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This special governing board meeting is primarily a governance, training, and operational meeting rather than a policy-setting or budget adoption session. The featured discussion is board training on Arizona Open Meeting Law presented by the district's attorney, reflecting an emphasis on legal compliance, transparency, and board responsibilities.
Alongside the training, the consent agenda contains several operational decisions that directly affect students and schools for the 2026-2027 academic year. The largest education purchases include approval of Top Score Writing for $113,670 and the Renaissance DnA kindergarten through eighth-grade assessment system for $104,711.25. The board is also asked to approve agreements supporting staffing, school safety, and personnel.
School safety is a major operational theme. The district proposes an intergovernmental agreement with the Phoenix Police Department providing five School Resource Officers at designated campuses while also accepting state School Safety Grant awards supporting five School Resource Officer positions and fifteen School Safety Officer positions for the upcoming school year. Supporting documents indicate these grants are part of Arizona's FY27 school safety funding program.
Personnel actions also represent a substantial portion of the meeting. The packet includes approval of numerous new hires, transfers, resignations, retirements, contract matters, appointment of a new principal for Holiday Park School, approval of a new Security Guard job description, and consideration of liquidated damages for employees who resigned after accepting contracts. These actions are intended to finalize staffing before the new school year begins.
Major Discussion and Action Items
Arizona Open Meeting Law Training
The principal discussion item is an information, discussion, presentation, and training session regarding Arizona Open Meeting Law. The presentation is scheduled to be provided by Acting Superintendent Dr. Alfredo Barrantes together with attorney Aaron Brown of Cantelme & Brown.
The purpose is to educate governing board members regarding legal requirements for conducting public meetings, transparency obligations, executive session rules, and compliance with Arizona statutes governing public bodies. Although no policy change is specifically identified, the training supports proper governance and future board decision-making.
Curriculum and Student Assessment Purchases
Board approval is requested for two significant instructional purchases for the 2026-2027 school year:
- Top Score Writing for $113,670.
- Renaissance DnA Assessment System serving kindergarten through eighth grade for $104,711.25.
These investments support classroom instruction, student writing development, and district assessment activities. The assessment platform is intended to provide academic measurement across elementary and middle school grades, while the writing program supports instructional delivery.
School Safety Expansion
The packet includes multiple actions intended to strengthen campus safety.
The board is asked to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Phoenix Police Department providing five School Resource Officers serving Cartwright School, Charles W. Harris School, Desert Sands Middle School Academy of Mass Communication and Journalism, Frank Borman School, and Raul H. Castro Academy of Fine Arts.
The district is also asked to accept School Safety Grant awards supporting five School Resource Officer positions together with fifteen School Safety Officer positions during the 2026-2027 school year. Supporting grant documentation identifies the funding as part of Arizona's FY27 School Safety Program.
Personnel and Staffing Actions
A substantial Human Resources report accompanies the meeting.
The packet documents numerous hires across instructional, administrative, transportation, food service, maintenance, custodial, special education, and support positions. It also includes transfers, stipends, summer assignments, IDEA training assignments, Title I committee work, tutoring assignments, and resignations, retirements, non-renewals, and contract matters.
These staffing actions prepare district operations before students return for the new academic year.
Leadership Changes
The consent agenda includes approval of Dawn Huffman as Principal of Holiday Park School for the 2026-2027 school year.
Leadership appointments at the school level can influence instructional leadership, campus operations, staff supervision, and implementation of district priorities.
Staffing Partnerships
The board is asked to approve non-exclusive client service agreements with:
- New Direction Solutions, LLC doing business as ProCare Therapy.
- Soliant Health.
These agreements provide additional flexibility in obtaining professional educational and specialized staffing services when district hiring needs require outside support.
Employment Contract Enforcement
The governing board is asked to approve liquidated damages associated with employment contract breaches.
The packet identifies five employees who resigned after accepting contracts. Each case proposes $2,500 in liquidated damages, with waiver requests reviewed administratively but not recommended for approval. The listed positions include teachers, an assistant principal, and instructional specialists.
Financial Matters
The packet contains several meaningful financial actions.
The largest instructional purchases are:
- Top Score Writing: $113,670.
- Renaissance DnA K-8 Assessment System: $104,711.25.
School safety funding includes acceptance of state School Safety Grant awards supporting five School Resource Officer positions and fifteen School Safety Officer positions. Supporting grant materials show Arizona School Safety Program funding for officer positions, although the agenda itself does not specify the district's total award amount.
The board also considers contractual agreements with ProCare Therapy, Soliant Health, and the Phoenix Police Department, all supporting operational and staffing needs for FY2026-2027.
Liquidated damages totaling up to $12,500 are associated with five reported employment contract breaches if approved as presented.
Policies, Ordinances, Resolutions, and Governance
The meeting is primarily focused on governance education rather than adoption of major district policy revisions.
The Open Meeting Law training is intended to reinforce legal responsibilities of board members regarding public meetings and executive sessions.
The packet also includes approval of a new Security Guard job description, establishing or updating expectations for that position within district operations.
The principal informational presentation is the Arizona Open Meeting Law training.
Supporting materials also include detailed Human Resources reports documenting district staffing activity and a liquidated damages report summarizing contract-related employment actions.
Grant documentation provides context regarding Arizona's School Safety Program and funding for officer positions.
Personnel, Appointments, and Organizational Matters
The packet reflects extensive workforce preparation for the 2026-2027 school year.
Highlights include:
- Appointment of Dawn Huffman as Holiday Park School principal.
- Numerous certified and classified new hires.
- Teacher, instructional assistant, food service, maintenance, transportation, custodial, and administrative staffing.
- Employee transfers.
- Summer work assignments.
- IDEA training assignments.
- Title I committee and tutoring assignments.
- Resignations, retirements, non-renewals, and contract actions.
- Consideration of liquidated damages for selected contract resignations.
Projects, Facilities, Infrastructure, and Operations
Operational actions focus on preparing schools for the new academic year rather than large construction projects.
Important operational matters include:
- School safety staffing through police and safety officer agreements.
- Student assessment and instructional software purchases.
- Outside staffing agreements.
- New Security Guard position description.
- Numerous maintenance, custodial, transportation, food service, and facilities staffing assignments supporting school operations.
The special governing board meeting is open to the public.
Meeting information specifies:
- Date: July 29, 2026.
- Time: 5:00 p.m.
- Doors open: 4:30 p.m.
- Location: Cartwright District Office Board Room, 5220 W. Indian School Road, Phoenix.
Spanish interpreters are available, and disability accommodations may be requested through the district.
The packet does not identify a formal public hearing on a specific policy or land-use matter.
Students and families may benefit from new instructional resources, expanded assessment tools, additional school safety staffing, and continued hiring before the school year begins.
Employees are directly affected through hiring approvals, transfers, appointments, resignations, contract enforcement, updated job descriptions, and staffing partnerships.
Taxpayers and residents may be interested in the district's investment in curriculum, assessments, and school safety, together with the use of state grant funding to support officer positions.
School communities at Holiday Park and the campuses receiving School Resource Officers may experience the most immediate operational changes.
- How will the Top Score Writing program improve student outcomes?
- What data will Renaissance DnA provide that current assessments do not?
- How will School Resource Officers and School Safety Officers coordinate responsibilities?
- Which campuses will receive the fifteen School Safety Officers?
- How will success of the safety investments be measured?
- What responsibilities are included in the new Security Guard job description?
- How were ProCare Therapy and Soliant selected?
- What staffing shortages remain before school begins?
- Why were waiver requests for liquidated damages not recommended?
- What follow-up governance training is planned after the Open Meeting Law presentation?
Important Dates, Deadlines, and Next Steps
- July 29, 2026: Special Governing Board meeting and Open Meeting Law training.
- July 29, 2026: Board consideration of instructional purchases, personnel actions, safety agreements, staffing contracts, and related consent agenda items.
- July 30, 2026: Effective date listed for Dawn Huffman's appointment as Holiday Park principal.
- August 12, 2026, 6:00 p.m.: Next regular governing board meeting at the Cartwright School District Board Room.
- 2026-2027 school year: Implementation period for approved instructional purchases, staffing agreements, personnel actions, and school safety initiatives.
Key Takeaways
- Open Meeting Law training is the central discussion item.
- The board considers more than $218,000 in instructional purchases.
- Top Score Writing purchase totals $113,670.
- Renaissance DnA assessment purchase totals $104,711.25.
- Five School Resource Officers are proposed through a Phoenix Police agreement.
- State grant funding supports five School Resource Officers and fifteen School Safety Officers.
- Dawn Huffman is recommended as Holiday Park principal.
- Two outside staffing agreements support specialized personnel needs.
- Five employment contract breach cases include proposed $2,500 liquidated damages each.
- Extensive hiring and staffing actions prepare schools for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Official Sources
About the Public Body
- Name: Cartwright School District #83
- Organization type: school-district
- Government body: school-boards
- Location: Phoenix, arizona
- County: Maricopa
- Provider: boarddocs
Keywords
Cartwright School District #83, Special Governing Meeting, Governing Board, Phoenix, Arizona, Open Meeting Law, Aaron Brown, Cantelme & Brown, Top Score Writing, Renaissance DnA, School Safety Grant, School Resource Officers, School Safety Officers, Phoenix Police Department, Holiday Park School, Dawn Huffman, Security Guard, ProCare Therapy, Soliant Health, Human Resources, personnel report, liquidated damages, Title I, IDEA training, student assessment, curriculum purchase, school safety, FY2026-2027
