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.
Linking the Long-Range Plan and Construction Program: P2P Link Methodologies and Implementation Plan
Planning to Programming Link development started with ADOT's multimodal visioning called "Building a Quality Arizona" (bqAZ), the 2010 Statewide Transportation Planning Framework Study created a fiscally-unconstrained vision for the state's transportation system in 2050. bqAZ led to "What Moves You Arizona?," the state's Long-Range Transportation Plan 2010-2035, which applied financial constraint to the vision, identifying anticipated revenues and providing a recommended investment choice (RIC) that indicates how revenues will be allocated to four different investment types: preservation, expansion, modernization, and non-highway. The third step, and subject of this report, is "Linking the Long-Range Plan and Capital Improvement Program," or P2P Link, which focuses on how ADOT and its primary business partners, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and Councils of Governments (COGs), fund, build, maintain and operate the transportation system.
Through the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the state makes a strategic investment of public dollars to assure Arizona’s competitive edge in attracting knowledge workers and their businesses. The diversity of Arizona’s artistic offerings becomes a magnet for attracting tourists. This public investment encourages contributions from the private sector and leverages these dollars many times over, contributing enormously to the quality of life and education opportunities the people of Arizona expect.
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.
The Strategic Plan comprises an ambitious set of goals and objectives. It is a “living” document that will guide our focus and activities. As such, some objectives and expected results will be subject to change as information and events unfold. Objectives and measures aligned to drive achievement have also been developed in Units, Sections, and Divisions throughout the Department.
In fiscal year 2012, Laveen Elementary School District’s student achievement was similar to peer districts’ averages, and the District operated efficiently overall with lower costs per pupil than peer districts’, on average, in all operational areas. Despite operating efficiently, Laveen ESD spent 21 percent, or $751, less per pupil in the classroom than peer districts, on average, because it received less funding primarily because it had a lower poverty rate and fewer special needs students. In fact, the District had nearly the lowest overall per pupil spending amount in the State. Although the District operated efficiently overall, it needs to better ensure that its bus drivers meet all certification requirements and it may be able to reduce its plant operations costs by further reducing the amount it pays for custodial services.
Our Plan includes ambitious, innovative goals and objectives focused on developing great schools, excellent teachers, and successful students. We believe that implementing this Plan in partnership with education, business and community stakeholders will help us achieve our mission: To serve Arizona’s education community, ensuring every student has access to an excellent education.
Remarks made by Tom Horne, Superintendent of the Arizona Department of Education.