School board meeting to follow district office ribbon-cutting ceremony

The Maricopa Unified School District’s governing board will meet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the district office administration building.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facility, hosted by D.L. Withers Construction will begin at 5 p.m. The public is invited to tour the building at 4 p.m.

During their meeting school board members will be asked to approve several items, including travel plans for the MHS marching band to attend the Heritage Festival in Anaheim, Calif. in mid-May.

The addition of two resource officers, one at Maricopa Wells Middle School and the other at the high school, will be on the consent agenda for approval. Funding for the officers comes from a School Safety Grant recently awarded to the district in the amount of $140,000.

Discussion and possible approval for the appointment of governing board members to community panels or committees is also on Wednesday’s agenda. This item includes the stipulation that only one board member be appointed to any one committee.

Board members will be selecting a date and approving an agenda for a board retreat. In addition, they will discuss their 10 most important 2010 political agenda items. The annual selection of these legislative action proposals helps the Arizona School Board Association determine their top ten priorities.

Finally, an updated school construction plan must be submitted annually to the Arizona School Facility Board. The plan, which includes school enrollment, building capacity and projected demographics, will reflect the current decline in the local housing market.

Although original plans called for another middle school and a second high school to open in 2012, funding has not been approved for these structures. The current economic slowdown shows no indication that any new school construction will be approved for several years, according to assistant superintendent Burnie Hibbard.

For the complete meeting agenda, click here.

If you go:

What: MUSD governing board meeting and district office dedication ceremony
When: Wednesday, Oct. 14; meeting at 6 p.m. with ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. and public tours at 4 p.m.
Where: District office administration building, 44150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Hwy.

Photo by Joyce Hollis