PVSchools begins school year with more than 170 new certified employees

By Stacy Mantle
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Paradise Valley Unified School District kicked off the 2026-27 school year with expanded student programs, new communication tools and additional opportunities for students to travel and compete, as the governing board approved several measures during its first meeting of the new school year.

Much of the meeting focused on the start of the 2026-27 school year, with board members and district officials thanking teachers, administrators and support staff who worked throughout the summer.

Paradise Valley Education Association President Heather Schmidt said more than 170 new certified employees joined PVSchools this year.

“More than 50 PVEA members also gave up their final day of summer break to help welcome new employees during orientation,” she said.

“It says something about how special our district is and how special our educators and my members are that they value that opportunity to connect with their newest colleagues,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said cooperation among employee groups, administrators and parent organizations distinguishes the district from many others across Arizona.

“The collaboration between the district and our respective groups representing certified employees, classified employees, parents and administrators is something special,” she said. “It doesn't happen everywhere.”

She also acknowledged that PVSchools could face difficult decisions in the coming years.

“The road ahead might be tough and tough decisions may need to come in the coming months and years,” Schmidt said, “but we will do that together.”

Superintendent Dan Courson said visits to several campuses during the first day of school showed students eager to return.

“Everywhere I visited, I saw smiling faces, caring staff and students eager to reconnect with friends and begin a new year of learning,” he said.

The governing board's next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 3.

Editor’s note:   A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. 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.

Stacy Mantle
Education Solutions Reporter

smantle@iniusa.org

Meet Stacy
Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.

Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.

Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!

Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.

Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.