At its Oct. 1 meeting, the Winslow Unified School District Governing Board devoted significant attention to the long-term challenge of retaining teachers in a rural district. Special Education Director Dr. Brianna Conatser presented the culmination of three years of research and program design that she said should evolve into a formal teacher retention policy. The work recognizes that Winslow faces the same nationwide pressures of high turnover, inconsistent funding and limited professional growth, but with local obstacles like the scarcity of housing and public transportation.

She detailed a number of practices already in place, such as a stronger onboarding process with welcome packets, orientation videos and a three-day institute for new teachers led by master teachers. Coaches and administrators are conducting quarterly check-ins and local efforts such as the Adopt-A-Teacher program pair new hires with churches and businesses to help them integrate into the community. Teacher spotlights have been used to raise the profile of staff across the district.

The plan also looks to expand professional learning through a new online management system, strengthen partnerships with higher education institutions such as Grand Canyon University to provide tuition discounts and continue “grow-your-own” pathways for Winslow graduates to return as teachers.

More wellness resources are being added, including mental health and teletherapy, with future options like wellness days and structured professional learning time under consideration. Dr. Conatser emphasized that recognition plays a major role in retention and she suggested an annual gala with special attention for teachers in their first three years as well as loyalty bonuses tied to service milestones if funding permits. Measuring success is another focus, with calls to standardize exit interviews and run annual surveys to track why teachers stay or leave.

Board members welcomed the report, urged that the ideas be written into official policy and pressed for additional attention to paraprofessional turnover and onboarding. One member offered to help connect the district with Northland Pioneer College’s new teacher education programs to strengthen the local pipeline.

In other action, the board unanimously approved designating several parts of the community as unsafe walking areas, a move required for students to qualify for bus transportation and for the district to claim funding for those routes. The list includes Bushman Acres, where children would have to walk under I-40 without sidewalks, Southside and Coopertown, where Highway 87 has no sidewalks or crosswalks and the pedestrian tunnel can be unsafe, Gunner Heights to Bonnie Brennan, which lacks sidewalks along the frontage road and I-40 crossings for Bonnie Brennan students, which have no signals or crosswalks. This approval ties into a policy revision already underway to codify how the district defines unsafe areas in line with Arizona School Boards Association guidance.

The board also made several moves to stabilize district operations and address facilities issues. Following the resignation of Facilities Director Paul Sheets at the end of the month, the position will be reclassified as Project Manager with an updated salary scale designed to attract a qualified candidate capable of managing both day-to-day maintenance needs and large projects. If no such applicant emerges, the district will revert to the old structure.

In addition, trustees approved a revision to the certified salary schedule that recognizes teachers with a second master’s degree at Level 15 and those with a doctorate at Level 17, replacing the previous flat $500 increases. Leaders said this will both reward advanced education and prevent pay compression between veteran and newly hired teachers.

Finally, after three years without heating or air conditioning in the industrial arts building, the board declared an emergency procurement to fund repairs. Three bids had ranged as high as $850,000, but a $152,000 proposal can be covered from the district’s capital funds. The lack of climate control had forced the use of large electrical heaters and extension cords, creating safety hazards. While no installation timeline was given at the meeting, district staff said they would move forward immediately. Trustees agreed that the situation had gone on too long and that fixing it was essential for student and staff safety.

Board members also heard a report on the data behind student performance and outcomes. Superintendent Dr. Amber Martinez showed comparisons of Winslow’s third grade reading, eighth grade math and high school graduation rates against Navajo County and Holbrook.

The charts reflected steady progress since the pandemic slump, with Winslow now on par with county averages in third grade reading and ahead of Holbrook, consistently above Holbrook in eighth grade math while edging out the county overall and posting high graduation rates at the high school. Martinez said the results should be shared widely with staff, noting that teachers often feel weighed down by daily challenges, but the data shows the district is holding its own against regional peers.

In other business, the board:

* Approved hiring of Atalaya Lucero as a teacher for autistic students.

*Approved the resignation of Lorey Thomas, a parent liaison.

* Approved the retirement of Kevin Garrett, a district custodian.

* Approved the following coaches: Jerron Jordan, Winslow High School varsity boys basketball head coach; Ferlin Nez, WHS varsity boys basketball assistant; Brady Needens, WHS junior varsity boys basketball head coach; Tyrell Young, WHS freshman boys basketball head coach; Janeen Barton, WHS varsity girls basketball head coach; Frank Stacey, WHS varsity girls basketball assistant; Sheninkwa Cly, WHS junior varsity girls basketball head coach; Tim Westover, WHS boys wrestling head coach; Bryan Larson, WHS girls wrestling head coach; Kai Natseway, WHS assistant band sponsor; Quentin (Sonny) Begody Jr., Winslow Junior High School wrestling head coach; Alaya Candelaria, WJHS wrestling assistant; Dustin Cole, WJHS wrestling assistant; Brandi Serious, junior high eighth grade volleyball head coach; and Tonette Nez-Benally, junior high seventh grade volleyball head coach.

* Approved the following band and orchestra volunteers: Fawn Poleviyaoma, Lisa Shamie, Meggan Wiggins, Raquel Bahnimptewa, Autumn Wilson, Sausha Nells, Jonathan Nells, Jusita Alvarado, Harmony Wells, Iris Wells, Cliff Wells, Louanna Benslow, Berkley Hendricks, Jason Wallace and Mattea Yazzie.

* Approved extra duty pay for Kelbie Flake as a drama teacher.

* Approved the following fundraiser requests: Student Council, All American T-shirts; Student Council, water at homecoming dance; Spiritline, Bulldog shirts; Popcorn Club, T-shirts; Indian Club, Native American Festival and vendors; FFA, metal sales; Criminal Justice Club, donut sale and WJHS Student Council, dance/concessions.

* Approved out of state travel for WJHS Student Council to go to Knotts Berry Farm Leadership Conference in Los Angeles, Calif.

* Approved to vote yes for changes in the Arizona School Board Association (ASBA) bylaws regarding who can run for ASBA offices.

The next meeting of the board will be held at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 13, in the meeting room located at 800 N. Apache.