Cave Creek school district seeking public comment

by Kathleen Stinson

CAVE CREEK – In an effort to assess just how good of a job its doing, the Cave Creek Unified School District is asking the public what it thinks.

The district contracted with the National School Public Relations Association to host 10 focus groups composed of community members, students, teachers, administrators and others to evaluate the district. The district will release the findings in mid‑December.

The district split the $5,900 cost of the audit with Higley School District to conserve expenses, said Nedda Shafir, spokeswoman for the Cave Creek Unified School District.

The school system plans to use the information as a baseline of data from which it will create a strategic plan to make improvements. Part of the plan involves recruiting members for a Community Engagement Committee that will provide ongoing input on the district’s progress.

“The schools are only as successful as the community, and the community can be only as successful as its schools. It’s a real partnership,” said Shafir.

The information supplied by the focus groups will be taken into consideration as the district builds its communications and strategic plans to improve the school system.

Preliminary findings show CCUSD is perceived as a high achieving district that invites involvement from parents and the community. The district is perceived as strong in academic and extracurricular options provided to its students, according to a CCUSD press release.

“The greatest challenges perceived to be facing CCUSD are primarily related to funding and growth, which will come as no surprise,” Shafir said.

The focus group members were asked a series of questions including from where they receive their information about the district, what the district does best, and what can be improved. The questions were asked in a discussion format. Responses were not attributed to the names of the individuals to preserve their anonymity.

District representatives will present the audit findings in a series of meetings with committee members and other district administrators. The results will be made available to the public through presentations at meetings open to the public held at the schools and in media briefings. An executive summary will be posted on the district’s Web site.

For more information, interested community members may call Shafir at (480) 575‑2063.

Reach the reporter at kathleen@thedesertadvocate.com.