Mr. Roadrunner pageant brings entertainment to scholarship fundraising

The Mr. Roadrunner pageant features contestants who fundraise and perform in a pageant, which raises significant funds for the Travis Yazzie Memorial Scholarship.

In other business, the board:

* Approved the FY 26 Classified Placement Pay Schedule.

* Approved the High Needs Paraprofessional longevity stipends. Superintendent Dr. Robbie Koerperich emphasized that high needs paraprofessionals are hard to find and to work with vulnerable students. “They do an array of duties that it takes a special person to do. The district wants to do an incentive to recognize them for staying. It’ll be $0.10 every year in addition to whatever their increase is every year.”

* Approved the SY 25-26 Classified Staff Notice of Appointment renewals including a 3.5% hourly increase to current hourly rates. Dr. Koerperich made a note that the minimum wage increase from $14.35 to $14.70 is a 3.5% increase. There’s almost an automatic shift for everybody with minimum wage increases or the scale will collapse and those with experience will not be recognized for their experience.

* Approved sole source vendors for FY 2024-2025. Including Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Apptegy (Thrillshare), Arizona Interscholastic Association, Arizona Psychological Services, Arizona School Board Association, Edgenuity, Flyers Energy, Grow Arizona, Paper, Postage by Phone, PowerSchool Group LLC, Sun Clan Consulting, The Family Learning Company, The New Teacher Project, Vail Unified School District, WestEd, TouchMath and Safeway.

* Approved the extra duty athletics and fine arts stipend schedule for FY 26.

* Approved the first-year extra duty faculty placement schedule, which includes a 15% increase for all coaches and sponsors that are beyond the five-year increments on the scale. Dr. Koerperich commented that these are the district employees that stretch beyond the school day, weekends, during the summer and they’re invaluable to the success of our children. “We do appreciate the extra duty that they do and it’s valid that we give the 15%.”

* Approved the speech-language pathologist assistant job description.

* Approved the special education academic success coordinator job description and position. Dr. Koerperich explained that there’s some teachers transitioning from regular education to special education and also working on their certification. “So we anticipate this to be potentially a two-year position to assist with coaching special education teachers and also applies to IEP management. To do IEPs, you need special education certification.” Board member Debbie Shumway asked if this was a fulltime position to which Dr. Koerperich said it will be 144 days (four days a week) as a district level position but mainly at Holbrook Junior High and Holbrook High School. It was also noted that Dr. Jeffery Meeks will oversee this position.

* Approved the clinical services salary schedule. Dr. Koerperich stated he would be removing the school nurses from the schedule, noting it needs to be reanalyzed. “Nurses may be an RN, BSN or have their Master’s so we need to look at that aspect on the salary schedule.” The current Clinical Salary Placement Schedule is for speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist and psychologist which makes the district competitive with the private sector.

* Approved the learning resource facilitator job description.

* Approved the Educational Services Inc., contract.

* Approved out-of-state travel for the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Summer Institute in San Diego, Calif., from June 15-18.

* Approved out-of-state travel for eight students to attend the Close Up Foundation Washington, DC. The four-day trip will be from June 4-7, to Washington, DC through the Civics Matters Essay Contest provided by the Governor’s Office, the Arizona Cardinals and the Close Up organization.

* Approved the HUSD open enrollment capacities for SY 25-26.

* Approved the CSI Mini-Grant for Holbrook Junior High School.

* Approved Book Taco for a 60-day review as a supplemental instructional material. Book Taco is a supplementary literacy tool designed to enhance student engagement and comprehension skills. Book Taco provides access to over 56,000 comprehension quizzes for books available in the classroom and school libraries.

* Approved Voyager Passport for a 60-day review. The program focuses on phonogical awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development and comprehension to increase reading proficiency. The program will be used as a supplemental reading resource in the district elementary schools.

* Ratified the Park Elementary Intercom Replacement Terms and Conditions to be sent to the School Facility Board; at the moment, there’s no intercom at Park Elementary School.

* Approved the Navajo County Education Services Agency Special Service Consortium agreement.

* Approved the Post Retirement Employment Option (PREO) procedure.

* Approved the extension of the contracted mileage program for summer related school activities to ensure HUSD students have access to summer education programs effective June 2. Board member Dr. Craig Stuart asked how many students there were in the past. Dr. Koerperich answered that less than 20 participants signed up for contracted mileage in the past and estimates about $2,500 was paid out last year.

The program allows parents to drive from their residence to Indian Wells and the students will be transported from Indian Wells to the school where they are doing summer school. The funds are a round-trip mileage reimbursement.

* Approved the recruitment and retention administrative procedure and teacher recruiter job description. Dr. Koerperich stated that a procedure approved by the board is required for new teachers. The recruitment stipends include a stipend of $1,750 at the beginning and $1,750 at the end of the year. New employees may make up to $5,000 paid through Title II with a procedure in place and must have an appropriate certification. Those not required to be appropriately certified are paid through Impact Aid. “We also incentivize. If someone knows another teacher and brings them to Holbrook, there’s a recruitment stipend of $1,000 and there are guidelines they must follow,” explained Dr. Koerperich.

* Approved HUSD to pay any benefits associated with the Teacher of the Year stipends. The Vince and Libby Budenholzer Family have generously donated $200 for each teacher recognized as Teacher of the Year at HUSD. The funds will be allocated through payroll with the district paying any benefits associated with the stipend.

* Approved the policy updates for first reading provided by the Arizona School Boards Association. The ASBA has recommended policy updates to Policy GBEF Staff Use of Digital Communications and Electronic Devices; GCF Professional Staff Hiring; GCCA Professional/Support Staff Sick Leave and GDD Support Staff Vacations and Holidays.

* Approved the classified resignation of transportation driver Timothy Begay, effective March 28; and end of duties for food service student workers Brady Becenti and Devin Kinlicheenie, effective March 3. The retirement of Park Elementary School custodian Judy Spencer, effective July 18; the resignation of Hulet Elementary/HJHS library aide Deanna Woody, effective May 23; and the resignation of transportation driver Darlene Yazzie, effective April 4.

* Approved the certified staff resignations of Saraphania Benally, Hulet special education teacher; Michael Burks, HHS, and Career and Technical Education teacher; Patty Clark, Indian Wells Elementary School speech; Julia Fairbanks, Hulet and Park Elementary preschool special education teacher; Tyler Murphy, Hulet Elementary fourth grade teacher; Amy Nilsson, Hulet Elementary third grade teacher; and Nicole Warner, HHS, Phenix School teacher, all effective May 23. Jerald Nez, HHS, head cross country coach resignation for SY 25-26. The retirements of Julie Fields, district federal projects manager, effective June 30; and Lona Haussman, HHS and Hulet Elementary nurse, effective May 23. The retirement/return to work for Dawn Tomlinson, HHS, math teacher, SY 25-26;

* Approved the certified employment for SY 2025-26 of Tiana Begay, a transfer from kindergarten to fifth grade at Hulet Elementary; a move to full time teaching for Meghan Carbonneau, at HHS for AVID and sports medicine; Elwina Danner, district worker and substitute teacher; Kasey Dill, Hulet Elementary teacher; Karen Estridge at HJHS, transfer from English to special education resource; Cassie Gonzales, Park Elementary and Indian Wells music Teacher; Carson Hatch, district worker and substitute teacher; Andrea Luna, Hulet, special education resource teacher; Sophia Nells, IWES, transfer from fourth grade to sixth grade teacher; Adrianna Quezada, district and school nurse; Jeff Robinson, HHS transfer from English teacher to resource English and ELL teacher; Ashley Speers, HJHS, sixth grade teacher; and Laurel Visser, HJHS seventh grade English language arts teacher.

* Approved extra duty for Dawna Bitsoie, IWES, Quality First coordinator; Kyle Gardner, Jeremy Madison, and Caleb Layden, white fleet drivers; and John McDaniel, HJHS, eighth grade boys head basketball coach.

* Approved volunteer Natasha McLaws, HHS, Grow Arizona.

* Approved professional leave for Ryan Fraley, ANM Tech Day, Flagstaff, March 25, 2025, cost to the district is use of a district vehicle; Ryan Fraley, Arizona Association of School Board Officials Spring Conference 2025, Laughlin, Nev., April 2-4, cost to the district is $748 for hotel and meals and use of a district vehicle; Bernice Gover, Navajo Nation Johnson O’Malley Regional Meeting, Albuquerque, N.M., April 22-24, at no cost to the district; Meagan Newton-Pender, KinderCamp Program, Flagstaff, April 5, cost to the district is use of a district vehicle; Shelly Nez, Community Alliance for Resources School and Education, Glendale, April 24-25, cost to the district is the use of a district vehicle; Joel Daniels, Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Training, Phoenix, April 11-12, at no cost to the district; Sylvia Jackson, using AI, Online Training, April 22, the cost to the district is a substitute teacher; and Kyle Gardner, Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee Meeting, Snowflake, April 7, the cost to the district is a substitute Teacher.

* Approved expense and revolving fund vouchers totaling $1,094,027 and payroll and expense vouchers totaling $1,635,810.

* Approved personnel pay including extra duty pay for coaching, professional development, Prop 301 stipends, mentoring, recruitment and bus driver incentives for April 18 and May 2, pay periods totaling $392,078.

* Approved fundraisers and club funds for IWES Student Council, Spring Fling Dance fourth through sixth grade, April 30, with estimated earnings of $600; IWES Student Council, Bunny Grams, April 7-22, for estimated earnings of $200-$300; girls basketball, Holbrook Girls Basketball Summer League, June 3, 5, 10 and 12, for estimated earnings of $1,500; HHS Student Council, wrestling clinic for Mr. Roadrunner, May 2, for estimated earnings of $500; baseball, Pledges/Hit, March 5, for estimated earnings of $1,000; HHS Spiritline, Car Wash, April 26, and May 3, 10 and 17, for estimated earnings of $400; and HHS Spiritline, Money Dolly online sale of goods, April 27 – May 11, for estimated earnings of $1,500.

* Approved consent agenda items and expense vouchers.