DVUSD News - Letter from Dr. Veitenheimer About Public Day School Initiative

From: "DVUSD News" <webmaster@dvusd.org>
Subject: DVUSD News - Letter from Dr. Veitenheimer About Public Day School Initiative
Date: March 5th 2013

Dear Valued Stakeholder,

I would like to thank the Governing Board and community for its patience as we reexamine our efforts to move the district forward, meeting student, parent and community needs, while keeping in mind the best interest of the entire district.

In February, I decided it was best to take a step back and restructure the conversation regarding the Public Day School initiative – especially since the work and recommendation from the previous months were described as biased and not inclusive. DVUSD is forming an Alternative Public Day School Input Committee to ensure stakeholder involvement as we move forward with the process.

The committee will be responsible for reviewing the utilization of our facilities and making a recommendation during a May Governing Board meeting to repurpose one elementary school into an Alternative Public Day School beginning in the 2014-15 school year.

Be assured, the committee structure and process will demonstrate our commitment to transparency, openness and inclusivity. Members will be comprised of the following:

• Two teachers;
• Two principals;
• District Support Services Parent Liaison;
• One parent and one business partner from each of the District’s five high school regions;
• The PTSA president from each of the eight impacted schools (Desert Sage, Desert Winds, Esperanza, Greenbrier, Mirage, Mountain Shadows, New River and Sunrise), or a designee chosen by the PTSA president.

The committee will be facilitated by former Governing Board member Rob Edmund. No district administrators previously involved in the proposal will serve, including myself, but we will serve as resources to the committee. To facilitate clear and consistent communication of the committee’s efforts, an Internal and External Communication will be created and posted to the District website and employee Portal after each committee event.

The communication effort will originate from within the committee and will be distributed with the support of the District’s Public Relations Department. The committee’s first meeting will take place March, 18, 2013.

A second committee, the Transition Committee, will be formed to review, revise and implement a plan for the students, parents, community and buildings impacted by the committee’s recommendation. The District faces many obstacles as we address the $6 million projected M&O dollar deficit, significantly impacted by the failure of Proposition 204 and the loss of the District's $7.5 million Capital Override election this past November. In addition to budgetary decisions, there is a large number of DVUSD students in need of services we don’t currently provide within our District. Those students are currently being sent to a Private Day School and are not receiving the quality education we want for all our students.

Deer Valley remains committed to inclusivity, openness and transparency. Throughout this planning process, we will work together as a community to address repurposing and to provide all students with the best educational experience.

Sincerely,

Dr. James R. Veitenheimer
Superintendent