May 18th Sales Tax and Education

Proposition 100 asks for a temporary 1% sales tax for the next 3 years affecting future local and state education, police and fire protection services. It will automatically repeal on May 31, 2013. It will devote 2/3 to generating revenues for "maintaining" present education funding and 1/3 to health and human services and public safety. We will place a FHUSD Proposition 100 "fact sheet" on our district website (www.fhusd.org) by March 30th and for distribution during a School Board budget workshop that same day (5:30 a.m.). We will also make these available at soon to be scheduled evening building meetings with staff and parents.

Regardless of the outcome for the Proposition 100 vote, all public school systems in the State of Arizona will see substantial cuts to their funding including full day Kindergarten funding and soft capital funds. Maintenance & operations funds will also be cut affecting programs, extracurricular activities and increasing class sizes. On March 30th we unveil a "Budget A" based on current Legislative cuts to education and a "Budget B" based on the unsuccessful passage of Proposition 100.

Since the 2008-2009 school year FHUSD has had the following budget reductions:
$294,000 - 2008-09
$370,000 - 2009-10
$952,000 - 2010-11 (Budget A)
$1,700,000 - 2010-11 (Budget B - Prop. 100 voted down)

We will continue to communicate information as needed through our website, building meetings, this blog and the media. I encourage you to call me directly (480)664-5010 or e-mail bmyhr@fhusd.org if you have any questions.

Reflections on ASCD and MEC2010 Conferences

Over the past 10 days I was able to attend the National Association for Supervision and Curriculum (ASCD) Conference and AZ Microcomputers in Education (MEC) Conference. These two conferences offered a number of professional reflections on the future course of education for public schools.

Reflection #1
School performance and relationships will be dominant factors in the future of American public schools. The need for schools to meet the personal learning needs of all students preparing them for a lifetime of learning driven by technology, global employment competition, online learning and collaboration skills will be the new educational norm.

Reflection #2
Schools must embrace that today's students at very young ages can learn to use technology to benefit their personal development and improve school achievement. All schools should look to have handhelds and/or mini-computers available for elementary age students and beyond. Our kids are wired differently and for that matter wired for the future.

Reflection #3
American education is not losing the most important battle for its economic future as our system still dominants in creating problem solvers, collaborators and entrepreneurs. While other countries dominant "academic" tests their rote, mechanical focus on academic content with no application still makes them only future, intelligent "worker bees" while Americans will still dominant in leadership positions, patents, new industry and Nobel Prizes. While many are alarmed by our poor showing on international tests the countries dominanting these tests envy and push for reform closer to our own American system. I encourage you to read "Catching Up or Leading the Way" by Michigan State's Yong Zhou and realize that the "2 Million Minutes" dvds making American students look lazy miss the point on the need for balance between activities, academic rigor, knolwedge and application. An historical precedent was our 1950s Sputnik panic that featured a Life Magazine article with similar conclusions being driven by current "achievement testing" advocates. Our system diversity provides uniques experiences most countries cannot copy or create. We are not perfect but we must protect our system uniqueness while meeting the needs of all students.

I continue to reflect on these and many other ideas brought out over the past several months as our public school system faces massive funding cuts and staff layoffs. It is an interesting time for education with the need for a non-political fair and balanced look at our school systems for our country's future.

FHUSD Directors and Town of FH Town Council Partner

This morning our FHUSD Board of Directors, Town of Fountain Hills Town Council and Town of Fountain Hills Staff met for their semi-annual meeting to discuss shared concerns, partnerships, goals and future efforts. It is a blessing for our community to have these two groups communicating on a regular basis to coordinate efforts that frequently affect our two organization's stakeholders. We share many mutual challenges and partnerships that directly influence the quality of life for our Fountain Hills community.

These on going conversations regarding safety, parks, education, communication, budget and facilities are just a few of the many areas openly communicated during these meetings. Due to the leadership of Mayor Jay Schlum, Town Manager Rick Davis, and FHUSD Board President Dr. C.T. Wright, we are able to make strategic decisions using our shared resources to positively influence our town's present and future for citizens of all ages. These are "open meetings" and covered by our local newspaper.