Kayenta Unified School District 

Message from the Superintendent

Dear Family Members,

We are all confronted with difficult choices in moving forward. The recent KUSD Town Hall was to update as many parents, students, and families to the difficulty we face about reopening schools.

As shared in the town hall current Arizona state statute only funds schools based on normal operations. Students in seats and in school buildings each day is the manner in which students are counted and schools are funded.

The governor and state legislators can meet in special session to address the many concerns of school districts on the reopening of schools. However, Governor Ducey will not be calling a special session prior to the primaries of August 4. The governor through the use of his executive action issue an order to give schools the ability to have flexibility and clarity in making decisions. Individuals and governing school boards can request Governor Ducey to use his authority to issue an Executive Action. The majority of Arizona public schools are in a state of planning three ways of how to reopen schools. Plan A, to resume normal operations, is not supported by many families or staff. State statute does not support any other reopening plans with funding.

There are numerous concerns. Parents and families are not ready to allow their children to return to school. School districts do not have adequate funding to implement the recommended safeguards of the Center for Disease Control to provide an optimum learning environment for learning safe from COVID-19. There is not enough funding to pay for additional miles for transportation of students if schools have split sessions or double sessions each day. There is not funding available for distance learning for all students.

Parents and families can contact state legislators to express your concerns.

1. Write a short paragraph of the impact to your children and families. You can share the positives of what an executive order will accomplish to the school and families or you can share the negative of what can occur without an executive order.
2. Students may want to write a letter of their own.
3. Principals, teachers, and community members write letters that address their concerns and impacts. The governor and state legislators need to hear from parents and students.

Visit the Arizona Department of Education to read the documents on all considerations school districts must use when planning the reopening of schools.