AJUSD seeks program funds to help 9th graders graduate high school

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

The Apache Junction Unified School District is applying for a grant to use a “9th Grade on Track” program to help students continue on to high school and graduate.

The five-year grant is through the Arizona Department of Education, Meara Verna, AJUSD’s executive director of educational services, said during the Oct 28 AJUSD governing board meeting.

“That purpose is to keep students in ninth grade on track to graduate high school on time. We have to partner with an institution that is already proven that they work well with ninth-grade students and are successful in it. So it’s just an application process. The grant has not opened yet, but it is just to make sure that you guys are aware that we’re going out for this long-term grant,” she said.

“The grant opens soon. It’s a competitive grant that we have to apply for, for the ninth graders to keep them in the high school,” AJUSD Superintendent Robert Pappalardo said during the meeting. “So we’re hopeful that we get those funds for ninth graders.”

About $3.4 million is available statewide for the 9th Grade on Track program for the 2025-30 school years, it states in an FAQ of the program at https://www.azed.gov/titleiv-a/arizona-9th-grade-track-grant-project.

“The 9th Grade On Track grant is designed to provide funding to local education agencies and charter schools to improve the ninth-grade student experience to ensure that students enrolled in ninth grade develop the skills they need to successfully proceed to the 10th grade on time and ultimately graduate from high school and launch successful careers,” it states.

Applicants commit to implementing the key components of the ninth-grade success model and should use funds to support the following four broad categories, it states:

• Highly effective ninth-grade success teams
• Proactive and data-driven interventions based on timely, actionable data
• High-quality instruction
• Comprehensive system of ninth-grade transition supports

AJUSD has three elementary schools; a K-5 school designed to provide students with a traditional, liberal arts education; a junior high school; and a high school. The district boundaries run from Meridian Road on the west to the town of Queen Valley on the east and from the Goldfield Mountains to the north, south into the San Tan Corridor. Communities served include Apache Junction, Gold Canyon, Peralta Trail, Queen Valley and unincorporated Pinal County land in-between.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines, https://www.yourvalley.net/civility-checklist/.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.