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Peoria Unified School District, Arizona

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Peoria Unified School District

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Glendale, Arizona
District details
Superintendent: Jason Reynolds
# of school board members: 5
Website: Link

Peoria Unified School District is a school district in Arizona.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district’s…

Superintendent

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This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Jason Reynolds is the superintendent of the Peoria Unified School District. He was appointed superintendent effective July 1, 2020. His previous career experience includes working as an assistant superintendent, director of curriculum and instruction, and principal for the Paradise Valley Unified School District.[1]

Past superintendents

  • Linda Palles Thompson was the superintendent of the Peoria Unified School District from 2018 to 2020. Thompson's previous career experience includes working as the district's executive director of elementary education.[2]
  • Denton Santarelli was the superintendent of the Peoria Unified School District from 2007 to 2018.[3]

School board

The Peoria Unified School District Governing Board consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Board members are elected at large.[4]

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This officeholder information was last updated on May 15, 2024. Please contact us with any updates.

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Elections

See also: Peoria Unified School District elections in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024

Board members are elected on a staggered basis in November of even-numbered years.

Three seats on the Peoria Unified School District school board in Arizona were up for general election on November 5, 2024. The filing deadline for this election was July 8, 2024.

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Hall Pass

Public participation in board meetings

The Peoria Unified School District Governing Board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[5]

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD MEETINGS

All regular and special meetings of the Board shall be open to the public.

The Board invites the viewpoints of citizens throughout the District, and considers the responsible presentation of these viewpoints vital to the efficient operation of the District. The Board also recognizes its responsibility for the proper governance of the schools and therefore the need to conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner. The Board therefore establishes the following procedures to receive input from citizens of the District:

A. Any individual desiring to address the Board shall complete a form (Request to Address Board) and give this form to the Superintendent prior to the start of the Board meeting.

B. The form (Public Comment Request) can be submitted to the Superintendent, the Executive Secretary to the Board, or the Governing Board member who will forward it to the Governing Board President or Clerk. The individual will be invited to speak when the agenda item in question is considered by the Governing Board.

C. The Board President shall be responsible for recognizing speakers, maintaining proper order, and adhering to any time limit set. Questions requiring investigation shall be referred to the Superintendent for later report to the Board. Questions or comments on matters that are currently under legal review will not receive a response.

D. If considered necessary, the President shall set a time limit on the length of the comment period. In order to ensure that each individual has an opportunity to address the Board, the President may also set a time limit for individual speakers.

E. Personal attacks upon Board members, staff personnel, or other persons in attendance or absent by individuals who address the Board are discouraged. Policies KE, KEB, KEC, and KED are provided by the Board for disposition of legitimate complaints, including those involving individuals. Upon conclusion of the open call to the public, individual members of the Board may respond to any criticism made by an individual who has addressed the Board.

F. Presentations for unsolicited services will not be permitted. Companies or businesses offering services of possible interest to the District should send information to the District Office for distribution to appropriate School District officials.

The Superintendent shall ensure that a copy of this policy is posted at the entrance to the Board meeting room, and that an adequate supply of forms is available.[6]

District map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[7]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $56,475,000 $1,625 15%
Local: $142,312,000 $4,096 38%
State: $178,416,000 $5,135 47%
Total: $377,203,000 $10,856
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $340,850,000 $9,647
Total Current Expenditures: $311,200,000 $8,808
Instructional Expenditures: $184,308,000 $5,216 54%
Student and Staff Support: $44,080,000 $1,247 13%
Administration: $30,651,000 $867 9%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $52,161,000 $1,476 15%
Total Capital Outlay: $19,336,000 $547
Construction: $7,378,000 $208
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $1,043,000 $29
Interest on Debt: $9,217,000 $260

Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2020-2021[8] $40,114 $45,188

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[9]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 36 51 19 26 25-29 41 44
2018-2019 50 69 30 39 35-39 53 57
2017-2018 51 70 31 41 35-39 54 58
2016-2017 50 71 31 38 30-34 57
2015-2016 44 67 27 34 30-34 51
2014-2015 49 64 33 38 40-44 55
2013-2014 71 79 56 62 60-64 76
2012-2013 70 83 56 61 50-54 75
2011-2012 71 82 58 60 55-59 77
2010-2011 70 81 60 58 55-59 76

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 42 53 25 33 25-29 47 48
2018-2019 50 66 37 40 40-44 57 56
2017-2018 48 59 31 38 30-34 52 55
2016-2017 46 58 31 37 30-34 52
2015-2016 42 57 30 32 25-29 49
2014-2015 47 59 33 36 30-34 54
2013-2014 85 88 76 79 70-74 88
2012-2013 84 89 78 78 70-74 87
2011-2012 84 88 79 77 75-79 88
2010-2011 84 89 81 75 75-79 87

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 96 >=95 90-94 94 >=80 >=95 97
2018-2019 97 >=95 >=95 95 >=80 90-94 98
2017-2018 95 >=95 >=95 95 >=90 90-94 96
2016-2017 96 >=95 >=95 95 >=80 95
2015-2016 94 85-89 >=95 94 >=90 94
2014-2015 90 90-94 85-89 89 >=80 92
2013-2014 93 >=95 85-89 92 >=80 93
2012-2013 93 90-94 90-94 91 >=50 94
2011-2012 93 >=95 85-89 91 >=80 94
2010-2011 94 90-94 90-94 93 >=80 95

Students

Staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Peoria Unified School District had 1,900.73 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 19.22.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 16.00
Kindergarten: 112.00
Elementary: 1,134.47
Secondary: 638.26
Total: 1,900.73

Peoria Unified School District employed 20.00 district administrators and 93.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 20.00
District Administrative Support: 108.00
School Administrators: 93.00
School Administrative Support: 135.01
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 394.41
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 1.08
Total Guidance Counselors: 38.50
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 1.34
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 37.16
Librarians/Media Specialists: 4.00
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 589.40
Other Support Services: 290.32

Schools

The Peoria Unified School District operates 44 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

Noteworthy events

2021: Recall effort against two school board members fails to qualify for ballot

See also: David Sandoval and Cory Underhill recall, Peoria Unified School District, Arizona (2021)

An effort to recall two of the five members of the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board in Arizona did not go to a vote in 2021. David Sandoval and Cory Underhill were named in the recall petitions. Both petitions failed to qualify for the ballot.[10]

The recall petition against Sandoval cited his involvement with ASBA, his vote against making masks optional for students, and his ties to the Peoria Education Association as reasons for the recall effort.[11] The recall petition against Underhill listed rudeness during board meetings and her position on requiring students to wear masks as reasons for the recall effort.[12]

Sandoval published a letter in the Daily Independent on May 19, 2021, saying, "Our students, families and the Peoria Unified School District have been through some very challenging times as we have navigated a national health crisis. My decisions to prioritize the health and wellness of all has never been without the voices of all stakeholders and objectivity."[13]

Contact information

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Peoria Unified School District
6330 W. Thunderbird Rd.
Glendale, AZ 85306
Phone: 623-486-6000

About school boards

Education legislation in Arizona

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Arizona School Board Elections News and Analysis

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External links

Footnotes

  1. The Glendale Star, "New PUSD superintendent brings experience, enthusiasm," August 13, 2020
  2. Peoria Independent, "Board, district salutes outgoing superintendent," July 2, 2020
  3. LinkedIn, "Denton Santarelli," accessed November 5, 2019
  4. Peoria Unified School District, "Governing Board," accessed February 7, 2019
  5. Arizona School Boards Association, "Peoria Unified School District No. 11 Public Participation at Board Meetings," accessed May 18, 2021
  6. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
  8. Peoria Unified School District, "2020-2021 Initial Salary Placement Schedule for Certified Teachers and Guidance Counselors," accessed May 5, 2021
  9. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  10. Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "Recall Elections," accessed September 8, 2021
  11. Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "Application for Recall Petition Serial Number (David Sandoval)," accessed June 7, 2021
  12. Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "Application for Recall Petition Serial Number (Cory Underhill)," accessed June 7, 2021
  13. Daily Independent, "Sandoval: I will ensure all voices are heard, continue to lead with compassion, empathy," May 19, 2021
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