YUHSD taps its own to take on top role

Interim chief Thompson gets supt. job

Yuma Union board members tapped Gina Thompson to be the district’s next superintendent.

With David Lara dissenting, the board voted 4-1 to move into the negotiation phase with Thompson, who has worked at the district for nearly 30 years. Thompson would not take the position until a contract with the board is formalized and approved.

Thompson, who is originally from Washington state, was named the district’s interim superintendent in October upon the retirement of Toni Badone, who left the district to become the Arizona director of AdvancED.

Thompson’s interim contract expired Dec. 31, but was renewed at Wednesday’s board meeting through Feb. 14.

District administration and board members declined to comment on Thompson’s appointment on the advice of its Arizona School Boards Association search consultant, Nic Clement, who is also a council member of the Arizona office of AdvancED, according

to its website.

The board made the decision to tap Thompson among its first agenda items.

Lara did not give a reason for his dissenting vote at the meeting.

Ready Now Yuma Director Eric Brooks updated the board on how the program is progressing. During a two-day training, Cambridge instructors encouraged teachers to share lesson plans and other ideas for teaching content.

Brooks noted that teaching methods and strategies are being aligned at the campuses so all teachers and students are on the same topics at the same time and being held to the same high standards.

“High teacher turnover hurts student achievement,” Brooks noted, quoting an education researcher.

The board heard reports from the student councils of Cibola, Gila Ridge and Vista high schools. It also approved a guaranteed maximum building price with McCarthy Construction for renovations to Kofa’s

campus.

An intergovernmental agreement was approved between AWC, YUHSD and Yuma School District 1 that is good through 2020. The pact contains an updated fee schedule.

Phillip Townsend was nominated to serve as board president again, and Bruce Gwynn was nominated to be vice president.

Buy this photo at YumaSun.com FILE PHOTO BY RANDY HOEFT/YUMA SUN GINA THOMPSON, THEN-ASSOCIATE superintendent for the Yuma Union High School District, speaks during a Yuma Youth Town Hall at Arizona Western College in 2015. Thompson is the new YUHSD superintendent.