Scottsdale Unified School District Arizona’s Most Excelling Schools!

Dr. Bill Johnson, chief of Facilities Management for Learners, and architects from DLR Group and Orcutt/Winslow Partnership presented the Governing Board with the schematic designs for Coronado and Arcadia high schools. The first schematic design task was to determine the relationships among the various functions, programs and spaces at the campuses. Once these relationships were known, the architects worked with the school committees to group the various functions into buildings and to place the buildings on the sites. The design concepts that evolved out of a very extensive and exclusive process remained true to the general concepts presented to the public prior to the bond election, but was taken to a much higher level, with greater details, and included several refinements. The schematic designs are available on the district’s Web site at: http://www.susd.org/district/facilities/bond2004.htm. Click on the links for Arcadia or Coronado to view the designs.

In other action, the Board:

• Tabled the AIMS Update presentation until April 19.
   
• Approved the expansion of the Comprehensive Gifted Program at Zuni Elementary School with the amendment that the Administration will clarify the entrance criteria. The Comprehensive Gifted Program at Zuni will be the same as the Pima program. The program at Zuni Elementary will have a class ratio of 20 to 1. The entrance requirements are as follows: scoring at or above the 97th percentile on two or three subtests and a combined score at or above 284 percentile points on the Cognitive Abilities Test; scoring at least 90 percent or higher in Total Reading on the Stanford Achievement Test, or like achievement test; scoring at least 90 percent or higher in Total Math on the Stanford Achievement Test or like achievement test; and work at least two grade levels above in reading as per teacher recommendation. If your child does not meet this criteria, the information will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. All applications will be accepted and reviewed by the Gifted Services coordinator, Kim Lansdowne.
   
• Zuni Elementary School’s Comprehensive Gifted Program site will be open for the 2005-2006 school year for students in third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades.
   
• Approved Title I District Summer School Curriculum Adoption. The TimeWarp Plus and V-Math Series by Voyager will be used as curriculum, and Fast Track Reading by Wright Group will be used as supplemental materials for the district-wide Title I Summer School Program. The cost of these materials is not to exceed $100,000, including tax and shipping.
  
  After reviewing the AIMS and Stanford 9 data for the 2003-2004 school year, the district determined a need for a summer intervention program to improve performance for students not meeting the standards. Federal funds are available and have been set aside for this purpose. The intent of the summer intervention program is to service the students who are academically at-risk and not meeting the Arizona State Standards. Students in grades second through eighth will be identified to participate in this program based on their state achievement test data. The program is designed to serve students in grades kindergarten through eighth.
   
• Awarded an RFP for Professional Athletic Trainer Services to Scottsdale Healthcare for an amount not exceed $37,500 for the 2005-2006 fiscal year. The proposal will provide sports medicine coverage to all five high schools. Services will include providing in-service training and staff development for coaches, providing a doctor for all varsity football games, treating bumps and bruises, evaluating conditions and to make prudent medical referrals, providing each sport with the appropriate preseason and in-season training and conditioning to educate athletes.
   
• Accepted gifts valued at $56,884. The gifts were received from Arcadia PTO, Aztec PTO, CHAPTS, Cheyenne PTO, Friends of ANLC, Arcadia Pride, Aztec Community Team, Chaparral Science Boosters, Desert Mountain Science Boosters, Saberlinks, Charro Don Chiapetti, City of Scottsdale, Dan Harkins, Nancy Manning, Robert and Barbara Porter, Mr. And Mrs. Jim Riggs, Target, Washington Mutual and Wells Fargo Foundation.

A Special Governing Board meeting to discuss the Job Description for Internal Auditor, and discussions on Section B of the SUSD Policy Manual is scheduled at 10 a.m., on Friday, April 1, at the Education Center, 3811 N. 44th St. Phoenix. The next regular Governing Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 19, at the Education Center.