Remaining Public Budget Forums A discussion of budget re-duction options will take place at the remaining public forums:• February 1 - 6 to 8 p.m.

Connolly Middle School Cafeteria• February 3 - 6 to 8 p.m.

Gililland Middle School Cafeteria• February 9 - 6 to 8 p.m.

McKemy Middle School Cafeteria• February 17 - 6 to 8 p.m.

Fuller Elementary Cafeteria (meeting intended for the Bustoz and

Fuller communities)

• February 22 - 6 to 8 p.m.Hudson Elementary Cafeteria (meeting intended for the Meyer and Hudson communities)Hudson communities)

Also In This Issue...Our Newest National Board Certi! ed Teacher

Reward a Student for Exceptional Courage

Frank Elementary Teachers ‘Master’ Teamwork

In the Know is produced by

the Community A" airs & Marketing

Department, and is recognized as an outstanding

electronic newsletter by the

National School Public Relations

Association.

volume 68

January 28, 2011

Public Forums for the 2011-2012 Budget are Underway The Tempe Elementary public budget forums have begun, with the ! rst of six forums recently held at Fees Preparatory Academy on Wednesday, January 26. TD3 Chief Financial O# cer Liz Yeskey and Superintendent Dr. Art Tate presented, and will continue to present, the ! nancial outlook of the District, the budget process, and how the budget recommendations for the 2011-2012 school year were made. The PowerPoint presentation being shown at the public forums can be found online at www.tempeschools.org/BudgetPlanning. More than 150 people attended the ! rst forum, and about 35 people made comments or asked questions.

Here are some of the employee-related questions that were asked:How do we let the Governing Board know our thoughts about the budget reduction proposals? Feedback forms are available at each forum. You can also drop o" your ideas at the District o# ce, e-mail the Governing Board members, or submit your thoughts through the District website at www.tempeschools.org/ForumFeedback. All feedback will be given to the Governing Board members, who will make the ! nal budget decisions.

How will we determine the sta! for the campuses that are merging?Superintendent Dr. Art Tate announced Thursday he will appoint Ken White as the prin-

cipal if Bustoz and Fuller merge and Barry Fritch as the principal if Meyer and Hudson merge. Current Meyer Principal Howard Oechsner is retiring at the end of the school year, and current Fuller Principal Rebeckah Winans will be moving to a new position. The principals of the newly merged schools will hire the certi! ed and classi! ed sta" for the new school from the current certi! ed and classi! ed sta" at both schools. Sta" members a" ected by the mergers will have an early opportunity to apply for positions and interview. Should the Governing Board approve the recommendation to repurpose McKemy, the cer-ti! ed and classi! ed sta" will be reallocated to Connolly, Fees, Gililland, and Laird. The McKemy sta" (with the exception of one-year only employees) will have a separate transfer and interview process to apply for any reallocated or vacant position at the four receiving schools. Any McKemy sta" member or Bustoz/Fuller and/or Meyer/Hudson sta" members not selected for the newly merged school will have their own voluntary transfer period in which they may interview for any vacancies throughout the District for which they are highly quali! ed and/or appropriately certi! ed.

What can we do to assure our parents that they need to stay in our District?Our hope is that the teachers will follow their students to their new campuses if

Bustoz/Fuller and Meyer/Hudson merge and if McKemy is repur- more on page 2

Congratulations to Molly Houghton, Scales fourth/! fth-grade ELD teacher for becoming TD3’s newest National Board Certi! ed Teacher! Houghton joins 12 other current TD3 teachers who have received their certi! cation. Houghton has been teaching for 11 1/2 years. She began her career in Tennessee, and after six months she moved to Phoenix and taught ! fth-grade at Thew Elementary starting in 1999. In 2006, she received one of ! ve “Tempe Teachers of Tomorrow” classrooms (a laptop for each student) and enjoyed working with the technology so much that she moved to Scales Technology Academy in 2008. “I wanted to become a National Board Certi! ed Teacher because I knew it would make me a better teacher,” said Houghton. “I think it is important for teach-ers to keep learning.” If you’re interested in receiving your National Board Certi! cation, visit www.ade.state.az.us/certification/.

Presenting Our Newest National Board Certi! ed Teacher!P ti O N t N ti l

A Message from Your Superintendent The preliminary planning for bal-ancing next year’s budget is complete, and now we are entering the public stage of the process. There are six public forums which are designed to transmit information, answer ques-tions, and get feedback from sta" , parents, and the community. This process necessarily exposes the District and the leadership to probing inquiries and criticism. Because of the nature of some of the recommendations for reductions, the process has the potential for causing con$ ict among schools and between programs. We all must keep in mind that the purpose of the pri-oritized list for the budget is to help the Governing Board make decisions which will support student achievement ! rst and foremost. We all must focus on helping the Gov-

erning Board understand how each item on the reduction list will a" ect our classrooms. We must do this without maligning schools and programs. It is a matter of priority based on the impact on achievement, not one school or program being better than another. We have reduced our budgets so much in the last few years and we are at a point where any of the cuts being proposed will hurt education. Together, using accurate facts and data, we need to o" er comments and recommendations to help the Governing Board make wise decisions so that the pain is minimized.

We welcome your input. Please e-mail story ideas and comments to intheknow@tempeschools.org.

page 2 of 3January 28, 2011

posed. We will continue to provide high-qual-ity programs in our District by spending less on operating buildings.

To view other questions related to the 2011-2012 budget, read the Budget Q & A with Superintendent Dr. Art Tate on the homepage of the TD3 website. A Governing Board study session will be held on February 16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the District o# ce. On March 2, the Governing Board may vote on budget options including merging and/or repurposing schools at 7 p.m. at the regular Governing Board meeting. To stay informed on the 2011-2012 budget, visit www.tempeschools.org/BudgetPlanning. The District website will always have the latest information.

continued from page 1

Budget

Molly Houghton witnesses one of her student’s “ah-ha” moments as he proudly shows her a test he successfully completed on his laptop.

The City of Tempe Kid Zone Preschool at Getz is enrolling students to start now or next school year. The program is available to children ages two through four and any child in pre-kindergarten. Full- and part-time schedules are available. The program helps transition children from play into learning. TD3 employees receive a discounted rate for the pro-gram. Please call Rose Amaturo at (480) 350-5424 or Kecia Walsh at the Kid Zone business o! ce at (480) 350-5427, and ask about the free trial day. You may also visit the Kid Zone website at www.tempe.gov/KidZone for more information.

Kid Zone Preschool at Getz O" ers TD3 Employee Discount and Free Trial Day

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We welcome your input. Please e-mail story ideas and comments to intheknow@tempeschools.org.

page 3 of 3January 28, 2011

After a year of dedication, hard work, and intense studying, ! ve Frank Elementary teachers now have their Master’s degrees. Megan Hyde, Justin Jensen, MaryEllen Max" eld, Christina Moore, and Jodi Overkleeft decided as a group to get their Mas-ter’s degrees in Special Education: Teacher Leadership from Arizona State University. The group studied together and helped each other as much as possible while in the pro-gram. The group participated in a program called “Urban Planning Learning Schools Initiative,” which is designed to support the develop-ment of general educators and spe-cial educators simultaneously while earning their Master of Arts (M.A.) degrees. What they have learned has helped them become cultur-ally responsive and inclusive in their approaches to teaching and learning. “As graduates we understand how to create opportunities for children from diverse urban settings to learn and develop in ways that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging,” said Overkleeft. “As edu-cators we now have a deep under-standing of the cultural histories and traditions we bring to our teaching that will promote positive develop-ment and learning for all children.” Congratulations to the gradu-ates!

Frank Elementary Teachers ‘Master’ Teamwork

Reward a Student for Exceptional Courage The City of Tempe annually presents the Youthfest Courage Awards each spring. The purpose of the Courage Awards is to recognize the special e" ort it takes some youth to grow up and lead productive lives in this challenging world. The awards are designed to provide rec-ognition to youth who might not ordinar-ily receive such recognition. Ten winners are selected within the Tempe and Kyrene districts. Winners receive a $100 gift card, a beautifully engraved award, a picture with the mayor of Tempe, and a complimentary banquet

dinner for the winners and their parents. Only sixth-, sev-enth-, and eighth-grade students are eligible. Any TD3 employee can nomi-nate students for this prestigious award. The nomination deadline is Friday, February 18, 2011. For the nomination form and informa-tion, visit the Employee Portal at www.tempeschools.org/td3portal and click on Courage Awards under the Dis-trict Resources & Info tab.

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(L to R) Language Arts Coach Donna Groseth, Principal JoLyn Gibbons, and Language Arts Coach Lorraine Peterson sign one of the beams that will be placed in the new Aguilar Elementary building. This beam, containing autographs and notes from sta! and students, will remain exposed so the inscriptions can be seen for years to come.

(L to R) Language Arts Coachchhhhhch DDDDD Doonna Groseth, Principal JoLyn Gibbons, and Language Arts Coach Lorraine

A Place in Aguilar School History