Thursday, December 18, 2014

GESD joins lawsuit to challenge Arizona school funding

Worn down buildings and outdated equipment were among the reasons the GESD Governing Board voted to join in a lawsuit challenging Arizona's finance system for education.
The Glendale Elementary School District Governing Board agreed tonight to join in a lawsuit against the State of Arizona contending that the state’s current system for financing schools is unconstitutional because it fails to provide adequate capital funding for public schools.

GESD was approached by the Center for Arizona Law In the Public Interests (ACLPI) and its lead attorney Tim Hogan to join in the suit because the District has significant capital needs and is a good example of how legislative cuts to capital funding negatively impact school districts. Since 2009, GESD has seen budget reductions of almost $19 million.

“We have not approached this lawsuit cavalierly,” said Superintendent Joe Quintana. “Glendale Elementary has urgent capital needs — to refurbish schools that were designed for education in the 70s, to fix buildings that are sinking, and to upgrade or replace school buildings in need of repair— and the state has failed to provide GESD and districts across the state with the funding necessary to maintain our facilities at a minimum standard.

“As a District, we cannot in good conscience sit back and do nothing as our students are denied the tools and facilities they deserve and need to meet ever increasing achievement standards. Our students deserve better, safer schools, and our teachers deserve better working conditions. This is the first step in getting that for them.”

“It’s time for us to stand up for kids and lead that charge,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business and Auxiliary Services Mike Barragan.

“We owe it to our community and kids to be part of this,” said Governing Board President Mary Ann Wilson before calling for the vote.

In addition to the failure to provide necessary funding to maintain minimum standards at school, the lawsuit will also claim that the minimum standards adopted by the School Facilities Board in 1999, and subsequently frozen by the legislature, are outdated and need to be revised. The suit, which will be brought at no cost to GESD or District taxpayers, seeks to have Arizona’s school funding system declared unconstitutional and will request that the court direct the state to provide funding that will allow school districts to meet minimum standards.

Hogan and ACLPI won a similar lawsuit, Roosevelt v. Bishop, in 1991. In response the legislature developed Students FIRST, that established minimum standards for school building, facilities and equipment necessary to support student achievement of state-mandated academic standards.

Students FIRST divided capital revenues into two camps: soft capital, which was used to provide short term items such as technology and books; and the building renewal fund, which was to provide schools with annual funding to improve school facilities based on the buildings’ age, size and previous renovations.

Soft capital, which originally provided school districts with $220 per student, was reduced and then eliminated and combined with other funds into something called district additional assistance (DAA). DAA is funded at a substantially lower rate than soft capital. In addition, while soft capital funds were required to be spent on capital items, DAA can be spent on either capital or operating expenses.

The legislature fully funded the building renewal formula just once in its 15 years of existence, and repealed it in 2013. Instead, the legislature has appropriated approximate $16 million yearly to the School Facilities Board (which oversaw the building renewal fund). That annual amount falls fall short of the more the $500 million some estimate school districts require.

“The legislature had totally reneged on the commitment that it made to the Supreme Court at the time Students FIRST was presented for approval by the court,” Hogan wrote in a summary of the lawsuit and its intent for GESD. “It has eliminated basically all funding that accompanied Students FIRST to the point that we are in pretty much exactly the same position we were in 1991 when we filed the Roosevelt case. School districts are quickly developing into the haves and the have nots, although there are more of the have nots and less of the haves than there were before.”


Thursday, December 4, 2014

Calendar Committee seeks input to drafts

The District's Calendar Committee has developed drafts of seven calendars for the 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years. The committee is asking employees to weigh in on their preference through a District-wide survey.

This survey is your chance to review proposed alternatives and provide your opinion as to which one(s) you prefer. The final decision in regard to the calendar ultimately rests with the Governing Board, so this survey does not constitute a "vote" for a particular calendar. Nevertheless, your feedback is an important piece of information that will be needed in order for the Calendar Committee to make a decision on which calendars to present to the Board for its approval. The survey will remain open through the holiday break.

It should also be noted that this survey does not indicate that any changes to the calendar system are planned for the near future. It is simply the first step in the careful process of developing calendars for the District. 

Work less than 12 months? Payroll deductions shift in January

Employees who work less than 12 months will not have insurance deductions taken out for the Jan. 15, 2015 paycheck. Deductions for these employees will resume on Jan. 29, 2015.

Employees should review their paycheck stub to confirm payroll deductions are correct for the insurance benefits you selected for the 2014-2015 school year. 


Deadline for HSA verifications is Jan. 16

Employees with HSA2500 High Deductible Health Plan have until Jan. 16, 2015 to submit verification for the three wellness activities that are required in order to receive the District’s second contribution of $500 into your Health Savings Account.

Paperwork should be forwarded to Davita Solter, wellness specialist through e-mail or by fax (623-237-7293).  The deposit will be posted to your account on Feb. 6, 2015. 

Under HSA2500, two activities are required (Annual Physical and Health Assessment Questionnaire) and the third is listed on the HSA2500 Additional Employer Contribution Criteria, which is available on the Wellness page of the GESD website.


HR will be conducting I-9 audit


The Human Resouce office will conduct an I-9 Form Audit this winter season.

The Federal Government requires that every employee complete an I-9 (Employment Eligibility Form) when they are hired. The I-9 form establishes the eligibility of indivuduals to work in the United States. The audit will allow the District to stay in compliance with federal law, and avoid fines.

In the event an error is found in an employees I-9, HR will contact you to come in and correct it. But no need to panic: this is merely a routine audit and should be painless all the way around.


Inaugural GESD Certified Career Fair set for Feb. 21

Know a good teacher looking for a job? Then you can send them to GESD's inaugural Certified Career Fair on Feb. 21, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Glendale Landmark’s Gymnasium. 


This event will be the kick-off for the 2015 recruiting season. GESD administrators will interview teachers (K-6, middle school, special education and special areas), as well as other certified positions such as speech pathologists and occupational therapists.



This event is for external candidates only. Current GESD employees are required to follow the internal transfer process, which will open in the Spring of 2015. If you know of any teachers interested in joining GESD, please encourage them to attend this event.



Candidates must complete an online employment application and pre-schedule their interview.  Specific information will appear in local newspaper ads after the Winter Break, as well as on the GESD website and Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Keeping your teaching certificate and fingerprint card up-to-date


If your teaching certificate is about to expire, remember you cannot begin the renewal process until at least six months prior to your expiration date. Documentation of professional development activities form and certificates of completion are required to verify 180 hours for certificate renewal.  You can access the form on the HR web page.  For questions regarding certification, please visit the ADE website 

Human Resource staff can assist you in the renewal of your fingerprint card. Applications are available in the HR Records Office and HR staff will roll your prints FREE.  Once you are issued an IVP card (Identify Verifiable Prints), you will not have to submit another set of prints. You will simply complete the application and pay the $67 processing fee by either by cashier’s check or money order made payable to the Department of Public Safety. Please contact the Human Resources Records office if you need to apply for an IVP card. HR can assist you Monday through Friday from 7:15 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.  Though appointments are not necessary we encourage you to call the HR Records office at 623-237-7143 and we will be happy to arrange a convenient day and time for you.





Dates to remember

There's lots going on, but here are some special dates you may wish to add to your calendars:


Dec. 6,
Employee hike at Sunrise Mountain - West Wing Trail, 9 a.m.

Dec. 22 - January 2, 2015 
Winter Break

Dec. 31 
Deadline to submit verification for 3 required wellness activities to receive second half of District’s contribution  for  HSA

Deadline for Tax Credit contributions

Jan. 5, 2015
School Resumes

Jan. 10
Employee hike at Estrella Mountain (Time to be announced)

Jan. 15
No insurance deductions  for employees working less then 12 months

Jan. 29 
Insurance deductions resume for employees working less than 12 months

Feb. 6.
Deposit date into HSA accounts for second half contribution

Feb. 21
First Annual Certified Career Fair at Landmark School Gymnasium, 10 a.m. -  4 p.m.

March 15
Pre-Approval applications due for Professional Growth Program

June 15
Transcripts due to HR for employees eligible for pay increase in 2015-2016 fiscal year

Sept. 13
Last day to use Flex Spending Account for 2014 -2015 plan year

Sept. 29
Deadline to submit receipts for Flex Spending Account for 2014 - 2015 plan year

REMINDER:  Per policy  GCCB-R, “personal leave will not be granted to extend a holiday or other school break; holidays and school breaks are defined in the employee work calendar.”