MUSD eyes budget priorities ahead of Prop. 123 vote

By Elisabeth Niman

The Maricopa Unified Governing Board met Wednesday and approved of a draft of the 2016-2017 school budget priorities, on the caveat that Proposition 123 is passed on May 17.

Superintendent Steve Chestnut explained the budget is “in a state of flux,” from its reliance on Prop. 123, which would divert over $530 million to Arizona public schools in the next two years. Approximately $200 dollars would be added for each student.

Maricopa Unified School District would receive $1.25 million for the upcoming school year, and $1.6 million for the next. If the bill does not pass, the district will have $400,000 in funds for the year from state school base level funds.

According to board member Torri Anderson, “this budget means every dollar is going to our classrooms…to our students.”

The greatest allocation of funds would be used to hire more teachers, in an effort to lower class-room sizes. The board proposed 10 new teachers but expressed concern over the low rates of hir-ing over the past few years. Despite plenty of job openings, 1,000 statewide teaching positions were not filled last year.

A second priority for the budget would be to hire one or two mental health counselors for the district. “Nearly three of every 10 students [have] a diagnosable mental illness,” said board member Gary Miller, citing concerns that number will grow if the state of mental health care on school campuses does not change.

The original number proposed by the budget was only one counselor for the district, but Miller raised concerns about burnout — one counselor for almost 6,700 students is too much for them to handle alone, he said. He suggested another counselor to help balance the needs of the stu-dents by replacing the number of new hire teachers to nine.

Other budget inclusions provided for a teacher longevity stipend, an elementary school in-school suspension program, cost of living assessments to keep salaries competitive, an increase in budget for school administrations, curriculum updates, and the addition of one extra nurse and security officer to the district.

The second year of budgeting several of the items relies on a proposed override that will be on the November ballot.

The board also reviewed the progress of the Maricopa Elementary School trial program “Leader in Me.” The students are encouraged to take on leadership roles in the classroom, helping their teachers and peers with duties around the classroom. Maricopa Elementary School Principal Jen-nifer Robinson told the board, “If we’re not a leadership academy, who is?”

The program is based on the “7 Habits” students learn and utilize at school and at home: be pro-active; begin with the end in mind; put first things first; think win-win; seek first to understand, then to be understood; synergize (work together); and sharpen the saw (keep yourself in good health).

Several students presented the program to the board.

The last big-ticket item on the agenda was affirming the coordination of the arrival and games of the professional Costa Rican soccer team, Deportivo Saprissa. The team has chosen Maricopa High School as a venue for two spring season games next year. The club is also considering a contract for a minor league soccer team to be based at the high school, on a minimum two-year contract.

The board ended the meeting with the hope, expressed by board member Rhonda Melvin, that “Prop 123 passes so all of this comes to fruition.”

MES 7 Habits Presentation

1 of 6