Superintendent’s District Update
February 2012

 

 

To My Gilbert Public School's Family,

February 14, 2012--Arizona is celebrating its centennial. This is a very exciting day as it is not everyday that something turns 100 years old. During the past 100 years Arizona has progressed from a territory to one of the most dynamic states in the country. It has much to be proud of.

Gilbert Public Schools has grown up alongside Arizona. Like Arizona, Gilbert Public Schools has a rich history starting back in 1900 when Highland School was built at Cooper and Baseline. In 1909 another Highland School was built at Cooper and Guadalupe. In 1913-16 Gilbert Elementary was built at Elliot and Gilbert Road. An addition to Gilbert Elementary was added in 1925. Gilbert High School, which contained grades 7-12, was completed in 1920 along with the gym immediately to the south of the high school. The high school, which opened in 1920 is now the home of the District's Administration Offices, and the gym is still used by students. I am pleased that the District Office is located in the original high school as I believe it honors the heritage of Gilbert Public Schools, and more importantly, the many students who have been educated in these buildings over the past nearly 100 years.

Today Gilbert Public Schools is home to 40 schools and 38,600 students. What a change from the early 1900s. However, it is my belief that the students who attended school in 1920 were as well served by the people who worked for the district as the students today are served. It is part of the culture and heritage at Gilbert Public Schools that we serve our students not only in the academic areas, but in positive character-forming traits as well.

Many of our district schools have planned celebrations marking Arizona's centennial. These events mark an important way for today’s students to honor the people who came before them-those who provided the strong framework for what Arizona and Gilbert Public Schools are today.

Thank you to all the employees, parents, and students who work so hard to make Arizona a great place to live and Gilbert Public Schools a great place to receive a world-class education.

 

Dave Allison, Ed.D
Superintendent
Gilbert Public Schools

 

 

 

 

Recognizing Competition in Education
There is a very competitive environment in regards to public education in Arizona. Parents have a variety of alternatives to choose from regarding the type of schooling they desire for their children, though the majority of parents in the Gilbert area still prefer to enroll their children in our District schools. For that, I am grateful. I believe that GPS can increase student learning better than its competitors, whether they are charter schools, online charter schools, private schools, or other public school districts.

Encouraging All School Staff and Families to be Ambassadors for GPS
In stating my belief about Gilbert Public Schools’ quality, I could be described as an ambassador for the District. One action suggested by the strategic plan is to encourage all parents, staff, and community members to become ambassadors for GPS. However, if we want to advocate for our District, we must continue to have a quality product and outstanding student achievement. That means all employees, parents, and students must work hard every day to ensure that GPS graduates world-class students. To that end, our role as ambassadors for GPS cannot be challenged.

Promoting a Vision of World-Class Education via Strategic Plan
To promote the vision of a world-class education, the Strategic Plan Core Committee presented a working draft of the strategic plan to the Governing Board on Dec. 20. This plan provides direction to the District about how to achieve our vision during the next five to 10 years. It outlines direction in such areas as:

• implementing the Common Core Standards (a multi-state initiative to increase the rigor of the curriculum)
• creating a plan to address the competitive nature of education in Arizona
• investigating the possibility of re-purposing schools in response to changing demographics
• expanding partnerships with both internal and external groups in the GPS community
• enhancing our well-known, quality programs, such as academics and the fine arts
• providing more avenues to identify and develop future GPS leaders

The next step in the strategic planning process is to develop specific plans on how the strategies will be implemented. This implementation plan will be presented to the Board by spring break.

Developing a Budget with Community Input
Now that the second semester is here, budgeting for the 2012-13 school year will begin. According to all reports, the state finances are in better shape than they have been for the past four years, hopefully meaning there will be no further cuts to education funding.

To assist in making decisions regarding the 2012-13 school year, the Board has established the Community Budget Committee. It will make recommendations to the Board regarding budget matters. The committee consists of 30 parent/community members and 10 employees who will make their recommendations at the end of February.

Other initiatives which will be developed or implemented in the second semester include a new teacher evaluation system and a review of the stipend salary schedule.