The Winslow Unified School District Governing Board met Aug. 4, and heard Superintendent Doug Watson explain many of the more than 40 policy revisions recommended by the Arizona School Boards Association. The policies deal with such issues as school board memberships, qualifications and duties of superintendents, financial and budget issues and policies, school property disposition, retirement of facilities, several items on medical marijuana, instructional materials and procedures, and interscholastic sports, with the concussion policy being a prominent part of that section, and items on parental involvement, including the parents’ right to request use of different material than anything they find objectionable. An item that could prove of some difficulty is the requirement that any group using school athletic facilities have a concussion policy similar to that followed by the school.
Earlier in the meeting the board approved changes in the graduation requirements, established a dating abuse policy and policies regarding bullying. All of these changes were made under the old business portion of the agenda.
In other business, the board approved the hiring of Alecia Alvarado as a part-time district certified nursing assistant, Nathan Brady as a parent liaison at Bonnie Brennan School, Romalea Chatwin, Janice Arnold and Laura Moyers as part-time classroom aides at Jefferson School, Nicholas Reyes Jr. as a district bus driver, Jamie Montoya and Nicholas Reyes as part-time district bus drivers, Becky Barris as eighth grade softball coach at Winslow Junior High School, Allen Leonard as Winslow High School freshman and varsity assistant volleyball coach, Lucas Tom as WHS junior varsity volleyball coach, Melissa Gilbert as Jefferson School reading aide and Jane Parent as kindergarten teacher at Bonnie Brennan School.
Transfers were approved for Cheryll Daly from part-time classroom aide at Jefferson School to part-time classroom aide at Bonnie Brennan School, Dodie Sickler from part-time classroom aid to full-time special education aide at Jefferson School, Danelle Garner from fourth grade teacher at Washington School to fourth grade teacher at the Magnet School, Theresa Pacheco from special education aide to special education high needs aide at Washington School, Margaret Rogers from special education high needs aide at Washington School to special education high needs aide at WJHS and Washington School, Amanda Burrola from special education high needs aide at Washington School to special education aide at Bonnie Brennan School and Sierra Black from part-time certified nursing assistant to full-time certified nursing assistant for the district.
Brianna Conatser and Gypsi Gover were approved as a volunteer WJHS softball coaches.
The resignation or retirement of district bus driver April Jacot was approved.
LEGO Education was approved as the sole source for purchasing items needed to teach elementary robotic technology.
An intergovernmental agreement with the Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT) was approved.
Watson also spoke on the work being done by teachers and staff to prepare for the beginning of school, and told the board of a law conference scheduled Sept. 8 and 9 in Phoenix, which some may wish to attend, and a meeting of Navajo County board members on Sept. 28 in Holbrook.
He spoke of some loss of funds, such as the state no longer funding all-day kindergarten. He said that Arizona schools are getting $2,267,000 less in the coming school year than they got in 2008 from state funding.
