Holbrook Schools Adopt New Student Assessment

The assessment will be given online three times per year to measure students’ progress in learning the Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards for reading, math and science, and will replace the current Galileo assessment program.

Dr. Koerperich also presented the board with a request for open enrollment capacities for the coming year. The information provided states that kindergarten through third grade would have no more than 18 students per class, fourth through eighth grades would have no more than 25 students and ninth through 12th grades would have no more than 28 students per class. There will be a maximum of 20 students per manager for specific learning disability students, with the same limits for developmental delay students, with the number of students with those needs not to exceed 10 percent of the total student population. The number of students with speech and language disabilities will make up no more than two percent of the district’s population.

The board approved the request after reviewing the material.

A public meeting was held for comment on the fiscal year 2015-16 budget, but no comment was offered by the public. Following that meeting the board approved the budget for the coming year in the amount of $23 million.

In other action July 14, the board:

* Approved several sole source providers, including Frontier Communications, Navajo Communications, Pitney Bowes, Tyler Technology, Arizona School Boards Association, Arizona Interscholastic Association, Route 66 Lumber, Walt’s Hardware, Tractor Supply, The Tribune-News, Vail Unified School District, Scholastic Software, Postage by Phone, Western Refineries/Firebird Fuel and Briggs Marketing Inc.

* Authorized the superintendent and/or the business manager to submit the projected funding cash balance school district certification to the Navajo County Superintendent of Schools on an annual basis.

* Approved the 2015-16 intergovernmental agreement between Northland Pioneer College and the district.

* Approved the list of authorized check signers.

* Approved payment of a $240 retention stipend to all certified teachers returning for the 2015-16 school year.

* Approved the teacher prep, substitute and fractional pay rates.

* Approved a revision to Indian Wells Elementary School Principal Cheri Grau’s contract, changing her salary to $70,058 with verification of her experience.

* Approved the administrator placement schedule.

* Approved the A-Team/receptionist job description for Hulet and Park elementary schools and HJHS/HHS. The job descriptions will cover two separate positions, one for Hulet and Park, and one for Holbrook Junior High School and Holbrook High School.

* Approved a one-time stipend in the amount of $1,200 to Dwayne Hawk to paint a mural over the student section of Muñoz Gym. Costs associated with painting the mural will be paid through the HHS Student Council student activity funds.

* Approved the 2015-16 Employee Handbook.

* Approved 12 new administrative procedures to work in conjunction with board policies.

* Approved revisions to policies pertaining to the retirement of support staff and professional staff. The revisions delete the “early retirement” aspects in the policy, as the district does not provide such a program, as well as some other minor revisions.

* Approved the support staff hiring of Jimmy Loffer for computer services; Savannah Fischer and Nichole Gohl, computer services student workers for June and July; April LeFevre, Hulet School and HJHS split library aide; Scott Baker, HJHS head softball coach; Lanny Newton-Pender, paint crew; Marie Ghormley, Hulet School special education high needs; Shawnee Sullivan, satellite cafeteria worker; Brenda Montes and Gabriel Santibanez, cafeteria student workers; Jessie Hillebert, Park School special education special needs assistant; Alex Baker, Don Tyler, Larry Hayes and Kendall Bakurza, HHS football assistants; Joe Brown Jr., temporary grounds worker; Jolene Wilson, IWES substitute cafeteria worker; Angelica Castillo, district Northland Pioneer College student worker; Colleen Wilson, preschool aide; Alex Haussman, student worker; and Pete Tracus, Ramon Ledezma, Sandra Lewis and Valarie Denetso, substitute custodians.

* Approved the support staff resignation of Amanda Chee, IWES special needs assistant.

* Approved the certified staff hiring of Debbie Shumway, Andre Swedberg, Mark McKeller, Heidi Hunsaker, Linda Fox and Patty Tubbs as substitute teachers; Mark McKeller, HJHS head girls’ track coach; Loren Silver, HHS and HJHS Navajo language teacher; Deborah Wehrman, IWES substitute teacher; Melissa John, substitute teacher for English Language Learners and ELL tester; and Bryon Bateman, IWES teacher.

* Approved extra duty for Beth Self with the Hulet Harmonizers; Doug Hansen, Hulet detention; Eldon Ferguson, Hulet detention and tech cadre; Patty Hansen, Hulet Intervention Assistant Team (IAT) member and chair; Kerry Perkins, Hulet IAT; Brady Pond, HHS head football coach; Erik Carlson, HHS English summer school; Shannon Knight, HHS social studies summer school; Jeff Strong, HHS math summer school; Andrea Speers, Lou Ann McLaws and Beth Plumb, HJHS Flexbook professional development; Beth Baloo, HJHS summer school Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM); Taylor Lee, HJHS summer school STEM and student council sponsor; and Amanda Remos and Julia Fairbanks, special education preschool summer screening.

Also, Keith Wheeler, HJHS athletic director; Gishie Arviso, HJHS boys’ basketball assistant; Crystal Moorhead, Aaron Allooh, Virginia White and Tanya Phaturos, HJHS game help; Chris Obren, HJHS game help and head girls’ basketball coach; Paul Demuth, HJHS official and game help; Loriel Beck, HJHS girls’ basketball assistant; Brian McMahon, HJHS game help and head boys’ track coach; Beth Baloo, HJHS Project Skilz coordinator; Beth Plumb, HJHS softball assistant, student council sponsor and volleyball assistant; Kristen Tremonti, HJHS head volleyball coach; Caleb Moorhead, HJHS head wrestling coach; and Kyle Gardner, HJHS musical.

Also, Theresa Yazzie, IWES head volleyball coach; Karen Estridge, IWES tech cadre, and Fresh Fruits & Vegetables program; Hoby Wilhelm, IWES head softball coach; Luis Alvarez, IWES game help and detention; Sunny Obren and Suzanne Powell, IWES Fresh Fruits & Vegetables program; Daniel Orton, IWES head boys’ basketball coach and athletic director; Cale Allen, IWES head girls’ basketball coach; Virginia Pond, Park Performers; Rebecca Madden, Park Performers assistant; John Bokker, HHS summer weights; and Dale Larsen, HHS football assistant.

* Approved professional leave for Jeff Meeks, Cary Simpson, Carey Kester, Donna Campbell and Cheryl Carlson to attend the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Transition Conference scheduled Aug. 24-26 in Scottsdale at an estimated cost of $2,782.25, plus use of a district vehicle; Connie McPherson, ADE Connect Focus Group Meeting, June 17 in Flagstaff at an estimated cost of use of a district vehicle; and Dale Larsen, Arizona Assessment Meeting, July 8 in Phoenix at an estimated cost of $144, plus use of a district vehicle.

Also, Beth Baloo, 2 County Inservice, Aug. 28 in Snowflake at an estimated cost of use of a district vehicle; Cheri Grau, Qualified Evaluator Training, July 15 and 16 in Phoenix at an estimated cost of $554, plus use of a district vehicle; Jeff Meeks, ADE Director’s Institute, Sept. 1-Oct. 1 in Glendale at an estimated cost $811.88, plus use of a district vehicle; and Jeri McKinnon and Nichole Lozano, Schoolmaster Training, Sept. 28 and 29 in Prescott at an estimated cost of $1,525.32, plus use of a district vehicle.

Also, Teri Tafoya, Best Practices in Student Generated Funds, Sept. 2 in Mesa at an estimated cost of $334.44; Charles Haussman, Richard McPherson, Dale Larsen, Cheryl Carlson, Jim Mendell, Jeremy Madison, Ginny Novell and Del Novell, Arizona Career and Technical Education Conference, July 17-22 in Tucson at an estimated cost of $8,783, plus use of a district vehicle.

* Approved expense and revolving fund vouchers totaling $627,063.90, and payroll and expense vouchers totaling $1,454,603.19.