Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

In fiscal year 2012, Clifton Unified School District’s student AIMS scores were lower than both its peer districts’ and state averages. The District’s instructional program needs improvement. For example, some students were not provided the statutorily required number of instructional hours, and one of its four teachers did not have a teaching certificate. The District’s operational efficiencies were mixed, with some costs higher and some costs lower than peer districts’. However, the District lacked proper oversight and adequate controls over nearly all of its operations. In particular, the District lacked basic administrative processes such as monitoring budgets and maintaining proper controls over expenditures resulting in it overspending its legal budget limits in fiscal years 2009, 2010, and 2011. The District also failed to meet several transportation safety requirements. For example, its primary driver was not certified to drive a school bus. Lastly, the District lacked proper supervision of inmate workers on its school campus.

The African-American community has played a historically significant role in the advancement of Arizona and our region. The future success of our state relies on our ability to strengthen our communities and empower them to meet and exceed their vast potential. This project between the community and the University was undertaken to help advance a better understanding of the changing dynamics of Arizona’s African-American population and the critical issues that require our collective attention in terms of education, health care, the economy, culture, and leadership.

This plan responds to key trends, emerging issues, and community visions and goals. The Plan includes strategies and actions for the years 2020 and 2040 to address identified transportation needs, while being sensitive to possible future funding constraints. This Final Report provides an overview of both the study effort and the work products developed throughout the planning process, which forms the basis for the final plan recommendations. The planning process analyzed the existing transportation system, land use and socioeconomic conditions within the study area; conducted in-depth local stakeholder interviews; developed future growth projections; provided opportunities for public input; and included an evaluation of alternative future solutions.

This Land Use Survey, conducted for the Cochise County Planning Department, was designed to elicit citizen opinions about the future pattern of growth in Cochise County and land use issues in areas outside of City limits. This project is an initial step in the County’s "Envision 2020: Land Use Planning in Cochise County" process, developed to measure citizen opinions on how growth is currently managed in the County and how to manage future growth.

This report was an effort shaped by the people of Cochise County to help distinguish the scope and face of current and future growth in Cochise County over a 10-year horizon. The overarching approach of the project was to provide forums encouraging citizens to participate in the development of a vision for their communities and the County as a whole.

The Cochise County Comprehensive Plan adopted in 1984 and last revised in 2011 serves to promote orderly and well-planned County growth. The Plan consists of a written document establishing land use, transportation, water conservation and public facility goals and polices and a series of maps that serve as a blueprint for the intensity and type of land uses expected near the incorporated cities and towns and in the outlying rural areas. Community and area plans are amendments to the Comprehensive Plan that address the future growth of a specific community or region of the County. They offer an opportunity for citizens who live and work in an area to have voice in the location, type and intensity of growth in their community. These plans based on long discussion with the community are designed to support land uses that enhance and protect an area’s unique character.

Cochise County government staff compiled their first‐ever Strategic Plan. Every department and elected office participated in this process, providing valuable input on the current status of our operations, and, more importantly, how we can improve upon what we do. Our ultimate aim is the most efficient and effective delivery of services possible. This Strategic Plan will be reviewed on an annual basis to continually incorporate the evolving needs and desires of our constituents within the framework of county activities authorized or mandated by the state legislature.

In fiscal year 2011, Chinle Unified School District’s student achievement was similar to peer districts’ averages, and the District’s operational efficiency was mixed, with some costs higher and some costs lower than peer districts’ averages. The District’s per pupil administrative costs were much higher than peer districts’, and it lacked adequate controls over its vehicles, accounts payable processing, and computer systems. The District’s plant operations costs were also much higher than peer districts’ because the District maintained more building space per student, which was likely not needed since Chinle USD operated its schools far below their designed capacities. The District’s food service program was reasonably efficient, and its transportation program had similar per mile costs as peer districts’. However, the District did not meet bus driver and bus preventative maintenance requirements.