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COMMUNICATIONS

Results-Based Funding

Governor Ducey’s FY2020 budget proposal includes over $60M to nearly triple the amount of money going to Results-Based Funding, which distributes funding based on AzMERIT results, or A-F Letter grades beginning in next year.

An updated analysis by ASBA and AASBO indicates that in the current fiscal year, Results-Based funding continues to benefit a minority of students more likely to be from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.

Although changing to letter grades as the governor proposes my spread the concentration of funding over a wider range of schools, the basic question of why results-based funding is a preferred program vs. simply increasing the base level or investing in low-SES schools first remains an important one.

Read more via AZEdNews, here.

It’s Your Time to Shine! Present at ASBA’s Annual Conference

We are calling for proposals for our Annual Conference, December 17-19, from school districts and other organizations for high-quality, breakout sessions that focus on topics of critical interest to school board members.

This year we are seeking submissions that address any of these general themes:

  • A. Meeting the social/emotional needs of students
  • B. Systemic inclusion of student’s voice in district decision-making
  • C. Teacher recruitment and retention strategies. (Include year-over-year retention/recruitment rates)
  • D. How to build and grow successful community partnerships
  • E. Embedding equity: Strategies for incorporating equity into curriculum, or school culture, policy, staffing, budgeting or district structure

Hooray! Woo Hoo! and Yippee!

By Ann O’Brien, ASBA Treasurer

What a wonderful time of year for students, families, friends, and educators! Another school year is quickly coming to an end. And, the 2019 graduating class is about to embark on awaiting adventures.

As a governing board member, graduation day is my favorite day of the year. It is the day everyone has been working towards for 13 years. Graduation is not only the culmination of the students’ hard work but that of teachers, school staff, principals, custodians, counselors, cafeteria workers, district staff, superintendents and governing board members.

Often when we think about graduation, it is from the perspective of the student or parent. In a student’s secondary education career, they have approximately 30+ teachers, had two or three principals, learned hundreds of strands of standards, ate over two thousand lunches in the cafeteria, solved thousands of math problems and written a multitude of papers. It is through all these educational and extracurricular experiences that each amazing student learns the skills necessary to not just meet graduation requirements but to become American servicemen and women, police officers, doctors, plumbers, counselors, programmers, welders, engineers, and maybe even teachers or principals. And, it is seeing the excitement, joy and anticipation on the faces of our students and their parents, family members, and friends that make all the difficult decisions and sacrifices worthwhile.

In this final month of the school year, while students are celebrated for their accomplishments and hard work, I want to salute all of you and your extraordinary dedication and devotion! It takes each and every person along the education journey to help students get to the “graduation finish line”.

Congratulations on a job well done!

ASBA Offers Internships in Media Productions for High School Students

AZEdNews Launches Classroom Grant Program for Teachers

AZEdNews is celebrating its 5th year anniversary by giving back to teachers with $200 classroom grants! AZEdNews awards grants to teachers that enhance classroom learning. Describe how the initiative or program impacts student achievement and how it reflects the priorities of the governing board and district. Grant winners are selected each quarter in September, December, February and April. Apply now!

ASBA Is Your One-Stop-Shop for Superintendent Searches

From helping your board become search ready to launching a statewide or nationwide search, to assisting you with a smooth transition post-search – we’ve got you covered.

ASBA App Giveaway – Win Free SLI Registration

Download the ASBA app and click on ASBA Notifications by May 20, 2019. ASBA will send a push notification for you to click on and be entered to win a FREE SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE registration on June 6-8 at Little America. If you are the winner and your district has already paid the registration fee, it will be refunded. For those already receiving ASBA notifications, you will receive the push notification automatically. The winner must be an ASBA member.

Summer Is a Perfect Time to Schedule a Board Retreat

Summer is the perfect time for your senior leadership team to schedule a board retreat. Research shows that board-superintendent teams that participate together in professional development are more effective. The training and facilitation team at ASBA is ready to help you plan a productive and educational board retreat.

We have developed workshops that can be combined into full or half-day training. And we’re unique because we both are sitting board members and have extensive experience working with boards from all demographics, from urban to rural to remote. If you don’t see a perfect training session for you, give us a call! We can customize training just for your district.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Nikkie Whaley
Board Support Specialist
nwhaley@azsba.org
602-254-1100

Julie Bacon
Leadership Development Specialist
jbacon@azsba.org
602-254-1100

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