Progress Report
1996 -1997 School Year

Goal 7: Human Resources

Qualified, diverse staff is attracted, supported, retained, supervised and evaluated using strategies which focus on continuous improvement.

In 1867, Leopoldo Carrillo, was one of ten Tucsonans who petitioned for a school district for their children. The request resulted in the establishment of Tucson Unified School District. Some of his descendants pose in the photo at the right before Tucson High Magnet School, the oldest high school in the District, along with the descendants of Augustus Brichta, the first TUSD teacher. Standing, from left are, Dina Bolle, librarian at Miles Exploratory Learning Center; Ken Carrillo Bolle, a mechanic for TUSD's Transportation department; Eloise Carrillo, principal at Hughes Elementary School; Diane Marie Carrillo, Dina Bolle's twin sister and principal at Howell Elementary School; Robert Brichta Aguilar, a vocational technology teacher at Valencia Middle School; Jenny Brichta Elkins, a counselor at Cholla High Magnet School; Betty Brichta Garcia, principal of Richey Elementary School; and Genevieve Brichta Gallardo, a special education resource teacher at Grijalva Elementary School.

Ever since Tucson's first petitioners helped establish the city's first school district, TUSD has aggressively sought the most qualified educators and staff members to provide the best education possible.

Pedro Davis, a crossing guard for Mansfeld Middle School, makes sure cars see his stop sign as he escorts students across the street. Mr. Davis was honored by Superintendent Garcia for going above and beyond his duties when he carried an 84-year-old man across the street during a heavy rain.

Efforts to improve staff evaluation, recruitment, and minority representation have led to substantial increases in diversity and satisfaction among District employees. About 25,000 applications were received and processed by Human Resources in 1996-97, a 17 percent increase over last year.

The District also implemented a new teacher appraisal instrument which raised expectations to hold all staff members accountable for the achievement of the District's eight quality standards. Additionally, the District executed its new teacher-librarian and professional support staff appraisal instruments for the 1997-98 school year. The committee meets and submits its recommendations for modifications to the evaluation instrument every spring. This procedure evaluates the progress and success of both newly employed and experienced teachers to improve instruction and services.

A new salary schedule providing teachers with salary advancement based on completion of professional development credit was also implemented during the 1996-97 school year. Approximately 2,800 teachers submitted professional development credit documentation that will affect their 1997-98 contracts.

Food Service worker Dina Miranda, front, stands ready to serve students at Menlo Park Elementary School. Ms. Miranda, who was hired in February 1997, is one of about 500 school cafeteria workers who prepare and serve meals to TUSD students every school day.

The combined recruiting strategies of the Bilingual Education and Hispanic Studies Department and the Human Resources Recruitment Office have resulted in the hiring of about 120 bilingual education teachers in 18 months, with an additional 50 expected for the 1997-98 year. In total, more than 700 endorsed bilingual education and English as a Second Language teachers provide quality education for 10,000 students developing proficiency in English.

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1996-97 Progress Report Table of Contents

For more information contact:
Tucson Unified School District, 1010 E. 10th Street, Tucson AZ 85719
Telephone: 520-225-6000
E-Mail: webmaster@tusd.k12.az.us

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