DUSD moving to self-contained middle schools

By Larry Blaskey
Douglas Dispatch
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 5:18 PM MDT


The Douglas Unified School District met  last Tuesday in a meeting that will determine the ability ofthe district to meet its budget demands next year.


The district approved a 15 point plan which will either create new revenue or save the district $1.5 million. This plan is necessary due to the expected state cuts in the 2009-10 school year. Parts of the plan receiving the most attention is converting the middle schools to self-contained facilities

Moving to the self-contained model provides $630,000 in savings for the district .

Currently, the district has 1,000 sixth through eighth grade students . Studies indicate that these schools work because “elementary settings benefit students from low social backgrounds as does having instruction provided by a limited number of teachers.”

The plan also keeps Rauy Borane Middle School open.

The plan also calls for charging $12 a day for ELC students and charging for extracurricular activities including sports. No family would be charged more than $250 during any school year and that money could be used as a tax credit.

For more information on the plan, see the Douglas Dispatch website at www.douglasdispatch.com

 In other action, the board:

• Approved a donation in the amount of $400 to Douglas High School from the AZ Community Foundation.

•  Approved fundraising activities for spring semester for the District-Qwest One Percent Back To Schools program; and Douglas High School - girls tennis team.

•  Approved the hiring of Special Ed teacher, Jane Cinnamon, $37,300; School psychologist, Amy Paulmeyer, $55,422; Summer School social studies /drivers ed teacher, Ron Ellsworth, $150 a day; David Campas, Jaime Tadeo, Ken Cornier and Ray Shelton.

• Approved volunteeers Gary Ackley and John Vaughn for the DHS Ag program

• Approved for the Summer D-PASS program $3,600 each for John Mariscal, Teresa Gallardo, Abigail Griffin, Juanita Almader, and Michael Molina,; $1,800 for Barbara Downey for half time and $600  for AIMS Intervention to Chaelyn Fredrickson.

• Approved hiring of band director Emilio Gonzales for 2009-10.

• Approved Arizona State Unjiversity interns Priscilla Cordova, Maira Gonzalez, Patricia Valdez, Melane Molina, Daniel Noriega, David Hurtado, Leyla Secheslingliff, Hannah Hurtado, Luz Badgero, Sasha Taylor, Amanda McFarland, Gricelda Hernandez, Alvina Hughes, and Naideny Urquijo.

• Approved new job descriptions  for behavior Interventionalist and Instructional Coach, School Improvement and Instruction Speicalist.

• Renewed contract of IT Javier Baca and Child Nutrition Diorectoor Beverly Jackson.

• Approved revision to job descriptions for GFA/Procurement Clerk, preventative Maintence technician and Title data specialist.

• Accepted the resignation of Susie Rodriguez, instructional aide at the Early Learning Center.

• Approved budget revisioon for 2008-09.

• Approved school caqpacities for Open Enrollment.

• Approved revisions to policies on “Administrative Salary Schedule,” “Professional Staff Salary Schedule”, “ Counselor Salary Schedule,” “Nurse’s Salary Schedule,” “Support Staff Salary Schedule.”

• Approved naming Mario Ramos as an alternate delegate to respresent DUSD with the AZ School Board Association.

• Approved renewal of intergovernmental agreement with Cochsie College for the Tech Prep programs.

• Approved amendments for the Youth Transition Program contract wit the Arizona Department of Economic Security-Rehabilitation Servic es Administration.

• Approved the 2009-10 revised Gift Scope & Sequence for submission to the Arizona Deparmtent of Education, Gifted Education Division.

• Support the Arizona State University EXCEL Asopiraing Principals program and two DUSD candidates, Melissa Rodriguez asnd Sandy Uterhardt.

• Approved revisions to the district calendar.

• Adopted previously agreed upon Schooll Attendance Areas. They have been in effect for the last nine years.

• Approved renewal for medical , dental and vision insurnace contracts.

• Approved out-of-state travel for Biomedical Project Lead the Way Teachers for Donna Savill and Andrea Arnejo to attend training in Baltimore in July; Earl Pettit to attend Eduication Week Leadership forum “Powering through the Recession” in Newport Beach, California;  DHS teacher Diego Gonzales to attend Pre-Advance Placement conference in Las Cruces; and DHS  Advanced Placement teachers Jill Forsythe, Bianca Hernandez, Sophie Renoult and John Mariscal; Counselor Gail Ames and coordinator Bonnie Lopez to attend the Advanced Placement Conference in San Antonio.

•Approved employment contract for Denise Evans, Business Manager.

• Approved first reading sof  revisions to policies on “Professional Staff Vacations and Holidays,” and “Support Staff  Vacations and Holidays.”

The next regualar board meeting is June 2.

Comments

    Parents Need to Know wrote on May 22, 2009 9:55 PM:

    " Yeah it's three years! Works or not! Also this means if there is a problem teacher that has a hard time having kids for an hour is going to have the kids for 6 hours! All of our kids have had teachers that aren’t helpful, pick on them, or they don’t thrive in the class for some reason… Imagine our kids having them for six hours ALL year, do you think they will succeed? This also means the problem kids that are with your kids for an hour; now your kids will be disrupted for 6 hours. I agree with self contained for the 6th grade, but are we preparing our kids for the changes they will face at the High School by having 7th and 8th self contained, NO!! They will have a lunch, and maybe a recess but having PE or Music only twice a week for not even an hour? Also other then maybe the 6th graders having recess for 7th and 8th! DUSD should have let the state come in. It would have saved money and have been much less disruptive to our kids! Yeah they would have gone through the teachers to see if they are doing a good job and the ones that are would still be teaching. Maybe we would have lost a few teachers but are giving everyone jobs even if they aren't good at them better then picking the best for our kids? I don't wish that anyone looses their job but some of the staff that DUSD has; needs to GO! I hope the parents and staff need to stand up for the best thing, if that means demanding meetings or even going to the Department of Education then it needs to happen. It is time that we started asking questions and asking if this is the best. If there is something you don’t like at the school then go to the board. That is why they are there! It’s time to stand together. If enough people stand together then they will listen! This change could be very detrimental to the staff and especially to the students! "

    Keep Up wrote on May 20, 2009 6:15 PM:

    " To answer confused's question... Middle schools are going into self-contained classes which means that kids will be in ONE class with ONE teacher for the whole day. Teachers will NOT have planning periods, so they will need someone to come in and cover for them so that they can "get a break" during the day. This will be in effect for THREE school yrs whether it works OR not. That's THREE years people! Oh, and the $$ they will be paying coaches(?) to help(?) in the teaching process. Why not just give the coaches the teaching jobs and save some $$ there? Ahhh, if only ALL teachers were promised what others got. I'm sure they would be more susceptible to Pettit's ways. Hmmm, sorry, some teachers actually have morals and cannot be bought. I really wish the teachers opposed would come together and make a stand. Haven't we learned from Stevenson? It pays to stand up and be heard rather than to do nothing? Even if it comes with A LOT of criticism! They stood by their actions and...hey, guess who's back?! Confused, have I answered your question? Negative comments not welcome! Thx Douglas Dispatch. "

    m.s. wrote on May 19, 2009 2:45 PM:

    " I think the newspaper people need to use their spell checker. OMG "

    t wrote on May 18, 2009 9:01 PM:

    " I can not believe the number of typos and mis-spellings in this story. I don't know if this story was written by the school district or the professionals at the Douglas Dispatch, in either case it is unacceptable from either group to have allowed this story to go to print. "

    confused wrote on May 14, 2009 10:17 PM:

    " I'm really confused about the middle school - what's going on down there? "

    Finally wrote on May 14, 2009 2:01 PM:

    " Thank goodness the middle schools will now have an opportunity to work themselves out of the situation they are in. It's been too many years they have been going downhill and no one did anything about it. Thank you DUSD leaders for taking the bull by the horn.It won't be easy but nothing truly worhtwhile is. The handwriting is on the wall and it is very alarming to see where our kids are losing. "

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