Students to get free admission to all athletic events
New Athletic Director hired

By Bruce Whetten

Douglas Dispatch
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 5:51 PM MDT


In an effort to increase attendance at all DHS athletic events the Douglas School Board of Education agreed at its second June meeting last week to suspend student admission fees and allow all students, regardless of what school they attend, free access to all athletic events for the next school year.


Stephanie Phillips

School officials say this will be a one-year trial period and could become permanent once the financial impact is examined when the school year is completed.

Mike Ortega and Dr. Ed Gomez spearheaded this effort hoping to increase fan support at all DUSD events.

The adult fees of $4 will remain the same and the free admission does not cover state or regional playoff games.

In other action at the meeting the board approved the hiring of Stephanie Phillips who will serve as the new Athletic Director/Assistant Principal at Douglas High School.

Phillips comes to Douglas from Queen Creek.

“I’ve been a teacher in the Gilbert School District the last 10 years and this will be my 20th year in education,” she said.

Phillips knows DUSD Superintendent Sheila Rogers but adds she has never worked with her directly.

“When I saw there was an opportunity to work with her I jumped at the chance,” she said. “I’ve worked hard to get my principals certificate and move into administration and the challenge of being athletic director and assistant principal is one that I am looking forward to.”

In other action at the June 19 meeting the board granted early kindergarten admission for three students who will not be five years old on or before the Sept. 1, 2012 deadline as required by school board policy J-0600.

The board also approved the request for proposal for audit services which is a five year contract with a purchasing threshold limit of $50,000.

The board also renewed mutli-term contracts for fiscal year 2012/13 for Herff Jones, Taylor Publishing and Memory Book for yearbook and related services; Rincon Rehab Fitness and Wellness, Casey Parr, PT for Physical Therapy Services; Backdrop Photography and Bell Photography for school photography services and Triumph Learning dba Options Publishing for supplementary curriculum services.

The board also approved the proposed District Annual Expenditure budget for fiscal year 2012/13.

The total aggregate budget for this year is $33,288,134.

The board postponed the work study session that was scheduled and agreed to have it at one of the July meetings.

Donations from Johnson Historical Museum (Slaughter Ranch), Tom Hanigan, Douglas Company Arizona Rangers; Vicky Merritt, John W. Mangum, Henry and Jocelyn Beumler, Benon’s Engine Machine, Kerry and Kelly Kimbro and Warner and Wendy Glenn were all accepted with a “thanks” from the DUSD board.

The board approved the hiring of the DHS coaching staff for the 2012/13 school year as well as teachers Brenna Garvey, Brenda Moreno, Denise McGrew, Florence Ramacho, Darren Pliler, Roseanne Kofron, Maria Rea, Cindy Cage, Yolanda Caruso as a summer school nurse and Chaelyn Fredrickson as a secondary curriculum coordinator.

Ana Becerra, Alvina Noperi, Fatima Tapia, Sarah Pedrego, Maria Ramirez, Arturo Morales and Tony De La Torre were all hired as classified staff.

The board also approved the resignation of Noelle Robles as the DHS principal secretary effective June 12, 2012.

The board also approved an out of state travel request for Beverly Enriquez, Ana Samaniego and Andrea Overman to attend the 2012 National Council for Community and Education Partnership annual conference which will be held in Washington, D.C. July 22-25.

The next board meeting will take place Monday, July 9 at 5 p.m.

 

Copyright © 2013 Douglas Dispatch

Comments

    tell the truth wrote on Jul 13, 2012 10:48 PM:

    " Someone needs to tell the truth about the 'guardian of Douglas' (Nava) because otherwise he will continue his delusion of self-importance. Just like los cucarachas the light needs to be on so they run and hide! "

    its so sad ... wrote on Jul 12, 2012 10:30 PM:

    " Its so sad that the Dispatch will not post opinions which are TRUE but are "to the point"! Have some fortitude sot the public really can judge the facts!!!

    DON'T HIDE BEHIND WHAT MAYBE BAD! TAKE A STAND AND PRINT THE TRUTH!!!

    And stop playing favorites! Let the public decide!

    Or are you REALLY 'wishy, washy? "

    douglas citizen wrote on Jul 10, 2012 5:53 PM:

    " Raise the school tax and let every body get in free, especially los pobres! ! ! Los pobres need a place to go and the school should pay for it. "

    Go Dawgs wrote on Jul 9, 2012 8:24 PM:

    " In a away it has it's pro's and con's. Having 3 kids it's hard for use to go to more then one game a week this is an opertunity for use to spend more time together as a family. Then again you will have more unsupervised kids running around not letting families enjoy the games, let's all just try it this year see how it works and go forward. "

    Bulldogs yes wrote on Jul 7, 2012 9:42 PM:

    " So where is Douglas' guardian angel M Nava with this? Expecting him to find fault with this!! "

    Chuck wrote on Jul 7, 2012 5:46 AM:

    " Oh great! Another Gilbert by-product, let's see who ends up doing her job even though she will have the title of athletic director. "

    Bulldog Fan wrote on Jul 6, 2012 2:36 PM:

    " Former Dawg was correct in saying that the Ad dept. needs a change. Walker did not put in the time- He only did what he had to do, he had no invested intrest in our children. Power was what he wants- He is a difficult man to work with, I only hope he is a better principal then AD- "

    Bulldog supporter wrote on Jul 6, 2012 9:07 AM:

    " Good job school board....I think this is a great idea and hopefully will bring in more students to watch and support their school and peers...many students can not attend numerous games a week due to the fees involved..being a coach and a former athlete it is a great feeling having a large home crowd cheer you on and offer support...to those of you who do not want to be bothered by children maybe you should stay home and not attend events where you are watching children!!! The more the merrier the way I see it!!! "

    Former Dawg wrote on Jul 3, 2012 9:24 AM:

    " Free admission should be for DHS Students only, the concession stands will make up for the loss of free admissions. The DHS Athletic Division needs a huge make over, please start with the Baseball/Softball "coaching" staff. Two thumbs up to the new AD "

    xxxray wrote on Jul 2, 2012 12:58 PM:

    " I agree with "Big Mistake" that the stadiums will basically become "night care" facilities. Maybe, children (12 & under) must be with an adult, but only the adult has to pay. Thoughts???

    Gooooooo BULLDOGS! "

    tanya wrote on Jun 30, 2012 8:45 AM:

    " I agree with Chuey. Let the students show pride and support their teams. By being a part of the school events they will take more pride in their school and that will reflect in their attitudes and their grades. Its a winning situation for our students and the district. "

    Thrilled wrote on Jun 29, 2012 10:26 PM:

    " I am so glad the district has a new AD! Sports will get moving in the right direction. "

    Bulldog Fan wrote on Jun 29, 2012 10:20 PM:

    " To Big Mistake, you have no school spirit! "

    Chuey Duarte wrote on Jun 29, 2012 3:57 PM:

    " I applaud the vote! Let's get the stadiums and the gym rocking. This should help create a great home field advantage. I am all for giving our youth opportunities and something to do. Thank you Dr. Gomez and Mr. Ortega. "

    Big Mistake 2X wrote on Jun 29, 2012 12:56 PM:

    " I don't want to hear that the school has no money to spend. People do, in fact, go to these sporting events. On top of budget cuts the school board is losing more money. Dumb choice! "

    Big Mistake wrote on Jun 28, 2012 7:38 PM:

    " I hope the district will now be prepared to spend more money hiring security. If adults have to pay but students won't have to then I hope the district is ready to take on the possibility of becoming full time baby-sitters during athletic events. Parents will be dropping kids off left and right at sporting events and then picking them up after the event is over. The passing of this vote is a huge mistake in my opinion. I don't want to sit and try to enjoy sporting events with my family while having unsupervised kids running all over the place and no parents watching them. The district will be losing paid attendance by people not wanting to attend events anymore instead of gaining more school support. "

Write a Comment

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The Douglas Dispatch is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in douglasdispatch.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Douglas Dispatch. The Douglas Dispatch does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Douglas Dispatch spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.

(optional)
   









Contact Us

Email the Editor
530 11th Street
Douglas, AZ 85607
tel: 520.364.3424
fax: 520.364.6750
Subscribe Online
Place A Classified