend. It sounds like they would like to see some differing or even opposing views on the board and that is why they are recommending the incumbent, Standage. See my opinions on the candidates here.

The following is a guest post from governing board candidate Greg Land. As I mentioned in my post on the candidates, I am pulling for Greg to be elected the HUSD board. - Geoff

Friends and neighbors,

I am hoping everyone is planning on voting in this upcoming election on November 4, 2008. There will be a lot of important issues on the ballot, turnout is predicted to be high and lines could be long. It is important to be informed on all the issues you are voting on and I would not want anyone to feel rushed for any reason, including if they stood in line longer than they had planned on. I have gathered the following important links and information for voter registration, early voting and identification requirements at the polls. I hope you find this helpful and please forward it to anyone you feel might be interested.

Continue reading ‘Guest post from Greg Land: Voter information and links’ »

There will be a candidate forum for the five people running for three open seats on the HUSD governing board. See here for my current take on the five candidates. The forum will be from 7:00-8:30 PM a “The Barn”, a facility off of Ranch House Road in north Power Ranch. Everyone is invited.

Here are the questions that each of the candidates will be asked tonight and some of my thoughts on the subjects:
Continue reading ‘A preview of tonight’s candidate forum’ »

There was an interesting opinion piece over at the Arizona Republic recently pointing out that the election decision that might have the most impact on the value of your home is not at the top of the ballot but near the bottom with the school board elections. Here is an excerpt:

Continue reading ‘Housing prices and school districts connected’ »

I have talked with several parents who are deeply concerned about classes in some of our schools being overcrowded. Heck, I’m a parent with such concerns. My 6th grade daughter has a math class with something like 38 students in it. In most of the schools the kindergarten classes are the major issue with more children coming in than the district expected this year. Emily over at the AZ Republic wrote an interesting article on the subject recently. Here is a link to the article and here are some excerpts:

Continue reading ‘Interesting article on oversized HUSD classrooms’ »

Meet me and all the other candidates for the HUSD Governing Board next week in the first of two forums being conducted by the Higley teachers union (aka the HEA). Here is the announcement that just came out from the HUSD listserv:

The Higley Education Association (HEA) will host two Higley School District Governing Board Candidate Forums where all five candidates running for the Board will be present. There are three seats for which the five candidates are running. To be able to make an informed decision, please attend one or both of the following forums:

September 23 - Power Ranch Clubhouse “Barn” located on Ranch Road between Germann and Pecos at 7:00 pm

October 28 - The Small Auditorium at the Higley Center for Performing Arts at 7:00 pm

Emily Gersema over at the AZ Republic wrote a very interesting article recently that is definitely worth a read. 

Apparently current board member and board candidate Denise Standage is feeling miffed that she was not endorsed by the folks over at Change In HUSD.   (Yeah, you read right…  the incumbent candidate is irked about not being endorsed by a group called Change In HUSD…) Well more specifically, she is miffed that after she missed the appointment they went ahead and made their endorsements anyway. We get this gem of a quote from the article:
Continue reading ‘“that’s political suicide.”’ »

I was very pleased to see that the folks at Change In HUSD and PAC-HUSD have endorsed me, along with Greg Land and Paul Howell, for the Higley Schools Governing Board. I think they have chosen well. (See here for my take on the candidates.) The board vote is part of the general election coming up in November. Here is the press release:

The leaders of Change in HUSD and PAC (Parent Advisory Council)-HUSD have joined forces for the purpose of endorsing 3 candidates for the November school board election. Together with a panel of parents and community members they invited candidates on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings this week to meet and answer set questions regarding issues of concern that have been expressed by parents and community members in each organization. Questions touched on treatment of teachers and staff, hiring practices, following district policies and procedures, Special Education IEP’s, why the candidate is running for HUSD school board and what goals he/she has for HUSD if elected to the board.

After careful consideration, Change in HUSD and PAC-HUSD feel that candidates Geoff Johnston, Paul Howell and Greg Land best represent the parents these organizations have been in communication with. The candidates strongly believe that morale and trust need to be re-established in the HUSD community and are prepared to work to that end. The common threads between these candidates are 1) a belief that our children deserve the best leadership possible and that leaders need to be held accountable, 2) their ability to analyze information and make fair judgments and 3) a shared pride in our community and the vision that our school district can be a premier district in the State of Arizona. “I believe Geoff Johnston, Greg Land and Paul Howell are the candidates that parents and community members have been looking for. They’re committed to bringing about the positive change that Change in HUSD and PAC-HUSD are looking for and we’re happy to stand behind them,” said Stacey Christensen of Change in HUSD. Michelle Rigby of Change in HUSD states, “I am confident that Greg Land, Paul Howell and Geoff Johnston will be able to have a great working relationship with existing board members Kim Anderson and Venessa Whitener. There are good things happening now in HUSD and I believe these candidates will expand those positive elements. Our district has a great future.”

Regretfully, incumbent Denise Standage canceled her interview due to a scheduling conflict. The interview panel felt confident in their assessment of Standage based on her voting record, interaction at public meetings, and previous conversations with members of Change in HUSD.

Following this endorsement, Change In HUSD and PAC-HUSD will be active in spreading the word about candidates Geoff Johnston, Paul Howell and Greg Land, so community members can make an informed decision. Information about the three candidates, as well as how to get involved with each candidate’s campaign will be posted on www.ChangeInHUSD.blogspot.com.

Construction on the new elementary school in Power Ranch is about to begin. Here is the district announcement if you didn’t get it:

Dear Higley Parents and Community Members,

Please join us for the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Centennial Elementary School on Monday, September 8th at 6:00 pm at Ranch House Parkway and Fenceline Parkway. Centennial school will open in August 2009 as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our school district.

The school was designed by Gilleland Brubaker Architects and will be constructed by DL Withers Construction. The new two story design will accommodate 1250 students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Joyce Lutrey
Superintendent
Higley Unified School District

[UPDATE]

Dear Higley Parents and Community,

There is a date change for the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Centennial Elementary School. It will be Tuesday, September 9th at 6:00 pm at Ranch House Parkway and Fenceline Parkway (south of Pecos Road).

We hope you will be able to join us.

This new school will do a lot to relieve the overcrowding issue Power Ranch Elementary if currently facing.

And if you are not signed up to get the HUSD email announcements yet see here.

Hayley Ringle over at the EVTrib wrote and interesting article recently about a plot of land being considered for a future third HUSD high school.

The land is reportedly located just east of Cortina near Rittenhouse. It sounds like the idea is just in the nascent stages and there are some issues with both budget and the lot, but I thought our readers would be interested nevertheless.

Some new rules were put into place regarding volunteering parents and other adult volunteers at Higley schools. The idea is to create some kind of vetting system to protect students. After multiple problems between adults and students at HUSD high schools in recent years it is not surprising that security is being tightened. Still, the concerns expressed at recent board meetings have been that too much security would discourage parent involvement.

See the EVTribune article on the subject here. The AZ Republic article on the subject is here.

The current change is a pilot program that is scheduled to be evaluated by the new governing board in January.

A few days ago the EV Tribune ran a rather scathing editorial about the way the HUSD administration is currently handling this fiasco with using public money to conduct a poll about an election issue. The rule is that once an issue is officially on a ballot no public money may be used to research it. See here for more details on that.

Anyway, it now sounds like the administration is considering stiffing the firm they hired to conduct the survey. Here are some excerpts from that editorial:

The Higley Unified School District inappropriately, if not illegally, used a veteran political pollster to conduct a telephone survey of residents about a proposed budget override — after the school board already had committed to placing the measure before voters in the Nov. 4 general election.

Now, the district wants to compound that error by reneging on its contract to pay the pollster $10,500 for work already preformed.

…

District officials say they didn’t violate that law because the board approved a contract with pollster Bruce Merrill to conduct the survey on June 26, a week before the board decided to call the budget override election. If that interpretation is wrong, district spokeswoman Sara Bresnahan told Ringle the district will try to avoid any sanctions by refusing to pay Merrill.

What a mess.

This appears to be another in a long line of fumbles and gaffes by the HUSD administration. I’d say it really is time to start looking at changes in the leadership of the district.

This is a hugely important issue so be sure you pass it on to everyone in your neighborhood as well. This November there will be a chance to vote to extend the budget override Higley schools benefit from for another seven years. It is vitally important to the health and future of Higley Unified that this override extension passes. Here is what the benefits will be:

1. The district will get significantly more state money to pay for two things — Teacher’s salaries and school maintenance.
2. Currently about 76% of override money goes to help hire and pay teachers so if this override fails we will have less to pay current teachers in HUSD and less to hire new teachers
3. The rest of the override goes to maintenance costs like sports gear, musical equipment, etc. Without the override those programs will suffer as well.

In other words, the override money gives HUSD a fighting chance to stay competitive with other districts in salaries and that helps with retention and recruiting.

Here are some important facts about the override:

- It is not a new tax or new expense to residents at all. It is simply an extension of the existing override.
- Because the override allows for 10% above the district budget to be used for salaries and maintenance the bigger the district gets the more of a difference it makes.

Here is a brief description of the override that the AZ Republic published:

Budget override

• Allows a district to spend slightly more than its state-approved budget. The amount of an override is capped through a state formula, the revenue control limit.

Increases funds for certain spending categories. For example, Higley’s override would support maintenance and operations, which mostly covers teacher salaries and classroom costs.

Sources: Arizona Association of School Business Officials, Higley Unified School District

It will likely be near the end of your ballot so after you vote for the president be sure you vote yes on the Higley override as well. (And cast a vote for Geoff Johnston for the Higley Schools Governing Board while you are at it…)

Here is the announcement from the Arizona Republic:

The Higley teachers’ association is hosting an informational session Monday about the school district’s seven-year, $4.5 million override that will appear on the November ballot.

Monday’s meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the Power Ranch Clubhouse, 4444 E. Haven Crest Drive in Gilbert, southwest of Germann and Power roads.

Questions? Call teacher association president Dan Lawrence at 480-250-8820.

The override on the November ballot is given this explanation:

Budget override

• Allows a district to spend slightly more than its state-approved budget. The amount of an override is capped through a state formula, the revenue control limit.

Increases funds for certain spending categories. For example, Higley’s override would support maintenance and operations, which mostly covers teacher salaries and classroom costs.

Sources: Arizona Association of School Business Officials, Higley Unified School District

I’ll be there tonight so I hope to meet some of you too.