Higley USD officials reviewed for the governing board demographic and achievement numbers at the board’s Aug. 10 meeting.
Associate Superintendent Sherry Richards and Marcus Berkshire, the district’s new director of assessment and student information, led the session. Among the numbers presented:
HUSD has 820 staff members with five or more years of experience against 301 with less than five years. Another 320 have served 10 or more years and 37 have put in 20 or more years.
Certified teachers make up the largest group of employees at 710 while classified staff members are 595. The district employs 72 administrators.
Whites make up 80% of the staff and 62% of the students while Hispanics are next in both groups at 13% of the staff and 22% of the students.
Enrollment has increased four of the five past years with the exception of the pandemic year of 2020-21.
In 2021-22, 13.72% of the student population was special education, 2.07% English learners, 13.8% gifted and talented and 14.67% on free or reduced lunch.
Attendance rate was at 92.5% last school year at the 100th day.
The district outperformed the state average on proficiency tests at every grade level. Schools outperformed the state average at every grade in English Language Arts at all campuses but two on the third grade level and one in sixth grade. For math, every campus did the same except one on the third grade level, one fifth grade and one sixth grade.
The district had a 97% graduation rate.
The district offers 27 Advanced Placement classes, and 24.6% of high school students have taken an AP class.
In career and technical education, 19.1% of the high school students have completed a sequence.
Other items
The governing board unanimously approved small policy changes on instruction and training on suicide prevention, student suspensions and student promotion and retention.
The board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with Homeless Youth Connection for the purpose of communication and referrals to HYC’s empowering Youth for The Future program. HYC assists students who have been identified as homeless by their school liaison, providing them with basic needs, including clothing, hygiene items, school supplies and food, in addition to case management, housing and support with their education.
The board unanimously approved two intergovernmental agreements with East Valley Institute of Technology, one for the the provision of career and technical education district satellite programs and the other regarding participation of students with disabilities in EVIT's central campus program.
The board unanimously approved the Arizona School Board Association’s draft political agenda and appointed Board Member Jill Wilson as the district’s delegate to ASBA’s delegate assembly.
Tom Blodgett Senior News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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