Focus on TUSD - May 2008

Celania-Fagen and Board Set Goals
To reorganize central office staff to best serve and support the schools and students of Tucson Unified School District is one of 10 goals Dr. Elizabeth Celania-Fagen has been asked to complete during her first year as superintendent of the District by members of the Governing Board.

Dr. Celania-Fagen's professional goals for fiscal year 2008-2009 were discussed at a special Governing Board meeting on May 16. Other goals include:

• Visit all District schools in FY2009 to build relationships;
• Begin development of a 10-year facilities plan that includes the creation of a superintendent's advisory committee with education, budget and facility planning subcommittees;
• Develop a multifaceted, strategic transformation agenda for the District that will begin in FY2010;
• Provide governance models to the Governing Board for consideration to support a shared vision for the District in FY2010;
• Develop Governing Board "ends" that will lead and coincide with the District shared vision and eventual strategic plan in FY2010;
• With staff, develop a differentiated professional development model that will serve individual staff and school plans beginning in FY2010;
• Build relationships with staff, students, parents, higher education, the business community, community groups and the media;
• Develop an "Education Matters" campaign in FY2009 to educate the community and the members of the state Legislature about the positive benefits of funding education appropriately and the downside of not providing sufficient funding for public schools; develop campaign with staff, students, community members and other school districts;
• Develop a plan for a FY2010 pilot and media campaign around First Choice Schools, which will be focus schools that are the first choice for students, the first choice for parents, the first choice for teachers, and the first choice for leaders. "Everyone associated with that school knows what the school is all about and they have chosen to be part of it -- they believe that they (or their child) are/is a good match," wrote Celania-Fagen in an e-mail about First Choice Schools. Examples of focus schools, wrote Celania-Fagen, include Montessori, Artful Learning, Dual Language Immersion, Technology Integrated, Traditional, and many others.

Photos in the May issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations, unless otherwise noted.

The deadline to submit material for the June Focus is Friday, June 13. The Focus will be published Monday, June 23. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the online Tip Sheet.