Local school districts, including Kyrene, will now be able to pay for capital needs as bond legislation was passed in conjunction with the state’s budget early on Friday.

Governing board members for the Kyrene School District approved a recommendation this week that will ask voters to continue its current 15 percent maintenance and operations override this election.

Culminating the ongoing discussion between local youth sports organizations and the Kyrene School District over use of facilities rates, the district presented a lowered rate structure Monday that now heads to the governing board.

In a unanimous decision this week, the Tempe Union High School District will be asking voters to continue its current level of funding from a maintenance and operations override previously approved by voters.

Editor’s note: This is part three of a continuing summer series on the proposed South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway.

Kyrene School District officials on Tuesday presented a capital plan for the upcoming 2013-14 school year to its governing board, hoping to modify its current “run to failure” effort to fund capital needs.
With its biggest challenge of funding capital items like leaky roofs, air conditioning towers and rusted water pipes, the district is modifying its “run to failure” plan to only pay for high-priority projects and maintenance projects with excessive or recurring costs.
Kyrene Superintendent Dr. David Schauer said on Tuesday that the plan is “not something we are happy about, but something we believe we can do.”
Still waiting on whether bond legislation from the state will come out in favor of school districts this summer, district chief financial officer Jeremy Calles said select schools with the high-priority capital needs will be addressed first.
“The pile is only growing bigger and bigger each year,” Calles said.


Kyrene School District officials Monday said new, lower rates for use of facilities, namely for youth sports organizations will be presented in early next month.

What do United States Congressman David Schweikert, State Senate Majority Leader John McComish, Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCicco, Kedrick Ellison of the Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department, Kyrene Superintendent Dr. David Shauer, Tempe Union High School Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Baca, and Pangea Development have in common?

Seeking to keep fields accessible and available to some 4,000 kids in and around Ahwatukee, various youth sports leagues met with the Kyrene School District on Monday after add-on costs to the Ahwatukee Foothills Pony Baseball Association caused heated community concern.

Stretched along Kyrene Centennial Middle School’s track on Saturday for the district’s first Acts of Kindness event, Kyrene Monte Vista Elementary students raked in a paper chain with more than 3,000 links representing random acts of kindness.

The Kyrene School District may consider getting an appraisal on the parcel of land near Club West before sending out a Request for Proposals to sell it.

Running around their school field and doing drills just outside of the multi-purpose room, a team of girls from Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary School weren’t just training for their upcoming 5K in Tempe this Saturday, but also giving each other encouragement and learning self-esteem.

The Kyrene School District is considering selling an empty parcel of land near Club West at 13th Avenue and Chandler Boulevard.

The Montessori Exploratory Committee has moved forward in its year-long proposal to build a stand-alone Montessori high school within Tempe Union, gaining added support from parents.

The 3-year-old resource center in Tempe serving Ahwatukee families is in need of food donations for April.

Kyrene del Milenio Elementary teacher Greg Broberg has been striking up education conversation lately, and hopes more teachers and parents can get involved.

Parents, teachers, education leaders and activists gathered last week at the State Capitol for an informational meeting that discussed the new Common Core state standards and the possibility of replacing AIMS testing.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton proposed in his state of the city address last month a new program to double police presence in schools and unify work between districts and the police department, which could produce different outcomes in Ahwatukee Foothills schools.

When the (Kyrene School District Governing Board) decided to go to the 68-minute class schedule (3 to 2 vote), it was justified by statistics from an outside group the former superintendent brought in. Their claim was in order to compete with other districts, the students needed more academic time.

Change is hard, whether it be personal or professional. However, evolving is also a key element of progress. Last week at the Kyrene School District Governing Board meeting, we presented information about a year and a half study of our middle school program.

The share of tax dollars that actually wind up in Arizona classrooms slid again last year, to the lowest level in the 12 years the state has been monitoring.

Kyrene School District staff and employees could once again see a salary freeze for the 2013-14 school year as district officials plan for the possibility of bond legislation failure that would give recovery in bond capacity.

We know we should eat better, but let’s face it: When we find ourselves at a fast food drive-thru, we’re probably not going to order a salad — not with all those burgers, fries and shakes on the menu board.

The Kyrene School District Governing Board focused on results of a recent district-wide Gallup Poll of its schools during its monthly meeting Tuesday evening.

Just under a year as one of Kyrene’s newest positions that aims to connect the school district with business sponsorships, Ted Gonzalez said the key is creating relationships.