Gilbert Public Schools
Gilbert Public Schools (GPS), officially known as Gilbert Unified School District #41 (GUSD), is a school district based in Gilbert, Arizona, United States in the Phoenix metropolitan area. GPS covers most of Gilbert and parts of Mesa and Chandler.
History
In 2009, 267 teachers were handed a pink slip by the governing board and told that their positions were being cut due to the budget. A 10% override was in place during this time.[1]
Beginning in January 2013, Julie Smith and Daryl Colvin joined Staci Burk on the governing board to form the first conservative school board majority. After years of frozen teacher salaries and even with the loss of the override money, the new conservative majority gave teachers a 3% raise in 2013 and another 1.3% raise in 2014. During the 2 years that the conservative majority held leadership, they hired 20 additional teachers to reduce class sizes sizes.[2]
These teacher salary increases and class size reductions were enacted by the board during the 2 years with no 10% override in place. 2013 and 2014 were the most hard hit years financially as far as the districts budget due to the override loss. However, the board was able to retain all teachers positions and provide small salary increases during those 2 years.
Schools
Schools in the district include: twenty-seven elementary schools which accommodate grades kindergarten through sixth; six junior high schools (seventh and eighth grades) and five high schools (ninth to twelfth).[3]
High schools
| Name | Campo Verde | Desert Ridge | Gilbert | Highland | Mesquite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Gilbert | Mesa | Gilbert | Gilbert | Gilbert |
| Opened | 2009 | 2002 | 1918, 1987 (current building) | 1993 | 1998 |
| Colors | Dark green, copper | Cardinal red, black | Black, gold | Teal, black | Royal blue, silver |
| Mascot | Coyote | Jaguar | Tiger | Hawk | Wildcat |
| Principal | Michael de la Torre | Dan Coombs | Chris Stroud | Melinda Murphy | Ken Fetter |
| Athletic conference[4] |
4A | 5A | 5A | 5A | 5A |
| Enrollment (2015-2-1)[5] |
2080 | 2606 | 2629 | 3120 | 2140 |
| Website(s) | Official | Official | Official | Official | Official |
Junior high schools
| Name | Desert Ridge | Gilbert | Greenfield | Highland | Mesquite | South Valley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Mesa | Gilbert | Gilbert | Mesa | Gilbert | Gilbert |
| Colors | Purple, teal, black | Black, gold | Green, gold | Maroon, gold, blue | Blue, silver | Red, white, black |
| Mascot | Rattler | Tiger | Grizzly | Hurricane | Mustang | Sabercat |
| Principal | Jean Woods | Kevin Rainey | Brian Yee | Marcie Taylor | Dan Johnson | Mr. Cannon |
| Feeder for (HS) |
Desert Ridge | Gilbert, Mesquite, Highland | Gilbert, Highland | Highland, Desert Ridge | Mesquite, Gilbert | Campo Verde, Mesquite |
| Enrollment (2013-2-25)[5] |
1329 | 626 | 969 | 1289 | 786 | 1248 |
| Website(s) | Official | Official | Official | Official | Official | Official |
Award Schools
Playa del Rey Elementary School opened in 1994. April 2011 was the second time the school has received the A+ 'School of Excellence' award. The Principal Robyn Conrad was named Arizona's principal of the year in October 2010.[6]
Neely Traditional Academy is an elementary school in Gilbert, Arizona, United States. The school was opened in 1981, and became a traditional academy in 1999. Neely received the National Blue Ribbon School award in 2009.[7][8]
Academies and alternative education
- Canyon Valley School (Grades 9-12)
- Distance Learning Online (Grades 7-12) — Gilbert Public Schools offers its own online schooling program through its Distance Learning Center. Classes range from History to Physical Education. Gilbert accepts credits earned from major online schools, such as Primavera.[9]
- Gilbert Classical Academy (Grades 7-12) — opened August 2007; replacing the GPS Technology and Leadership Academy
- Neely Traditional Academy (Grades K-6) — also known as Neely Elementary
See also
- East Valley Institute of Technology
- Chandler Unified School District
- Higley Unified School District
- Mesa Public Schools
References
- ↑ . Arizona Republic http://archive.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2009/04/08/20090408gr-teachercuts0407-ON.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ . East Valley Tribune http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/gilbert/article_c5fb04b6-0440-11e3-b327-0019bb2963f4.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "School Listing / GPS Schools". Gilbertschools.net. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ 2011‐2012 2012‐2013 Conference Placement, Arizona Interscholastic Association, 2010-10-1
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://gilbertschools.net/Page/129
- ↑ Hayley Ringle (16 April 2011). "Higley celebrates district's first A+ school award". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ↑ Saunders, Diane (11 October 2009). "Jack Daley School named national Blue Ribbon School". Eastern Arizona Courier. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ↑ Gersema, Emily (6 November 2009). "Traditional school a big hit in Gilbert". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ↑ "Primavera Online High School". Primaveratech.org. Retrieved 2011-10-19.