A $19,767 Healthy Families Healthy Youth grant to be used at Holbrook Junior High School was accepted by the Holbrook Unified School District Governing Board Aug. 8.
The grant was provided by the State of Arizona in conjunction with Navajo County. The funds will be used to focus on substance abuse through mentoring and education. The program culminates with a family event to help those involved understand the impact of substance abuse on families and our youth.
According to the 2016 Arizona Youth Survey, eighth graders in Navajo County were higher than the state average for substance abuse. The most notable difference showed that 36.6 percent of Navajo County eighth graders reported using alcohol compared to 29 percent across the state, 24.9 percent reported using marijuana compared to 14.3 percent across the state and 9.4 percent reported opioid use compared to 6.9 percent across the state.
Last month Governor Doug Ducey signed an emergency declaration to address the growing number of opioid related deaths in the state after a report from the Arizona Department of Health Services noted that in 2016, 790 Arizonans died from opioid overdoses.
In other business, the board:
* Approved a request to hire special needs paraprofessionals throughout the school year, as needed, when these positions are required by a student’s Individual Education Plan.
* Approved the revised Teacher/Educational Specialist Effectiveness Performance Evaluation Systems for the 2017-18 school year.
* Approved the use of Dobridge & Company P.C. for the annual audit of the district for the 2017-18 school year.
* Approved the volunteer stipend for extra duty assignments administrative procedure.
* Approved for 60-day review the text, Mosa Mack as a supplemental web-based science curriculum resource that includes leveled articles at seven different reading levels. The Mosa Mack science curriculum will be used in sixth, seventh and eighth grade science.
* Approved Charles Haussman, Robbie Koerperich, Kevin Fosburgh, Jeri McKinnon, Connie McPherson, Cheri Grau, Dan Nielson, Jeff Meeks, Tanya Phaturos and Lance Phaturos as qualified evaluators for the 2017-18 school year.
* Approved an agreement to participate in the Navajo County Information Technology Educational Consortium, which allows multiple school districts, as well as public libraries, to collectively apply for the State of Arizona Broadband Project to increase broadband in public schools and libraries.
* Held the first reading of policy revisions pertaining to the retirement of support staff members and professional staff members.
* Approved board member Olivia Jaquez as a delegate to represent the school district at the 2017 Arizona School Boards Association’s Delegate Assembly Sept. 9, with board member Dr. Craig Stuart as an alternate.
* Approved the support staff employment of Stephanie Bifano as Park Elementary School and HJHS substitute nurse and registration help; Walter Ray McLaws, food service director; Becky Naranjo, Hulet Elementary School daycare assistant; Ana Paula LeSueur, Hulet School daycare substitute; Scott Baker, HJHS girls’ softball coach; Britney Burgan, special services secretary; Garrison Hawk, Emma Carlisle, Derek Begay and Jyllian Hall, cafeteria student workers; Brandon Little, Indian Wells Elementary School library aide; Debbie Font and Christopher White, HJHS special education special needs assistants; Jadiana Perez, HJHS Healthy Families youth facilitator; Scott Peterson, HJHS Healthy Families adult facilitator; Ciara Brown, district student worker; Katelyn Willis, bus monitor; and Ramon Ledezma, Becki Colon and Skyler Kinghorn, substitute custodians.
* Approved the support staff resignations of Mindy Moyle, HJHS in school intervention A-Team; Leonita Cline, special needs assistant; Melissa John, district aide, coach and substitute; Margaret McClellan, HJHS special education special needs assistant; and Janice Shirley, IWES preschool aide.
* Approved the certified staff employment of Vanessa Morgan as a Park School second grade teacher; Allison Gardner, substitute teacher and Education Services, Inc. (ESI); Miriam Stacey, Park School and HJHS school nurse; Jerry Goodman, Park School and IWES long term substitute music teacher; Tim Yazzie, Holbrook High School head cross country coach; Gregory Case, HHS long term substitute and ESI; Julie Berry, HJHS special education long term substitute and ESI; Mandi Chee, Park School long term substitute and ESI; and Susan Hayden, English language learner tester.
* Approved extra duty for Deb Koerperich as a Park School mentor; Beth Self, Hulet Harmonizers; Lona Haussman, HHS and Hulet School registration; Luis Alvarez, IWES mentoring; Suzanne Powell, IWES mentoring; Beth Plumb, HJHS Student Council, girls’ softball assistant and volleyball coach; Keith Wheeler, HJHS athletic director; John McDaniel, HJHS boys’ basketball coach and assistant football; Loren Silver, HHS assistant football; Kyle Gardner, HJHS musical; Joy Burroughs, HJHS Student Council; and Caleb Moorhead, HJHS assistant track and wrestling coach.
Also, Brian McMahon, HJHS head track coach; Aaron Garisto, HJHS assistant wrestling; Allison Gardner, Park Performers; Monica Sanchez, Park Performers assistant; Eldon Ferguson, Hulet School technology cadre and detention; Adicia Paschal, HJHS Healthy Families coordinator; Andrea Tomlin, HJHS Healthy Families data analysis coordinator; Taylor Lee, HJHS Healthy Families adult facilitator; Luis Alvarez, IWES detention; Karen Estridge, IWES technology cadre; Catrina Garner, IWES Fresh Fruit & Vegetable grant assistant; and Suzanne Powell, IWES lead coordinator for the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable grant.
Also, Daniel Orton, IWES athletic director; Sandra Gover, IWES head softball coach; Ryan Attakai, IWES assistant softball coach; Cale Allen, IWES head football and head girls’ basketball coach; Theresa Yazzie, IWES head volleyball coach; Hoby Wilhelm, IWES head soccer coach and assistant cross country; Myron Bitahy, IWES assistant cross country; Tim Eddings, Hulet School low incidence special education teacher; Dee Dunaway, Park School mentor; Faith Caffey, Dan Mitchell, Sylvia Jackson, Jeremy Madison, Ashley Mitchell, HHS mentors; Ben Coppolo, HHS head chess; and Rasheed Hollins, Hulet Harmonizers assistant.
* Approved volunteers Mathew Philpott for the Hulet Healthy Holbrook Food Pantry and as an HJHS coach; Victoria Montoya-Philpott, Hulet Healthy Holbrook Food Pantry, Parent Teacher Student Association and HJHS football; Alaya Darling, HHS head Spiritline; Earleen Tsosie, IWES classroom volunteer; and Duane Uses Arrow, HHS assistant football coach.
* Approved a 78-cent donation from the Kula Foundation to Hulet School.
* Approved professional leave for Jeff Meeks to attend the Exceptional Student Services Directors Institute scheduled Sept. 18-20 in Phoenix at an estimated cost of $866, plus use of a district vehicle; Carey Kester, Be Safe certification training, Nov. 3 and 4 in Phoenix at an estimated cost of $356; Jeri McKinnon and Cheri Grau, Principal and the Law, Sept. 19 in Phoenix at an estimated cost of $417, plus use of a district vehicle; and Jeff Meeks, Northern Arizona Special Services Association meetings, Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 2, Jan. 4, Feb. 1, March 1 and April 5 in Snowflake at an estimated cost of use of a district vehicle.
Also, Jeff Meeks, Northeastern Arizona Directors meetings, Dec. 18, Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 9, April 13 and May 11 in Flagstaff at an estimated cost of use of a district vehicle; Andrea Tomlin, Data for Healthy Families, July 26 in Flagstaff at an estimated cost of use of a district vehicle; Teri White, Career Tech meeting, July 25 in Snowflake at an estimated cost of use of a district vehicle; and Jacob Boyle, Arizona Association of School Business Officials Conference, July 19-22 in Tucson at an estimated cost of $1,235.
Also, Jacob Boyle and Ray McLaws, Sept. 15 and 16, and Sept. 29 and 30 in Peoria at an estimated cost of $674, plus use of a district vehicle; Jeff Meeks, Northeastern Arizona Directors meeting, Aug. 11 in Flagstaff at an estimated cost of use of a district vehicle; Jeff Meeks, Indian Education Stakeholders Summit, Sept. 12 and 13 in Fountain Hills at an estimated cost of $564, plus use of a district vehicle; and Jeff Meeks, Oct. 27 and 28, New Mexico Speech Language hearing Association Convention in Albuquerque, N.M., at an estimated cost of $525, plus use of a district vehicle.
Also, Jeff Meeks, American Speech Language Hearing Association Convention, Nov. 9-11 in Los Angeles, Calif., at an estimated cost of $390; Jeremy Madison, 2017 Teacher Leadership Conference, Aug. 25 and 26 in Prescott at an estimated cost of $345.07, plus use of a district vehicle; Jeff Meeks and Britney Burgan, IEP Pro Administrator Training, Aug. 18 in Phoenix at an estimated cost of use of a district vehicle; and Teri Tafoya, Best Practices in Student-Generated Funds, Sept. 18 in Flagstaff at an estimated cost of $145.
* Approved expense and revolving fund vouchers totaling $257,452 and $395,683; and payroll and expense vouchers totaling $117,925.
* Approved an HHS Volleyball pre-sale of cookie dough for estimated earnings of $4,000.
* Approved policy revisions pertaining to the admission of homeless students, professional and support staff sick leave, professional and support staff bereavement leave, administering medicines to students, bidding and purchasing procedures, audits and financial monitoring, and student wellness.
