By Josh Martinez
Twitter: @jmartinez064

Part two of the Coffee with Kriekard series made its way to Arcadia High School, providing Arcadia Learning Community members a chance to discuss issues unique to them with the superintendent.

Scottsdale Unified School District Superintendent Dr. John Kriekard fielded questions and concerns from various community members in a town hall style meeting on Oct. 23. Topics ranged from marketing schools, open enrollment, school capacity, vaping awareness and mental health.

The Arcadia Learning Community is comprised of Arcadia High School; Ingleside Middle School; Echo Canyon School; and Hopi and Tavan elementary schools.

The conversation began with community members asking what the district was doing to attract students to Tavan and how it could pull in more local children to the school.

Dr. Kriekard said Tavan, a Title 1 school, could gain exemplary status within the Title 1 designation, potentially further pulling students to the school.

To gain this status, a Title 1 school must show “outstanding achievement” in one of six categories: effective leadership; effective teachers and instruction; effective organization of time; effective curriculum; conditions, climate and culture; and family and community engagement.

He continued to cite marketing efforts of the district’s unique programs to bring local students back to Tavan.

The idea behind open enrollment, Dr. Kriekard said, is to provide a more competitive environment that forces schools to get better in what they offer.

“Our first desire is to recapture the kids in the neighborhood,” Dr. Kriekard said. “Public schools were built as community centers and we want them to be community centers whenever possible but in this age of competition you also open your doors to other students.”

Dr. Kriekard listed several marketing efforts including banners showcasing Tavan’s success and how it compares to other neighboring schools. Some in attendance expressed their disappointment with what they perceived as a lack of marketing.

A hot button issue for the meeting was what some perceived as the overcrowding of Arcadia. A recent capacity study revealed the school was practically full with an excess program capacity of two individuals.

In response to the study, the district closed open enrollment to Arcadia for this and next school year, hoping it would naturally bring down the population.

Some attendees expressed concerns of why students weren’t sent to other schools instead of Arcadia. Concerns centered on how the overcrowding was a “disservice” to the students because some in attendance believed it would deprive them of opportunities in athletics or academics.

Dr. Kriekard assured the audience that the district does try to steer students to other schools but can’t ultimately make the decision for them.

“We want our schools to be directing people, if they are full, to other schools if they still want to come to Scottsdale Unified School District,” he said. “But up to capacity, this is why Arcadia has been closed, the law says we will take them in.”

Some in attendance implored the district to see the students as people and not numbers. Dr. Kriekard said the district understands that capacity is not a hard number and extenuating circumstances affect the school’s capacity.

Other complaints from the audience centered on the lack of a registrar at Arcadia and the community’s displeasure with the school resource officer.

Arcadia Principal Todd Stevens said the school was working with the City of Phoenix to get resolution on the responsibilities of a school resource officer and how that would affect the current SRO. He also said the SRO is working with a new sergeant.

Mr. Stevens also spoke of the search for a registrar, saying the school was seeking a bilingual candidate who also spoke Spanish. He said the school interviewed several candidates but did not find the bilingual candidate it had hoped.

The school did find a candidate, offering the position but Mr. Stevens said the candidate backed out. This left the school using internal staff to fill the role. Dr. Kriekard said the district is also searching for an interim registrar.

“We realize also that this is taking longer than it should,” he said. “We understand that. We’re helping out so it’s a two-pronged approach.”

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Milissa Sackos outlined the district’s procedure for handling vaping situations, saying school nurses are trained to detect vaping impairment. She also said the district partners with notMYkid to raise awareness of vaping dangers.

The district also tries to provide resources to families to prevent vaping from reaching the schools. Dr. Sackos said vaping is treated as a tobacco-like product.

In regards to social and emotional wellbeing, Dr. Kriekard said he believes accomplishment and engagement are crucial to helping children.

“We can’t solve situations from which they come ... but one thing we can solve is how they feel about learning and how they feel about school being a safe place, a place they can connect with, a place they want to be,” he said.

“So our focus is we will do everything we can to grow social and emotional wellbeing programs but our emphasis is on education and student achievement.”

Dr. Sackos said the district has put an emphasis on social and emotional work at the elementary school level, using Sanford Harmony. She also said the district has mental health protocol.

The conversation concluded with one in attendance asking Dr. Kriekard what parents can do to help. He said parents should be involved, communicate with the district and continue working with the schools.