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January 2005
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Eighteen
years ago my wife and I watched our oldest child enter a TUSD
school for the first time. Although we were nervous first-time
parents, our daughter was exuberant and eager to experience
all that her school had to offer. TUSD has served my family
and this community well, and as the new President I look forward
to making a positive contribution to the district by working
with a great Board, our Superintendent and, through him, our
employees and the community. Serving with me will be Adelita
Grijalva, the Board's new Clerk. On behalf of the Board, I
express our appreciation for the leadership provided the past
two years by Joel Ireland, the outgoing President, and Judy
Burns, the outgoing Clerk.
TUSD at a Critical and Historic Juncture
With a proud history dating back to 1867, our district
has educated many generations of Tucsonans. Today the district
has come to a critical and historic juncture. Over the next
few weeks and months the Board will be focusing on several
key issues that are sure to notably influence future generations
of Tucson Unified School District graduates.
With the rise of school choice we operate in a new era in
public education. Today over 50 charter schools operate within
our district's boundaries, and every one of them is competing
for our students and their parents. We know TUSD offers better
teachers and a greater variety of educational, fine arts and
athletic programs; so one challenge for us is to more effectively
communicate these advantages to parents. In this competitive
environment our greatest enemies are complacency and inflexibility.
We must find ways to become more agile in our response to
the community's varied demands for quality educational opportunities.
Developing a Strategic Plan
To meet these new demands we must have a strategic
plan. In June 2005 the BOLD Game is set to expire. That plan's
critically important and commendable focus on student achievement,
measured by objective standards, needs to be reviewed and
- with input from our stakeholders - changed as necessary
to improve and strengthen it. The ultimate objective is to
adopt a strategic plan we can all affirm and strive together
to achieve.
As part of our strategic plan we must anticipate and plan
for the day that the district no longer operates under the
constraints of the Fisher-Mendoza Desegregation Order. TUSD
has recently filed a request with the federal court for a
ruling that TUSD has achieved "unitary" status. If such an
order is obtained the result will be the termination of court
oversight of the district's operations. In the event the court
declares the district to be unitary, the Board and Superintendent
will need to work with TUSD families and staff to make the
transitions that will be necessary. This means that our strategic
plan must adopt a post unitary strategy. The district will
continue its efforts to promote diversity and the academic
success of all our students and close the achievement gap.
Meeting Funding Challenges
A continuing challenge in our effort to achieve excellence
in education is the chronic under-funding of Arizona's public
schools. Through our recently established Legislative Liaison
Committee we will speak with one voice to our Arizona legislators,
assuring them that there is no better investment in our state's
future than investing in our children today through public
education. We also must address our district's immediate budget
concerns. To do this the district needs to adopt a business
plan that will prioritize and focus our financial resources
so we can achieve our strategic plan. Adopting an interest
based, problem-solving approach to employee group negotiations
will be another measure of our commitment to addressing our
problems collaboratively. We are also exploring ways to address
the current deficit, as well as implement cost-saving measures.
Our Superintendent has brought together leaders from all segments
of the community to advise district officials on possible
development and cost-saving opportunities. In addition, we
are interested in gathering great ideas from TUSD employees.
In the next few days you will learn more about a plan to encourage
employees and community members to pass along innovative ideas
that could help TUSD financially. [The Bright Ideas Community
Input Program web site is now available at www.tusd.k12.az.us/contents/bicform.html.]
Due to the district's successful bond election in November,
the issuance of the first Series 2005 bonds, in the amount
of $47 million, is scheduled to occur in February with a closing
scheduled in March. The construction projects that will soon
be underway will highlight that TUSD is continuing its push
to update and innovate.
I look forward to working with the Board, the administration
and all of you to meet the many challenges the district will
face this year. The "US" in TUSD is a constant reminder that
working together to solve problems and make decisions still
yields the best results.
Bruce Burke
In
its continuing efforts to improve education services and enhance
interaction between school sites and community members, Tucson
Unified School District has developed two exciting new avenues
of communication for parents, students, as well as school
and departmental staff: the TUSDStats
Parent Access Account and the Community Resolution Center,
Concerns & Resolutions.
The TUSDStats Parent Access Account
Established as a means of helping parents track their
children's academic progress, the TUSDStats Parent Access
Account provides parents with the opportunity to view their
child's test scores, grades and attendance records. Available
in both English and Spanish, parents can also see how their
children's school performs as a whole through school-wide
AIMS scores, School Quality Surveys and mobility rates. Moreover,
through the online availability of student schedules, along
with teacher names and email addresses, the account has promoted
further contact between parents and their children's teachers.
School sites have made great strides in encouraging their
parents to enroll in this valuable program. As of Feb. 1,
more than 7,000 TUSD parents had signed up and are continuing
to enroll. If parents don't have access to a computer at home,
they can always contact their schools about using a class
or library computer. They can also access their children's
accounts at any Tucson/Pima Public Library.
Ultimately, it's hoped 100 percent of TUSD parents will log
on to this useful program. For further information, please
visit the TUSDStats
Parental Account website or call TUSD's Department of
Accountability and Research at 225-5418.
Community Resolution Center, Concerns & Resolutions
Another important service created earlier this school
year is the Community Resolution Center, Concerns & Resolutions.
Located in the southwest side Morrow Education building, the
center's purpose is to provide an impartial and confidential
venue for parents and community members to bring forth concerns
unresolved at a school or department level.
When a concern is received, it is documented and contact
is made with the school or department involved in the matter.
The center's liaison or coordinator provides the documentation
and requests an attempt at a resolution of the situation with
the parent or community member. Neither district policy nor
formal district decisions are made by the center. However,
if requested, the center's coordinator will attend a meeting
as an impartial observer to assist with achieving a resolution.
Since Aug. 16, the center has helped settle almost 300 concerns
received either by phone or email. The center has assisted
hundreds of people with the following issues: personality
conflicts, disciplinary matters, administrative policy, harassment,
discrimination, and school safety.
Before contacting the center, TUSD parents and community
members are encouraged to speak with their child's teacher
or principal for initial help in resolving matters that may
concern them. If no satisfactory outcome is reached, they
are urged to contact the center for further assistance. Parents
and members of the community may drop in, email or call 225-6686
to make an appointment to speak with coordinator Susan Boyd,
susan.boyd@tusd.k12.az.us,
or liaison Tanya Thompson, tanya.thompson@tusd.k12.az.us.
For more information about the steps for resolution for given
concern, see TUSD's Community
and Parent Concerns and Complaints web page.
I would like to thank Susan Boyd for her help with this month's
column.
Roger F. Pfeuffer
NEW
BOOKS GET FAMILIES READING from the Arizona Daily
Star 1/30/05
KIDS
GO TO SCHOOL, PARENTS WIN PRIZES from the Arizona
Daily Star 1/30/05
8TH-GRADE
SHERLOCKS from the Arizona Daily Star 1/29/05
AFTERMATH
OF SCHOOL VANDALISM: HARMONY RESTORED from the
Tucson Citizen 1/26/05
STUDENTS
EMPTY POCKETS FOR INDIA from the Arizona Daily
Star 1/22/05
AFTER-SCHOOL
PROGRAM'S GOAL: RAISE STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES
from the Tucson Citizen 1/11/05
UNIVERSITY
HIGH TOPS THE WORLD from the Arizona Daily Star
1/11/05
STUDY:
TEST SCORES IMPROVE WHEN ARTS OFFERED from the
Tucson Citizen 1/7/05
VOCATIONAL
CLASSES GETTING RESULTS from the Tucson Citizen
1/7/05
WAKEFIELD
A-TEAM CELEBRATES from the Arizona Daily Star
1/7/05
WINTERHAVEN
CLEANUP A MERRY TIME from the Arizona Daily Star
12/26/04
BOY'S
ORDEAL KINDLES WARM GLOW FOR CHRISTMAS from the
Tucson Citizen 12/23/04
SCHOOL
REACHES INTO HOMES TO KEEP KIDS ON RIGHT TRACK
from the Tucson Citizen 12/21/04
TUSD
BOARD GIVES PFEUFFER AN EXTENSION from the Arizona
Daily Star 12/15/04
SCHOOL
PROFILED IN STAR REAPS A CREDIT BONANZA from
the Arizona Daily Star 12/13/04
TUSD'S
OPENING MINDS THROUGH THE ARTS WINS GRANTS, NEEDS MORE
from the Tucson Citizen 12/10/04
GRADE-SCHOOLERS
NOW 'MIX IT UP AT LUNCH' from the Arizona Daily
Star 12/9/04
STAR-EYEWITNESS
4 STUDENT OF THE WEEK: Ericka Moreno from the
Arizona Daily Star 12/7/04
HOHOKAM
FLIPS SOLAR SWITCH from the Arizona Daily Star
12/6/04
TUSD
CONSIDERS ADS ON BUSES: Could generate $120,000 yearly for
its schools from the Arizona Daily Star 12/5/04
IN
THE FOOTSTEPS OF LITTLE ANGELS from the Tucson
Citizen 12/4/04
TUCSON
HIGH MEET YOURSELF: 70 clubs to pick from from
the Tucson Citizen 12/4/04
EDUCATION
BIG PART OF THIS MENU: 'Southside Janos' cooks a benefit for
Pueblo High from the Arizona Daily Star 12/4/04
GALE
ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL GIVEN STATE LIBRARY AWARD
from the Tucson Citizen 12/2/04
TUSD
DRAFTS OFFICE STAFF TO HELP GIVE ENGLISH TESTS
from the Arizona Daily Star 12/1/01
QUEEN
OF THE ROSKRUGE CAFETERIA: Julia Lopez has been a pillar to
kids since '72 from the Arizona Daily Star 11/26/04
AFGHAN
IMMIGRANT, 10, THANKFUL AND A WINNER from the
Arizona Daily Star 11/25/04
Q&A
WITH MCCLAIRE BROWN: Her students get praise, respect
from the Arizona Daily Star 11/25/04
STAR-EYEWITNESS
4 STUDENT OF THE WEEK: Brent Morgan from the
Arizona Daily Star 11/23/04
Q&A
WITH SAM COOPER DEDICATED TO HIS 'LITTLE DUCKS'
from the Arizona Daily Star 11/23/04
The Arizona Department of Education honored Educational Technology's
Norm Purdy with the Student Accounting Information
System Appreciation Award in November for his exceptional
effort in supporting SAIS.
Wheeler teachers Mary Estes, Eydie Esquivel, Danna
Celaya, Maria Gibalski, and Debbie Smith
were awarded a $500 grant from Wells Fargo for their music
program "Music Around the World." The grant money
will provide five classes with music education programs including
a performance of diverse cultural music. Also from Wheeler,
teacher Patricia Edwards Williams was selected
for inclusion in Who's Who Among America's Teachers for both
the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school year. The award is bestowed
upon only five percent of the nation's teachers for making
a significant difference in a student's life. Williams received
a plaque and will have her biographical information published
in two editions of the book.
Luz Harvey, counselor at Lynn-Urquides,
was inducted into the PeaceBuilders Hall of Fame in November.
Nominees are chosen for their dedication to the PeaceBuilder
program and to children.
The following students won $200 scholarships at this year's
Tucson College Night on Oct. 21 at the Tucson Convention Center:
Richard Buglewicz and Casey Dennis,
Catalina; Gabriel Dotson and Kenneth
Hoffman, Cholla; Albert Cota and
Chelsea Leighton, Howenstine; Anthony
Anderson and Roda Bustamante, Palo
Verde; Alfonso Cardenas and Yadira
Raigosa, Pueblo; Roman Chernobelskiy
and Hanh Duong, Rincon; Amanda Shaw
and Jennifer Swanson, Sabino; Sarah
Nelson and Carly Sassi, Sahuaro;
Alayne Rosenstein and Tomeka Soremekun,
Santa Rita; Jessica Beas and Deanna
Dominguez, TAPP; Celina Lopez and
Carlos Torrejon, Tucson High; and,
Mark Godfrey and Ester Matlock,
UHS. Next year's College Night will be held on Oct. 25, 2005
at the TCC.
Four TUSD students out of 50 total participants from districts
across Tucson were selected as winners in the Arizona Cardinals
and AIG Auto Insurance essay contest. Fifth-grade participants
were required to write a 500-word essay about why school is
important to them. Samantha Canez, Ruben Cuevas
and Raul Martinez from Wakefield, and Alyssa
Benitez from Hohokam won six tickets each to a Cardinals
game in Phoenix as well as round-trip bus transportation,
food and beverage coupons, and T-shirts.
Schumaker's Zohal Faqeeri placed first out
of over 1,000 entries from across Arizona in the annual "Write
Stuff" essay contest sponsored by Mimi's Cafe in November.
Her essay, titled "What I Have to be Most Thankful For,"
won her a $1,000 U.S. savings bond.
UHS seniors Ester Matlock, Celeste
Monke, Lauren Peate, Miranda
Stewart, and Shirlene Yee were named
candidates in the 2005 Presidential Scholars program, an honor
awarded to about 2,600 graduating seniors nationally. From
this pool of candidates one female and one male student from
each state will be invited to Washington, D.C. in June to
receive the Presidential scholars medallion at a ceremony
recognizing their accomplishments. Scholars are selected on
the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements,
leadership qualities, character strength, and involvement
in school and community activities.
Several Sabino students were recognized for their outstanding
performance on Advance Placement exams. AP Scholar status
is awarded to those students who receive grades of 3 or higher
on three or more AP exams on full-year courses. Congratulations
to the following AP Scholars: Jennifer Adam, Tara
Archuleta, Nicholas Bielat, Stephanie Callihan, Erin Carey,
Mona Daniels, Moriah Flagler, Rachel Flyer, Katelyn Foster,
Jesse Giacomelli, Aaron Ho, Justin Huggins, Dana Lee, Stephanie
Lohmeier, Scott O'Brien, Erika Renno, Timothy Stephens, Matthew
Sternheim, Kevin Turausky, Miraj Wallace, Daniel Walls, Kate
Williams, and Benjamin Wilson. AP
Scholar with Honor status is granted to students who receive
an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken and
grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams on full-year
courses. Congratulations to the following students who were
awarded this honor: Patrick Baum, Natalie Blackburn,
Diletta Dang, Rebecca Frost, Taryn Hull, Wade James, Tessa
Lee, Katherine Naas, Sarah Shacter, and Megan
Stiarwalt. AP Scholar with Distinction status is
granted to students who receive an average grade of at least
3.5 on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five
or more these exams on full-year courses. Congratulations
to the following AP Scholars with Distinction: Travis
Carlson, Megan Craighead, Jeffrey Hanson, Holly Kamrowski,
Stephen Purcell, Matthew Schwab, and Diana
Theobald.
Codie Boor and Ashley Cashin,
students at Corbett, received the Optimist's Student Recognition
Award, for their academic excellence and attendance record,
from the Tanque Verde Optimist Club. The two were honored
with a certificate at an awards banquet in November at the
UA Student Union.
In November, students from four TUSD schools participated
in a live video conference with students from La Serena, Chile.
Students from both countries reported on the results of their
observations of the lunar eclipse on Oct. 27. The participating
students and teachers were: Cesar Esquer
and Andrew Valdez from Wakefield (led by
Natalia Kinch-Rice); Mandy Elsmore,
Serenity Valdez and Andrea Keene
from Gridley (led by Patricia Wheeler); Marisela
Mariscal, Juan Enriquez and Ruthe
Foushee from Tucson High (led by Glen Furnier).
Relax & Take A Class: TUSD-TV, in conjunction
with Pima Community College, will be offering telecourses
for K through 5 teachers beginning this semester. This opportunity
for professional development is designed to support teachers
in enhancing instruction while they work on helping students
develop the skills necessary to raise standardized test scores.
Course content is offered on cable television and features
Annenberg video that models best practices in both elementary
literacy development and hands-on science instruction. Coursework
can be completed at home and emailed to the instructor. For
more information contact the PCC Post-Degree Teacher Education
Program at 206-6566.
Ignite Student Creativity: The National
Energy Foundation and Johnson Controls invite students in
grades K through 12 to enter the fourth annual Igniting Creative
Energy Challenge, an educational competition designed to encourage
students to learn about energy and the environment. The deadline
to submit entries is Feb. 19. Participants are asked to express
their ideas on energy conservation in the form of science
projects, essays, stories, artwork, photographs, music, video,
website projects, recent service projects, or results from
the National Energy Foundation's Energy Patrol activities.
Four grand prizes will be awarded to three students and one
teacher. Winners will receive a trip to Hawaii in April for
two people. For more information go to www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org.
Celebrate National Career & Technical Ed Week:
Feb. 13 through 19 is National Career and Technical Education
Week. This year's theme, "Career Tech: Training Tomorrow's
Workforce," emphasizes the role CTE and its business
partners play in helping youths achieve career success in
the new Millennium. TUSD currently has 23 CTE programs at
various schools throughout the district. For more information
call 225-4652 or visit the Career
and Technical Education website.
Transition Fair 2005: Over 50 local agencies
and businesses that offer transition services to students
with special needs will be participating in the 2005 Transition
Fair from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2 at Catalina.
Workshop topics will include AIMS, self advocacy, social security,
and work incentives. Students with special needs, their families
or guardians, counselors, teachers, service coordinators,
and vocational counselors are invited to attend the free annual
event sponsored by the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities,
local school districts, the Office of the Pima County School
Superintendent, and the Metropolitan Education Commission's
Youth Advisory/Tucson Teen Congress. Interpreters and special
assistance are available upon request by calling 624-6452.
At its January Regular Board Meeting, several matters were
addressed that will also have a positive, long-term impact
on TUSD and its students.
In the Superintendent's "State of the District"
Report, Mr. Pfeuffer noted many of the accomplishments TUSD
staff members have made over the past year. He reviewed where
the district ended fiscally and academically; furthermore,
he explained where he foresaw TUSD in a year and the measures
it will take to get us there.
The Board voted to allow the technology building at Pueblo
to be renamed the Joseph F. Cicero Technology Building. Mr.
Cicero served Pueblo from 1959 to 1989 as a graphic arts teacher.
After retirement he returned until 1991 to substitute teach
and he continues to volunteer in the school's graphic arts
program. The Board would like to thank him for his continued
service to TUSD.
The Board proclaimed the district's participation in National
School Counseling Week 2005, which occurs the week of February
7 through 11. It is a time to promote the ongoing efforts
of our counselors and for the community to learn about the
variety of counseling activities the district has to offer.
Tucson Unified School District
1010 East 10th Street, Tucson, Arizona, 85719
Governing Board
Bruce Burke, President; Adelita Grijalva, Clerk;
Joel T. Ireland; Judy Burns; Alex Rodriguez
Superintendent
Roger F. Pfeuffer
Interim Director of Public Relations
Estella Zavala
Communications Specialist/Writer
Jennea Moore
Tucson Unified School District does not discriminate
on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual
orientation, age, religion or disability in admission or access
to, or treatment or employment, in its educational programs
or activities.
For more information contact: