Scottsdale Unified School District Arizona’s Most Excelling Schools!

David Peterson, chief of facilities management for learners, and Bob Flach, chief financial officer, updated the Governing Board on the status of the bond budget. Additionally, Mr. Peterson gave the Board an update on construction work done during the summer. Summer construction at Arcadia High School included the demolition of the auditorium, Building 400, parking lot, tennis and racquet ball courts. Renovations included west gym, which was converted to 12 classrooms, Building 200 converted to Performing Arts, mechanical by-pass, main distribution line, electrical distribution system and R&G land field prep. Construction has begun on the new tennis courts. Summer construction work at Coronado High School included utility relocation, building pads and sidewalks at existing fields and demolition of the tennis and handball courts. The presentation also included construction timelines for Chaparral, Desert Mountain and Saguaro high schools and Sierra Vista Academy. The presentation is available on the district’s Web site at: http://www.susd.org/district/govboard/meetings.htm.

Also, Katy Cavanagh, executive director of middle schools and excelling teaching & learning, presented the Governing Board with highlights from the continuous improvement of middle schools. The presentation included master schedules, teams, electives, planning time, parent conferences, Web sites, gifted services and parent response. The presentation is available on the district’s Web site at: http://www.susd.org/district/govboard/meetings.htm.

Cathy Rivera, executive director of elementary schools and excelling teaching & learning, presented the Governing Board with student achievement data on the district’s federally-funded preschool program, which is beginning its second year. Highlights from the presentation included funding the program with No Child Left Behind Title I funds, pre and post assessments, AGS results, Kindergarten Benchmark results, pre-kindergarten curriculum, parent involvement and the enrollment numbers for the 2005-2006 school year. The presentation is available on the district’s Web site at: http://www.susd.org/district/govboard/meetings.htm.

Additionally, Carl Hurburt, interim executive director of human capital, presented the Board with recommendations to the revision of the Governing Board Policies GCCC, GCCC-EB and GCCC-EC concerning the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to be consistent with the district’s employment agreements. The revisions to the policies are as follows: sick leave was changed to general leave and fiscal year was changed to a rolling 12 months. The item will be brought back to the Board as an Action Item at the September 6 meeting.

In other action, the Board:

• Approved the annual renewal of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between SUSD, a member of Desert Valleys Regional Cooperative, a special education cooperative and the Arizona State School of the Deaf and Blind (ASDB). The renewal will occur annually through the duration of the agreement – June 2009. This cooperative enables our district to provide enhanced specialized services for students ages 3-22, who have multiple and/or severe sensory impairments.
   
• Approved the annual renewal of the IGA with Maricopa County Department of Public Health for Tobacco Prevention Programs. The Maricopa County Tobacco Use Prevention Program has agreed to pay $44,000 to Scottsdale Unified School District for the school-based tobacco prevention programs. Based on the number of recorded tobacco incidents and the desire to participate in the program, the district agrees to allocate up to $2,000 to each of the following schools for participation in this program: all elementary schools, all middle schools and Sierra Vista Academy. The funds shall be used to provide the following: tobacco prevention site coordinator – two stipend payments of $500 each, tobacco prevention planning committee, tobacco use prevention materials and technical assistance and training provided by the Maricopa County Tobacco Use Prevention Program.
   
• Approved the revisions to Section B of the SUSD Governing Board Policy Manual.
   
• Accepted gifts valued at $110,043. The gifts were received from Hopi PTA, Sequoya APT, Cathy and Malcolm Boswell, Maricopa County Medical Society Alliance and Salt River Project.

The next two Governing Board meetings are scheduled for 5 p.m., on Tuesday, September 6 and on Tuesday, September 20, at the Education Center.

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