MUSD board honors retiring principal; discusses charter, online schools tonight

Before its regular 6 p.m. meeting tonight, Maricopa Unified School District school board members and district staff will honor Santa Cruz Elementary School retiring Principal John Flores.

The community is invited to a reception in the lobby outside of the board room at 5:30 p.m. Flores, originally hired in 2009 as district superintendent, has been at Santa Cruz since October 2009.

Tonight the board is scheduled to hear a presentation on creating charter schools within the district and hold a public hearing and then take action on eliminating Maricopa Online.

Superintendent Steve Chestnut said the district hopes to add a No Dropouts option in the next few months.

“It is a very similar online program,” Chestnut said in an email. “The major difference is that it is only for students who have completely dropped out of school. Students are issued a laptop and meet with a counselor once each week to monitor progress. Students work entirely from home.

The district’s online credit recovery program will still exist, as will the online portion of the blended learning program piloted this school year at Maricopa Wells Middle School and available at both middle schools in the upcoming school year.

“The main reason we started MOL was to meet the needs of credit deficient students,” Chestnut said. “We will continue to work on this issue. In 2013-14 a committee will study the possibility of offering an alternative high school program in 2014-15."

For more information on these agenda items and others click here to get to the meeting of your choice, then click on “print agenda” and then go to “detailed agenda.” 

The board meets in the District Office Administration Building, 44150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway.