HUSD JOINT SEPARATION STATEMENTDecember 19, 2008 The Higley Unified School District (HUSD) Governing Board and District Superintendent Dr. Joyce Lutrey have amicably agreed to terms of separation upon Dr. Lutrey’s request. Both the Governing Board and Dr. Lutrey support this separation and are confident the district will continue to make great strides with the district strategic plan* underway and a strong leadership team in place. The Governing Board and Dr. Lutrey have worked as a team to manage the district’s fast growth and build a strong foundation for the district. In just eight years, HUSD has grown from one school to nine, received North Central Accreditation as the first k-12 district in AZ to do so, achieved two Excelling school labels from AZ State Standards, and surpassed the Arizona average in every subject area tested in every grade level at every district school. These successes provide the perfect opportunity for Dr. Lutrey to seek opportunities outside the district to advance her career knowing the district is making great strides with a goal and plan in place to achieve Excelling labels for every district school. She believes the district is well positioned to move forward as a new Governing Board takes shape in January 2009. Dr. Lutrey will officially depart the district June 30, 2009 and will work with the Governing Board and the cabinet to complete district projects from December 19, 2008 through the June 30, 2009 date. Beginning December 19, 2008, Dr. Denise Birdwell will assume Dr. Lutrey’s daily duties as the Governing Board determines who will assume the Superintendent title beginning July 1, 2009. The Governing Board wishes Dr. Lutrey well and thanks her for the dedication and commitment she has provided the Higley community over the past five years. Dr. Lutrey wishes to thank the community, the Governing Boards, the students staff and families for their support. She wishes them all well for the future.

*2* Very Important Items

Vote YES for Higley Kids!!

This is the override - if we don't vote YES - the district will lose out on lots of money.

Governing Board Elections

3 spots open

ChangeInHUSD is endorsing and reccommending:

Paul Howell

Greg Land

Geoff Johnston

(see below post)

Our Endorsements

The leaders of Change in HUSD and PAC (Parent Advisory Council)-HUSD have joined forces for the purpose of endorsing 3 candidates for the November school board election. Together with a panel of parents and community members they invited candidates on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings this week to meet and answer set questions regarding issues of concern that have been expressed by parents and community members in each organization. Questions touched on treatment of teachers and staff, hiring practices, following district policies and procedures, Special Education IEP's, why the candidate is running for HUSD school board and what goals he/she has for HUSD if elected to the board.
After careful consideration, Change in HUSD and PAC-HUSD feel that candidates Greg Land, Paul Howell and Geoff Johnston best represent the parents these organizations have been in communication with. The candidates strongly believe that morale and trust need to be re-established in the HUSD community and are prepared to work to that end. The common threads between these candidates are 1) a belief that our children deserve the best leadership possible and that leaders need to be held accountable, 2) their ability to analyze information and make fair judgments and 3) a shared pride in our community and the vision that our school district can be a premier district in the State of Arizona. “I believe Geoff Johnston, Greg Land and Paul Howell are the candidates that parents and community members have been looking for. They're committed to bringing about the positive change that Change in HUSD and PAC-HUSD are looking for and we're happy to stand behind them,” said Stacey Christensen of Change in HUSD. Michelle Rigby of Change in HUSD states, “I am confident that Paul Howell, Geoff Johnston and Greg Land will be able to have a great working relationship with existing board members Kim Anderson and Vanessa Whitener. There are good things happening now in HUSD and I believe these candidates will expand those positive elements. Our district has a great future.”
Regretfully, incumbent Denise Standage canceled her interview due to a scheduling conflict. The interview panel felt confident in their assessment of Standage based on her voting record, interaction at public meetings, and previous conversations with members of Change in HUSD.

PAC-HUSD

In response to the extreme injustice suffered by students in HUSD in Special Education, PAC-HUSD, or Parent Advisory Council in Higley Unified School District, is a group of concerned parents of special education students who advise, educate and empower, and advocate for if needed, other parents of special education students in the IDEA and Civil Rights laws. If you have a special education student in HUSD, or know someone who does, and they are not receiving their Free And Appropriate Education, with optimal special education services, please send an email to pachusd@cox.net for assistance.

Governing Board Candidates

There are 6 individuals running for the 3 spots opening up on the Governing Board.

Paul Howell

Geoff Johnston

Greg Land

Taunya Lofgreen

Denise Standage - current Board Member

Carolyn Starr

We look forward to meeting with all these individuals and finding out what they are hoping to accomplish for our School District. We are aware of Denise Standage's viewpoints as we have previously met with her for 3 hours..

The opinions we will share are just that - *our* opinions. We hope that we will be able to find 3 candidates that will best represent US - the parents of the district.

Elections are held in November

Mr O'neill

We find it interresting that Mr O'Neill (who was not offered the principal position at HEMS - we were told that he was "excited to be mentored by the new principal at HEMS") has resigned and has been made Principal at a school in the Gilbert Public School District. We wonder why HUSD believed he was not qualified for the position, but GPSD is thrilled to have him?
OUR LOSS!
Congrats to YOU, Mr O'Neill!!!!

Just a quick note to say "We haven't gone away - just went on summer vacations!" :)
We are still receiving emails and phone calls asking what can people can do to convince Dr Lutrey to step aside. The answer? Continued and stronger support. Our "one" voice isn't enough. Everyone should be voicing their opinions. HUSD has set up a "comment" section on their website. Go here to file your complaint/concern/comment: http://www.husd.org/ContactDirectory/comments.aspx It also doesn't hurt to email our Governing Board members with the same complaints/concerns/comments: emoore@husd.org, vwhitener@husd.org, kanderson@husd.org, neugenis@husd.org, dstandage@husd.org We have presented the petition to the District and the Board Members, however, it seems that our petition isn't being given much credit.
Next Up:
M&O Discussion (Main. and Operations Funds - where they come from and how they are spent) - is Wednesday, June 25th - 6:30pm at the District Office. The Board will be voting on Thursday whether or not to put an Override on the Ballot in November.
General Board Meeting - Thursday, June 26th - 6:30pm at the District Office - Work Study Session @ 5:30pm (more M&O Discussion)

M&O

Maintenance and Operation

• Funds used for salaries, classroom supplies, busses (including fuel)
• Funds come from Property Taxes
• The M&O funds are "voted" in by taxpayers
• The M&O override is good for 7 years
• The override will be on the ballot this November
• If the taxpayers vote NO, our classrooms will suffer

There is another M&O explaination meeting on Wednesday, June 25th at 6:30 in the District Offices.

M&O Funding - Override

I feel that this is an important issue.

If the Governing Board decides to put the Override on the Ballot for the November elections, the community should do their best to educate themselves about it. There was a meeting held tonight and unfortunately, is was not very well attended. There will be a second meeting to explain the need for the Override next Wednesday, June 25 at 6:30pm at the District Office. The meeting will give full detail on where the M&O money is spent and how it is funded. If we, as tax payers, do not vote for this Override, HUSD will lose millions of dollars which could lead to larger classroom sizes, among other things.

A "yes" vote will not increase our taxes - a "yes" vote will mean that the portion of your property tax that goes to the District will remain the same. The portion of my property tax that goes towards the M&O budget is $114 each year...fyi. Not very significant, in my opinion.

As always - if you have any questions, please email us @ changeinhusd@gmail.com

...Michelle R...

Board Meeting

Thursday - May 29th @ 5:30 - District Office.

It would be great to show the Board and the District Administration that we are still in this together and are seeking change.

Let us know if you have any questions!!

changeinhusd@gmail.com

Latest Newspaper Article

Upate: What *Change In HUSD* has been working on...

We feel it is important to keep HUSD community members informed on the progress of Change In HUSD. As you remember, in an effort to group together parents and community members who are concerned about Higley's future, we have requested that parents and community members who support the resignation of Dr. Joyce Lutrey please sign a petition. (www.ipetitions.com/petition/ChangeInHUSD) To this date we have just a few shy of 500 signatures. We also know there are more who have not signed the petition but want to see drastic changes in the district and are following our cause very closely. Many parents and teachers have called or written to us and have stood in front of the Governing Board to express their concerns. Here is a current list of parent, teacher, and community concerns:
1. There are a large number of teachers and administrators leaving the district. This causes a great instability in faculty and processes in addition to the strain on the children.
2. General instability in "where will teachers be" from year to year.
3. Reports of district bullying and district administration who deal with employees in an unprofessional and threatening manner.
4. Lack of support from district to teachers and administrators.
5. Breaking policy in district hiring practices and questionable ties with relationships between district administrators.
*Former HR Director Barbara Saxton was friend of Lutrey from Michigan.
*Current Associate Superintendent Denise Birdwell (recently promoted from Assistant Superintendent of HR, and replaced Barbara Saxton last year) who's mentor is Kay H. Hunnicutt, the attorney that represented Lutrey.
*Cathy Mayes, current HR Director, worked with Birdwell in the Dysart School District.
**We understand that it is natural to recruit past associates within companies, and support this to the extent that we have respected and trustworthy leaders. When there are issues of trust, however, it leaves the public questioning the amount of effort given to finding the best candidate for the position. Many have questioned the close associations within the HR department since the HR policies are not being followed.
6. Teachers and administrators are not being evaluated within the AZ State Law deadlines, or in many cases are not being evaluated at all.
7. A general lack of trust between administration, teachers, and community with district administration because of the way certain situations have been handled (we have promised to keep specifics confidential at this time).
8. Hiring of a large number of first-time principals with little (or no) leadership experience.
9. Lack of proper discipline on issues of pornography, student bullying, and issues involving morality.

In general we believe that the largest issue we face as a community is mistrust. That is, perhaps, the largest problem to solve because it requires a consistent pattern of good choices and relationship-strengthening on many levels for a noticeable period of time. Many parents and community members feel that the Governing Board is too allegiant to the Superintendent, and too skeptical of the people when problems arise. These parents feel that the Governing Board's first allegiance should be to the people, and that the Board should appropriately question the actions of the District Administration so as to keep the balance of power.

We have spent the past week talking personally with board members and administration and here is what we've learned:
*Joyce Lutrey has 2 years remaining on her contract. Several GB members feel it is fiscally irresponsible to release her from her contract because it would cost the District $250K - plus the cost of recruiting a new Superintendent.
**We must point out, that if reasonable cause is established, the Governing Board can make a motion to terminate her contract. This could result in no pay out; however, it is most likely that negotiations would be made to settle for a reasonable amount of severance pay for Dr. Lutrey. Depending on when such an agreement can be made, this would result in far less than $250K.
*3 Governing Board positions are up for election in November - Ed Moore, Nancy Eugenis and Denise Standage.
*Also in November, the community will vote on a Budget Override. Essentially, if this override is not passed, we will lose about 8% of the budget for our District. This will be a huge loss, considering the budget cuts already occurring. Some board members may feel that a disruption in the District leadership will adversly affect the public's perceptions of the District, and jeopardize the passage of the override.
*Governing Board members want to have Personnel Grievances filed according to processes provided under district policy. These grievances against personnel would be filed with the District and Governing Board for investigation. (Change In HUSD would appreciate anyone who files to also send us a copy for our records.) Many of the teachers and administrators who have had personal experiences that violate policies need to make an official grievance. (See previous blog for link to grievance form and District Policies). Change In HUSD fielding complaints and concerns only constitutes "heresay" and cannot be investigated. Board members have promised to protect any teacher, staff or administrator who follows this method of informing the Board. By law no retribution can take place, and we at Change In HUSD will be very aware of what happens to those who choose to share their experiences.
*GB members are quick to share that there is much good happening within the district.
**They are excited about the restructuring of positions within the curriculum arena. They have hired a curriculum director for K-8 and another for 6-12. It is a hope that this overlap in curriculum will ensure our middle-schoolers are ready for high school.
**They have requested that District Administration find highly qualified staff to fill key curriculum positions and want principals who have endorsements in curriculum.
*Governing Board members welcome community members to visit with them about district concerns and can be reached through their email links on http://www.husd.org/.
*District Administrations move to downsize the health staff on each campus was made to free up Maintenance and Operation funds with the intent to increase teacher's salaries. (Bond money is used to build buildings - M&O money is used for salaries and the day to day expenses.)

We are continuing to gather information and will disperse it to parents and community members as soon as possible. We hope that you will take time to familiarize yourselves with this information, so as a concerned public and voters you can make the best decisions for your children and community. We have had many questions regarding our association with Kim Anderson who has been in the news about district issues in the past. We want to clarify that we are acting independent of any board member and solely on the information given to us by teachers and parents. This cause began as teacher and parent complaints poured into our email accounts and over our phone lines after Michelle Rigbys' original email. These people requested that key issues be addressed beyond salary increases as we sought to take our message of Change to the District. We hope that through our actions many of these concerns will be heard by our Governing Board and District Administration. We intend to hold both governing bodies accountable to the people, as this is their responsibility as representatives of the people and educators of our children. We hope that the established system of checks and balances within our District Policy will be in full force as the Governing Board and District Administration cooperate with the will of the people in addressing areas of improvement within the District. We seek to to establish trust between HUSD and our community and will work diligently to that end.
We invite you to join us again on May 29th at the next District Governing Board Meeting. We have also learned that there may be another meeting prior to the 29th, called to address Health Staff downsizing... we'll keep you posted on that date and time. If you have any questions or comments they can be directed to our email address ChangeInHUSD@gmail.com .

Public Concerns/Complaints Grievance Form

Here is how to get to the "Grievence" Policy:
Go to: www.husd.org
Go to "District" and then "Governing Board"
Underneath the big picture you will see "HUSD Policy" -click on that
It will open up another window.
On the left hand side, you will see a list of schools...scroll down until you get to Higley and click on the +
Scroll down again until you see Section K - click on the +
Print: K-1450, K-1461 and K-1481
Fill it out, make one copy for you, one for "Change in HUSD" and one for the Governing Board (which you will put in a sealed envelope and send it to the District Offices).
Start the paper trail.
Please let us know if you have any questions!!!

Staff Grievances

Here is how to get to the "Grievence" Policy:
Go to: www.husd.org
Go to "District" and then "Governing Board"
Underneath the big picture you will see "HUSD Policy" -click on thatIt will open up another window.
On the left hand side, you will see a list of schools...scroll down until you get to Higley and click on the +
Scroll down again until you see Section G - click on the +
Print: G-1800 through G-1835
Start the paper trail.
Please let us know if you have any questions!!!