REGULAR BOARD MEETING Peoria Unified School District No. 11 District Administration Center 6330 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale, AZ 85306 August 26, 2014 Mr. Hal Borhauer, Board President, called the meeting to order at 4:38 p.m. in the District Call to Order Administration Center Board Room. Other Board members present were Mr. Matthew Bullock, Board Clerk; Mrs. Kathy Knecht and Mr. James Kistner. Board Member Tracy Livingston was en route to the meeting. Also present were Dr. Denton Santarelli, Superintendent; and Mrs. Dana McCarty, Secretary. There were five staff members in the audience. It was moved by Mr. Bullock to convene an Executive Session as prescribed by A.R.S. 38- Convene Executive 431.03(A)(1) - Discussion of personnel matters related to the evaluation and performance- Session based compensation of the superintendent. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Knecht, and carried unanimously. Board members returned to Regular Session at 5:39 p.m. Present in addition to those Return to Regular individuals listed above were Board Member Tracy Livingston, Dr. Heather Cruz, Deputy Session Superintendent; and Mr. Kenneth Hicks, Chief Financial Officer. There were approximately 100 people in the audience. Presenting colors and leading the audience in the pledge of allegiance were Commander Opening Exercises Cadet Colonel Hannah Valdez and Vice Commander Cadet Lt. Colonel Christina Finley from Cactus High School Air Force ROTC; Superintendent for Deputy Commander of Support Jadin Gowins and Executive Officer Oscar Langford from Peoria High School Air Force JROTC. There were no recommended changes to the order of the agenda. Reorder of Agenda Items Mrs. Erin Dunsey, Media Specialist, recognized Air Force JROTC student awards earned Board and Staff by the Peoria and Cactus High School Chapters, as well as 2014 National Award Winners Recognitions for Career and Technical Education (CTE) for DECA, FBLA, FEA, FFA, and HOSA. Cadet Commanders Holly Blount and Hannah Valdez spoke on behalf of the many award- winning CTE program students. The students responded to Board member questions and received their congratulations. Also recognized were the families, advisors and principals of the students, as well as Dr. Patti Beltram, Director of Career Services. Presenting the Peoria Unified School District high schools who earned “A” labels under the Arizona Department of Education’s AZ Learns Labels program was Mrs. Danielle Airey, Director of Communications and Public Relations. The following high schools were presented with banners proclaiming their “A” school designation: Cactus High School (Principal Kristi Hammer); tied for third highest growth Ironwood High School (Principal Vance Setka); met all English Language Learner requirements Peoria High School (Principal Paul Bower); highest growth change from a “C” to an “A” label Raymond S. Kellis High School (Principal Jeff Wooten); tied for third highest growth and achieving a 94% graduation rate Minutes Page 2 of 5 8/26/14 Also recognized were Centennial High School (Principal Christine Lopezlira) for receiving an “A” label three out of four years since the Arizona Department of Education changed the way they score labels; Liberty High School (Principal John Croteau) for retaining their “A” label and showing the second highest in growth in proficiency; and Sunrise Mountain High School (Principal Dave Svorinic) for earning an “A” label for four consecutive years. Other acknowledgements by the Board and Dr. Santarelli: Partnership Award presented to the City of Peoria and Peoria Unified School District by the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association for the annual Peoria Arts and Cultural Festival held each spring. Peoria High School FFA (Future Farmers of America) students Jacob Kaltenbach, Bailee Dorris and Tanner Wright who spent five days in our nation’s capital in July as part of a leadership conference. Teacher Jennifer Cheesman and Zuni Hills Elementary School students for coordinating an Amateur Radio International Space Station (ISS) radio contact between students and an American astronaut, Reid Wiseman, aboard the ISS. Sunset Heights Elementary School cafeteria staff for receiving a perfect health inspection from the Maricopa County Health Department. Peoria Unified School District COOP preschools for providing a valuable program for parents and high school students. Mr. Hicks and his Business and Finance Department for receiving a Certificate of Achievement in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Association. Letter from Chandler Unified School District urging valley school districts to add a link to Expect More Arizona to their public websites. The Public Comment agenda item allows individuals the opportunity to address the Public Comment Governing Board on any issue within the jurisdiction of the Board. Comments are limited to three minutes per person. There were no requests to speak. The District received several letters from community members and former employees Community Member requesting that a space or facility at Cactus High School be named in memory of former Request to Name Cactus Principal Rob DeSeelhorst. Mr. DeSeelhorst passed away on July 2, 2014. Dr. Space/Facility at Cactus Santarelli suggested that the Board direct administration to formulate a task force to High School in Memory develop a recommendation to advance to the Board. There were four requests to speak: of Former Principal Rob DeSeelhorst Mr. Allen Buntin, a former PUSD teacher, addressed the Board regarding Mr. DeSeelhorst’s ability to hire the right staff and his secret to leadership, which was to take care of small issues before they became huge fires. Mr. Buntin said Mr. DeSeelhorst deserves to be remembered in a public manner. Mr. Jim Williams, a former PUSD administrator, recited a sampling of comments included in the letters of support for remembering Mr. DeSeelhorst in a public manner. All of the letters were from former colleagues of Mr. DeSeelhorst. Mr. Williams encouraged the Board to consider the requests. Ms. Renee Ouimette, a former PUSD teacher, talked about the special culture that Mr. DeSeelhorst created at Cactus High School and how he had a gift for attention to details. She also shared Mr. DeSeelhorst’s talent for the development of high school curriculum as well as the block schedule. Mr. Lee Sanderson, a former PUSD teacher, addressed the Board regarding Mr. DeSeelhort’s integrity, straightforward approach with staff and students, as well as his willingness to listen to different points of view. He encouraged the Board to honor Mr. DeSeelhorst. Minutes Page 3 of 5 8/26/14 The Board directed administration to formulate a task force to bring back a recommendation. Mr. Steve Savoy, Administrator for K-12 Academic Services, will facilitate. Mrs. Airey presented the School Calendar for the 2015-2016 School Year for ratification. Ratification of School The District’s Calendar Committee surveyed parents and staff in December 2013 and they Calendar for 2015-2016 were overwhelmingly supportive of the current calendar format. The 2015-2016 School School Year Calendar mirrors the current calendar format which includes Labor Day in September, Columbus Day and parent/teacher conferences in October, Veterans’ Day and a week-long fall break in November, a two-week long winter break in December, Martin Luther King Day in January, Presidents’ Day and parent/teacher conferences in February, a week-long spring break in March, a one-day break in April, and concluding the school year before Memorial Day. The only change recommended by the Calendar Committee was to move parent/teacher conferences from February 4-5 to February 11-12. It was moved by Mrs. Knecht to ratify the 2015-2016 School Calendar as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kistner, and carried unanimously. A copy of the approved calendar is attached. Mrs. Airey presented the School Calendars for the 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 Approval of School school years for initial approval. All three calendars mirror the 2015-2016 calendar with Calendars for 2016- one exception in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. In these two school years, Veterans’ Day falls 2017, 2017-2018 and respectively on Saturday and Sunday. A review of Board Policy as well as state statutes 2018-2019 School Years only require the Veterans’ Day holiday be given with compensation when the holiday falls within the school week. Because the holiday falls so near the week-long fall break, the Calendar Committee opted not to include the holiday on the school calendars for 2017- 2018 and 2018-2019. It was moved by Mr. Bullock to approve the 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school calendars as presented. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Livingston, and carried unanimously. Copies of the approved calendars are attached. The purpose of this presentation, facilitated by Mr. Robert Panzer, Director of Arts Presentation on Arts Education, was to provide an overview of arts education in the Peoria Unified School Programming District and to highlight what sets those programs apart from other school districts. Mr. Panzer presented research on the link between quality arts programming and student achievement, Arizona arts requirements, K-12 arts programming, professional development, community partnerships and future work. Some highlights related to what sets PUSD arts programs apart from arts programs in other school districts: 100% of PUSD elementary schools provide opportunities in visual arts and music. Theatre and dance is available at the Foothills Fine Arts Academy. 100% of PUSD high schools provide opportunities in each of the four disciplines (dance, music, theater, visual arts). 100% of PUSD schools have dedicated arts classrooms/facilities. 100% of PUSD curriculum frameworks reflect the Arizona standards in the arts. 100% of PUSD schools have foundational arts courses that have valid and guaranteed assessments in place. 100% of PUSD schools utilize certified arts specialists as instructional providers. This year the Peoria Unified School District will proudly celebrate 125 years of educating Update on PUSD’s 125th students in the northwest valley.