May 13, 2015 • Vol. 13, No.24
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Getting the 411 on the DVUSD budget ELIZABETH MEDORA STAFF
NORTH VALLEY – The Deer Valley Unified School District offered the 411 as it pertains to next year’s budget at a community meeting on May 6. Approximately 40 people attended the budget forum, including DVUSD Superintendent James Veitenheimer and Governing Board members Ann Ordway, Mike Gregoire, Ann O’Brien, and Kimberly Fisher. Board member Ron Bayer was not in attendance. Jim Migliorino, DVUSD Associate Superintendent of Fiscal and Business Services, presented information at the forum and took participants’ questions regarding district budgetary concerns.
Migliorino noted that the meeting would provide “very simplified school finance fundamentals.” He added that the district was working to balance the 2015-16 budget.
“Unfortunately, that process requires us to consider some changes,” Migliorino said. Migliorino presented information on the budget changes that have been made since 2010. The budget has seen repeated cuts, and the struggle to
balance the budget with the least impact to students continues. “We have cut continually,” Migliorino said. “Every year, there have been some adjustments that our board has had to consider.” The district has been working from a list of priorities in addressing the cuts. “We came up with some primary objectives,” Migliorino described. “We asked, ‘What do we need to focus on as a district?’” Staff contributed to the list of objectives, including cuts having the least impact to students, achieving Strategic Plan goals, keeping low studentteacher ratios, and employee preservation.
BUDGET 411 continued on page 7
Canyon Springs student wins bike
ANTHEM – Abigail Prue, a second grader at Canyon Springs School, won a bike from the Deer Valley Unified School District Food and Nutrition Department, in celebration of National Bike Month. She was presented with the bike at a surprise ceremony on May 11.
Canyon Springs Cafeteria Manager Gail Kurtz and staff were excited to take part in the contest and award a bike to a student. The Food & Nutrition Dept. are dedicated to students’ health, and bike prizes during Bike Month help support and promote an active lifestyle. Congratulations to Abigail!
Cave Creek Regional Park: See the best of the North Valley desert ELIZABETH MEDORA STAFF
Pictured is Ranger Mark Paulat holding a juvenile Gila monster. Due to injury, this Gila monster is an inhabitant of the Nature Center.
CAVE CREEK – The North Valley is home to many sections of picturesque open space. Some of the most beautiful and fascinating of that North Valley desert is located in the Cave Creek Regional Park. Located on nearly 3,000 acres of Sonoran Desert, the park offers something for every outdoor enthusiast, including hiking, biking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, wildlife education, and more. Ranger Mark Paulat, who has served as ranger for the past three years, oversees the park and looks after the Nature Center animal inhabitants.
Through the park, people can interact with nature and learn more about the desert. Paulat noted that animals in the park are protected and should not be harmed. Visitors are always welcome, as long as they abide by park rules. “This is the animals’ sanctuary,” Paulat said. “This is their home. Respect them.” The Nature Center at the park is home to multiple desert creatures, and visitors can get up close – but not too close! – with several varieties of snakes, scorpions, and a Gila monster. Paulat shares information about each creature with visitors, separating facts from myths. Carefully lifting a giant hairy
LITTLE LEAGUE:
TRAIL CLEANUP:
FRANKIE’S STORY
Kiwanis donates scoreboard
Boy Scout Troop 439 cleans
Happy ending for pup
to local Little League
up Maricopa Trail
rescued by Anthem Pets
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scorpion out of its tank by pinching below its stinger, Paulat explained that the stripe-tailed scorpions, bark scorpions, and giant hairy scorpions in the tank are kept there for educational purposes for visitors. “All of these guys walked in through the door,” Paulat said, referring to the scorpions. “They volunteered!” These eight-legged “volunteers” live the good life at the Nature Center, eating crickets and living free from outside dangers. Paulat talked about the differences in the scorpions; the giant hairy have
CAVE CREEK PARK continued on page 9
OTHER : • Bluhm Column
6
• Service Directory
15
• Classified Ads
18