Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

Arizona public school districts' dollars spent in the classroom. In November 2000, voters approved Proposition 301, which increased the State’s sales tax from 5 percent to 5.6 percent to provide additional money for educational programs. The enabling legislation for Proposition 301 requires the Auditor General to “. . . monitor school districts to determine the percentage of every dollar spent in the classroom by a school district.” This report presents our analysis of the percentage of dollars spent in the classroom for the most recently completed school year.

The Arizona Department of Transportation, in coordination with Apache County District II and the Fort Defiance Chapter of the Navajo Nation, analyzed the traffic circulation conditions of Navajo Routes 7, 12, 54, 110, and 112 within the Fort Defiance Industrial Area which is designated as a major growth area on the Navajo Nation. The study was funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s State Planning and Research Program and administered through ADOT’s Multimodal Planning Division's Planning Assistance for Rural Areas (PARA) program. The study was initiated to develop a planning strategy to improve the mobility and safety within the Fort Defiance Industrial Area.

The 2014 Strategic Highway Safety Plan provides a comprehensive framework for reducing fatalities and serious injuries on public roads. It was developed by the Arizona Department of Transportation in cooperation with local, state, federal, and other safety stakeholders. Under the completed SHSP, all highway safety programs in the state can leverage resources and work together to address transportation safety issues.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) operates a transportation library. The mission of the ADOT Library is to provide ADOT employees with the published information they need to carry out their job responsibilities contributing to a safe, efficient, and cost-effective transportation system in Arizona. Historically, ADOT's librarians have used professional judgment to decide which materials to add to the collection. This research is the first formal investigation to determine the information needs of ADOT staff and the role of the Library in meeting those needs. This study has provided information regarding: (a) the information needs of the ADOT staff, including the means by which they currently obtain the information they need; (b) preferences regarding access to Library services and resources; and (c) awareness and use of the ADOT Library. Findings from the study also provided insights into the role of transportation libraries, the extent to which ADOT Library practices align with acknowledged effective practices in transportation libraries overall, and opportunities for ongoing improvement and enhancement of Library operations, communications and marketing efforts, customer service, and valuation. Recommendations were developed to facilitate delivery of ADOT Library services in fiscal periods characterized by severe budgetary constraints and limited resources as well as in less constricted fiscal periods permitting continued investment in ADOT Library resources (staff, collection materials, information technologies). The research findings can be used by ADOT to inform strategic and contingency planning efforts and will enable ADOT to make data-driven decisions regarding the Library collection and services.

The Ganado-Burnside Area is a rural community located on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. Ganado was formally established in 1901 as the location for a Presbyterian Church Mission, a school and hospital. Later the community served as a center to distribute various types of Bureau of Indian Affairs services. Today, the community area serves as a major center for housing, education, health and government operations. Also in the Burnside area, the Ganado School District recently established a new high school and sports venue to accommodate track and field, baseball, and basketball activities.

There are four main roadway corridors that intersect the study area: State Route 264, US Route 191, Navajo Route 27 and Navajo Route 15. There are also county gravel roads and private and community dirt roads that intersect SR 264, the main traffic corridor. Within these routes there is substantial multimodal activity generated from the area schools, medical facilities, transit operations, government entities, utility providers and social programs. The principal focus of this study project is to address the most critical transportation planning needs identified by the Ganado Chapter and Apache County. This will include, but is not limited to, a comprehensive needs analysis of multimodal movements and traffic circulation as well as safety issues for the project area corridors. The major product of the study will be a final report, which contains a Plan for Improvements. Taking into consideration received public input, the Plan will span over five-, 10- and 20-year periods, incorporating both roadways and the multimodal needs of the area.

The Ganado-Burnside Area Traffic Circulation Study will also be conducted according to a cooperative planning process that involves stakeholders that include public agency staff, elected tribal officials and tribal community members. Throughout the study, information will be presented to and solicited from stakeholders through individual interviews and to the general public through public meetings and other means of communication.

In fiscal year 2011, Chino Valley Unified School District’s student achievement was similar to peer district and state averages, and its operational efficiencies were mixed with some costs higher and some costs lower than peer districts’ averages. The District’s per-pupil administrative costs were slightly higher than peer districts’ because the District employed more administrative positions per pupil. The District’s plant operations, food service, and transportation programs operated reasonably efficiently, with cost measures such as cost per square foot, cost per meal, and cost per mile that were similar to or lower than peer districts’ averages. However, the District needs to improve controls over access to critical information systems and strengthen controls over its fuel purchase cards.

This study focuses in the area surrounding the municipalities of: Town of Pima, City of Thatcher and City of Safford. The junction of the two major state routes, US 191 and US 70 is located in the heart of these communities and serves as major arterials for local travelers. Parsons Brinckerhoff has been commissioned by ADOT to perform this preliminary assessment for the development of an alternate route through the Thatcher/Safford/Pima area.

In fiscal year 2012, Duncan Unified School District’s student achievement was similar to peer districts’, and the District operated efficiently overall. Although the District’s administrative costs per pupil were slightly higher than the peer districts’ average, the District has taken steps to reduce its costs by reducing its number of administrative positions. The District’s plant operations, food service, and transportation programs were efficient with lower costs per square foot, per meal, and per mile, respectively, than peer districts’ averages. However, the District needs to improve its purchasing and computer controls. The District also needs to accurately determine, and report to the Arizona Department of Education, its ridership information to help ensure the District is properly funded and to allow it the ability to calculate and monitor transportation performance measures such as cost per rider and bus capacity utilization. Further, the District should ensure that its inmate worker documentation complies with statute.

In fiscal year 2012, Fowler Elementary School District’s student achievement was slightly higher than the peer districts’ averages, and the District operated efficiently. The District’s administrative cost per pupil was similar to the peer districts’ average, and it employed proper accounting and computer controls. The District’s plant operations costs per pupil and per square foot were lower than the peer districts’ averages primarily because of lower energy costs. Additionally, the District’s food service cost per meal was lower than the peer districts’ average, and the program was self-sufficient, in part, because the District paid the vendor that ran its program lower administrative and management fees than peer districts, on average. Further, the District’s transportation program was efficient, with lower costs per mile and per rider and efficient bus routes. However, the District did not accurately report its number of riders transported, which resulted in substantial overfunding for fiscal years 2011 through 2014.