Colo. City schools improving
 
By Sara Bisker
Today's News-Herald - Havasu City
 
In the midst of a "five-year battle" to fix a broken financial situation in the Colorado City Unified School District No. 14, a 120 day report written by the appointed state receiver reveals a school district in repair.

The school district, located on the northernmost border of Arizona and Utah, teaches to about 425 students, comprised of communities in Colorado City/Hildale, Centennial Park and Cane Beds.

According to the report, Davis said, "The cultural and religious differences between these communities is pronounced, giving CCUSD a unique diversity that includes fundamentalist polygamists who follow Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), polygamists (referred to as Centennial Park or Second Ward) and non-polygamists who live predominately in the community of Cane Beds."

In November 2005, the Arizona Auditor General's Office issued a 90-day letter to the school district. It warned the district that it was not in compliance with the Uniform System of Financial Records for Arizona School Districts; if the district did not fix problems to satisfactory conditions then the state would intervene.

In December 2005, Peter Davis of Simon Consulting, was hired as the receiver for the district and put in charge of finding ways to pay the $1.4 million owed to the Arizona School Risk Retention Fund.

After Davis was hired, about 23 employees either resigned or were terminated; he hired 10 employees to replace those vacancies.

According to the report, "The majority of the turnover occurred among the kitchen (80 percent turnover), business office (100 percent) and maintenance staff (50 percent). The leadership of the school, namely the superintendent and principal, also resigned and were replaced."

Mike File, Mohave County Schools Superintendent, visited the district in early March. He said his trip provided a positive picture of growth.

"I sat down with the new principal and the Title One director, did a review of the comprehensive student assessment plan and found it to be as good as any in the county," he said. "I'm just really outstandingly pleased with the new administrative staff and finance staff. They're really working hard to break the stuff that's happened to them when it comes to the finances."

Davis has placed the district on an accounting software system specifically designed for Arizona school districts, called Visions. Officials can watch transactions occur to pinpoint inefficiencies and potential over-expenditures, according to the report.

"We can virtually monitor and help them out," File said. "For our office to see what's happened in a short amount of time - for me to see what was going on in the school directly - it was a great trip."

Davis, who has been working with new administrators, teachers and board members as well as the community, will begin to let the district function on its own.

According to the report, the district began to "function as a self-sustaining organization" this month. Davis said his, "presence is no longer needed on-site to ensure daily operations are completed Š(he) will remain in daily telephone contact with the district, assisting with accounting, staffing and budgeting operations and reviewing all expenditures."

You may contact the reporter at bisker@havasunews.com.
 
havasunews.com
Originally published March 23, 2006
 
Back