Gilbert Public Schools officials were in a bit of a celebratory mood at the governing board’s meeting Tuesday after the release of the district’s grades from the Arizona Department of Education.
Not only did the district receive an A, but most of the district’s 39 schools did as well. And to top it off, no school rated lower than a B.
Last year, the district had 23 schools with A’s, 12 with B’s and three with C’s. This year, it was 31 A’s and seven B’s. Alternative school Canyon Valley is not graded.
In his superintendent’s report Tuesday, Shane McCord said the achievement reflects the hard work of the district’s students, staff and families.
“And I can't reiterate that enough,” he said. “Over the last few years, we've have been very focused on making sure our students have everything they need. And that means as a school district, we have to ensure that our staff has everything they need. Our principals have everything they need, and we did. We set the bar high, and I believe our folks have achieved it.”
Board Clerk Chad Thompson backed McCord’s comments.
“The letter grade accomplishment this year, that's a big deal,” he said. “And so I just want to underscore Dr. McCord's comments on how pleased and how proud the board is with the hard work from all of our staff and students and the families.”
The board member with the longest tenure, Jill Humpherys, said the district has come a long way since grades started being published.
“I don't think a letter grade is everything, but I think it does give us something to look at and work with our students and help them move forward,” she said.
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
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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