October 10, 2007 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2007
The vision of the Williams Unified School District is to place each child in the best position
to succeed intellectually, academically, emotionally, physically, and socially
A Special Meeting/Work Session of the Williams Unified School District No. 2 Governing Board was held at 9:00 a.m. on the above date at Young Life’s Lost Canyon Camp, located on South Perkinsville Road, Williams, AZ. Board members present: Mr. Nenne, Mrs. Cothren, Mrs. Nelson and Mr. Parenteau. Mr. Stilwell was absent. Also present: Dr. McCraley, Mr. Bridges, Mr. Hudgens and Mrs. Schulte.
Ø Board members and participating staff joined together prior to the Special Meeting/Work Session for a Continental Breakfast and a tour of the Young Life facilities.
SPECIAL MEETING/WORK SESSION
The agenda for the meeting is as follows:
I. OPENING ITEMS
Ø Mr. Nenne called the meeting to order at 9:36 am and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Ø Motion by Mrs. Cothren to adopt the agenda as written, second by Mr. Parenteau. Motion approved 4-0.
II. WORK SESSION TOPICS
Ø Mr. Nenne explained the purpose of this topic of discussion. All three current administrators, Dr. McCraley, Mr. Bridges and Mr. Hudgens, are contracted to only work through June of 2009. He feels that it is imperative that the Board have a plan in place to facilitate the hiring of new administrators.
1. Hiring process for WUSD Administrators for the 2009-10 school year a. Superintendent of
Schools
Ø Dr. McCraley suggested several options to the Board for finding his replacement when he leaves the District in June 2009. Those suggestions include:
1. Contract with the Arizona School Boards Association to conduct a
Superintendent Search in the spring or fall of 2008.
2. Advertise within the District and in local area newspapers.
3. Consider candidates that have already expressed an interest in the position.
4. Consider sharing a Superintendent with a neighboring district.
Ø Discussion: Board members voiced their opinions about these suggestions and felt that an ASBA search would be the lowest priority. Members indicated that they are most interested in someone who will have a good fit with the staff and also with the community and prefer advertising internally and locally in order to find candidates who are already familiar with the district and its goals and objectives.
b. Williams Elementary Middle School Principal
Ø Mr. Bridges noted that he has pondered his situation and would like to offer a suggestion for filling his position. He would like to return to the concept of having an administrator for K-5 school and also one for the middle grades, 6-8. He suggests that an associate principal be hired to fill each of these positions and he be retained on a part-time basis to mentor them for a short period of time, possibly two years. He does not want to work full time, but would still like to assist in keeping WEMS working on the goals he and his staff have established.
c. Williams High School Principal
Ø Mr. Hudgens would also like to advertise his position internally as he feels there are several good candidates in his building who could effectively move into the job.
2. School Improvement
a. Mr. Donny Bridges, WEMS Principal
Ø Mr. Bridges reviewed some of the issues that were present when he accepted the position of WEMS principal two years ago. He feels that a lot of progress has been made but that there is always room for more. Test scores improved year before last, but did not improve this year. He has implemented some different strategies for preparing students for AIMS. He believes that everyone in the district must move forward to meet the needs of the students. As a district and as a team we must ask ourselves how we are doing, what we can do better and how we can better serve the students.
b. Mr. Steve Hudgens, WHS Principal
Ø Mr. Hudgens presented a video that asks the question “Do You Know?” about how ever-changing technology impacts teaching, learning and almost every other aspect of daily life. There will be many challenges in the future related to expanding technology.
3. Review 2006-07 goals and set Board/District Goals for 2007-08
Ø The Board determined that this subject requires more time than is available today and
will reschedule this discussion for a future work session.
4. Bond Issue & Long Range Facility Plan, including District Office
Ø The Board discussed facility requirements in future` years if enrollment does increase. A decision will need to be made whether to remodel and improve existing buildings or to go for a bond to build a new facility.
III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
IV. ADJOURNMENT
Ø Motion by Mr. Parenteau to adjourn the meeting, second by Mrs. Cothren. Motion approved 4-0.
Ø Meeting adjourned at 2:54 pm.