001[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Hey, hey, hey. [music] >> [music] >> Hey, [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] >> order at 3:45. Um, I'll need a motion to adopt the agenda. >> I motion to adopt the agenda as presented. >> Okay. All in favor? >> I motion carries three to zero. We're going to go ahead and say the pledge. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and >> do we
002have any public comments? >> No. >> Okay, we're fine. We'll wait for you. Okay. So um we have um our one agenda item at this well discussion and information and it will be uh leadership team forum and then the staff and community forum and so we're going to go have fun. >> That's fine whenever. All right, we're done though. begin in about 2 minutes, please. About 2 minutes. Well, good evening ladies and gentlemen. We're very happy to have you with us. I'm Tim Carter. I'm in a consultant that's been working with the governing board here at Jookome since July. Uh it seems like just yesterday, but that's been five months. So this board has really done a lot of work over a lot of period of time and uh they have been awesome to work
003with very professional um and um I I greatly appreciate that. So we started with uh 11 candidates and the board narrowed that down by paper screening to six and then they narrowed it down after an interview to four. So, those are the four folks that you see in front of you today. Now, since that time, these four have met a second time with the board, a follow-up interview. And so, this evening, they get to meet with you. And then, of course, they meet with the community later this evening. And then, um, the plan is for the board to make a determination tomorrow. And, uh, we'll see how the evening goes. I hope it goes very well. And there have been a lot of people here who've done a lot of work to put this on.
004So, we appreciate you being here. So, the way this evening will begin is each of the candidates after I've done a very brief introduction of them, basically name and title, um, and the school that they're currently with. Once that is done, then we're going to go alphabetical, and each candidate will have seven minutes. What they say is completely up to them. Um, and if they don't need to take all seven minutes, that's fine. Once all four have uh had their opportunity to speak with you, then obviously we will divide you into the four groups that I think you're already aware of uh and the candidates will simply go to one of those four locations and then you will stay where you are through the evening and the the candidates will rotate clockwise. And so you'll
005have 12 minutes with uh each of those folks. And I know that there's a proctor in each one of your groups. And I think you've already identified your questions and we greatly appreciate that. That will uh speed things up a little bit. I noticed that many of you noticed the QR cord in the back of the the room. Let me read this to you. Um, one of the reasons that we're doing the event tonight is for you and for the community to have a better understanding of who this these folks are and get to meet them personally. So feedback is the way that the board will receive that information and they will be reviewing some of that this evening and they'll be reviewing some of that tomorrow. Um but that is really one of the
006primary reasons why we're here where you get to interact with them, they get to interact with you and then you get to tell us what your thoughts are about who you like, who you don't like, what the issues are and uh the board will definitely uh be aware of all that information. So, if you haven't already scanned the QR code, please do that. Uh, candidates are listed in alphabetical order and by last name. And so, that's how you'll find them. We use a star rating system and one star is basically says that that that person believes that the candidate is a poor fit for the district. Five star is that that person is an exceptional fit for the district and anything in between. Um, and obviously you want that assessment to reflect your view uh
007on each of those items. Uh, access will be closing very quickly upon the end of the leadership team meeting. So, please before [snorts] you leave, uh, make your comments. If you want to step just right outside to do that with a little more privacy, that's fine. But before you leave the facility tonight, please make sure that you do that. You are certainly welcome to stay for the community meeting which follows. Uh it will have a little bit different format. Uh some of some of the information may or may not be the same, but you're certainly welcome to join us for that piece. So let me introduce all four of these folks and they will be starting on your right, my left when they do their speaking this evening. So first of all we welcome Dr.
008Erica Copelan. She is an associate superintendent at Queen Creek Unified School District. Welcome. Glad you're here. Dr. Tim Fountain, director of leadership and learning at JO Combmes Unified School District. And welcome. We're glad you are here. Uh and then Toby Hogan. Toby is the director of human resources for the Florence Unified School District and we're very happy to have him join us as well. And then last but not least, Dr. Josh Middleton, human resources director here at J. Oaks Unified School District. Welcome, sir. And I think I misplaced our two gentlemen in the middle. So, so if if we I I think we're good at this point. All right. So, would you like to use this mic or I can bring you a a mic and you can sit where you're at or you can
009stand, whatever you would prefer to do. Thank you. So, good evening everyone. I um had the opportunity to meet several of you and um it was wonderful and I want to thank you all for coming tonight. Um I know you guys have been working all day and so this really shows your commitment to the district and uh to your students and families by being involved with this and so I really appreciate you um taking the time and participating in this event tonight. Um as Mr. Carter said, um, I have five to seven minutes to tell you just a little bit about myself and some of my experiences. Um, I have been in public education for 28 years. And, um, I've been in the Southeast Valley for my entire career. My, uh, husband and I moved
010out to the Queen Creek, Santan Valley area a little over 27 years ago. So, I've been out in this region for a very long time and have seen the immense growth that has happened over the past 27 years. [clears throat] Um, and so I'm really committed um to this community and that's um one of the reasons why I'm so excited to be here tonight. I um I started my career as a teacher and then I was a school principal for nine years and for the past um 12 years I've been working at the district level in leadership. I have um worked as an executive director over human resources and educational services. I um have worked as an assistant superintendent and I am currently an associate superintendent in a neighboring district. um right right over here
011to the west of us in Queen Creek. Um and so I'm very excited to be here tonight. I feel very honored um and very blessed to be here and so thank you so much for welcoming me. Um my experiences over the last 20 years in leadership have really given me um a lot of opportunities for growth and a lot of great experiences. And so I just I want to share with you because I know um I have had the opportunity um and extensive experience um to be involved in a district um that is very similar to JO Combmes um and has really experienced some of the things that are coming for JO Combmes. Um, you know, I I started in a district where um I had to lead in a time of um declining enrollment
012and some tight budgets and budget cuts. And then I've also had the experience really over the last 10 years um to be leading in a place where we've been experiencing hyper growth um and we've had some really good budget years and been able to reinvest in our staff and our programs and our schools. And so um those are some experiences that I will bring to JO Combmes that I think could be extremely helpful. Um, I'd also like to share with you um just a few things about me and my leadership. Um, I would start with students first. Every discussion and every decision um that I make is really going to be through that lens of is this the best for our students. And I know, you know, that is the same for everyone in this
013room. I'm I'm also um it's very important to me to build relationships and trust. Um I believe that the only way that we can be successful and that um someone can lead others um is to really have that trust built. And so that's something that's very important to me and that um I would make a priority um first off. Um additionally um staff support, you guys are the heart of the district, right? And so um I am very committed to um leading with the vision and removing barriers so that you all can do the work that you do best. And so that is that is something that is intrinsic in my beliefs. And then, you know, lastly, um I'm just a hard worker and a very dedicated person and um really super excited for the
014opportunity to move into this next chapter in Jes. So, thank you so much again for being here. Um and I will hand it over to Tim. I have to wait for the official timer reset. I sat in Toby's seat and I wore Josh's suit, so I'm just trying to confuse everybody. My apologies. >> It's okay. We're just waiting for you, Judy. >> Feel like I have to tell a joke now or something like that. I promise I can take less than seven minutes, but >> okay. >> Teresa said she'll tell me when to shush. All right. Um, well, first of all, thank you all for being here. Um, I know that I know many of you, but perhaps not all of you. So, my name is Tim Fountain. I serve as the director of leadership
015and learning here in Jolmes. Um, which really means that I oversee the teaching and learning side of things. Um, and then support our school. uh principles and administrators. Um my favorite part of my day is getting to be on those campuses um to work with our teachers, to spend time with our kids and um it's really nice to have you all out here tonight participating in this process. So um thanks to our governing board and some of our internal folks who put this process together. It's not an easy process. It takes a lot um to go through selecting a superintendent and it's an important decision for our district. So, I'm I'm grateful to those who have committed their time. Um, a little bit about me. So, my background is I started off as a middle
016school teacher. So, I see our middle school teachers or middle school team is up front. I don't know how that happened because we're usually in the back, but I started off as a middle school teacher uh in Gilbert public schools. Um, I taught there for a number of years before moving into administration. After that point in time, I became a high school administrator, came back to the middle school that I had previously taught as as an administrator. Um, and then I moved out of the Gilbert district. Um, took an opportunity in central Phoenix in the Washington School District where I served as an elementary principal. Um, I spent five great years there. Um, very, very wonderful experience. Learned a lot. But after five years of 39.2 miles each way, my wife said enough of that.
017You have to get closer to home because we were expecting our third child. And so it was time to be a little bit closer. Came back to the East Valley, which is where I was born and raised. and uh had an administrative job, a principal job in the Higgley school district before moving over to Scottsdale as the director of teaching and learning. Um and then out here to Combmes after that. Um I think one of the things that's really important to me is those relationships. Um this really has become my home over the course of the last four years. Much like Erica shared with her experience in Queen Creek, um I started in education in the Gilbert School District over 25 years ago when we were a little on the smaller side, not this small.
018Um but it reminds me a lot of that. Um that family feel, those relationships, um folks who are committed and participating in those activities. Um you know, I think just a great example. I just caught Shaylin out of the corner of my eye. But you know when you see one of your teachers who's out there on a Friday night supporting the marching band because her kids in the marching band like that that's the kind of community that we have here in Colbmes where our kids go to these schools and we participate in those activities and I think that that's um really an important piece and something that we can build on. Um, in terms of my desire to be superintendent, um, I will acknowledge and say, um, I think you have three great individuals up
019here in addition to myself who all have a variety of skills and abilities to offer to this position. Um, I do think the thing that sets me apart a little bit is that my commitment is to this district. Um, for me, this is not about the superintendent job or just becoming a superintendent. Um, but I really want to be the superintendent here. Um, seven minutes is up or we're just going to change the slide. It's all good. I'm easily distracted. Um, so that's a really important piece and I'm proud of the work that we have done together as an educational community the last four years. I think we've taken some incredible steps forward with strengthening the Combmes community. Um, strengthening our instructional practices. A piece that I am passionate about is building capacity within the
020team to help shore up our principles, our instructional coaches, and our teachers to be the very best they can be. Um, folks who work with me know one of my favorite phrases, if they if they'll mouth it with me, is gentle pressure relentlessly applied because I believe in continuous improvement. Uh, we want to be better tomorrow than we were today. We want to be better next year than we were this year. It's small steps that really make the big difference for us. Um, and from what I've seen over the years as an educator, um, that's the mark of great districts. Great districts are gentle, slow, and intentional with their progress. Um, I've had the privilege of working in a district like that. I also worked in a district that I would say is like playing
021the stock market, and we're up and we're down, and we're up and we're down. I think what we're looking to do here in this district and what I want to be a part of is continuing taking those slow steps forward um improving our practices, growing our capacity, um building that community so that we can recruit and retain the best teachers and keep families in our community and knowing that uh what we're offering in our schools is of high quality and um also established and built around a very positive school culture. So, I thank you for the opportunity. All right, I get the full seven minutes. Thank you. >> Uh my name is Toby Hogan. I am the director of human resources with the Florence Unified School District. And I'd also like to just acknowledge the
022board and their uh very thorough process on this. Um you should feel very very proud of the board that you have to to go through um the process they've gone through and uh to really vet candidates. I will echo uh Tim's comments that the these are probably four well- vetted uh very grueling interviews um and good questions and good thoughtful responses. Um and so I think you can rest assured that no matter which candidate you get, you're going to get a good candidate. Um I want to tell you just kind of where I come from. I grew up in North Dakota. Uh born and raised there. Went to the University of North Dakota for my bachelor's degree. And as the legend is, uh, the assistant superintendent of Florence Unified School District came to a job
023fair like many university job fairs. And, uh, my wife and I were interviewing. We're both in education. And we both decided to interview in places that we would never ever go. Arizona, Louisiana, Texas, Las Vegas. I tried to go there. She wouldn't let me. Um, but the Florence Unified School District, the legend is that they really really liked my wife as an elementary teacher and knew that they just had to take me if they wanted to get her down to Arizona. Uh, and so they they took the chance on me and uh, I got to uh, we moved down to Arizona in 2004. Uh, built our first house in Santan Heights over here in Santan Valley uh, in 2005. Moved in and we've lived here ever since. U, did our entire career teaching uh, in
024the Florence Unified School District. I've been high school band director, elementary band director. I've been an elementary principal, a high school principal, and uh now the director of human resources. And I think um what you need to know about me is that at all levels of leadership that I've had, I've never I've tried very intentionally to not forget what it was like to be the level below. So when I went from a classroom teacher into an assistant principal, it was very very important to me to know I remember what it was like to have to deal with a kid who's unruly. And I remember have to what it was like to have to deal with a parent who is really breathing down my neck. So how can I do what I need to do for
025the for the school by the handbook and all those types of things, but how can I also make sure I'm supporting that teacher and u making sure that they feel supported. Same thing moving up into a principal role. You know, I I know what it was like. Again, don't forget what it was like to be a teacher. Moving up into human resources, definitely don't forget what it's like to be a principal. Uh I I led during COVID in high school. Uh that was brutal. And and so now as as a as a building leader, um you guys need support more than ever right now. And so I I hope you would understand that I I never want to forget what it's like to be in those shoes of the roles that I was in before.
026Uh it's also I've got three boys. Uh they've all gone to school in the Florence Unified School District. One has graduated. Uh he was my sports kid. He was my football, my baseball, all of those things. Uh the complete opposite of me. Uh and then I have a middle child and a younger child. My middle child had a stroke when he was first born and so I have lived the life of special education um for 15 years now. I am extremely passionate about special education. Uh it has been one of the greatest joys of my life especially in the elementary world to be able to sit in an IEP meeting with a parent who had literally the exact same condition. Uh their son had the exact same condition as my son. and to know that
027uh because of the people that I knew in my school district, the school psychologists, the special education teachers, the education that I had in general, uh I knew exactly what questions to ask and how to get my kid uh the resources he needed. This mother had zero clue. Their their child has gone through their entire school system, uh sorry, toddler years coming up into kindergarten with zero supports. So, I'm passionate about getting kids the supports that they need and making sure that every kid has what they need to be successful at all levels, elementary all the way up into high school. Um, yeah, I think that's that those are the the key things to know for me. Uh, it's it's about making sure that kids get what they need and that our building leaders and
028our uh teachers get what they need to be supported as well. >> Well, I just learned that Toby and I live in the same neighborhood. So, afterwards, let's talk about the HOA. Uh my name is Josh Middleton and uh thank you for being out here tonight. This is a a huge decision that a school board makes. It's the most important decision that a board makes. Um now some of you know me, some of you don't. And if you Google Josh Middleton, you'll see Josh Middleton the musician. You'll see Josh Middleton the cartoonist. There's a 20-year-old who plays hockey who's named Josh Middleton who's having a whole lot more success in hockey than I did at 20. And then there's Josh Middleton, the educator. And rather than talking about my resume, I'd rather talk about my
029why. And there are two key stories that I I tell. And one you might have heard and the other you haven't. But the first is I'm a fourth grader. I haven't made that transition from learning to read to reading to learn. um and nor was I really willing to put in the effort. Uh I can acknowledge that. Now in my family, I had a marine colonel father. Every stereotype that you know about marine colonels, it's true. So it's uh u my siblings and I the expectations were were high. It was a brusk type of environment, but you know, we all survived and thrived and were thankful for it. But uh in fourth grade I was struggling. I mean I I was a you know BC D student and when I got my first F in
030science I was a little nervous about going home showing that. But my teacher, Miss Penny Biano from upstate New York, she was a firstear teacher and um she knew I was a little distraught not just about going home but I wasn't making those connections. And so before differentiated instruction even became a $20 word, she uh she took me aside. She taught me differently. She assessed me differently. And she gave me some clues to be successful. I was that quiet, compliant student. And so often if we don't intervene, then they can go unnoticed and sort of get passed along. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done or how I would have ended up without Miss Miss Penny Biano. Um, in high school, I'll just say my my siblings and I knew going to college
031was that wasn't optional according to our father. So, but what wasn't included was well, how do you get there and what do you study? And in high school, I didn't have the best high school counselors. And um when I sort of finally figured things out and I've dedicated 40 years to education um and my dedication is when it comes to this part is we need to give every single student uh a high school and beyond plan and uh have very serious conversations. I'm very proud as superintendent. I made sure every fourth grader got on to a um college campus or to the tech center. Um, I made sure at our last district we weren't CTE funded, but we wanted our middle school to have a taste of CTE. So when they learned robotics in middle
032school, it was a natural bridge to high school. So that's just a a big commitment to me. And so it's sort of my I guess my my compass involves three points. And the first one is um most important relationship and uh all of us are going to agree on this is every the most important relationship is between teacher and student. So if that's the bullseye the outer circles are support. So we need to do everything I think I've done everything I can as a teacher, building administrator, district office, superintendent uh to preserve that to make sure that that happens. The second is not just saying all students can learn, but making sure we act on that. Again, thankful for Miss Penny Biano for saying taking looking at me and saying, "Okay, let's invest here now.
033Let's do something to help him." And then the third is again making sure we have a um high school beyond plan and it starts early. It's too late to talk to 11th and 12th graders as a starting point about careers. It starts much earlier. So I I think what I reason I applied is we do have some challenges coming up. So you know my core beliefs my experience 22 years as a superintendent I faced very difficult um budget times um declining enrollment. I have some exciting uh experience with uh student achievement and I just see this is a time for a seamless transition from a veteran superintendent to a veteran superintendent. So I'd be very honored to um to be here. Um I got I came here last year not sure or year and a
034half ago not sure I was going to do but I had followed Dr. Wyman for over a year knowing I was coming down here because my my daughter and granddaughters and are here in San Diego. So I wanted to be down in this area. Um so I followed Dr. Wyman. I'm excited to to be here and I feel like you've gotten a glimpse of what I've done in in HR. We've changed some processes. We've we're uh more responsive. We want to make the best choices in getting um getting our staffing in place. So, you've had a glimpse of what I've done. I've shared a little bit about um what I what I uh offer. I look forward to the the different breakouts and u again just an honor to be here and um again looking
035forward to going through this process. Thank you. Well, thank you ladies and gentlemen. Very well done. Um folks, if you will go to the area that you've been assigned, you'll see that there are numbers on the chairs. I think your proctor can take it from there. We'll let you get in and get settled and then we'll start our 12minute clocks. Great job everybody. Thank you. >> [music] [music] >> Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Hey. Hey. >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Hey everybody. Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] [bell] >> Hey, [music] hey, hey. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] >> All >> [music] [music] >> right. >>
036[music] [music] >> Okay. >> [music] [music] >> 3 2 1 1 [music] Jesus. [music] Heat. Heat. N. >> [music] >> D. [music] Hey. Hey. Hey, [music] hey, hey. [music] >> [music] >> Three, two, one. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Hey, [music] hey, hey. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Hey. Hey. Hey. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. N. [music] [music] Heat. [music] Hey, heat. Hey, heat. >> [music] >> Hey. [music] Hey. Hey. [bell] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. N. [music] Heat. Heat. N. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. N. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music]
037>> All right. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Hey. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Okay. >> [music] [music] >> 3 2 One, one, [music] one, one. [music] Heat. Heat. N. >> [music] [music] >> Three, two, one. [music] [music] >> [music] [music] >> Well, good evening everyone. Welcome to JO Combmes Unified School District. We are very happy to have you with us. Uh my name is Tim Carter. I am a consultant working with the governing board uh for one job and that is to find a replacement for Dr. Wyman. Um this process started in July. So that's five months that the board uh has been working on this process. So the first thing they did of course was to um make the announcement and they determined that there were 11 qualified folks and then that was reduced
038down to six uh after um interviews or paper screen I'm sorry and then uh it was reduced down to four after the first round of interviews and now there has been a second round of interviews and all four of those are obviously continuing because they're with us tonight. Uh the board is planning to make a decision on this tomorrow. So, your input tonight is critically important and we are very very glad that you're here. Um, I I will tell you that uh this board has definitely done its diligence and uh these candidates have definitely done theirs and so I'm very positive that you're going to find a a very good leader moving forward. So, one of the things about this evening that I think is important for people to understand is the process that we're
039going to go through. We've blocked off about an hour and a half. And so, we are going to ask uh the candidates a series of questions and it's going to be timed and you'll be able to see it and they'll be able to see it. Now, they can finish their question early. They don't have to use the entire time if they choose not to. But the first round of questions is simply their ability for seven minutes to talk to you about themselves, who they are, where they're from, what they want to do. They can use that time any way they want to use it. And once each of the candidates has had an opportunity to do that, then we have developed a series of questions, uh, five of them, and each person is going to
040have an opportunity to answer the question for three minutes at a time. And again, they don't have to use the entire time. And we'll be rotating that as we go. I am assuming that everybody knows that we would really like your input. And so you see in the back of the room, and I thought we had one up front. Yes, we do. Right over there. Uh the QR code, we would have to have those back this evening. So before you leave this evening, that information needs to be done. And if you would like to have a handwritten document, we can certainly make that available for you as well. So, let me talk a little bit about that feedback um because that's important. So, the candidates are are going to be listed in alphabetical order and
041there are star ratings on each one of these. So, a rating of one star is basically telling the board that that person would be a poor fit for this position. Five stars indicates that this person is an exceptionally good fit for this position. And obviously two, three, and four are in the middle of that. And you can determine which of those you prefer. Um, but again, it is important that we have those back before you leave this evening because that information is going to be used later this evening and tomorrow to help make that final decision. And I think that is about what I have to give you. So, let me introduce these folks. Um, I'm just going to give you their name. I'm going to give you their title and then we will have
042each one of them uh speak with you for seven minutes and then we'll start the rotation with the questions after that. So, Dr. Erica Copelan is the associate superintendent at Queen Creek Unified School District. Dr. Mr. Tim Fountain is the director of leadership and learning here at JO Combmes Unified School District. Uh Mr. Toby Hogan is the director of human resources at the Florence Unified School District. And Dr. Josh Middleton is the human resources director here at JO Combmes. And as you can see, their faces matched up with what we had up on the screen earlier. So hopefully that helped you a little bit. All right. So we are going to be starting with Dr. Middleton and he can stand, he can set, he can walk around however he would like to for his seven
043minutes and we will be putting that up on the clock. So, whenever you're ready to go, sir. >> All right. Good evening and welcome. Uh, I want to thank our community members who have come out tonight and I want to thank our staff members who uh they were just with us not too long ago and listened to uh the four of us and sticking around for round two. So, welcome tonight and a thank you to uh our board for making this opportunity available. I this whole process has been very transparent for our community. Uh my name is Josh Middleton. I'm currently the human resources director here at JO Combmes and I moved to Santan Valley um bought a house about two and a half years ago. I moved down um a year and a half
044ago to start this job. I had been superintendent in the Pacific Northwest for 22 years and uh with two granddaughters in this area and two grandsons in San Diego, I wanted to get closer and so it was a great opportunity to come here to uh to Combmes. Um what I love about this size district um my career uh especially as as superintendent has been in a district this size. I feel like is my wheelhouse. There are not too many layers between the district office, my office, and the classroom. Um I I also wanted to share that I'm pleased that we have so many community members come out tonight. Um it was about well my first one over 22 years ago. Uh I was um in the running for a superintendent position and when it came
045time for the community forum, we had one person show up and that person stayed for all three candidates. And then most recently, um, I was in a, uh, before I moved here, my last district where I was superintendent, uh, we had a community forum when prior to them selecting me. And it was a, it was a crowd about this size, but it didn't have a Tim Carter. There was no moderator. There were no question. It was a free-for-all. So, it got a little interesting because we had one individual from the community who decided to hijack the hijack the event. So, I think for the four of us, we're going to have an opportunity to share quite a bit with you this evening. Um, I shared with the the staff at the last uh session my
046why and my why for these 40 years has been because of my childhood in the K12 system. um fourth grade. I was a sort of a lost student and I fortunately had one teacher that took the time and this is before the words differentiated instruction again was a $20 word. She um I was in a my father was a um Marine colonel and I shared this with the last staff. Every stereotype when it comes to marine colonels is true that you see on TV. So the expectations were pretty high. And so I fortunately to have that um that teacher reached me because I was a quiet compliant student that could have just been sort of a bubble kid that sort of uh drifted off and uh because of her she really I believe turned my
047life around when it came to school. At high school, there was not a whole lot of guidance as to what do you want to be when you grow up? And um when I did go to college, because again, in a Marine Colonel uh world, college is non-negotiable. So, the four of us all went to college. Um, and eventually I found my why, and that was I don't want kids to have the same experience that I have to be a bubble kid or to be someone that wasn't sure about their career. I believe it's a it's a moral imperative that we have a high school and beyond plan for every student. And I'm proud as superintendent, I made sure every fourth grader got onto a college campus or a tech center made sure at my last
048district, we weren't funded for career and technical education, but we made sure that our middle school had robotics and when they went to high school, they could follow that passion, had a robotics program or manufacturing or engineering or culinary arts. So they were exposed to a lot of opportunities and the the talk of high school and beyond was embedded into their school starting in middle school. And so um again just a couple of wise I uh there are a couple of principles that I also follow and that is um the most important relationship is between teacher and student and so I do everything I can as a leader to preserve that. That is what we're all about. Second is every student can learn. Thank goodness for my teacher. Her name was Miss Penny Biano, a
049great Italian name from New York. And uh I was pleased that she could do that for me and she did it for all students. And then third, making sure we have a launching plan for all of our all of our students. So right now, I've I applied for the superintendent position because we are facing some difficulties. We're declining enrollment. We have some budget uh issues. We have facilities. We just lost a bond. And my role as superintendent over those 20 years, 20 plus years, um we faced $2 million deficits. We um I've been involved in uh the maintenance and facility and and construction of facilities as we needed them. Uh I'm really proud of the academic success that we uh that really was the primary focus of my role as superintendent. I'm one that takes
050a very active role in student learning. That is the most important. And so as we develop district improvement plans that needs to be mirrored by the school improvement plans. And so we're all on the same page and we're all focused on students. we're doing what's best for students and not always doing what's uh necessarily what's convenient for adults. So, I'm very honored to be here tonight. Um I believe this will be a seamless transition from one experienced superintendent to another and I look forward and be honored to be your next superintendent. >> All right. Uh my name is Toby Hogan. I'm the director of human resources currently for the Florence Unified School District. Uh and tonight I just want you to share I want to share with you uh me, who I am, what's got
051me to where I'm at. Uh if I'm going to be the leader of this district, I want you to know where my heart is at uh and where how I'm going to lead and and and make sure that we have students who are succeeding at the best way possible. Uh in tw 2004, my wife and I moved from North Dakota. We were recruited by the Florence Unified School District in January. Uh it was negative30, the middle of a blizzard, and they said it's 75 degrees in Arizona. We packed up in June. We drove down for two days. Got here uh made a couple stops, did some sightseeing, got here in July. It was 115 and we were on a third floor apartment that didn't have an elevator. So, we got acclimated real quick. Uh but
052we have not We lived our first year in Chandler. Uh we've always worked for the my wife is an assistant principal right now at post and high school. We've been with the district for 22 years now. Uh we have made our home in Santan Valley. We have lived here since the time that we built our first house in Santan Heights. Uh but have and we don't live in that house anymore, but we've continued to live in Santan Valley all 21 years now. Uh this is our home. This is where we've raised our boys. Um I believe in public education. I believe that we do it better than any other entity. Um, I was reinforced with that when I became an elementary school principal. Uh, I got to stand outside every single day and do parent
053pickup. It was my favorite time of the day, not because the kids left, but because, uh, I got to see parents. Uh, and I got to just talk with kids on a very informal basis. Uh, and I will never forget the one day that really changed my mind about public education and charter schools. I had a family walk up um and they were three boys all in red shirts and khaki pants with some embroidery on their shirts with their parent and they were coming to pick up one other sibling that went to my school and uh I called on the radio for this kid to come out and I said, "Hey, how come how come you guys come to how come you come to Skyline but your siblings go to that other place?" and he
054said, "I need to fix my speech before I can go to that school with my kid, with my family." We teach every single kid in public education and I've never been more proud of that working in the Florence Unified School District, building my family there. Uh I'm very very passionate about special education and making sure all kids no matter what get what they need to be successful whether that be in elementary school whether that go into high school or whether that be going on afterwards making sure that they're successful. I believe it happens with making sure that our K through third graders get high intensity uh literacy instruction that they are strong readers by the time they are third grade. Not just I can spell words and I can read but I can read and
055I can understand and I can tell you what I'm doing. Uh, if you can read, you can do anything. Uh, my second father, he was my best friend's dad. Um, he used to say that to us all the time as we were growing up in high school. He said, 'If you can read, you can do anything. Now, we're in a YouTube generation now. I think it would be if you can YouTube it, you can do anything, right? You could probably do some minor surgery if you wanted to. Um, but I do truly believe that public schools do it better than anybody else because we teach every single kid. No matter what they come to us with, no matter what, uh, struggle or strength, uh, they are part of our community. And so, uh, this is
056a place where I've, like I said, I raised my family here. I'm proud to be part of Santan Valley. I'm proud that, uh, we actually are going to have a community. We're going to have a local government. um and that we are going to be able to partner with them and do some things that allow the local government to be local government and allow the school districts to be school districts and not uh necessarily the beall endall kind of I mean I know in Santan Valley that there were times where families would come to me and say hey this is going on we need you to fix this and I would say that happened in your community that didn't happen in the school like I can't I can't fix that family issue right uh and
057so I think there needs to be a strong partnership between our school districts, the Combmes district, the Florence district, and the local government of Santan Valley. And I'm excited for that. I'm excited to be a part of that. And I would uh hope that you select me and that our amazing board would select me as well. Thanks. >> Do I wait for the timer? Okay. [clears throat] All right. Uh so, thank you again for being here. I I know that that's uh sounds a bit redundant, but it's a very important process. And so we're grateful to our teachers and staff who have joined us tonight, our parents and community members who are here um who are going to be a part of selecting the next superintendent. So um unlike these two gentlemen, I did not
058uh migrate from the north. I'm a native desert rat. I'm actually a third generation Arizonan. My family came out from Norman, Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl to pick cotton in the cotton fields. So um I don't have to worry about the summer temperatures because I have sand, not blood. So, we natives know what that's like. Um, but I am a lifelong educator. I'm the product of two public educators. My parents were both public school teachers. Um, I'm married to an educator and an East Valley school district. Um, my better half. And I currently have my middle child up in Flagstaff studying to be an elementary school teacher. So, it's in our blood apparently. Um, but I really love the work that I get to do and and so my candidacy, um, my desire to be
059superintendent is really rooted in a love and passion for the work that we do in public education. Um, I came to the Comb School District four years ago. Um, it is one of the best professional decisions that I have ever made. I feel like this is home. I feel like this is my family. Um, and this is where I hope to be for the remainder of my professional career, which hopefully is a long one. Yes. by the way. Um so really when I look at um this superintendency and I look at this district um I see a lot of great potential and I think that potential is really rooted in a collective commitment. We have a wonderful dedicated group of a great supportive community who wants what's best for kids. What we're trying to do
060is bring those two pieces together to say how do we ensure that our families are getting what they want and what they need from the comb school district. These gentlemen mentioned a couple of those pieces, right? Ensuring that we are giving a quality education to every student every day. Ensuring that we have highquality staff on our campuses, ensuring that we have built positive culture and climate on our campuses. That's really the foundational pieces of how we build a great community school district. Um, I'm proud of the work that we've done in Combmes in the four years that I've been here. Um, I'm proud to be able to say that our A throughF letter grades the state puts out every year were the highest this year that they've ever been in the history of the district.
061That's the work of our teachers and our administrators who are really trying to do great things for kids. Um, those letter grades, our district letter grade is higher than any of the other surrounding school districts in Panal County. We're doing good things here in Combmes. We are small. Um, we are looking at declining enrollment like many districts. You're seeing it all over the news. But I think it's an opportunity for us to really reflect at who we are and who we want to be as a district. Um, with a real focus on quality. Um, we're at a position where we have to let that quantity go a little bit. Um, the reality is there aren't as many kids. Folks aren't having babies. The birth rate is down. But what we do have going for us
062here in Col is a tight-knit supportive community. As Toby mentioned, it's a growing community. We're turning into a, you know, a town. Um, and that's an exciting proposition, but we really have an opportunity to focus on um working within to make sure that we are a highquality option in the Santan Valley. And that in and of itself will will draw some folks back into our schools. Um, when I think about, you know, the the future of the Comb School District, um, and my hopeful role as the superintendent, it's really about building capacity within this team to help our teachers be the best they can be, to strengthen the skills that we have in the classroom, to support our instructional leaders, to ensure that we have a high quality district staff, and to ensure that we
063have a positive and healthy relationship with our governing board. Um I don't say this um as a subtle message in my candidacy. I will tell you that the governing board in JO Combmes was one of the biggest reasons why I came to this district because we are very blessed to have a governing board who ask the hard questions and keeps us accountable, but they're supporters of public education. And I know that you all watch the news enough to know that that's not the case everywhere. Um and it's a really important piece to the equation. So building in and developing a positive relationship with our governing board that's focused on students. It's focused on quality. It's focused on building capacity and it's focused on meeting the needs of our Combmes community are going to be the
064most critical steps that we can take to being a successful district moving forward. And I hope to be a part of that as your next superintendent. Thank you. I'm going to stall so Erica can have a drink. >> Thank you. Well, good evening everyone. Um, I would like to begin by thanking you for joining us. Uh, I know we all have very busy schedules and I think this really shows the commitment that you have to your community, to our district, and to the students. And so, I really appreciate you being part of this process. For those of you um that were here at the earlier session, I apologize as my introduction um I may repeat some of the things that I said earlier, but we have some new faces in the audience and so I
065want to make sure they get to know a little bit about me and my experiences. So, I'm going to uh start with my experiences. I have um 28 years in public education all across the um uh East Valley is where I have spent my career. I have lived in this area. I moved out to the Queen, Queen Creek, Santan Valley area um a little over 27 years ago with my husband. So, this community is very important to me. I believe that um schools are the foundation and the heart of the community. And so, that's one of the reasons why I'm here tonight at JO Combmes. And um I want you to know there are several other superintendent openings across the East Valley and I have only applied for this district. This is really the community.
066I am part of Panell County and and I want this to be a great place for our students and our families. So um just something that I think is important for you to know about me. Um throughout my um career, I of course started as a classroom teacher and um after several years of teaching, I moved up to be an elementary school principal and I did that for nine years. And I think someone spoke about that um earlier. um just what an amazing job, right? To be the principal of an elementary school and get to see um those children every day and all the wonderful things that are happening in those classrooms. Um after that, I moved up to district level leadership and I have had the opportunity to uh be an executive director um
067over human resources, over K12 educational services. I've worked as an assistant superintendent and I am currently an associate superintendent um for a neighboring district. Um I've been with that district for 21 years. Um and so that's kind of my background and experience. And I want you to know that um over those 20 years I it's provided so many opportunities for growth and so many experiences um that I can bring to JO Combmes because the district that I've come to that I've come from excuse me um experienced a very similar tra trajectory um was a very small district more rural um we were declining in enrollment um there was a lot of school choice coming into the area and um we were losing enrollment um to other options that were within the community. Uh we had
068to have some tough decisions um with budgets which are some of the challenges that Jo Combmes um is experiencing. [clears throat] Um, but I can tell you that uh we tackled that headon and um we really began to um improve our programs and listen to our families and hear from them what it was that um they were leaving for? What what were they finding in these other places? Um and we really responded to our families and our community. um we improved our academics um and and really really focused on providing an exceptional um service for families, for students, and for staff. Um and so I feel um very well equipped and would be honored um to be able to be part of the process of J Combmes as um we're experiencing some of that student
069enrollment um decrease although we're in a growing community and so um as it was stated earlier this is a wonderful community with deep roots. Um the people here care about our schools. They care about um their neighbors, our teachers, and ultimately they really care about our children. And so um I'm dedicated um to work within this community and listen to our families and our teachers and our students um to really set us on a path for um the growth that we know is coming out here. Um couple things you know that I want to share with you about my leadership style. Um students first right that is always going to be uh the driving decisions um behind anything that um I'm discussing or that I'm deciding. And so, um, that would be a shared vision
070that, um, I would hold with all of our employees of Jo Combmes that, um, we're really going to take students, um, into account for anything that we do. Um, trust and communication are very important to me. Um, in in order for us to be a cohesive district and and work well with the community, we really need to um, build trust. And one of the ways that I will do that is through transparent communication. Um I believe that families should be informed about what's going on. I believe that staff should be informed about what's going on and we should talk about the wise. Um and there are some some tough decisions that may need to be um made in um JO Combmes with some of the budget issues. Um and I think it's important um I
071would hear all the voices. I would get that in input um from all the stakeholders um and then clearly communicate um and I think it's important to communicate the good things but also what are the challenges what what's the reality of what we're dealing with and so that's something um that I would bring. Um and then lastly, um I think it's um just really important um to listen and learn and and that would be and lead and that would really be my focus um that first year. A little bit about me personally. I have two children. I've been married to my high school sweetheart for 28 years. Um I have a daughter who is a senior in high school and a son who is a freshman at ASU Poly Technic. um and a great DNE
072who has my heart as well. So um thank you so much. I really appreciate you all being here and um I thank you for being part of this process. >> Thank you Dr. Copeland. Um Mr. Hogan, you're going to be starting this next round. These are three minute questions. uh and we'll simply uh rotate so everybody will have an opportunity to answer the same question. So, and I will I will ask the question before each round. What are the three most important things that a school district superintendent does? First and foremost, there's got to be a focus on academic achievement and making sure our kids are getting what they need to get when they're in school. School is about education. School's about learning. schools about learning how to learn in the future. So, a focus
073on academics. Uh, hands down, that's the whole reason why we're here. That's our whole focus. Um, second, after that, I think the next focus of a superintendent is really budget and financial responsibility. Uh, you can't have good academics. You can't have schools that are doing what they're supposed to be doing. You can't have teachers. You can't have programs. You can't have any of those things if you're messing up money. Uh, and there are people in this audience right here who have worked for me in uh other settings, whether they worked with me as a principal at Skyline Ranch or at Florence High School or as a teacher. Uh, if they've if if I've been fortunate enough to lead them, uh, they have heard me say, uh, two things we don't mess with. We don't, uh,
074we don't do wrong by kids and we absolutely do not mess with money. We don't screw up money because that's what loses trust. Uh and I think that's the third part is making sure that we have the trust uh of our community, the trust of our staff members and the the trust of our students. So uh academics, uh the financial responsibility and the trust of our community. >> Thank you, sir. Dr. Fountain, what are the three most important things that a school district superintendent does? >> All right, and Toby gave you some great ones there. Um I'll I'll frame it slightly differently. Um, I think that for me and my passion in education and instruction, first and foremost, your superintendent is your district instructional leader. They have to be someone who is wellversed in best
075practices, who's in tune with uh the trends in education. Um, and that of course leads to that academic achievement, but it starts with being that leader that's helping to facilitate best practices throughout the district. Um, secondly, I think that one of the key components of a superintendent, I say the same thing about principles all the time, but we are someone who is responsible or charged with the allocation of resources. That's really the greatest role that we do. How do we make sure that the resources are allocated appropriately within the district? And yes, that means finances. That's one component of it. It also means personnel and staffing. It means that we have to look at our facilities and how we're allocating those resources to make sure that all of those are aligned with meeting the needs
076of the district and the objectives that we've sent set for them. And then the last one I think is is that piece of being firmly rooted in relationships. Um folks who work with me know that it is a point of pride for me that um as being someone who's already in this district and has been for the last four years, I've built a lot of relationships with teachers and with students in this district. It's really important even as a superintendent that you're able to walk into a classroom and have a student say to you, "Hi, Dr. Fountain. How are you today?" Or in the case of my favorite seventh grade student at CMS, "How are you?" Um, Dr. Mr. Waterfall, that's what she calls me. It's close to fountain, I'll take it. Um, but really
077having those relationships with students that they know that at all levels of our organization, we are invested in the classroom. That is the essential component. A great superintendent has to be heavily invested in the classroom. They have to be communicating with teachers. They have to have strong relationships with principles. They have to have strong relationships with the governing board. And all of that, as Erica said earlier, has to be focused on what's best for kids. Student achievement is important. It's a critical piece. It's a piece that I'm very proud of my work in, but it's only one piece of the equation. our kids' relationships, their health, their well-being, their excitement in coming to school. All of those are also critical components. So, I would focus on those three critical elements. >> Thank you, sir. >>
078Dr. Copelan, what are the three most important things that a school district superintendent does? >> So, the first thing that comes to mind, right, is the school superintendent. That's the vision. and helps create that shared vision of where we want to go as a district. And so, um, you know, my personal vision is pretty simple. We need to provide an exceptional experience for students, families, and staff. And we need to ensure that we're getting strong outcomes so that all of our students are prepared for the next step after they leave our PK12 system. And so part of the role of superintendent, right, is to lead with that shared vision and help people commit to it and provide the support and communicate well um so that we can have all of our arrows pointing the same
079direction and really moving in the direction that we want to go for this district. And so that that's my first thought. Um certainly um financial um management um being good stewards of our taxpayer dollars is a huge component for a superintendent. um superintendent needs to ensure that um we are making sure that all of our expenditures are aligned with what our strategic plan and our goals are that they are being used for the needs of our families and our students um not necessarily the wants, right? Um and so that would be um something that would be very important. Again, um we know that, uh Joe Combmes is is having some challenges right now with budget. Um and so how do how are we the best stewards of those taxpayer dollars and making sure that we're
080using that money um to go where this where the students are um trying to get as much of it into the classrooms. Um and then lastly, um I think that um one of the key roles of a superintendent um is to communicate, is to communicate. Um it is very important to me that people are informed, that people feel heard and valued. Um and that's how we work together as a a cohesive community. And and that's parents. Um the superintendent needs to be willing to listen to parents. they need to be listening to staff, to students, um to help guide that direction and that shared vision that we're working towards. Um and so those are those are the top three things that come to my mind um for what's important for a superintendent. >> Thank you,
081Dr. Middleton. What are the three most important things that a school district superintendent does? >> I have a 1A and a 1B. And the 1A is certainly the student experience. And under that student experience, of course, is academic achievement. That's why we're all here. We want our students to be successful, but we also want to provide them with a great student experience where they have a link to something. Um, it's well known that when students are involved in their school, in some extracurricular activity or co-curricular activity, they do even better academically. So the student experience is is at the top. Um 1B though is a little different. A superintendent is the agent of the board. The board sets the vision. The superintendent carries that out. So I as an agent of the board, I work
082with them. I provide the technical advice, the technical u and and the experience on what that looks like, where they want to go, and then it's my role on a day-to-day basis to carry that out, whether that is in policy development, financial, um, or or some sort of program that, uh, they would like to see implemented. So, that's, uh, 1 A, 1B. And then certainly uh C is something that's I think pretty common among the four of us and that's that's communication and communication when I say that that's two-way communication. And so I'm um I like to put myself out there and be very vulnerable in whether it's doing a Facebook live on some event or uh I've done a podcast um uh when we were facing our financial difficulties. I did a a eight-part
083financial uh podcast with our business manager because our community needed to know why we were going to make the cuts we were going to make. But first they needed to understand fi school school finance 101. Um and then another area that I've always relied on is surveys. I want to I want to hear back uh from our community to see what's going well, what could be improved upon, and then what advice do you give to me as superintendent and to the board as the the governing board of this district. So those are my three and look forward to our next question. >> Okay. Thank you. Dr. Fountain, you'll be the uh the person starting off with this question. Please identify three positive things about the district and one area in need of improvement. >> All
084right, three positive things. So I can come up with can I do a 1 A, 2 A, 3 A, 4 A. Um, I I think there's a lot of positive aspects of the JO Combmes community here in Santan Valley. Um, I'm going to start with the people. I think that the people are just an incredible asset. Um, in working with the teachers and the administrators in this district, I can tell you that they have a heart for kids. They want our students to be successful. They want to meet the needs of our families and they really go above and beyond to try to make that happen. Um, a second strength or asset I think is just the the sheer nature of our size. We have an opportunity to be very much a family feel. Um,
085we have positive relationships. I remember when I started in the district. Um, and I shared with my team, it was the first day of school and you know, district administrators usually on the first day of school we're going to get out to campuses. And so I said to my team, I'm like, "Okay guys, I hope you have a great first day. I'm going to be at sites. I'll see you tomorrow." I had come from a much larger district where it would have taken me most of the day to get through half the district and at 9:15 I had successfully seen the start of school on all campuses and I was like wow that's fantastic. Um so there's a charm for us as a district of being so tightly connected um and having those those roots
086and those foundations as a close community. I mentioned this in the earlier component, but um you know a great example I was at the football game a couple Friday nights ago and and I see the band doing their thing and and the halftime show and and I see a parent, you know, pushing the the cart full of supplies away and I go, "Hey, that's one of our teachers, you know, and so just that small community feel of folks who are here invested, their kids are going to school here and they've built those relationships." um was chatting earlier before we started about you know Miss Miss Ferman, one of our teachers and and uh community members sharing how she had had multiple kids of theirs and as had Mr. Scrogum and you know I just think
087that that's kind of the the charm. Um one thing that we need to continue to work on um and I going to put it kind of in both camps. I think we've come a long way in our student achievement. We've come a long way in our outcomes but I think that it's really important to not be satisfied with that growth. we still have a higher standard that we're seeking to achieve. As Mr. Quinn would say, we're still trying to plus-size it. Um, so we're we're adding that plus component to that. We're trying to take it to that next level because what we want is not just good for our students. We want the very best. Uh, we want to have the highest quality that we can for all of our students. um one thing that
088that we need to work on, I would say we're still trying to achieve that um that component of student success and student rigor, but I would also say that, you know, some folks have mentioned some of those financial pieces. Um it's really just a matter of right sizing our district and making sure that we're utilizing the data in our hands to make sure that we're planning accordingly so that we're staffing ourselves accordingly and um having the right amount of people in the right places so that our students can have that success. >> Thank you, sir. Dr. Copelan, identify three positive things about the school district and one area in need of improvement, please. >> Okay. So, education is the business of people. And so, one of the greatest strengths of this school district is definitely
089the people. I think um this right here is a a wonderful testament. Um the amount of people that came out to be part of this process um and be able to give input um is amazing. And we have staff in this room who have been here since 3:30ish 3:45 and they're they're staying and they want to be part of the process. Um there's wonderful students within this district. um and a a great community feel. And so I think that's a huge strength and I think it's really important as this community grows and this district is going to grow as well. Um that we try to maintain that small community feel. Um it it is possible. Um and you just have to be really strategic about it. But um it you know definitely people is is
090going to be the greatest um strength of this district. Something that I'm uh really impressed with with this district is the um extracurriculars that are offered. Um there are some really unique unique programs. Um there's some innovation that I have seen and um that's a huge part of the school experience is that extracurricular. For some kids, it really is the purpose for them um to come to school and do well. And um we want to make sure that our students have a strong purpose. Um our CTE programs here in JO Combmes are um amazing. There's great opportunities that are preparing our students for the workforce um for careers, opportunities for them um to receive certifications um and do hands-on learning. So that would be a um a second strength um that I would mention for
091the district. Was it three strengths in one area of Okay. Um and then also I would say um of course there is room to grow for um academics um and that is something that we need to focus on but um at looking at the the data over the years there has been an improvement and JL Combmes has put some good systems and structures in place for strong instruction and they're seeing the results and so um that is something positive and we just want to continue that momentum. We want to always make sure that um we're pushing our students to grow and perform at the highest level. Um and then an area for um improvement would be um I think that we need to um reset and um build some trust out in the community to
092ensure um that they want to send their children. They're moving into this community because it's a great community. Um, we need to make sure that they know that this is a great district. >> Please finish your thought. >> Oh, yes. Sorry. Um, and so, um, that's what I would like to work on, telling our story, improving our product, um, and making sure that families know that J Combmes, then when they move in this area, this is the district of choice for them. >> Thank you, Dr. Middleton. Please identify three positive things about the school district and one area in need of improvement. First one I'm g it's the same one as my last answer. It's this it's the student experience. We're in a district that's just a perfect size where if you're a student and
093you want to be part of something, you can you can be part of that team. In a larger district that has 2,000 4,000 students at a high school, the chance of making that team or being in that club is small or being an officer in that club. We have such an ideal opportunity for our students to participate in and have just a great experience. And that's on top of what's going on in the classroom. That's also a a really a benefit for us. We have a little bit smaller class sizes as Dr. Fountain. We do need to do some right sizing but we have a very personal uh experience for our students which is exactly what we want. Uh the second is certainly our staff. As things come across my desk and something um I
094need to request a staff member, a principal or someone on our facility team to do something uh and it gets done. I always follow up with a thank you and just say really appreciate that and the number of times that I get a response back and says of course I I love doing this. I want to do this you know thank you for your guidance. So our staff certainly is uh you know the second thing we can celebrate right now. And then third, u though, our bond did just fail recently and I would say one of the first things I would advise the board is we need to go back out there. We might need to do things a little bit differently and I have some ideas on that, but we do do need to
095go back because our facilities are really awesome. I've been in a number of districts where this is the most beautiful uh boardroom I've I've been in and district office and the schools and schools aren't that old. Um I I was once superintendent in a district that had the oldest boiler in Montana and uh so that's that's the difference. So let's take care of these and I think we can do that again next November but uh we have a great opportunity um in terms of uh an area to work on. I've been sharing this with the board in the interview. We need to tell our story. uh we are losing students to other options and I always respect parents choice where they want to send their students but when we tell our story even better than
096let them know all the opportunities that are here then they will come and and join our our uh our school community and and come to our schools but that's up to us to have a very strategic communication plan that goes out to uh the people in our jos uh school district. Thank you, sir. Mr. Hogan, please identify three positive things about the district and one in need of improvement. >> I'll say ditto. >> Um, I'd like to start by saying that I think you have a positive in uh I understand that your bond failed. I also understand that your capture rate for students within your district is somewhere in the 30% range. Uh the capture rate for stu for students in my district currently is 40%. Our bond also failed. Our bond failed 6040 almost
097across the board. Your bond did not fail 7030 which means you have people who are in your community who don't have kids who are in your district or attending schools who support you. You're like this close. That's a strength. That's a huge strength. It it's terrible that a bond fails and there's some there's some heartache with that, but you're not far off. And so I think that's that's a huge strength. Uh I also think you have a huge strength in your board. Uh again, 22 years in in the same district. I can off the top of my head think of very very quickly only five people who had a background in education whether they they be former teachers um or related services people like like special education or psychologists or something like that. uh you
098have five people on your board right now that have backgrounds in education, that have done teaching, that have degrees in teaching um or have degrees in uh education related services. So that's that's huge. Uh of my five that I have in my district, uh three of them are on the board currently right now. So that that's a huge strength I think for your district. You have a a leadership team uh at the board level that is very focused and understands education and understands what it needs to to do to run a district. uh and they're very they're very much uh on the same page with that. So I think it's a strength. Uh I also want to echo the CTE and the fine arts. Uh I was a band director for uh my teaching career.
099That's what I did. I I taught band at the elementary level to middle school. I was a high school band director. Uh and I was always always jealous of Jolmes High School. Uh because you all have a phenomenal facility uh to to have your performing arts in uh your theater programs, your band programs. Um they're top-notch. you got you have good stuff going on there. So, I think those are great things. Again, that's what kids a lot of times come to school for. Uh especially at that high school level, that's what they get jazzed about. That's three. Um and then as far as the uh the improvement, um when we go out for bonds and overrides and those types of things, we do a great job of advertising. We're telling our story for like a
100solid three or four months, like because we want the yes vote. Uh public schools don't do a good job, my district doesn't do a good job of telling that story the whole way through. like we we don't ever stop telling that story. We don't ever stop marketing J Combmes to the community again that we we have people that are going to be moving in. We have new developments that's going on. Uh we need to make sure that they know that we're the best in the area and they should be choosing us. >> Thank you, sir. >> Have you had that question? >> Yes. >> Okay. I just wanted to verify. Thank you. So, how do you plan to encourage a positive culture and increase student enrollment? >> I think you create a positive culture um
101by listening, right? People want to feel heard. They want to know that um leadership is listening to them. And so as superintendent, I would provide opportunities for the community and for the staff to be heard. Um putting systems in place, um uh opportunities to chat, surveys, um committees, things like that. I think that's that's a a really important way to build trust. And so um you're not going to have a positive culture for your district um if people don't trust you. Um, another way that I would build trust is I would be very visible. Um, people need to know that the schools are important to me, the students and the community are important to me, and that I'm involved and I'm out there. Um, and I love being involved with students and participating. And so,
102that's something that would be um a huge priority for me um in ter I'm sorry um in terms of making sure that I'm building that culture. Mr. Mr. Carter, will you repeat the question for me real quick? >> How do you plan to encourage a positive culture and increase student enrollment? >> Okay. Yeah. So, communication is key. Follow through. Um listening, those are all things. I also think it's really important um to make sure that um we're celebrating successes. Um people want to be recognized for all the great things that are happen happening. Um sometimes we really focus on all the areas that we can improve and get better and that's super important. Um but uh education is a noble profession and um these people are doing great things for kids every single day and
103we need to honor and recognize that and that goes a really long way with building the culture. Um, in terms of increasing student enrollment, um, I think that we need to provide the best experience out there for our families, for our students, for our staff. Um, if people know that they're going to receive a great experience, that their students are going to have strong outcomes and be prepared um, for careers or college or trades, whatever path it is that our students want to take, they're going to come to our district. Um, and so if if we can provide that exceptional experience, um, if we can focus on student outcomes, if we can listen to the community and know what it is that they want for their children, right? We're here for students. It's the children.
104That's that's why we're all here. And so families, we need to listen to families. What is it that they're looking for? what do they find at some of these other places um that maybe we need to make sure that we're bringing to our district? Um and so marketing, telling our story, >> telling our story um and making sure that people know that um this is the best choice in Santan Valley. >> Thank you, Dr. Middleton. How do you plan to encourage a positive culture and increase student enrollment? It really does um start with great communication and I think all of us have talked about that already tonight and my emphasis on two-way communication through a variety of modes. The thing that I would add to this is um we we can't forget the student voice.
105And so I've in previous districts we had student representatives sit on the board. They were not uh voting members but they came to the board meetings and when it came t uh I'm sorry when it came time for um students to uh uh I'm sorry when it came time for the board report the students then got a chance to share with the board some of the highlights and concerns that they have. I've also been in districts where students have sat on the stu uh superintendent council and so made up of district leaders but also we wanted the student voice to be present there and so they participated um with us in those meetings as well. um terms of uh you know the next step and how do how do we recapture I I think we've
106been hitting on some similar themes of of telling our story and having a very strategic plan and in reaching our community and um it it simple things as surveying those students those families who do not choose combs what is it about combs that uh or your the place that you're taking your child to for school that we don't have. What you know, basically what could we do to have you consider uh consider combs? Um and then in terms of our marketing, again, we uh we need to get the word out on all the great things. My last district, we we produced a fiveminute video that we wanted to get into the hands. We were losing um a number of students because we were at the end of the road and they were going to Lake
107Stevens and Everett uh where their parents might have worked. We want them to stay with us and so um you know one simple thing was doing this marketing uh video and it wasn't the adults talking. We wanted uh the students to share in this video what they were doing, what they loved about the school district um and made sure we had action shots of them in their CTE classes, in their in their clubs, in um just all of their classes. And certainly we had staff members speak to it as well. But it was the powerful voice of the students that made a difference. >> Thank you, sir. Dr. Hogan, how do you plan to encourage a positive culture and increase student enrollment? >> It's Mr. Hogan. I don't want to have any false advertising. It's
108not doctor yet. Um, I've always believed as a whether I was an elementary principal or whether a high school principal, uh, it's important to me that kids want to be in my school first and foremost. They want to come to school every day. Second, that I need my parents to feel safe and secure that they're sending their kids to me. And especially when I was an elementary school principal, when you're sending your kindergarten baby to me, that that child is safe, that they're going to be uh taken care of, and they're going to come out in the same piece that they came in in the morning, right? Uh and then third, uh that my staff really wants to be a part of the campus. They want to be there. They enjoy being there. Um I
109think those are three important things to uh develop culture in the campus and to make sure that they have a good experience. Um we just need to say it like it is. We uh we have an attack on public education. It's coming from the state legislature when it comes with ESAs and when it comes to charter schools. Plain and simple. It is what it is. Uh so we need to be better than what the charter is being sold as. Uh there's nothing that we do differently in Santan Valley, in Florence, in J Combmes, in Queen Creek. There's nothing that we do differently in our community. We are very much the same demographic. We are very much a lot of the same belief patterns. There's nothing different that the charter schools are giving us than what
110we're doing right here. they're just marketing better. Uh, and so we need to be better than them. Uh, Combmes High School has done a great job. I truly believe it is super super hard to be an A-rated high school uh because you have one grade level that's going to do one test one year and that is your academic piece of uh your grade level. Now, they have other great things with CTE programs and your advanced placement programs and other things that can get them some points, but as far as academics and growth and uh proficiency, you have one test with one grade level. That's it. Um, and so I think that's difficult. And so when you have an A-rated high school, like that should be extremely applauded and celebrated because it's huge. Um, and that's
111on that's taken us everything on the track to to get to the right spot. Uh, the other schools need to be A-rated schools as well. Uh, when those are A-rated and we are a fully A-rated district, uh, that's better than a charter school. Look around. There's there's charter schools that are not A-rated. They're not better than what we are doing right here. They're not better than what the the rest of the East Valley is doing. And so we can uh just need to market better and we need to uh showcase uh things like our athletic programs, our fine arts programs, the CTE programs here are going back to my high school, they're like off the chain, okay? They're great. Uh to watch a video and see kids actually making productions, video productions, to watch kids
112actually doing medical uh training with on their campus, to watch kids uh doing theater and uh their band programs. Those are great. There are there are charter schools that don't offer that. Uh and we need to be excellent in those. We need to be winning state championships. We need to have that excitement on a high school campus when girls basketball makes a run uh and and all the student body is showing up into into the gym. That creates buzz and kids want to be a part of that. When there's success there, other kids want to be a part of that. >> Thank you, sir. >> Dr. Fountain, how do you plan to encourage a positive culture and increase student enrollment? So for me I think that a positive culture really begins with authenticity. Um I
113think that in any position of leadership we must also remember that each of these four people in front of you are also human beings. Um and we come with skill sets, we come with experiences, we come with passion and heart. We come with flaws as well. And I think embracing that authenticity is one of the best ways that we can build a positive culture. Um, this is not something that I seek to do. I'm confident in saying it's not something that these three folks seek to do um, independently or alone. This is about a relationship as a team, as a community that's built on trust. It's built on transparency, and it's built on passion for what's best for kids. One of the things that I think is absolutely critical in developing culture is that I
114be able to look at at a parent in the eye and say, "Crazy as it sounds, I love your kid just as much as you do. They're important to me. They matter to me as a human being." That's the heart of an educator. And when we come to the table and we work together to collaboratively develop a district that we can be proud of, that's where we really change the culture. That's the work that our our principles do every day. That's the work that our teachers and our teacher leaders do every day is they give their heart and soul to kids and they try to build those positive relationships. And yes, academic achievement is a part of that. We've talked about that already tonight. Um but it's also about giving them a sense of belonging,
115a sense of purpose, a sense of hope. Um and really working together to make sure that those things are the best they can be. when we look at recapturing or capturing student enrollment. Um, you know, Toby said it well. My whole dissertation was on charters. I could talk about that for days, but that's not why we're here. Um, but really we are super competitive with our charter counterparts. And there are some areas where we're never going to compete. That there's a specific draw that we're not going to compete with. So, we let that go. But we do have to ask the question about what is it that we might be missing within our community that we can fill that void. Um, you know, one of the things that I know from working with our principles
116the last couple years is that we've worked really hard to change some of the perceptions in the community in relation to what we do and how we handle student behaviors. We know that those are challenging in the classroom. And we want to make sure that our families know that we take those seriously and that we're creating a culture where education comes first and foremost, where we're seeking excellence and we're addressing issues and concerns as they come up. When we do that, we put a quality product together and the folks will start to come back. It may never be more than that 40 50% with all of the competition that exists around us, but we can have a very high quality district that is a solid option for families and that our staff is proud to
117promote. >> Thank you, sir. So, folks, we've done we've done three loops and for question number four and question number five, we need to modify it to maintain our rotation. So, on question number four, we're going to start with Dr. Middleton and come all the way down. On question five, we're going to start here and go down that way. So, everybody will stay equal in that regard. So, I I bet we can take care of that. All right. So, Dr. Mr. Middleton, um, this particular question had a comment behind it and I think to protect the veracity of the question, I need to tell you what it was. So, this is a personal question. This is not a professional question. This is a personal question to each of you. Why now? White Combmes. >> I've
118shared that uh I've had a number of years in that position of superintendent and I started teaching in a district of 80,000 students as a teacher. I was a high school social studies teacher, but I wanted to have my kids experience what I did in Montana. And so we returned to Montana and that's where I spent the majority of my career. And I've noticed that what I love is that school district of, you know, 2,000 to 6,000 students because of everything we've talked about tonight. It's that uh it's my wheelhouse. It's where I get to know every staff member, so many of the families, work closely with the board, help develop a strategic plan. It's no, it's not a machine like so many larger districts are. This is personal and I know that um I
119excel in this environment because of that, because of what I said earlier. There aren't too many layers between a superintendent's office and a classroom. And as superintendent, I've always taken an active role in the academic achievement. And because of the size, I'm able to do that. Um in terms of why now I I shared earlier that I moved to Santan Valley and um I had shared with the the uh staff at our first session that I had followed Dr. Wyman from far away from the Pacific Northwest on LinkedIn and I liked so much of what he was doing and for me to have an opportunity to come and work with him was just really really a blessing for me and when I got here I told him you know I've I was at a district
120and like him we went through CO and in Washington they were a bit more precautious in how they address COVID and you spend so much political capital that uh a superintendent has a shelf life. Now, I could have stayed there for years and years, but I just know, okay, it's time for a change for that district. And when I came down to Combmes and had an opportunity to join uh the staff as as the HR director and work with Dr. Wyman. Um, it was it only took about three months October a year ago when I thought I'm missing being a superintendent. Now, I'm going to be a better superintendent because of my time in human resources and we've done some nice things in human resources, but um my passion is leading a district and as
121I said earlier, I think this is just a great opportunity where we have a a veteran seasoned superintendent and now we're facing some very difficult challenges that um I can step in. I work closely with him. I work closely with many of you that um I think that transition will be seamless and so I'm excited to be here. Um I'm committed to Combmes and again would look forward to being your superintendent. >> Thank you Dr. Middleton. >> Mr. Hogan, um a personal question, why now and why Combmes? Well, as I showed in my opening, Santan Valley is where I've uh laid down my roots. It's where I've raised my family. It is my community. Uh I didn't leave when uh the community went through hard times in 2007 8 n people were losing houses and
122losing jobs and everybody was, you know, uh had a lot of teacher friends that were fleeing the district and moving somewhere else. Uh we didn't leave the district. We stayed. Uh we didn't leave Santan Valley. We stayed. um you're going to know for me that kind of what you see is what you get and I say what I say and you're either with it or you're not and that's okay like either way. Um it was always the dream that I would be the superintendent of Florence Unified School District 100%. Built my career there, started as a teacher. Uh it was it is my goal to do that. Uh I don't truly believe that by the time I retire I have an opportunity to to lead in that capacity. Uh I don't believe that Mr. Kudson
123is going to leave anytime soon. uh he's won people over with the barbecue he cooks. I don't know if you've watched the news or have heard about it, but he he's got a stronghold on people. Uh I also know that I have two people that are assistant superintendents above me in that district that are extremely competent, very good leaders, very good leaders that have also been with the district for a very long time. So, I'm not naive to think that I'm just going to jump over somebody. Um this district uh has lots of similarities to the district I'm currently in. Uh some of it is people that you've stolen from us um that used to be teachers of mine or staff of mine um because you were able to pay them better than what we
124were able to pay them. Uh and so I'm a little bit jealous of that. Uh I've admired the JL Combs District. I think you have a lot of the same characteristics that we do. You have a lot of the same growth that we did back in the early 2000s. You're going through a lot of the same struggles that we're going through right now. and I feel like I can be a positive force and work with your board and uh do right by this the students of JLO Combmes and the Santan Valley community. >> Thank you, sir. Dr. Fountain, a personal question. Why now? And why Combmes? >> All right. Thank you. [clears throat] Are we faking the timer? Counting my head. All right. Got it. Um the the answer why now? Why Combmes? um truly
125and genuinely is what's in front of me right now. Um like many folks, you know, I've gone through my educational career, um I chose to pursue my doctoral degree. Lots of folks in the doctoral program are folks who aspire to be superintendent. Anyone who's gone through that experience knows that there are folks who pursue that path who desire to be a superintendent. um that's really important to them and they'll go wherever they need to go to be a superintendent. Um they'll hop from one district to another district, they'll move out of state, they'll do whatever they need to do um because that's a career goal for them. I share in that sentiment of wanting to be a superintendent because I believe in my capacity to lead a district. But I always said that if it
126was going to happen, this is how I would want it to be. I would want it to be as someone who's built relationships within a district community. Um that has been a part of that community that truly understands the district, understands the need of the district and can really lead them in that capacity. Um again, I think you've got four great folks sitting in front of you today. But for me, why now? Um, I think I am of the four the most uniquely positioned to truly understand the district, understand the financial aspects of the district, understand what's happening in our classrooms, understand what's happening at all levels of the organization to be able to be a seamless transition and a step forward based on the relationships that I built, the growth that we've achieved the
127last four years, and the hope that we have for the future. >> Thank you, sir. >> Dr. Copeland. Why now and why Combmes? >> All right. Well, I'm gonna talk about why Combmes first because I noticed all three of us, all four of us are doing that. Um, so why combs? I love this community. I've lived in this area for the past 27 years. I love the small town feel. I love the rural feel. Um, I love that there are deep roots and people who care deeply about the community, about the school district. Um, and um, there are great things happening here. I'm I'm I'm really impressed um, with the staff, with the students, with the families. Um, and and I'm passionate about the fact that schools are the heart of the community. And so
128I want to be part of Joo Combmes to strengthen help strengthen this district to help strengthen the community. Um and and why now? Well, there's so much opportunity. This is such an exciting time. Um you guys are growing, right? This community is building. we have um incorporation on the horizon and there's going to be opportunities to build partnerships and be part of um a town council and a chamber that's coming in. Um and that's really going to benefit this school district and this community. Um and so it's it's an exciting time and and honestly I'm ready. That's why now I have experienced these um types of changes in my district. um I have a lot of experience with it and I feel like I can bring a lot of value to J Combmes um and
129really set us on the path. Um it it's going to be challenging, right? Growth with growth comes challenges. It there comes um a lot of benefits, but there comes challenges. And um I truly believe that um my skill set and my experiences um really align with being able to lead this district um forward to the next positive chapter. Um and so that's why now >> and Dr. Copelan, you can go ahead and stay out because we're going back. You're going to be first on this question. Oh, >> so your final thoughts about why you should be selected. Final thoughts. I care deeply about children and students. I care deeply about our educators who dedicate their lives to teaching our students. I feel deeply connected to this community and I really want to be um able
130to lead and collaborate with all of you to really bring to grow with us, right? The district growing, the community growing and set it on the path for success. Um I I want to help move us forward. Um, one of the things that I tell people is, um, you're gonna find a hard time ever finding someone who's going to outwork me. I am just wired to be a a hard worker. I spend a lot of time. I'm boots on the ground. Um, and I think that's what J Combmes needs. I think that's what's going to help make this district successful. Um, as we move forward, um, I care deeply about people. Um, again, this is a people business and um, so I'm going to work my hardest to build relationships and build connections with this
131community and with this school district. Um, and I think um, you know, together we can do um, great things. So, thank you so much for having me here this evening. >> Dr. Fountain, your final thoughts about why you should be selected. All right. I appreciate the opportunity. Um, you know, when I think about uh final thoughts and and this opportunity to potentially be selected as the next superintendent. Um, for me, it's really about my heart, my passion, my desire and pursuit of excellence on behalf of this district. Um, that's not something for me that started with an opportunity to apply for an interview for the superintendent position. It started when I came to this district and it was a choice that I made because when I interviewed here it was a really positive impression and
132I really felt like this was the place that I belong. Over the last four years of being in this district I think I've developed some great relationships with our district leadership, our site leadership, and our teachers in the community. And for me, the opportunity is there to really take that next step forward as someone who truly understands the district. um who has some great ideas about what we can do next and where we want to go next. Um and to me, that's the ideal scenario that you want when you're going to make a superintendent transition. Um you're not looking to go a crazy different direction. You're looking to take those best practices that we have in place and to take them to the next level to do some things a little bit different perhaps than
133the previous leadership did to fix the IT. Just kidding, Craig. Sorry. um and and to really put that that in place. So, you know, my heart is here. This is truly where I want to be. Um I think I've demonstrated that far beyond the capacity of this interview process. Um and it would truly be an honor to serve as the next superintendent. Thank you. >> Thank you, sir. Mr. Hogan, your final thoughts about why you should be selected. >> This is similar question to that the board asked when we were in interviews. Um, and I think it's important to say, uh, this Combmes district is not broken. Uh, this is not a a position to come into just because something is broken and we need to fix it and rebuild it from the ground up
134because it's been run into the ground. Dr. Wyman and and these gentlemen here, they they've done a great job. The leadership in our schools in this district have done a great job. Um, and that's evident by uh what kids say, what parents say. It's evident by what teachers say. uh when they showed up earlier today and I got to you know walk around and and ask questions um they came up with the questions and they were thoughtful very uh direct questions about how are we going to do good things for uh the district. So the district is not broken. Uh the district is going through a tough time. Uh it's going to be a speed bump and there's going to be great times ahead uh because growth is coming and things will be great again
135and we will um we will make positive changes and we're going to continue the great things that are going on. Again, Dr. Wyman and his team have done amazing things to uh build a foundation of of educational excellence and it's time to just keep that train moving. Um quite honestly, I've always led with um being able to be my kids principal. I was their elementary principal. I was a high school principal of one of my boys. Uh, and I've always said if it's not good enough for my kid, it shouldn't be good enough for anybody else's. Um, and I I've I've done that uh my entire 22 career year career with the Florence district. And I just like to add that in with the JO Combmes district as well. >> Sir, Dr. Middleton, your final
136thoughts on why you should be selected. Toby said something at the last question and when he finished I had to lean over and say that's where I'm at too. And his statement was what you see is what you get. And that really is me. I believe in sort of a vulnerable leadership. I'm ready. I'm always willing and ready to put myself out there. I want to push back a little bit on uh you know my my career choices. Um I have been a superintendent for a long time. Um, I'm not a hired gun. Wherever I go, I go and I'm totally entrenched in that community. I become part of that community. And um, I I look forward I'm I'm already here in Santan Valley and uh, look forward to getting even more entrenched in Santan
137Valley and and would really be honored to be the next superintendent. But my last thought is it really isn't up to me. Right now there are there's a board of governing board that will make that decision. They've gone through a lot of interviews, a lot of records, a lot of uh letters. They're hearing your input. So it really doesn't matter what the four of us think. They need to find the person that's the best fit. They need to find the person that's going to carry out their vision. And um so I I say this um every time I'm I'm in this position. I wish them the best as they I want them to pick the best of the four of us. And uh and it's not easy, but I I thank them for their service
138and um uh just look forward for them to have their deliberation, take your input, um talk together and make the best decision for jos. Thank you, sir. So, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for being here tonight. I have a few brief comments to make. Um, I have the um the ability and the opportunity to work with governing boards and school districts all over the state and do executive searches and many other things. But I will tell you that uh at the end of the process I have a pretty good understanding as to the quality of the candidates and I will tell you you've got four very well-qualified candidates right here in this room tonight. So that's a that's a good thing. They probably should get a round of applause for that. And you
139also have a majority of a governing board in the room who also have been working very hard on this process. They understand that this is the most important job that a governing board does in their tenure because it has an impact on everything in the district and everybody that attends schools and all the taxpayers and property owners and business owners and so on. So, we probably need to give them a big round of applause as well. If I have a hero in this process, she's right here. She's awesome. He needs to get a raise. Oh no. And folks, thank you for being here. You are an extremely part of this process. So, please make sure that that you use the QR code. Give us the information. I like these people. I don't like these people.
140This is the one. This is not the one. Whatever you want to tell us, the the board would very much like to hear that information. So, please provide the feedback before you leave this evening. Uh we will be here for a little bit and so uh if you need to stay around for a while that's fine but please have a safe trip home. Thanks for being here.