Online override interest survey
Update: Sorry, the survey link below was not working correctly. It has been fixed.
The Lake Havasu Unified School District governing board has not yet made a decision on whether or not to put a budget override on the November ballot. Meanwhile, just in case, an override interest survey has been posted online. If the district does decide to try for an override in November, volunteers will be needed to work for the independent override committee. If you would be interested in helping out, please take the survey at http://tinyurl.com/yhqojwa. There will be big jobs and small jobs. Whatever your degree of participation, you can make a difference.
From the Superintendent
Superintendent Malay wrote an article about leadership for the local newspaper. It was in the paper on January 28, but you can also read it here.
Read the article by superintendent Malay. »
We have also posted a video of superintendent Malay's January 15 appearance on the TV 45 "Havasu Today" program. She talks about the proposed closing of Daytona Middle School and related issues. Go to our video page for a link. During the interview, the superintendent refers to public meetings held on January 11th (subject proposed closing of Daytona) and 13th (general budget review).
More about the January 11 meeting. »
Articles and videos are always available via the navigation bar near the top of this page. Just click Articles+ and then By Staff or Video.
Jamaica Elementary nominated for national "Blue Ribbon School" award
The regular January meeting of the Lake Havasu Unified governing board was held on January 12. During the meeting, superintendent Malay told the board that Jamaica Elementary School was one of five Arizona schools nominated for the U. S. Department of Education's "Blue Ribbon School" award. In other business, the board approved the first reading of significant changes to district policies for personnel matters. The changes must be presented a second time at a future board meeting for final approval. If approved, assistant superintendent Goodwin told the board the policy changes would not be implemented until July 1, 2010.
More about the January 12 meeting. »
Board hears opinions on proposed closing of Daytona Middle School
The Lake Havasu Unified governing board had a special meeting on January 11 to hear comments from the public about the proposed closing of Daytona Middle School. No decisions were made at this meeting. The final decision on the school closing will be made at a board meeting scheduled for February 16 at 6 pm. If you still want to send a comment about the proposed closing to the governing board, a special email address has been established at lhusdgovbrd@havasu.k12.az.us.
More about the January 11 meeting. »
There will be a special meeting for all those interested in the financial issues facing the district on January 13, at 4:00 p.m. at the district office. You will get a debrief on last fall's override campaign—what went well, what could be improved upon. An update will also be given on school finance and attendees will be asked for their opinion on where we go from here.
Another tax credit year draws to a close
So far, it looks like 2009 tax credit contributions will be down slightly from 2008, which in turn were down from our record year of 2007. That could be considered the bad news. A final figure for 2009 is not yet available as all payroll deduction and mailed contributions have not yet been received. The good news is the generous people of Lake Havasu City continue to recognize the impact tax credit funded extracurricular activities like band, choir, athletics, student government, SkillsUSA, National Honor Society, etc. have on our students, and they also recognize what a great deal tax credit participation is. Contributing to the program gets you a dollar for dollar credit on your Arizona state taxes. We thank all those who participated in 2009, and we hope you will tell your friends all about it.
Pictured
(left to right): district employees Alice Opie and Jackie Taylor, tax
credit contributors Roger and Char Byer, and district employee Mary Heronema.
Lake Havasu district office staff maintained special holiday hours to accommodate last minute tax credit donations. The last in-person donation of the year came from Char and Roger Byer (pictured) who just beat the 3 p.m. deadline on December 31. The next to last donation, but deserving an honorable mention, came from Steve Zettel. We thank Mr. and Mrs. Byer, Mr. Zettel, and all those who contribute to the tax credit program. You help us help students.
More about the tax credit program »
Local newspaper writes about High School solar project
The last official district action on the proposed Lake Havasu High School solar project happened at a special meeting on September 22 when the LHUSD governing board voted to negotiate a contract for the project with APS Energy Services. Specific details are still being worked out. Meanwhile, our local newspaper ran three articles about the project which you can read by clicking the links below. The articles are informative, but remember, statements and opinions of others do not necessarily represent the opinions and beliefs of Lake Havasu Unified School District staff.
School district officials emphasize two details: the project will not go forward without a satisfactory agreement with the contractor and the local utility company, and there must be no expense to the district beyond what it already pays for energy at the High School. In the short term, money currently used to pay for energy will be used to pay down any project costs not covered by credits, rebates, etc. In the long term, the district will own the equipment and the only expense will be maintenance.
Board approves 60 day timeline before final decision on closing of school
The Lake Havasu Unified governing board listened to comments from the community for two hours during its December 8 meeting, and approved some budget cuts for the 2010-11 school year, but the board has made no final decision on the closing of Daytona Middle School. Following State law, the board voted to start a 60 day timeline during which the community will be informed of the proposed action. The board also scheduled a public meeting on January 11 to give people another chance to discuss the closing with board members. A final decision will be made at a public meeting yet to be scheduled, but which will be about 30 days after the January 11 meeting.
The district is sending a letter to all parents of elementary and middle school students advising them of the action being considered and giving them details on the January 11 meeting. A special email address lhusdgovbrd@havasu.k12.az.us has been created for your comments regarding the proposed closing of Daytona Middle School. The letter to parents is reprinted below. There is also a Spanish language version available.
More about the 12/8 board meeting »
A letter to parents
December 9, 2009
Dear Lake Havasu Unified Schools Parents:
The Governing Board and Superintendency are committed to fostering continuous improvement of our district’s outstanding curriculum and programs.
We also recognize our responsibility to be good fiscal stewards of our community taxpayers’ money to best benefit our students. It is important to effectively and efficiently focus local education spending on quality academic programs for students. As our state continues to face tough economic challenges, we continue to seek new approaches to maximize the limited financial resources available to us.
To better define program offerings to our school community, meet the needs of students, and maximize utilization of facilities and schools, the district is considering recommendations that may change the current use of some schools.
The recommendations involve multiple options, including closing the campus of Daytona Middle School. Another proposed recommendation is to change the grade configuration at Thunderbolt Middle School to grades 7-8, and change all elementary schools to K-6.
We are interested in your comments on these recommendations. Comments may be provided to the Governing Board at lhusdgovbrd@havasu.k12.az.us or by attending a community meeting:
6 p.m., Monday, January 11, 2010
Governing Boardroom
2200 Havasupai Blvd., Lake Havasu City
We appreciate your continued support for the students of Lake Havasu Unified Schools.
Sincerely,
Gail Malay
Superintendent
Bus transportation for middle school students in 2010-11
We are receiving phone calls and emails asking about the budget cuts first proposed at the December 1 board meeting. Some have asked about bussing/student transport if Daytona Middle School is closed. So far, it is anticipated district policy would remain the same in that middle school students living more than one mile from their school would be eligible for transportation. Thunderbolt would be the only middle school (under the proposal), and it would service only grades 7 and 8. So 7th and 8th graders living more than one mile from Thunderbolt would be eligible for transportation. Under the proposal, 6th graders would attend elementary schools, and would no longer be eligible for transportation. As always, parents with eligible students must sign up for bus transportation. This is done as part of the school registration process that happens a few days before school starts.
Board has special meeting to discuss financial issues
The Lake Havasu Governing Board had a special meeting on 12/1/09 to discuss the failed override election, declining enrollment, and state budget turmoil and how they will affect the district this school year and next. Speaking about the overrides, board member Ross Hobday said, "No one went out (to vote), and that's the saddest thing I can say." Superintendent Malay gave the board a list of "preliminary considerations for non-funding," items proposed for possible budget cuts in 2010-11.
One item on the list is the closing of Daytona Middle School, making Thunderbolt the district's only middle school, and having it teach only grades 7 and 8. Our elementary schools would all become K–6 schools, with current 5th graders staying on at their elementary school for another year.
More about the special board meeting »
Banners reward achievement
The Arizona Department of Education recently released its AZ LEARNS School Achievement Profile ratings for 2008-09. Jamaica, Nautilus, Oro Grande, Smoketree, and Starline Elementary Schools plus Thunderbolt Middle School were all rated as "Excelling" (the highest rating). Nautilus, Smoketree, and Oro Grande had each improved their rating from the 07-08 school year. To honor their achievement, district superintendent Gail Malay and director of educational services Wes Brownfield visited the three schools on October 26 and presented each building principal with a special banner identifying their school as excelling.
Read more about LHUSD school achievement ratings. »
See banner presentations for Nautilus, Smoketree, and Oro Grande. »
Swine Flu
We know parents are concerned about swine flu and their children's health, and so are we. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) maintains a swine flu question and answer website at www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm. The site answers questions like, "What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?" and is a good source of reliable information. There is also a dedicated flu website at www.flu.gov/psa/index.html. This site features informative videos with Sesame Street characters and other celebrity spokespersons. And, read our latest letter to parents with information about precautions you can take.
District exceeds county and state averages on AIMS tests
With PowerPoint slides containing multiple graphs, Wes Brownfield, our director of educational services, told our governing board how Lake Havasu Unified students had exceeded county and state averages at all levels of 2009 AIMS (Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards) testing. Mr. Brownfield spoke to the board at its regular meeting on August 11, explaining that he was, "personally very proud of our staff and students."
We now have a copy of Mr. Brownfield's PowerPoint presentation available. You will find a link to the presentation and to more about the board meeting just below. You can always read about the most recent board meeting by going to the Governing Board/Last Meeting link in the Quick Links menu to the left.
Other recent stories
My board is smarter than your board!
Freshmen, we believe in you!
LHUSD students participate in 2009 London Bridge Days Parade
Kickoff rally 2009: are you relevant?
Operation Prom Night
Story archive