Representatives from District 30 have proposed a bill that would change the way schools are run in Mojave and La Paz counties. The bill – House Bill 2717 – would establish a pilot program in which school districts would hand over most of their administrative duties to county school superintendents.
Gillette said the bill's main purpose is to save school districts and the state money and increase teacher pay.
Last year, Arizona schools received more than half of the state's budget, with more than $11 billion going to the Department of Education, more than $3 million to school boards, and more than $8 billion to universities.
“More than half of the national budget goes to education, so money shouldn't be the reason teachers quit,” Gillette said. “An experienced teacher can earn more as a Golden Corral manager than as a school teacher.”
Gillette said he knows of multiple cases of teachers leaving the teaching profession for administrative positions, not because they want to make a difference, but because they can't afford to make a living.
“We took someone out of the profession who was right on the path to becoming a master teacher,” Gillette said.
Additionally, Gillette said he believes schools are not producing “better results” with the funding given to them by the state.
The bill proposes to solve these problems by creating a five-year pilot program starting in 2025. The county will establish an administrative office that will be responsible for human resources, school budget and finance, accounting, curriculum management, student transportation, and education. All school districts in that county are responsible for capital management.
“During the pilot program, all revenues of school districts in participating counties, including private funds and grants, are under the direction and control of the county superintendent of schools,” the bill states.
Gillette said he chose Mohave and La Paz counties because they are rural in nature and would benefit most from the program. He specifically cited transportation costs as one of the main costs that increases in rural areas as buses have to drive long distances.
He believes the district could save money if traffic management was delegated to one organization.
“That should be the role of the government, not the teachers or principals or school administrators,” Gillette said. “This needs to be done at the school government level to get these teachers back into the classroom, rather than finding someone to drive the buses.”
Stories from local school officials
While Gillette believes the bill will benefit schools, the state and students, some local school officials have a different opinion.
Mohave County Schools Superintendent Michael Files said he believes some administrative tasks would be better done by local residents.
“I don't think anyone understands what's going on better than the people in the area,” Feil said. “You can be as hands-on as you like, but unless you are constantly present, you will never understand the real reality.”
Lisa Roman, a member of the Lake Havasu Unified School District, agreed.
“Mohave County is the fifth largest county in the United States and has 13 school districts,” Roman said. “We have not heard any arguments from the sponsors of HB 2717 that would lead us to believe that county-level government can effectively manage an area of this size and match the level of stakeholder input, community responsiveness, and fiscal transparency. This is what LHUSD is currently offering.”
Although this bill does not take any direct action on the curriculum, it does create some guidelines regarding the curriculum.
“A school district located within a participating county may use curriculum not provided by the county superintendent of schools if the curriculum does not create economic cost to the district and meets the minimum standards established by law.'' “can be done,” the bill says. .
Gillette said another way to try to reduce costs is to have Congress create a curriculum that school districts can use. You don't have to use it, but it can save you money when implementing your curriculum.
“Arizona should offer this curriculum,” Gillette said. “If we mandated what schools teach, they shouldn't have to use their budget to buy these things.”
Currently, school districts pay millions of dollars to purchase curriculum packages for their schools. Typically, you will be required to follow standards set by your state government. But Gillette believes streamlining the curriculum is a good option for schools looking to cut costs and pay teachers more.
“There's no debate that what we're doing is not working,” Gillette said. “My goal is not to defund schools, my goal is not to cut administrators' salaries. My goal is to group them together and reduce the number of people in that group.”
Mr. Gillette emphasized the importance of streamlining administrative tasks, not only to save costs but also to increase organizational efficiency.
“The work flow and design is nonpartisan,” Gillette said. “You have to take all of that out to run a company. The schools that figure it out are the ones that get better test scores.”
He said he believes the program will not be easy to implement. That's why we chose a five-year program to give counties and districts enough time to fix their problems.
“There's no need to reinvent the wheel,” Gillette said. “We have enough wheels for them to put on their cars.”
Gillette said he has spoken with several counties and school administrators across the state to express support, but Mohave County school officials remain wary.
“Lake Havasu Unified School District has a history of seeking feedback from the community and tailoring its responses to the needs of the city,” Roman said. “It is foolish to entrust local-level decision-making to big government. To paraphrase the popular saying, 'If it ain't broke, don't break it.'
