Council Meeting– February 17, 2015
School Newsletter Article
Parent Superintendent Council (PSC) met on February 17 at Sierra Elementary School. Highlights included:
Innovative Programs
There are several new programs that will be rolling out over the next few years:
- Dual Language – The program at Niños has been so successful it has outgrown the school and will be transitioned to Norte, which will become an entire Dual Language school. Niños and Norte will have a “super boundary” and students in that area can choose to go to Norte for Dual Language or Niños for regular education. The transition process will be designed over the next 18 months.
- Gifted Education – Students in Self-Contained Gifted classes will have a new pathway with Middle School Self-Contained Gifted being offered at Altadeña next year. We are working with Tempe Union High School District to continue that pathway into high school at Desert Vista.
- Fine Arts/STEM – The Pueblo/Paloma campuses with have a focus on Fine Arts in conjunction with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) using applied learning. Next year will be a design year with full implementation the following year.
- KMS Prep Academy – KMS has had a college prep program for a long time but they will be redesigning learning for all kids, not just those in the prep program. There will be a Smart Lab where students can utilize the latest technology, software and other tools to enrich and extend their learning. Specialized software offering remedial support for students who need extra help will be provided as well. A different learning model and program that is focused on the strengths and interests of students will be designed over the coming year.
- Traditional Academy – KTA at Sureño will have a middle school pathway for their program at Aprende. This will start with next year’s 6th graders.
Legislation and Budget
- Proposed House Bill 2616 would take away the authority of site councils to weigh in on how their tax credit dollars are spent. It would spread out the donations evenly over the state. The end result for Kyrene is that we would receive less tax credit dollars from the state so would have to raise property taxes to have the same amount of money coming in. To give input to the Legislature, sign up at https://apps.azleg.gov.
- We are moving toward giving schools more autonomy over their budgets and school staffs have been working toward making cuts in a way that works for them. Some items are off the table for cutting, such as health assistants, as that is a safety issue. Any cuts that are made must come with a plan for how those services will be covered another way. Some programs must be the same at all schools, so consensus must be reached, such as special areas (art, music, P.E. and library.) Principals submitted their budget plans at the end of February.