School Board OKs ‘pay for performance,’ updates lockdown

The Maricopa Unified School District Governing Board met for the first time in a month to discuss updates to the personnel schedule and potential Pay for Performance Plan.

The Pay for Performance Plan would compensate certified staff members for achieving annual performance goals. For the plan to be accepted by the district, it would need to meet requirements set forth by the Arizona Legislature and by the Arizona Department of Education. The plan would also need to be approved by 70 percent of the teaching staff in the district.

The Pay for Performance Plan was brought before the teaching staff for a vote between Sept. 8 and Sept. 11, and staff approved the plan with a 79 percent vote. The Governing Board had some concerns about the plan, but unanimously voted approval after a brief discussion.

The approved plan will be posted on the school’s website and uploaded to the Arizona Department of Education prior to Dec. 31.

“We back this (plan) 100 percent,” MUSD Human Resources Director Tom Beckett said. “This gives teachers the opportunity to earn the money. We aren’t just giving money away. This is a performance-based plan which is based on primarily the observation of the principal.”

The board updated attendees on the bomb threat that was called into Maricopa High School earlier Wednesday morning.

“I am very proud of how our staff handled the situation,” MUSD superintendent Steve Chestnut said. “We followed the situation according to our emergency response plan. Hopefully that is the last incident like that for many years to come.”

However, Thursday afternoon another lockdown was called at Maricopa Elementary School when a student reported seeing someone on campus with a holstered gun. Maricopa Police swept through the campus and found nothing.

The board unanimously approved an updated personnel schedule featuring a new Custodial and Maintenance Generalist position. The position will feature an hourly salary between $9.59 and $12.52 and be responsible for maintenance and custodial care throughout district property.

“This position should save the district quite a bit of money,” Beckett said. “In August and September we were down a few mechanics and we had to send a few buses to Phoenix for repair. It ended up costing the district nearly $10,000 to do that. These are tasks we now have mechanics to deal with.”

The board also introduced new junior class President Alyssa Hollingsworth, who delivered the Maricopa High School report. The Governing Board approved the first reading of policy updates regarding admission of non-resident and transfer students, as well as the annual review of the Indian Education Policy.

The Governing Board will meet again on Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. This will be the board’s only meeting in October.