Cave Creek board votes to close Desert Arroyo Middle School
From JustKeepMovin:
What can I say? Too much information and detail to go into here. This decision is a Cave Creek specific issue, but it is not specifically related to the lack of overrides and bonds passing recently.
This is poor management and dereliction of duty on the part of the board/administration. This closure did not need to happen and it has caused a huge division in the district. They will be losing over 139+ students next year (the 70 quoted above was supposed to be due to "natural" atrition).
The 139 we know about at just THREE nearby schools (one has 50, another 59 and another 40). There are several other charter and public schools nearby that will see the huge benefit of this decision. Even at 139 the district will be at a net LOSS of $367,000 with the additional bussing costs added. That $367,000 is EVERY YEAR. I believe the loss will be closer to $500,000 due to lost students. Parents are organizing busses and after-school tutoring possibilities because so many are traveling to one specific school outside of CCUSD.
So much has been handled so badly. The lies keep coming...Dr. Burdick quoted above "No decision has been made on whether to change the name of Sonoran Trails Middle School. That decision will likely come from the combined middle school community," she said.
Interesting. She told Desert Arroyo parents that the schools would merge into a new school and that in understanding of the challenges of putting two formerly rival schools together, they would rename the school and neither school would keep its old identity. Guess it is obvious, again, that she is not willing to stand up for the north parents...by now making it "a decision of the combined school community." Really? She hasn't been listening to the parents up until now...why should anyone think she's going to listen later.
BTW, the governor's office isn't the only office hiring. So is the CCUSD district office from what staff have told me. There are open administrative positions in the CCUSD district office -- oh, and now a Superintendent of Finance (I wouldn't want to stay in CCUSD with that job either).
Oh and yes, they already received recommendation to put another bond on the ballot in November. Good luck getting that one passed.
JustKeepMovin.... who is heading up the transportation brainstorming for the kids who are going to school in the other district? I am interested in getting in touch with the group.
ReplyDeleteEvery parent needs to look closely at their groups for cutting. There is no hit to the Adminstration office, their admins are all safe. Look at the cuts to Elementary though. As a group of schools (other than STMS and the High School now) no school is safe for being closed. Why aren't parents asking from the District what it will look like WHEN all these families leave, how big will class size be? or the fact that Dr. Burdick has committed to teachers that they will have jobs, what specials in Elementary will they cut? Parents, this should be your call to action, get out there and get educated. Quit trusting just on the basis of trust itself. Trust is earned, not just assumed. This District/Adminstration has abused the Given Trust of alot of our parents (me included) and when you start asking the tough questions you are labeled a "trouble maker". The amazing thing is, when I was a good little soldier for Deb Burdick, she was nice as pie. This District gets alot of money from the State we need to make sure they are good stewards of that money.
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't anyone asking how many parents have already withdrawn their child/ren or done a request for records? That will be a signal to all parents how ugly or not ugly the next couple years will be in Cave Creek.
ReplyDeleteDebbi Burdick is the worst thing that could have happened to CCUSD! She eschews tradition and legacy for satisfying her own selfish needs and goals.
ReplyDeleteWhile she is known as "Dr. Burdick", she will not be referred to in this entry.
Shut down Desert Arroyo Middle School - Shutting the school down and leaving another building empty along with the empty space that is the old Black Mountain Elementary School is just another waste of space. Also, celebrating the A+ status of a school Burdick always intended to shut down and not renewing the contract of the principal who led the school to earn that status shows just how hypocritical Debbi is.
Change the Name of Sonoran Trails Middle School - What is the purpose of this? Again, this is a slap in the face to the tradition and history of the school, especially to the teachers who founded the school over ten years ago and the retired administrators who made that school what it is. How Bill Dolezal, who is one of the founding teachers of the school, can even consider that is downright deplorable. That's spitting in the eye of Adrienne Gibson and Skot Beazley, Billy, who made you who you are today.
RIF the Silver Apple Award Winner - For the last two weeks, the Silver Apple Award winner from Channel 3 has been the poster child of the financial situation affecting Arizona's schools. It's a great news story. She wins the award and loses her job on the same day. However, does anyone look at this as further evidence of how Debbi Burdick does not care about the school community, especially the teachers? Why bump effective teachers for non-effective ones just because their school is closing down?
The High School Academy - What shortsightedness in leadership there, Debbi! No one wanted your precious little planned school. Yes, it works in Chandler USD, but how many high schools does Chandler USD have? You came up with this idea not for the school community - which is evident they did not want this since only 8 students signed up - but to attempt to compete against the neighboring districts and charter schools who are taking CCUSD students and succeeding with them. You created a high profile, academically "prestigious" academy solely for the top 10% of your graduating classes and competed against your own high school's Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate program.
K-8 Core Knowledge Academy - Dear Debbi, why would yoy make Desert Sun the Core Knowledge Academy under Bert Honigman when you have Ellie Gaines, one of the renowned leaders of the CK curriculum in the state, the principal of Black Mountain Elementary School? Again, more shortsightedness.
Hiding Behind the Excelling Label - Debbi likes to celebrate all the CCUSD schools are excelling. Well, they better well be considering the socio-economic status of the school population. CCUSD schools do not have the socioeconomic student population that usually cause schools to not be "excelling". Look at the AP, IB, and SAT scores compared to the neighboring districts and charters within the school boundaries.
However, Debbi is good at covering all this up with glossy Powerpoints and Smartboards. She likes to convince the community and the public at large all is well in CCUSD, and when she must face the hardship of closing a school or RIFing teachers, she will put on her sad face and lament "how difficult a situation this is". She'll run to the nearest reporter or media organization who is willing to listen to her and buy her "act". Google her name and see how often she appears in entries promoting herself.
Debbi Burdick does not have the best interest of the CCUSD community in mind. She may think she does in her mind, but she is leading this district to a path of ruin. The Board may have made a bad decision in choosing to closing Desert Arroyo, but they made a worse one by renewing Debbi's superintendency contract.