September 25, 2022 | www.santansun.com
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Relentlessly local coverage of Southern Chandler
CUSD board poised to adopt new state policies BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor
The Chandler Unified School District is catching up with recent changes in state law this month, updating its policies to reflect some major shifts made by the state Legislature earlier this year. “As you can see, our legislators have been pretty busy,” said Dr. Craig Gilbert, the district’s associate supervisor for Pre-K-12 educational services. The changes were introduced at the
Sept. 14 Governing Board meeting and are scheduled to be approved by that Board on Sept. 28. The most controversial change by the Republican-controlled chambers deals with transgender athletes. The law requires districts to separate sports into boys, girls, co-ed or mixed and assign athletes to those teams based on their biological sex. It also allows students and their parents the right to sue if they are harmed by a school knowingly violating that.
While there was a lot of debate about the issue statewide and national, the Governing Board had little to say. They mostly listened to the changes being proposed. That may change when it comes to actually voting for them to comply with state law at the Sept. 28 meeting. But at its Sept. 13 meeting, Kyrene School District Governing Board members had a lot to say about four of the laws, which also expand parental access to books in school libraries, require a
minute or two of silence at the beginning of each school day and ban mandates for COVID or HPV vaccines for students. Members condemned the laws and postponed a vote on the transgender policy in the hope that the district’s general counsel can craft the policy in a way that distances them and Kyrene from endorsing it. The Kyrene board stressed, howevSee
CUSDLAWS on page10
CUSD’s Weinberg Academy earns national recognition BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor
It didn’t take Weinberg Gifted Academy long to put itself on the map. The U.S. Department of Education recognized the Chandler Unified school in Gilbert as one of just under 300 Blue Ribbon schools across the country only a year after the academy was opened. “It’s big because I think a big push with National Blue Ribbon for this year, in particular, was really what did to
make sure kids have what they need during the pandemic. And that it was hard,” said Weinberg Principal Jennifer Nusbaum. Only six schools in Arizona were chosen to be National Blue Ribbon Schools this year. CUSD opened Weinberg as its second gifted school in 2021, joining Knox Gifted Academy. To qualify for a National Blue Ribbon, a school must be nominated and then is selected either because of overall test scores or the growth in those
Fifth graders, from left, Avery Spinasanta, Miabella Chislett, Devin Leo and Zoey Duncan use a macro camera to take extreme close-up photos of a leaf in their Photography 2 class at Weinberg Gifted Academy, which was just named a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, one of six schools in Arizona to receive the honor. (David Minton/Staff Photographer) See
WEINBERG on page 6
Ex Chandler football coach takes ASU helm Lesson in excellence BY ZACH ALVIRA Sports Editor
Shaun Aguano was a coaching legend at Chandler High School. He built the Wolves into a powerhouse football program that was nationally ranked on several occasions and became a dynasty in 2016-18, when it won the 6A state championship under his leadership. In 2019, he was hired by Arizona State to lead the running backs. Now four short years later, Aguano is taking yet another step in his coaching career, albeit in circumstances he is not too keen on. On Sept. 18, less than 24 hours after the Sun Devils’ loss to Eastern Michigan at home, the university announced that Herm Edwards had relinquished his position as head coach, opening the door for an interim coach from the current staff
to step in. Aguano was selected. “It’s been a crazy couple of days,” Aguano said Sept. 18 during his first press conference as interim head coach. “This opportunity, in the grand scheme of things, is a dream for me. All I can ask is for opportunity. So, what do I do with that opportunity in the next nine games? Try to put a product on the field that Sun Devil nation is proud of.” The running-backs room under Aguano has been one of the strongest position groups in recent years for the Sun Devils. Aguano coached Eno Benjamin in his first season with the Sun Devils; he was drafted in 2020 by the Arizona Cardinals and is now the team’s No. 2 back behind starter James Conner. After Benjamin, Aguano helped
develop Rachaad White, who is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chip Trayanum – who recently transferred to Ohio State to play linebacker – and Daniyel Ngata, who is currently part of a two-back system that includes Wyoming transfer X Valladay. Aguano is passionate about the work he has done at Arizona State so far. And he’s eager to begin a new chapter while upholding the same values he’s always had with coaching, which include his Hawaiian culture. “Football is my life,” Aguano said. “Inspiring kids is my life. My kids sacrificed 20 years so I could do what I love. I want to make sure that I teach not only my kids, but I want to teach our kids that being a sucSee
COACH on page 6
Curtis Canaday shows students a physics demonstration in his class at BASIS Chandler, which recently was ranked the best high school in Arizona and the 11th best in the nation by US News. For a closer look at the charter school, see page 8. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
F E AT U R E D STO R I E S CUSD asked to do more for mental health . . . . . .News . . . . . . . . . . .Page 3 Chandler eatery started as a food cart . . . . . . . . . . .Business. . . . ... Page 37 Basha's Miles Lockhurt a top cornerback. . . . . . . . .Sports . . . . . . . . Page 43 Assistance League plans tea party fundraiser. . . . .NEIGHBORS . . . . . Page 40 PAID FOR BY CHARLOTTE FOR CHANDLER AUTHORIZED BY CHARLOTTE GOLLA
PAID FOR BY CHARLOTTE FOR CHANDLER AUTHORIZED BY CHARLOTTE GOLLA
PAID FOR BY CHARLOTTE FOR CHANDLER AUTHORIZED BY CHARLOTTE GOLLA
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