Amphi News
September 2021
In this issue:
- Summary of Sept. 14 Governing Board Meeting
- Distinguished Service Award winners
- Briefing on federal vaccination mandate proposal
- Meet the new Web & Digital Media Specialist
Governing Board Meeting Summary
First meeting of the school year
- Students led Pledge of Allegiance. This month the students were from Copper Creek Elementary School.
- Student art was on display, also from Copper Creek.
- Two employees, (one classified staff member and one certified staff member,) were honored as the month's Distinguished Service Award winners.
- The Governing Board recognized other individuals for their accomplishments.
- The Board conducted District business per the meeting agenda.
Interested in learning more about the Governing Board? Visit the Amphitheater Governing Board page for more information and a link to meeting agendas.
Pledge of Allegiance
Distinguished Service Awards
Recognitions
Superintendent Update
Operational highlights and updates:
- NWEA MAP (B.O.Y.) testing is nearing completion. Data will be finalized by early October.
- P.D. ongoing for ELA and Schoology adoptions – both of which were necessitated by expiring procurements. Both offer such potential!
- Rebound: Our schools are focused on restoration and acceleration of learning following hybrid/remote learning modes.
- Amira: This is a new dyslexia screening system we are implementing.
- Recruitment and retention of staff continues to be a challenge due to applicant shortages, marketplace competition, and wage compression (minimum wage changes). Impacts to bus routes, grounds and maintenance, health office staffing, and instructional assistance in particular.
- ESSER Funds: Leadership will be presenting an informational item at the Sept. 28 Governing Board meeting to review public input, use, and planning thus far.
- Retention Stipends. The first payments for this school year were released to employees last week. The next is scheduled for January. The Board has approved the 3 percent stipend for next year.
- 12,000 Chromebooks now purchased and received – 1:1 device to student ratio goal is fully realized (and then some, considering desktop units – 1,000 newly acquired; thousands more already in labs and classrooms).
Pandemic Conditions
At each board meeting, Superintendent Jaeger provides a review of pandemic conditions with a focus on Pima County and the District.
Points of note:
- Pima County remains in the High Transmission category.
- Cases in the county seem to be leveling off but are still high.
- Percent positivity has improved since its peak but is still high.
- Amphitheater is working with the Pima County Health Department to host and publicize vaccination clinics in our schools.
- The Superintendent urges everyone to get vaccinated if they can.
The Superintendent shared Pima County Health's chart below. Cases among school-age children are surpassing those of people over 45 years old.
Legendary Teacher Day
Study of Governing Board policies
To see which policies were studied and to review the suggestions, please visit the Governing Board agenda and scroll to the policy review item.
Distinguished Service Award winners
Update on White House's vaccination proposal
On September 9, 2021, the White House announced new COVID-19 vaccination requirements for employers under certain circumstances. The White House plan requires the United States Department of Labor (DOL) to develop a rule to increase the number of vaccinated Americans through a new set of policies governing workplace safety.
According to the Labor Department, its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing the rule, which will apply in Arizona and will include educators and school staff, because our state is one of 26 states and two territories with an OSHA plan.
The Labor Department has not released the OSHA rule publicly yet, but says it will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require unvaccinated workers to provide negative test results to their employer on a weekly basis.
The rule is expected to require covered employers to provide paid time off for employees to get vaccinated and to recover if they are under the weather post-vaccine. The rule is also expected to include fines of up to $14,000 per employee for employers that do not comply with the new requirements.
We are monitoring the situation closely and will comply with the law if/when it goes in effect. While it is not clear how the rule will account for states, including Arizona, that have passed laws prohibiting vaccination requirements for school employees for in-person instruction, federal law generally takes precedence over state laws.
Challenges to the White House plan have already been filed even though the rule has not been made public. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
Have Questions? We Have Answers!
The Communications team receives the emails and will get answers ASAP. No question is too hard or too silly. We are here to help!
New member of the Communications team
You may see Sam on your campus and around the District taking pictures and video. He is in charge of our District website, social media sites and coverage of events around Amphitheater. If you would like to invite Sam to something happening in your class, school or department, please contact him. You can find him at shenson@amphi.com or 696-5225.
Sharing news about the District
Amphitheater Public Schools
Email: contactus@amphi.com
Website: www.amphi.com
Location: 701 W. Wetmore Road
Phone: 520-696-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/amphischools
Twitter: @amphischools