Superintendent

Superintendent Web Message June 21 2022

June 21, 2022

Dear GUSD Families and Friends,

It’s so hard to believe that we are almost a month past graduation.  The Globe High School commencement exercises on May 26, 2022 were a wonderful celebration of the accomplishments of about 120 graduating students.  Looking back on their accomplishments, I was so impressed with their perseverance and grit.  They faced unprecedented challenges with online learning, hybrid school attendance, and all of the other complications produced by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Looking back over the past few years has brought me to a place of considerable reflection.  I am completing my 10th year as superintendent here at Globe Unified School District and there have been many challenges as well as many significant accomplishments.  I just want to reflect on some of the achievements and challenges GUSD has faced and is facing.  I will just list a few of the district accomplishments over the past decade followed by a few of the challenges>

District Accomplishments 2012 – 2022

  1. Increased teacher and staff pay every year beginning 2013-2014.
  2. Implemented “Beyond Textbooks” program providing vertically aligned K-12 curriculum resources.
  3. Adopted “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” processes and trained all district employees in CKH principles.
  4. Participated in Arizona Department of Education “Project Elevate” for teachers, principals, and district administrators and began to better utilize student achievement data.
  5. Participated in a national program “Talent for Turnaround Leadership Academy” focused on teacher recruitment and retention which lead to a new teacher mentoring program.
  6. Initiated student activities FIRST Robotics and E-Sports which help students to prepare for 21st century workforce opportunities.

Challenges 2012 – 2022

  1. Continued challenges recruiting and retaining professional staff exacerbated during and after COVID-19.
  2. Addressing learning loss as a result of COVID-19 educational stoppages and interruptions.
  3. Managing financial resources in a fiscally wise manner with aging buildings and infrastructure while dealing with residual budgetary reductions from the great recession of 2008-2012.
  4. Staying committed to district board goals.  (Excelling Schools through community involvement, customer service, curriculum, staff retention, and student success programs; and Fiscal Responsibility through present and future planning; conservative approach to live within the district’s means; maintaining physical and financial resources; and solvency by not borrowing for operational expenses.

This list is certainly not all encompassing.  There are many more accomplishments and challenges that could be listed.  However, in reflecting on where GUSD has been and where we are going, it could well be said, “we’ve come a long way, but there is still a long way to go!”

As we continue on the journey of serving the students of the GUSD communities, I commit to staying the course toward achieving our vision of “Capturing hearts, empowering minds”.  Thank you to our students, staff, parents, families, and the greater community for helping us in that effort.  I look forward to working with you all as we enter the 2022-2023 school-year.  Let’s work together to make it our best year yet.

Sincerely,

Jerry Jennex, Superintendent