Thompson on board as new YUHSD leader
Gina Thompson officially became the new superintendent of the Yuma Union High School District on Wednesday evening, inking her contract after the close of the governing board meeting.
“I am just so honored and appreciative,” Thompson said following the board meeting. “I love this district and this community. It’s my home.”
Thompson was chosen from a candidate pool in January. She began her teaching career in Yuma County in the early 1990s at Cibola High School, and through the years, moved from there to Yuma High and then to Kofa where she was the principal before transitioning into district administration.
Asked about her immediate goals in the position, Thompson said the work has never ceased. “We will continue to move forward in working to increase our achievement scores in AZMerit and things that the state measures us on. We are also looking forward to developing our use of technology and use of data to inform our teaching and learning. And, finally, supporting our teachers so they can be the best for our students.”
During the call to the public, Yuma resident Gary Wright, a former city councilman and educator, asked the board to consider having Thompson sign a one-year contract, as teachers do.
“Then if you see the criteria and measurable goals being met by the superintendent, then you go forward with a multiple year contract,” he suggested. “And the reason is because it sets a good tone because teachers are on a one-year contract, and they have to perform, and teachers are always, they’re taught everybody should be evaluated the same, and so it’s nothing against the superintendent.”
Thompson’s contract calls for a base salary of $146,607.30, making her one of the highest paid superintendents in the county, based on comparison data from the State Superintendent’s Annual Report.
Also on the agenda was a proposed discussion of ARS 9-500.26. — Authority to regulate the entry of minors into Mexico; exemption from liability.
The discussion was prompted by board member David Lara’s concerns that students in Yuma County schools are being used as “mules” to smuggle illegal drugs into the county. Lara had invited acting San Luis police chief Richard Jessup to speak to the board on the issue, but board president Phil Townsend said that Jessup could not address the board because he was not on the agenda.
Townsend said he had done his own research on the issue and that no border community in Arizona had adopted such a law.
Board member Shelley Mellon moved that the board take no action on the issue.
In addition to approving Thompson’s contract, the Board also heard from student council members from Yuma High, Kofa High and San Luis High about campus happenings as well as a presentation from Future Farmers of America (FFA) students as part of recognizing next week as FFA Week. San Luis Principal Tamara Ray also shared data and insight about her campus as part of the featured principal segment of the meeting.