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New SV schools chief

Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008 - 05:20:30 am MST

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Last week, the Sierra Vista Unified School District Governing Board selected Brett M. Agenbroad of Metlakatla, Alaska, to become the new superintendent of the local school system.

It was a unanimous decision by the five-member board.

Agenbroad, a Tucson native, will take over the reins from Superintendent Renae Humburg on July 1, the start of fiscal year 2009.

Agenbroad will immediately have placed on his shoulders the fiduciary responsibility in which the stakeholders in the community will continue to demand accountability from their public school system. Last summer, taxpayers were stunned to see a sharp and unexpected rise in their property tax bills, due to an error in their favor the previous year.

To maintain its current programs, Sierra Vista Unified School District may need to pass an override to its maintenance and operations budget. There are some in the community who are steadfastly opposed to this. Others may need to be convinced so they will go to the polls.

As the new leader, Agenbroad, 49, will need to convey the message to the community that these funds are not only critical to school operations, but that they are also being spent wisely.

State and federal courts have ruled that English language learning must be provided to those students who need it, and because of that, the Arizona Department of Education has ordered that this program be implemented this fall.

There have been some questions whether Sierra Vista Unified School District will receive enough funding from the state to meet its ELL mandate. There also has been some discussion about the allocation of funds for special education.

These are just some of the issues that Agenbroad will soon become familiar with. It will not be easy to satisfy everyone in the quest for excellence in public education. This is a job that will take determination and good leadership.

We wish Agenbroad success in his new job. We hope everyone will welcome him and his wife, Maria, with open hearts and minds. And we hope many of those who have been critical of the board will step up and be participants as the new administration sets its course in the coming year.

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To What Happened wrote on Mar 31, 2008 1:31 PM:

" Looks like nobody wants to the necessary action to seek funding solutions to get AZ off the bottom! False pledges. "

John Skarhus wrote on Mar 31, 2008 8:43 AM:

" I know that there has been a concerted effort to get the legislature to provide adequate funding. But a true solution to the financial inadequacy would require a serious look at AZ's tax structure, and there just isn't the political will to do that. As November elections come up, we need to find legislators who will make this a priority. In response to "Not Done Yet," where do you get the information that an override would cost twice as much? An override is 10% of the budget, which has gone DOWN, slightly, for next year, from $38,596,493 to $38,557,517. "

What Happened wrote on Mar 29, 2008 11:23 AM:

" During the last override the supporters pledged to band together with other districts and school boards to pressure the legislature to fix education funding so overrides would not be needed. Was anything ever attempted? Were those just hollow words to help pass the override? Is it easier to continually attempt to pry money out of the locals pockets for a bandaid fix than to get a state wide solution for funding and get AZ off the bottom of the list? Do you want AZ off the bottom? Anybody out there have any answers? "

Not Done yet wrote on Mar 29, 2008 11:10 AM:

" The tax error? Definitely unforgiveable. We are not through paying for that and the district has already given indications that the tax rate will increase again, not go back to normal as predicted by the Finacial Manager last October. So get ready to pay more than expected, just how much we won't know till we get our October Surprise Package from the Assessor. Plus another override will be sought. The next one will cost us about twice what the last one did. The district has never communicated well with the public even with a Public Information Officer! "

John Skarhus wrote on Mar 28, 2008 10:37 AM:

" I have seen the ALEC report and agree that money should not be thrown "blindly" into the system. SVPS doesn't. It actually spends pretty conservatively. And while I don't mean to paint ALL people concerned about taxes as anti-education, after 9 years in this district, I've seen many people who certainly are. I agree the district has not communicated well in the past year. However, I disagree that the system is broken. BHS consistently graduates very large numbers of high quality students.Any student who wants to learn has the opportunity to succeed, a "status quo" I support wholeheartedly. "

Boomer wrote on Mar 28, 2008 9:23 AM:

" As dollars spent per student have increased steadily over the years, performance and learning have decreased; along with that specie of old-maid schoolteacher. Bring back the blue-haired forces of nature who bent our torpor to their wills and curriculum. Where did they go? She didn't eat much, and she didn't need much pay. I still remember Miss Harris's teaching points, expanded at times in the hallway with a preternaturally fast backhand. Ah, those were halcyon days. "

Do a Little Reading wrote on Mar 28, 2008 7:19 AM:

" For all who support blindly throwing more money in to the education sysytem, go to the ALEC website and read all on it. Even ALEC, the organization that the distict pulled selected facts from to paint a draconian picture for the last override, says that money has been thrown at the education system for the past three decades with no appreciable effect. The system is broken and needs change. Don't call everybody that opposes overrides "uneducated" or ani-education. Those that refuse to see the whole picture are the "uneducated" ones that maintain status quo and that hurts kids more! "

Teacher wrote on Mar 27, 2008 9:19 AM:

" Like "the administration" so often criticized in these pages, I too have an agenda: I want the best school possible for my kids. I don't want exorbitant taxes, but I believe that it is important to invest in our schools. Studies consistently show that dollars spent for education pay high dividends, greatly reducing what we have to spend on welfare and other social programs, as well as prisons. Everyone has an "agenda." I wish the no-tax crowd would just be honest about theirs: "We don't want any taxes and we don't care about schools or kids." "

Worried wrote on Mar 26, 2008 10:08 PM:

" For the sake of students in Sierra Vista, what other alternative is there for him then to support another override. The tax error was unforgivable, but in the end voting against the override does not hurt the administration, it hurts the students. "

Supporter wrote on Mar 26, 2008 7:27 PM:

" The hardest thing the new schools chief will have to deal wih are negative people like "Tough Road Ahead". These people are constantly cutting down our school district and are in fact, the ones dealing out the half truths. Most of the negative instigators out there could not even comprehend the issues of an organization the size of the school district on thier best day. They need to get an education before they open their uneducated traps! "

Tough Road Ahead wrote on Mar 26, 2008 12:19 PM:

" The new schools chief has a very difficult task ahead of him. First and formost, he has to be totally truthful with the public. It will be hard to change the current adminstration policies of half truths and slight of hand modus operandi to advance thier agenda. Maybe he can, but then he grew up professionally in the same culture medium that produced what we currently have. He already pledged to support another override, just accepted the board's demand that he do so. This time however it is going to be harder due to the "tax error". "