YUHSD officials: School year off to strong start
Other than a few lost school schedules here and there, the start of the school year seemed to go by fairly well for students within the Yuma Union High School District.
Thousands of teens flocked to their respective campuses for the very first day of the 2018-19 school year on Thursday.
“It’s been a great day,” said YUHSD Superintendent Gina Thompson. “I just couldn’t be prouder of how everyone planned so well. There was just an overall great culture, tone and vibe coming from all the campuses. I am super proud today to be a superintendent here, and it was great to see how everybody worked really hard to make the best of the first day.”
YUHSD Communications Director Eric Patten visited all six campuses within the district. He noted that
there was the usual flurry of activity for the start of the school season.
“Everything went smoothly,” he said. “Of course, the first day of school is always sort of a test case. There are going to be little hiccups after a few dress rehearsals with registration. The first day is the actual event. But other than a few hiccups here or there, such as someone not having their schedule or anything like that, it was generally a pretty smooth day for everybody.”
The atmosphere of excitement was especially potent at Vista Alternative, Patten added.
“We opened our new Vista Alternative High School Building for registration on Thursday of last week,” he said. “Today was the first day for those students in their brand new building and we made a stop by there. It was really impressive and it just really seemed like a totally different energy and vibe on that campus. It’s an exciting time for everybody in the district, but I think it was exceptionally exciting for the students at Vista Alternative.”
In total, the district anticipated roughly over 11,000 students this year. More accurate numbers of how many students are attending schools within YUHSD will come after the 10 day drop period. Patten explained that those students who pre-registered and who do not attend school for the first 10 days are dropped from the roster. Attendance numbers also fluctuate, he said, because some students care for younger siblings until they start school, which for those within District One will be next week.
Last week, YUHSD also welcomed 78 new teachers. Presently, Patten said there are still over 20 openings across the district.
“There are still some positions that are being filled,” he said. “There are some different staff positions-testing coordinator, some coaching positionsbut for the most part when we are talking about openings in that context those openings would be teaching positions.”
The number of openings, Patten explained, is fairly typical for the district at the start of the school year.
“There is nothing about this year that is necessarily abnormal or way above past years or anything like that,” he said. “It’s just kind of something that we know going into the year that we may have to face and this is no different. As of right now, a lot of those positions are being filled by subs or long term subs or emergency certified staff members. A number of those holes, if you would, have been filled if not semi-permanently or at least temporarily for the start of the year while we keep searching.”
Patten added that the district has been putting forth a recruiting effort on social media and other outlets.
“Last year it was about after the first month of school where we really settled into a number and that number had gone down and was reduced a little bit,” Patten said. “Inevitably, some of those positions ended up getting filled by long-term subs through the entire year. That is just kind of the state of public education in Arizona.”
Educational Opportunity Center Charter High School, which kicked off the school year on Wednesday,
also saw a smooth first day. According to EOC Principal Brian Grossenburg, about 109 students attend the school.
“We had a great first day,” Grossenburg said. “It was as smooth as I’ve ever seen. The kids were excited to be back by and large and none of the teachers expressed any difficulties. The kids knew where they where they supposed to go and what they were supposed do so we are off to a flying start.”
EOC is also looking to fill a teaching position, Grossenburg added.
For more information about open positions at YUHSD, visit www.yumaunion.org/Page/151
To learn more about the open position at EOC, visit www.yumacountyaz.gov/government/humanresources/employment
Students at AZ-Tec High also started the school year on Thursday. Students within District One, Gadsden Elementary and AmeriSchools (North & South) are set to begin on Monday. Harvest Preparatory Academy is scheduled to start the school year on Tuesday, Aug. 7.