Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
Special Board Meeting/Governing Board Retreat
Held on Friday, May 16, 2014
District Office – Large Boardroom
A. Notice of Meeting
B. Agenda
C. Opening Items
1. Call to order and Roll Call – Mr. Gallardo
Mr. Gallardo called the Special Meeting/Governing Board Retreat to order
at 5:36 p.m.
Members Present: Mr. Gallardo, Ms. Garcia, Mrs. Cantu, Mr. Lopez and
Mrs. Hernandez joined at 5:37 p.m.
Also present were Dr. Chavez, Superintendent, Mr. Alex Sanchez,
Consultant and Mrs. Elza Ramos and Ms. Christine Santos Executive
Assistants to the Superintendent and Governing Board.
2. Pledge of Allegiance
Mr. Gallardo led the Pledge of Allegiance
3. Adoption of Agenda – Board Member Motion
Motion by Ms. Garcia, second by Mr. Lopez
Yea: Mrs. Cantu, Mr. Gallardo, Ms. Garcia, Mrs. Hernandez and Mr. Lopez
Final Resolution: Motion Carries.
D. Action Items:
1. Request for Discussion, Consideration and Possible Action Regarding
Parental Involvement in Education – Dr. Chávez
Dr. Chávez gave the Board a brief description of the discussions, which
have taken place between he and Mr. Alex Sanchez, Consultant, regarding
communications, community engagement and parental involvement at
Cartwright School District 83. The Superintendent indicated that later in
the meeting they would discuss in more detail, the options he, Mr.
Sanchez and Mr. Ojeh, Assistant Superintendent of Financial Services
thought were most viable at the present time.
At this time a 5-minute break was taken for the Board to gather their
dinner for the night.
Dr. Chavez introduced Mr. Alex Sanchez, Consultant. Mr. Sanchez stated
that he would explain the process he took to give his findings and
recommendations, feedback and observations, recommendations,
reorganization charts and next steps regarding communications,
1 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
community engagement and parental involvement in Cartwright School
District 83.
With that, Mr. Sanchez thanked the board for the opportunity to work
with them regarding some very important work and that their willingness
and efforts to improve outcomes in communications, community
engagement and parental involvement was to be commended. He
thanked the Board and Superintendent for the opportunity to meet and
speak with our District Administrators, Principals, Board Members,
Parents, Teachers and Community Members to discuss our efforts
regarding this matter. Mr. Sanchez stated that it has given him the
opportunity to hear their perspective and vision, as well as the Boards
around this body of work. He indicated that it is evident that Cartwright
School District #83 continues to be an example and a high performing
urban school district, and that or willingness to improve our outcomes in
communications, community engagement and parental involvement would
help us as we become an “A” District. Mr. Sanchez said that it would
enable us to show Arizona the great work we are doing with our students
and community.
Mr. Sanchez stated he was here to provide a summary and overview of
the forty-page report with seventy recommendations that was provided to
the Board tonight. He indicated that he would speak about the processes
he followed which enabled him to provide the findings and
recommendations, next he would give a summary of what he learned
from the interviews he conducted, and observations he made as a
consultant. Mr. Sanchez shared that prior to concluding with next steps,
he would touch base on five of the main recommendations of the seventy
then quickly move the Board into a conversation about the opportunity
the Board has to rethink and reorganize how we have our staff and teams
organized to execute the strategic work around communications,
community engagement and parental involvement.
THE PROCESS
His first task was to take time to look at policies and strategic plans for
the Board, Departments and the District as they relate to
communications, community engagement and parental involvement. He
also looked at job descriptions, sample publications, newsletters, news
clippings, website and promotional materials. Next, he interacted with
our key audiences; Board, Administrators, Principals, Teachers, Parents,
Alumni and various Community Members. Mr. Sanchez stated it gave him
a good understanding of each groups vision, perceptions, needs and
wants regarding communications, community engagement and parental
involvement at Cartwright School District 83. Lastly, he met with our
current practitioners at Cartwright School District 83.
With all the information he was able to gather, he was able to provide to
us, with findings and recommendations that would get us to where we
2 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
wanted to be in terms of the outcomes regarding communications,
community engagement and parental involvement. Mr. Sanchez then
moved on to feedback and observations.
FEEDBACK & OBSERVATIONS:
Perceptions from Interviews
o Communications – needs improvement
o Community Engagement – Poor
o Parental Involvement – needs improvement
Audience Perception Ratings:
o Internal Communications – good
o External Communications – needs improvement
o Marketing – poor
o Media Relations – poor
o Website – needs improvement
o Community Engagement – Poor
o Parental Involvement – Needs improvement
CONSULTANT OBSERVATIONS:
• Communications:
Audience perception is that we need improvement however, Cartwright
School District 83 is using some best practices and doing great work. The
employee newsletter is useful, provides a wealth of information and
internal communications are strong. The parent newsletter is bilingual,
colorful and celebrates our students and staff, and that is a best practice.
He was glad to see that some departmental newsletters were being
produced, and encouraged more interdepartmental newsletters in an
effort to empower our audiences to better serve our students and
community. The promotion of our students, staff and partners via the
website and in newsletters including the Superintendent’s Award of
Excellence is a best practice. We have used innovative means of
promotion like theater public service announcements in our marketing
and that is great. The automated phone messaging system can be very
effective if used well especially for Spanish dominant families. He is
encouraged to see that both the Superintendent and the Board are
supportive of these initiatives and are committed to improving outcomes
in these areas.
Opportunities for improvement are; that the parent newsletter should be
published more frequently, those people he spoke with would like more
information about key priorities, issues, challenges and opportunities as
well as work of the board. He strongly suggested that we build strong
relationships with reporters in an effort to share our successes. He feels
that we are currently “missing out “ on this opportunity. There is a need
3 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
for a comprehensive year-long campaign that “brands” our District and
assists our schools in the recruitment and retention of our students.
Although the website is used widely by our audiences, it is outdated. Mr.
Sanchez went on to say that, there is no strategic plan for
communications work. There is no operational plan, strategies, tactics or
goals for our staff to use as guidance in order to execute this work. Also,
job descriptions are outdated and there is no communications office. In
looking at the evidence and speaking with practitioners in the office, he
feels realignment and changing titles is necessary in the Community
Relations Department so that those doing the work of communications are
called communications. Mr. Sanchez also felt that we do not have
sufficient staff to do the work, provide comprehensive annual plans that
reach all audiences with consistency, frequency and quality. Although our
current staff members (2) are doing their best, we lack staff/resources
with the skill set and required experience to execute all the body of work
necessary. Mr. Sanchez also stated that our reporting structure is not
following best practices. The role of Communications is typically
considered a counselor to the Superintendent and Governing Board and
that if those individuals are too separate from that structure they can be
ineffective as Counselors. He went on to say that the Board does not
have a strategic plan nor policy that provides guidance to the
Superintendent their employee, with desired outcomes. Lastly, he stated
that if we wanted to drastically improve our outcome regarding
communications, capacity (staff) should be increased as currently we
have only two staff members completing this work.
Ms. Garcia inquired about Board guidance and the statement about the
lack of it, and that communications need improvement, with that, would
follow up for positive outcomes fall here? Mr. Sanchez stated yes, and
that he has two recommendations, 1) update policies to drive change
through board governance and, 2) board goals. He stated that Board
Goals are typically broad in nature however targeted specifics can be
embedded in Board goals. He would like them to consider Board goals
that would embed specifics for administration to reach those targeted
goals. In an effort to measure the progress towards those goals, an
annual report could be provided by the Superintendent to inform them of
the progress towards reaching Board goals.
Mrs. Hernandez stated that, information is good and that she likes the
idea regarding Board guidance, as this has been a topic of interest for her
in the past. She thanked Mr. Sanchez for the information and his work.
Mr. Sanchez responded by stating the words communications or
community engagement, do not come up often in our board policies
however, we are not unique and that many boards are now doing work to
improve in these areas.
•
Community Engagement:
4 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
Mr. Sanchez started out by stating that our audience perception rating is
poor in our effectiveness to engage community. On the positive side, the
Superintendent is committed to this work, he has an advisory committee,
various task forces have been formed and Superintendent and Staff
represent the district in some important groups and that is a best
practice. He encouraged the District to continue with this practice
although it is a more traditional model of engagement, we should
continue to find opportunities to expand this practice. Our participation in
round tables and key groups within the community will also help develop
champions for Cartwright School District. Gaps include, the number of
staff compared to the volume of work, no recent forums inviting
community to be aware of our key priorities, challenges, opportunities, no
comprehensive strategy to proactively engage stakeholders and create
champions or ambassadors for Cartwright School District. We don’t
involve as many people as we could involve in the decision making
process. There is no specific plan or processes for community members
to engage in solutions for the school district or schools. We have no
operational plan for this work, job descriptions are outdated, and there
are not enough staff members to do this work. Mr. Sanchez stated that
the reporting structure is not following best practices, community
engagement should also be a Counselor to the Superintendent and
Governing Board therefore he feels realignment is necessary in order to
serve the purpose and benefit of the District. He closed by indicating that
Board guidance is lacking in this area as well.
• Parental Involvement:
Our audience perception rating is a needs improvement in this area. We
are doing some good work, parental involvement is strong, and we have
best practices via the Family Welcome Center that is doing amazing work
and that we set an example in this area. He was encouraged to see that
we have a part-time community educator at each campus in an effort to
engage parents and that too is a best practice. We are providing
opportunities for parents to become leaders, learn English and computer
skills. The Superintendent and School Board are committed to this work
so that is a benefit. Gaps include part-time Community Educators,
however they cannot effectively execute a comprehensive parental
engagement strategy on a part-time basis. Parents do not have
opportunities for leadership development, many schools do not have
parent advisory committees therefore, parents do not have opportunities
to become leaders and become a part of the decision making process at
their schools or district. Cafecito’s are a best practice but do not involve
parents enough to become owners of the opportunities and challenges at
their schools. We do not have an operational plan for this work, job
descriptions for Community Educators are outdated, and we do not have a
family engagement office. The Director of the Family Welcome Center
currently provides supervision and training for Community Educators, we
would be served well by looking at that model and figuring out a way to
provide Community Educators with vision and supervision. There should
5 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
be a person to oversee parental engagement on a central and campus
level. Also, reporting structures do not follow best practices. Family
Engagement and Parental Involvement are top tier Counselors to the
Superintendent and Governing Board if you do not have these individuals
in the top tier as Counselors for the Superintendent and Board you could
set them up for failure. Board guidance is good, but could use some
improvement, however according to Mr. Sanchez, we are headed in the
right direction. Capacity is better in this area however, we need to create
and execute comprehensive parental engagement strategies. Capacity is
rated as low in this area.
In summarization regarding capacity, Mr. Sanchez feels that we may be
able to increase outcomes by reorganizing our teams in the right
structures, setting the right goals and providing guidance. However, in
order to reach the level we want to be at, we need to increase capacity in
these areas.
Mrs. Hernandez stated that she believes we have the staff to do the work
needed. She explained that she has experienced frustration in regards to
the changes that were necessary regarding Community Educators and
their job descriptions in the past. She feels we have the expertise at the
Administrative level however our practice is outdated in relation to what
they see and hear as Board Members at conferences. Mrs. Hernandez is
frustrated regarding the “innocent ignorance” in how we address parental
engagement. She feels it was necessary to bring someone in from the
outside to bring this to light. She wonders how to bring everyone onto
the same page regarding parental engagement and what she see’s at
other districts that works, how do we implement it successfully here. Mr.
Sanchez stated that two factors would help us improve outcome regarding
this work; realignment and updating current structures that provide a
strategic plan, which outlines, strategies, tactics and metrics for success,
as well as updating job descriptions to provide a framework for more
strategic work. He went on to say that in order to drastically improve
outcomes we would need to spend more money and that he agrees,
setting the right framework and goals is key.
Mrs. Cantu stated that in order for it to get better we need to face reality.
She feels we needed to see this before making changes without knowing
where we stood. Mrs. Cantu indicated that she feels we are moving in the
right direction.
Dr. Chávez commented that job descriptions and job titles are outdated
because of how quickly technology changes and school districts don’t
have the capacity to keep up with all the changes. He commended the
Board and thanked them for being a professional learning community and
finding out our reality regarding this concern. He stated we now have the
opportunity to assist in making it better by providing research based
recommendations and structures, then implementing them in a
6 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
systematic way in order to move us forward. He stated that parental
involvement should be at the highest level as we are competing with
other public, parochial and charter schools for students. The
Superintendent indicated that we must ensure we follow our District Goals
to, increase student achievement, provide exceptional customer service
and provide opportunities for innovation. Dr. Chávez went on to say that
when he makes the recommendations for structures, the Board would see
that they are intentional and will pay dividends not only with parental
involvement but with increasing our student population and our goals.
Mr. Gallardo stated that everyone wants all of these things and that
change is good. We need to ensure that our parents, community and
employees buy into this change and that we help them understand the
purpose of the changes. Mr. Gallardo stated that some of these changes
may raise some eyebrows and that we need to ensure everyone knows
why we are doing it and that we are attempting to accomplish our goals in
an area of need. Dr. Chávez stated that the recommendations will be a
template to move forward however, we are ahead of the curve because
we already know what we want. Therefore, he will have to educate and
re-educate staff to meet the demands and job descriptions that will be
recommended. He believes the Board will be happy to see the
recommendations as he feels it is what the Board has wanted. Mrs.
Hernandez stated that it is important for the entire Board to stand
together regarding these changes. She feels that staff, community
members and Administrators would like to be involved in the change
process and that they should be included. Dr. Chávez stated he now has
the opportunity to share options with staff, get their input regarding what
they think is optimal and together they would come to an agreement. He
believes that these recommendations may be what our staff already
wants and that they will appreciate that a consultant was able to identify
these items as needs as well.
Mr. Sanchez stated that the seventy recommendations would provide a
framework for improvement. He feels that if we implement any of these
recommendations we would have some impact on the outcomes we want
to see. He then proceeded to go over five high level recommendations he
felt needed to be addressed.
1. Update board policy and set specific board goals for the areas of
communications, community engagement and parental involvement in
order to provide guidance for Administration.
2. Realignment and reorganization of the Family Welcome Center team to
include Community Educators, and the Community Relations Office to
yield more strategic outcomes, aligned to the updated board policies
and goals. This should include renaming the offices, updating the
charge for the different teams, consolidating existing positions to
create new positions, and reclassifying and updating existing positions
7 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
and job descriptions. The Directors of these two offices should report
directly to the Superintendent.
3. Invest more resources in the areas of communications, community
engagement and parental involvement to improve desired outcomes,
aligned to the updated board policy and goals. This means people and
budget to execute the work.
4. Develop annual strategic plans for the areas of communications,
community engagement and parental involvement with specific goals
and metrics.
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of the district’s efforts in the areas of
communications, community engagement and parental involvement at
least once a year and make adjustments as appropriate.
Mr. Gallardo asked how would we determine how much we would need in
resources to accomplish our goals, perhaps we would have to identify
parameters, evaluate what we have and what it would take to get where
we want to be. Mr. Sanchez agreed, he stated the Board would identify
what they want the district to do, Dr. Chávez would organize himself to
achieve those goals, determine if and how much money we need to do
what we need to do, develop a plan with a timeline, set measurable goals
and evaluate the effectiveness of that plan. Mr. Lopez asked Mr. Sanchez
if he had the opportunity to review our budget? He responded yes, with
both Dr. Chávez and Mr. Ojeh. He then let the board know that he would
provide three options for the Board to choose from, a high-end model,
mid-range model and a zero increase in budget model.
Mr. Gallardo stated that if we do it correctly, the cost would be marginal
and that by increasing our student enrollment by putting this plan in
place, the changes could pay for themselves.
Mrs. Hernandez stated that she sees the abundance of people in our staff,
but does not see a strategic and intentional plan for everyone to work
towards. She feels that we need a facilitated process to get us to where
we need to be, and that it should be priority as this is an investment we
need to make. Dr. Chávez stated that when everyone sees the options he
will present, some of their questions could be answered. He indicated
that the way he works, all those affected in this process will have
ownership. We all have to own compliance and do the best we can to
achieve those given the parameters. Mr. Sanchez reminded the board
that they could always evaluate our progress towards the goals
periodically and realign them if necessary.
Mr. Sanchez went on to present three different organizational charts he
felt could make an impact in our District.
8 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
• Option 1:
Requires no new funding for new full time employees. This option
requires the reclassification of positions and updated job descriptions. It
will also require some consolidation of resources to create new positions.
This option creates a better alignment for the strategic work but yields
little improvement in outcomes for communications, community
engagement and parental involvement.
Mr. Sanchez felt that the first focus should be on family engagement,
renaming the Director position at the Family
Welcome Center to Director of Family Engagement, the leader for parental
engagement at the district, that person should report directly to the
Superintendent. Under the Director of Family Engagement would remain
the Family Welcome Center. Another recommendation would be to take
2.5 hours from Community Educators, consolidate those dollars, to create
5 full-time Parent or Family Liaisons, assign them campuses and have
them lead comprehensive full-time campaigns regarding parental
engagement. This plan would also create one Supervisor for those
Liaisons. That person would create vision for our Liaisons, working with
Principals and Liaisons daily to execute the work we want them to do. He
feels a current coordinator position could be reclassified to meet our
needs as the Support Services Coordinator.
In regards to Community Relations, the name should be changed to
Communications and Community Engagement Office, the Director in this
position would be a direct report to the Superintendent, with new job
descriptions, and both of her employees would stay but with new job
descriptions.
Mr. Sanchez provided his assessment regarding this option; slight
improvement in outcomes, volume of work will remain the same, would
create better outcomes in communications and parental involvement
however, community engagement would not improve. He went on to say
that this option would not be ideal regarding community engagement, as
we would not have the capacity of staff to reach our goals. In regards to
parental involvement, we would have the same volume of work, better
alignment and some improvement in the kind of work we would want our
Liaisons to do.
Mr. Lopez, asked if we still have 20 Community Educators? Mr. Sanchez
explained that we would cut 2.5 hours from that position and create 5 full
time positions and one supervisor for those five. Mr. Sanchez referenced
page 31 of the report regarding this question. Dr. Chávez explained that
the volume of work for these individuals would be overwhelming,
although it is a no cost option, there would not be enough time in the day
for this plan to succeed.
9 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
Mrs. Hernandez asked, if we change the title to family engagement then
the job description would have to change? Dr. Chávez stated yes, that
the new job description would be very explicit.
• Option 2:
Requires funding for six (6) new FTE’s, three (3) new Parent Liaisons for a
total of eight (8) Parent Liaisons, a new Communications Coordinator,
Community Engagement Coordinator and Community Engagement Specialist.
In addition, we would reclassify positions, update job descriptions and
consolidate resources to create these new positions. This option would
create better alignment to the strategic work necessary, and yield
improvement in outcomes for communications, community engagement and
parental involvement.
Dr. Chavez stated that he thought Option 1 is not viable for our goals. He
referred to the models for Option 2 on page 32 and 33 of Mr. Sanchez’s
report. The Superintendent went on to say that a Community Engagement
Specialist is necessary and that the additional costs for the recommended
changes (6 new FTE’s) could be $150,000. Dr. Chávez then stated that he
and Mr. Ojeh are looking at the budget to carve out some monies and,
looking at other ways to make more money either philanthropically or by
advertising on our buses and perhaps performance pay could help if our
performance continues to improve. Dr. Chávez stated that Option 2 could be
very viable to our District.
Mrs. Hernandez asked what would the, Community Engagement Specialist
do? Mr. Sanchez stated that it would take two individuals to execute a
comprehensive district wide campaign in initiatives and forums and
opportunities for our parents and community. He then referred to his report
for suggested language regarding job description modifications, upgrades
and updates. Mr. Sanchez then informed the Board that, Dr. Chavez would
have to make decisions regarding those recommendations for a Community
Engagement Coordinator and Community Engagement Specialist.
Mrs. Hernandez asked what would the training would look like? What would
our investment be in training and professional development? Mr. Sanchez
asked Mrs. Hernandez for clarification, training for whom? Mrs. Hernandez
stated the positions. Mr. Sanchez suggested that we hire the right person for
the position, with the right skill set for the position, as it would be the most
cost effective and is the best practice.
Mr. Lopez, inquired how many people typically apply for these positions? Are
there enough people to apply for these types of positions? Mr. Sanchez
stated, I think the Phoenix market has talent to fill these roles. He went on
to state that it would be best to hire a professional with a college degree,
who knows grass roots, and key players in key organizations and is
passionate about education. This skill set cannot be negotiated or they will
not be successful and our outcomes will not improve. We need to address
10 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
the science and the art of community organizing. Mr. Sanchez then stated
that this position would not be a traditional education professional. He then
advised the Board that the cost for this person could be in the $50,000 $60,000 price range in order to find someone with experience. The Specialist
under the Coordinator could have less experience and provide support to the
Community Engagement Coordinator. He then advised the Board to set
guidance and policy then, let the Superintendent determine those individuals
who are best qualified for the job. He went on to say that we need a profile
of someone that has the right science and art in terms of experience and is
already familiar with community organizing. Mrs. Hernandez shared that,
her concern is that the education component is important, we are limited in
terms of candidates, which makes it political, so we need to get someone
who is objective, has the science and not necessarily the relationships. She
then stated that it could be best to recruit from outside as she feels there is
more expertise in this area in more developed states in this area. Mr.
Sanchez stated that he spoke with four representatives from four different
organizations in our community and he felt we had strength as a school
district in the Phoenix area, as there are a lot of grass roots organizing
happening in both the political arena and community. He believes that if we
open the door for a community organizer, we could find someone in Phoenix
without a problem. Dr. Chavez then referenced page 38 regarding the job
descriptions portion of the Community Engagement Coordinator position. Dr.
Chavez stated we are breaking new ground, we would hire as we do now
based on expertise, when that process is followed, the cream rises to the top.
The Superintendent stated that he felt we shouldn’t have an issue finding
someone to fill the position locally.
Mr. Gallardo, inquired about how to move forward without appearing to have
a hidden agenda and causing concern as it happened in the recent past when
the job description for parent liaisons was converted to community
educators. He stated that he felt it was important to let the community know
there was no hidden agenda and that we have community and staff buy in.
Dr. Chávez quoted Michael Fullan’s work, where we educate and reeducate to
ensure everyone is informed and aware of how the plan would work. He
then stated that the existing Community Educator position would still exist as
an eight (8) our position, a change would be that 2.5 hours would be funded
from Title One, rather than the maintenance and operations budget and no
longer have the community engagement piece in their job description. The
additional eight (8) Parent Liaison position would be opened up and
Community Educators could apply for the Parent Liaison positions should
they wish to do so. The Superintendent then referenced page 32 of Mr.
Sanchez’s report that, provides a recommended structure for the eight (8)
new Parent Liaison positions. Dr. Chávez then explained that Option 2 would
provide a job description that would dedicate the Parent Liaisons to
community engagement. In essence he explained, the Parent Liaison and
Supervisor positions are “new” positions. The Superintendent went on to
explain that in regards to the media side of the equation, the
Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator as well as the
11 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
Community Engagement Specialist would be “new” positions. For these
positions he explained, we would have to look for candidates that do not
typically fit the “educator” job description of the communications portion of
the model. Rather we would have to look at individuals with a media,
marketing background such as those found at the Arizona State University
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
Mr. Gallardo, asked why in your report do you recommend Option 2? Mr.
Sanchez stated that based on what he knows about our budget, and what is
practical and realistic for our District, Option 2 would yield improvement,
sometimes drastic improvement in specific areas and that absent a bucket of
dollars being readily available Option 2 is the most viable option. Option 3
can be a goal for the future. Mr. Lopez asked how smooth would the
transition be between Option 2 and 3? Mr. Sanchez explained that it would
be smooth, as we would be adding more staff members and more structure
to the organizational chart as seen on page 33 & 34 of his report.
• Option 3:
Mr. Sanchez stated that this option requires funding for 24 new FTE’s,
reclassification of positions, updated job descriptions and a consolidation of
resources to create the new positions. This option would create better
alignment to our strategic work and yield significant improvements in
outcomes for communications, community engagement and parental
involvement. This option would provide optimal support for schools and
departments and would provide drastic improvement in all areas of need.
This is the model that large urban school districts, with student populations
of 80,000 plus.
Mrs. Cantu commented that she supports Option 2. Mrs. Hernandez was in
support of this Option as well.
Mr. Sanchez reminded everyone to not be overwhelmed by the seventy (70)
recommendations outlined in his report. He referenced Recommendation 41
of his report. The recommendation asks that we consider bus advertising as
a revenue generating strategy. Mr. Sanchez went on to inform the Board
that Scottsdale Unified School District is expected to make $900,000 in
revenue over three years utilizing this option and that this recommendation
could help underwrite the work we are looking to complete. Mr. Lopez asked
if the revenue could be used for any purpose? Dr. Chávez stated that monies
we generate would be less restricted than state or federal funding. Mr.
Gallardo asked if the advertising would be located in or out of the school
buses. Dr. Chávez shared that it would be on the outside of the buses, and
that he hopes that global companies much like Target and Wal-mart
including those on the internet as well as those that target our community
members and provide more bang for our buck. The Superintendent stated
that bus advertising could potentially pay for the 8 new Parent Liaison
positions and that, this would be a good start. Mr. Sanchez shared that there
is a nationwide trend around revenue generating solutions especially from
12 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
the private sector. Mr. Gallardo stated that it is unfortunate that this is the
trend and that states are not fully funding education. Dr. Chávez shared
other sources of revenue such as cell phone towers and billboards on our
properties, but we’ve been able to manage our money well however, at this
time we need money to make the necessary refinements and it is an option
he will have to consider going forward. Mrs. Hernandez supported Dr.
Chávez’s statement. Mrs. Cantu stated that for the first time in her career as
a school board member, the President of National School Boards Association
is a forward thinking individual that is bringing innovations to the table and
encouraging schools to think outside of the box in an effort to generate
revenue. She stated we should keep an open mind, and remember to
commit to the work necessary to improve in the areas of community
engagement, parental involvement and communications. Mrs. Cantu stated
that perhaps the Parent Liaisons could assist in the area of truancy and
absenteeism that Ms. Garcia has brought to light in the recent past. She
thanked Mr. Sanchez for his work.
Mr. Sanchez closed his presentation by leaving the Board with three points as
food for thought:
Next Steps
1. Update board policies and set goals for their employee, the
Superintendent, provide metrics for accountability regarding this work.
2. Reorganize and realign teams
a. New Titles
b. New expectations
c. New job descriptions
d. New positions
3. Develop Strategic operational plans with targets for all departments
involved
4. Consider all other recommendations (he is available to the Board & Dr.
Chavez to discuss the recommendations).
5. Evaluate work to ensure board policies, goals and targets are being
met.
Mr. Sanchez thanked the Board and Dr. Chávez for the opportunity to work
with everyone regarding this body of work. He is sure that our District will
continue to set the example for Arizona as an “A” District and in regards to
our work in community and parental engagement.
Mr. Gallardo thanked Mr. Sanchez for his work and asked if there were any
questions. Dr. Chávez commended Mr. Sanchez for his work. He asked the
Board to consider continuing to work with Mr. Sanchez regarding this body of
work so as to ensure we complete our work in a systematic way. Mr.
Gallardo asked if there were any other questions or a motion?
Mrs. Hernandez, shared that she wants to see this happen and strongly feels
that facilitation is necessary to take us through the process of
implementation and the continuing assessment of positions and the job
13 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
descriptions. Mrs. Hernandez moved that we continue to work with Mr.
Sanchez in taking us through the phase of implementation.
Dr. Chavez recommended Option 2 included in Mr. Sanchez’s report as the
most viable option at the present time, and that we could consider Option 3
for the future due to our finances.
Mrs. Hernandez moved to continue to employ the services of Mr. Sanchez to
support the facilitation of Option 2 in Mr. Sanchez’s report. Mr. Gallardo
asked if there was a second? Mr. Lopez seconded the motion. Mr. Gallardo
asked if there was any further discussion.
Ms. Garcia, asked what would be the timeframe for creating the job
descriptions in Option 2 for the Parent Liaisons and their Supervisor and
when they would post? Mrs. Hernandez asked if she could recommend the
five steps as a plan? Mr. Gallardo recommended that this step be deferred to
Dr. Chávez as he would be the person to create the outline and next steps.
Dr. Chávez asked the Board to give him some time to present the
reorganization in a sensitive, diplomatic and systematic way so as not to
create misunderstandings amongst our staff and community. He hopes that
we can implement the Parent Liaison positions by next school year however,
we only have one week of school left, and that it may be January 2015.
Mrs. Hernandez suggested that based on the recommendations, the Board
develop language in policy in order to paint the picture of what they are
looking for. Dr. Chávez stated that he would bring some policies to the
Board at the June 4, 2014 meeting then again July 1, 2015. Mrs. Hernandez
asked that we set some time aside to discuss Board Policy and the
expectations for implementation? She asked if it could happen at a Board
Meeting? Dr. Chávez suggested a study session prior to a Board Meeting or,
he could send a template to the Board so they can provide suggestions to
meet their desires. Mrs. Hernandez asked that the discussion take place at a
public meeting so that discussion could take place to inform everyone about
the discussions regarding this work and how we got here. Dr. Chavez stated
that was fine and that a study session could be considered however he asked
for some time to inform those parties involved in the changes.
Mr. Gallardo reminded them that there was a motion on the table. He called
for a roll call vote:
Final Resolution: Motion Carries
Yea: Pedro Lopez, Denice Garcia, Rosa Cantu, Lydia Hernandez,
Steve Gallardo
E. Other Information/Discussion Items.
1. Requests for future agenda items as information/discussion.
14 of 15 Approved at Governing Board Meeting of June 4, 2014
Mrs. Hernandez, requested discussion regarding an update about parent
complaints about the Administration at Manuel “Lito” Pena School and
how the staff was dealt with. She asked if this could take place in
Executive Session? Dr. Chávez explained that this request is not one of
the seven (7) reasons an executive session could be held. Mrs.
Hernandez asked that Dr. Chavez provide an update regarding how the
Administration was dealt with in a public setting for transparency sake.
Dr. Chávez shared that in a public setting he could not be explicit about
the conversations however, he would be happy to discuss those
recommendations made to the administrative staff with Mrs. Hernandez in
person or during a telephone conversation as he cannot breach
confidentiality. He also offered to meet with the community members in
question if they are still experiencing conflict.
F. Announcement(s) of future meeting date and other routine
information concerning the Governing Board.
Mr. Gallardo informed everyone of the next board meeting – Wednesday,
May 21, 2014.
G. Adjournment
1. Approval to Adjourn the Cartwright Governing Board Meeting of Friday,
May 16, 2014 - Mr. Gallardo
Motion by Mrs. Cantu second by Mrs. Hernandez
Final Resolution: Motion Carries
Yea: Pedro Lopez, Denice Garcia, Rosa Cantu, Steve Gallardo
Mr. Gallardo adjourned the meeting at 8:37 p.m.
Denice Garcia, Vice President
15 of 15