High Schools Present Band and Choir Spring Concert

By Laura Stennerson

I can’t believe I am sitting at High Desert Middle School’s auditorium waiting to see the Globe High School Band, and the Miami High School Band and Choir perform together in a concert. For all I know this is a first time event. I feel as if we are on the brink of a monumental moment. Our communities share families, students, visitors. We share jobs, businesses, parks. We share the community events that bring us all together. It feels inspiring that Globe and Miami bands have collaborated, embracing a new tradition, setting aside an ancient tradition of fierce rivalry. … Continue Reading

Fellowship At First Friday

By Laura Stennerson

There is a feeling I get when I have a moment of acute awareness. My breath catches, I tingle, and sometimes I even giggle. Well that is exactly how I felt as I got in my car to leave Vida E Cafe 157 W. Ceder Street, Globe, Az. I had just attended their First Friday Open Mic, and I was a bit jittery from my triple shot latte, which might account for the catchy breath, tingling, and even the giggling. Yet, I knew I was on to a dawning realization of why I so enjoy the open mic events in our community. It is not just those individuals who fearlessly go forward to perform, it not just the delicious coffee and food that I crave, no, it is the fellowship, the camaraderie, it is the love that keeps me coming back. The erasing of imaginary boundaries between young and old, genres, styles, words spoken or sang. On this First Friday, I watched as musicians exchanged ideas, equipment, stories, and a deep appreciation for each others musical endeavors. I watched as family and friends, and musicians and poets not performing came to support the evening’s performers in a delightful attitude of fun. A sense of joy swirled around the room, intermingling with music and the warm reassuring scent of coffee. … Continue Reading

Gila County Property Tax takes a Dive

By: Contributing writer, LeeAnn Powers

Gila County property owners received a bit of shock this last week when their property tax bills came in the mail. Due to an error in calculation,  the Globe Unified School District portion of the bill was calculated at $4.88 per $100 of assessed value, or almost double the $2.80%  that it was expected to be. … Continue Reading

Superintendent Trent avoids public airing of charges. Takes early retirement.

The GUSD Board met on Tuesday to discuss Trent's request for retirement, indemnification of possible criminal charges, and to recind 44 days of vacation pay to John Marquez.Shown here: Board President,Cayci Vuksanovich, Members,Anna Harmon & Dale Fletcher. Photo by: LeeAnn Powers

This week, Dr. Timothy Trent  submitted his request for early retirement to the Globe School Board, after spending over a year on home assignment while an audit of financial, procurement and HR records was conducted by Education Review Group.

The results of the audit were posted on local radio station, gila101.9 in March, (and again here – see below).  During the year long process, the School Board studiously refused to discuss the audit or any findings with the public.

The audit was completed in March and it appears that the Board was scheduled to present the findings in a public forum earlier this month when the meeting was canceled at the last minute.

When faced with the option of  reviewing all charges using a mediator or taking early retirement, Trent and his attorney opted to go for early retirement which negated the public airing of charges. … Continue Reading

GUSD’s $8,450 DVD that never was

By: Linda Gross

A contract to develop a DVD intended to promote the Globe School District was given to Tom Leach, Eyes of a Child, who appears to have sub’d it out to a highschool student and was of such poor quality, the District never used it. This may have just been written up as a lesson in what not to do – had it not been for the fact that Leach was paid $8,450 for the job…and after such a dismal result, still received contracts for his services which amounted to nearly $300,000 over 3 years. … Continue Reading

Jason Williams on Education in Arizona

Jason Williams, Democratic candidate running for State School Superintendent was in Globe Wednesday night to speak to a gathering of concerned parents and citizens who came to hear his vision for fixing the State's Education system. Tom Horn, current Superintendent is stepping down in 2010 after an 8 year tenure

Jason Williams, a Democrat running for State Superintendent of Schools was in Globe last night to talk to a group of concerned citizens and parents about his vision for the State’s educational woes.

Williams, who ran against Tom Horn in 2006, wants to shift the emphasis back onto public schools and do more to engage kids and address the issues in the public sector to raise the bar. Under the guidance of Tom Horn who has held the seat since 2002, the State greatly increased Charter schools (now at 453) and in a recent report put out by Stanford University the results  out from Charter schools appear disappointing.

“While the report recognized a robust national demand for more charter schools from parents and
local communities, it found that 17 percent of charter schools reported academic gains that were
significantly better than traditional public schools, while 37 percent of charter schools showed
gains that were worse than their traditional public school counterparts, with 46 percent of charter
schools demonstrating no significant difference”

Arizona has the dubious honor of being one of the worst states in the country when it comes to education. (see: Smartest State) To overlook the impact this has when trying to attract business and industry to fuel our economy is to miss the mark entirely. It is not enough to reduce business taxes. If business owners look at the schools here in Arizona and decide neither they, nor their employees, want their kids going to them , and if industry can’t find enough qualified, educated workforce to do the job, then Arizona will continue to struggle to have jobs and economic prosperity. It is critical to our livelihood- not to mention just caring about kids futures- that the State find a way to be better than Dead Last in this area.

Williams thinks he has a few ideas on how to get there.

… Continue Reading

Cited: $9000 for European Vacation

By: Linda Gross

The recent complaint letter by Dr. Timothy Trent directed at GUSD’s School Board is accusing them of, among other things damaging an otherwise exemplary reputation when they removed him to home rule to conduct an audit into both financial and personnel matters. The results of the audit being conducted by the Board  are due out this month, but a recent 90-day letter to the District from the State Auditor General seems to point out several deficiencies in managing the District’s money as well as tracking student attendance. It was was simply the latest in a series of letters from the State identifying “deficiencies” – all under the watch of Superintendent T. Trent. In addition, it might be pointed out that he was sued by a teacher while he was a Principle at Kyrene Elementary before coming to Globe (as reported by the East Valley Tribune) …and for some of the same kinds of actions he is currently accused of in the class action suit filed recently in Gila County.  It seems his “exemplary” career may have just a few smudges. … Continue Reading

No more band aids for GUSD

The definition of bandaid is “: offering, making use of, or serving as a temporary or expedient remedy or solution”  and according to Dr. Don Nelson, acting Chief Administrative Officer for the Globe Unified School District the most recent 90-Day Letter from the State Auditor General’s office is a clear signal that the bandaid solutions of the past have proven ineffective in actually solving problem(s) outlined in previous letters. … Continue Reading

Former employees cite “malicious” action

A class action lawsuit was filed last month in Gila County against Timothy Trent, Globe’s Superintendent of Schools who was removed in June 2009 from his position (with pay) pending an audit of financial and personnel matters. The results of the audit is expected to be released in January. … Continue Reading