Public Task Force meeting scheduled for February 6

In existence for approximately four months, the City Manager’s Task Force on Education was created to assist Maricopa Unified School District in meeting the challenge of hyper growth and the resulting influx of students new to the district. In order to facilitate its overall goal of advancing educational excellence, the Task Force will be holding a public meeting to share information about Maricopa’s educational system and to gather community input regarding the direction education should take.

The Public Task Force Meeting will be held at Pima Butte Elementary School, located at 42202 West Rancho El Dorado Parkway, on Monday, February 6, at 7 p.m. Among the topics to be discussed are:

Facilities: What is the progress in building new schools for Maricopa’s students?
Teachers: What does the future hold for Maricopa teachers, and what do they have to offer our students?
Curriculum: What are the district’s growing special needs and curriculum advances?
Operations: What is the district doing to support teachers and students?

Maricopa residents will have the chance to ask questions and get answers from both the school district and the city. Moderated by Task Force members, the meeting will NOT be a forum for personal, public attacks on individuals. The goal is to open avenues of communication and to gain feedback.

Educators and city officials have met together as part of the Task Force in order to enhance communication, to discuss policy alternatives and to work toward creative solutions in order to reach Maricopa’s vision of educational excellence. The public meeting is a chance for the citizenry to get involved and provide much needed input to the schools and the city.

City Manager Rick Buss and Superintendent of Schools Alma Farrell originally selected the members of the Task Force. They are:

City Manager Rick Buss at a recent City Council meeting.

City of Maricopa:
· Rick Buss, City Manager
· Marty McDonald, PRL Director
· Vanessa Bueras, City Clerk
· Paul Jepson, Management Assistant
· City Council Liaison: Mayor Kelley Anderson

Superintendent of Schools Alma Farrell in her office.

MUSD:
· Alma Farrell, Superintendent
· Paul Kasparian, Business Manager
· Rick Abel, Principal of Santa Rosa Elementary School
· Cheryl Muriett, Parent/Site Council
· School Board Liaison: Jim Chaston

The school system and the city belong to the residents of Maricopa. What the city does affects the growth of the schools, and the effectiveness of the school district affects the growth of the city.

Maricopa residents need to become involved in the process of promoting educational excellence. The first step is your attendance at the Public Task Force Meeting on February 6. See you there!