The Holbrook Unified School District (HUSD) No. 3 Governing Board met in Indian Wells last Tuesday, during which a report on the federal grant program Johnson-O’Malley (JOM)/Title VI was presented by its program coordinator Bernice Gover, who is also the Indian Education Director for the district. JOM and Title IV are federally funded supplemental programs that support Native American students by providing funding for academic and cultural enrichment.

In her presentation, Gover reviewed the programs’ goals for the 2024-25 school year, which include collaboration with teachers on culturally relevant resources and piloting Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Culturally Responsive Assessment of Indigenous Schooling (CRAIS) tool to assess its effectiveness.

Data provided by Gover revealed HUSD has 1,301 Native American students from 14 different tribes within the district, with 1,004 of them identifying as Navajo. These numbers provided the district with $118,330 in JOM funding and $253,496 in Title IV funding.

The board also received an overview of Impact Aid funding from Business Manager Lauren Maestas. Impact Aid is another federally funded program with a focus on students who live on federal lands. Maestas explained that of the 1,800 students attending Holbrook schools, 807 were eligible for Impact Aid funding. “That’s 45% of our population,” she stated. Of those 807 students, 108 qualify for additional funding through Individualized Education Programs (IEP). “I would think this year we’re probably going to get around $6 million in funding. So that’s huge for our school district.”

Maestas provided an expenditure breakdown, showing allocation of funds going to student programs, school maintenance, technology, transportation, personnel and safety measures. Upcoming projects that will use Impact Aide funding include modernizing classrooms, upgrading school infrastructure, purchasing new buses and implementing a bus tracking system for parents.

A presentation on the Little Colorado Medical Center in Winslow was rescheduled for the next meeting due to CEO Travis Udall being unable to attend. Board Member Olivia Jaquez was absent from the meeting.

Also, in other business, the board:

* Approved to present the 2024 Achievement and Participation Report, which Superintendent Robbie Koerperich summarized briefly. Policy KJG requires the district to give an annual status report based on public school performance measurements to each Indian Nation with tribal lands located within district boundaries and governed by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). The board also accepted public comments from the representatives of Native students according to Policy IHBJ, to which there was none.

* Reviewed and approved the Impact Aid Program Indian Policies and Procedures (IPP) that are a required measure for Impact Aid compliance.

* Reviewed and approved Policy IHBJ, IHBJ-R, IHBJ-EA, IHBJ-EB, KGJA and KJG to ensure that it meets all minimum standards in continuing to provide adequate levels of Indian community participation throughout HUSD.

* Approved Sierra Browning and Rasheed Hollins as qualified evaluators. Both completed the Arizona School Administrator Qualified Evaluator course.

* Approved the Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act minimum wage increase for minimum wage employees beginning Jan. 1, 2025, at the rate of $14.70 per hour.

* Approved a revised substitute placement schedule. The emergency substitute rates are being increased $10 for each category to align with minimum wage increases.

* Approved the HHS Show Choir to travel to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., during the week of March 10-14, 2025. The HHS Show Choir participants and sponsors will fund their own costs for the trip with the support of the use of Chevy Suburbans to transport uniforms and equipment, as well as district liability insurance coverage.

* Approved the support staff resignation of Cassandra Bordeaux, HHS attendance clerk; Artie Yazzie, assistant girls basketball coach; Shalayne Yazzie, food services; Erika Yellowhair Sam, IWES preschool aide; and Tina Hamlin, food services.

* Approved the support staff employment of Shawna Bailey, Park/SPED, increased to 40 hours per week; La’Dell Burks, HHS/SPED high needs para and SPED bus monitor; Nancy Canada and Kora Kirk, both food service substitute workers; Theresa Fewell, transportation substitute driver; Darlene Yazzie, transportation driver; and Christopher Young, transportation CDL training.

* Approved the certified retirement of Debbie Koerperich, IWES reading specialist with ESI return to work on Dec. 2.

* Approved the certified employment of Danielle Winn, district substitute teacher.

* Approved extra duty for Phoebe Adrales, HJHS sports worker; Gishie Arviso, Shawna Bailey, Lena Begay, Tim Begay, Derek Bitsilly, Kaylene Bitsilly, Michael Burks, Jerry Joe, Skyla McCabe, Benjamin Meeks, Parker Moss and Wayne Silvers, all fall break workers; Ashley Attakai and Destany Begay, both HJHS sports workers and sports officials; Dawna Bitsoie, mentor year one; Mandi Chee, Maria DeHaan, Tim Eddings, Gypsi Gover, Debbie Koerperich, Kris Taylor and Theresa Yazzie, all IWES tutoring; De Dunaway and Jessica Hubbard, both Hulet Title I tutors; Cory Iashie and Shurrell Nardi, both fall break painters; Steven Carbonneau and Aaren LaRose, both HJHS sports officials; Jamal Johnson, HJHS assistant boys basketball coach and sports official; Laurie Jones, driver trainer; Gypsi Gover, IWES tutoring and assistant basketball coach; Gabriel Nells and Jasilyn Yazzie, both IWES head basketball coaches; Sophia Nells, IWES assistant basketball coach; Victor Paz, white fleet driver; Johnathon Sample, sports driver; Dawn Tomlinson, HHS after school tutorial; and Marc Yazzie, HHS bike club sponsor.

* Approved volunteers Kyley Attakai and Destany Begay, both HJHS sports workers; Trent Larson, HHS assistant wrestling coach; Markos Serna, HHS wrestling; Zachary Sulu, HJHS assistant wrestling coach; and Farrel Yazzie, HHS/HJHS white fleet driver.

* Approved professional leave for Heather Manygoats, Fall Family Fair: Harvest of Resources, cost to the district is use of a district vehicle; Jamie Justman, Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology counselors meeting, cost to the district is use of a district vehicle; Ray Ann Terry, Arizona School Counselors Association (AZSCA) annual conference, cost to the district is $785 and use of a district vehicle; Gypsi Gover, Agricultural Literacy for Arizona K-12 Educators and Administrators; Charles Haussman, ACOVA Fall conference, cost to the district is $630; Connor Prestwich, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) STEM bridge training, cost to the district is a substitute teacher; and Steven Carbonneau, Round Valley teacher training, cost to the district is use of a district vehicle.

* Approved expense and revolving vouchers totaling nearly $1.5 million.

* Approved payroll and expense vouchers totaling nearly $2.1 million.

* Approved personnel pay for Brianna Allison, Park/SPED CPI trainer, $750; Shawna Bailey, Park/SPED CPI training, $160; Julie Berry, HJHS/SPED CPI training, $270; Meghan Carbonneau, HHS Prop 301, $212; Patty Clark, IWES/SPED CPI training, $330; Laura Kohler, Park/SPED CPI training, $196; Jeff Meeks, SPED professional development trainer, $300; Karalyn Reidhead, Hulet/SPED CPI training, $285; Ray Ann Terry, Deseg. PD, $500; HHS Saturday Deseg. PD, $14,500; Park/Hulet teachers TLAC training, $590; Indian Wells Deseg PD, $7,500; Indian Wells Preschool Quality First Incentives, $2,500; Insurance buyout, $75,000; SPED professional development certified staff Nov. 2, 2024, $1,080; SPED professional development classified staff Nov. 2, 2024, $628; HHS dual enrollment, $5,330; and Oct. 2024 white fleet driver stipend, $240.

* Approved requests by National Honor Society for candy cane grams, expected to earn $200; Yearbook for yearbook sales, expected to earn $300; Wrestling for online clothing sales, expected to earn $2,000; band for dessert bar concert, expected to earn $500.

* Approved HHS outdoor club, HHS key club, HHS bike club and HJHS soccer club.

* Approved donation from The Thunderbird Foundation for $1,000 to the HHS golf team.

* Approved Policies BAA Evaluation of the School Board/Board Self-Evaluation DJE/DJE-R Bidding/Purchasing Procedures, GCFC/GCFC-E Professional Staff Certification and Credentialing Requirements, DFA/GDFA-E Support staff Qualifications and Requirements, IGA Curriculum Development, IMG/IMG-R Animals in Schools, and JLCD-R Medicines/Administering Medicines to Students for final adoption.

* Approved consent agenda items and expense vouchers in items A, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, B, C, 1, 2, 3, D, E, F, and G. Detailed information for all district expenditures may be obtained by contacting the school district business office located at 1000 N. 8th Avenue, P.O. Box 640, Holbrook, Ariz., 86025. Phone 1-928-524-6144.