December 4, 2022 | www.santansun.com
Relentlessly local coverage of Southern Chandler
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Chandler schools excel in first grading in 2 years BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor
Chandler-area schools scored very well in the letter grades handed out by the State Department of Education for the first time in two years, easily exceeding state averages. If the state hadn’t changed the way they hand out the grades, some might have done even better. Of the more than 1,700 public district and charter schools across Arizona that received preliminary grades, about 27%
were given “A;” 42% got “B;” 23% C; 5% D and 2% failed. Most parents in Chandler are sending their kids to either A or B schools. No schools in the area received a D or F and only five were given a “C.” More than half (52%) of Chandler Unified School District schools were awarded an A, and 39% were given a “B.” The district had saw 9% of its schools a “C.” The state did not award any letter grades the past two school years be-
cause of the campus disruptions created by pandemic-related closures. This year, the state made some changes to its models, giving schools more credit if their students show a lot of growth in kindergarten-through-eighth grade schools. “If our students are already here, it’s harder to move them,” said Dr. Jessica Fletcher, CUSD executive director of assessment, accountability, and research, motioning with her hand. “But if they’re lower, right, you know how it is move-
ment-wise.” Fletcher said there are too many variables to know if the change in the model meant some schools scored lower than they might have under the old model. Still, Chandler schools did well. Of the 72 schools in the Chandler area – including charter schools and schools that are part of other districts, such as Mesa – 40 were recognized as “A: See
GRADES on page10
Developer defends Landings on Ocotillo project BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor
The folks who want to build a controversial affordable housing project in Chandler say there is a lot of misinformation circulating and they are eager to correct it. The Landings on Ocotillo is proposed for about 25 acres east of Arizona Avenue on Ocotillo Road, just east of
the railroad tracks behind a Target retail center. The project has drawn the opposition of the City of Chandler and a large group of neighbors, primarily because of the amount of traffic they fear it will bring to what they consider already crowded streets. The property would be built on a Maricopa County island, an unincorpo-
Purple for Parents becoming school board force in EV BY KEN SAIN Managing Editor
Parental rights advocates in Arizona are celebrating huge gains, both in the Legislature and at the ballot box. Purple for Parents, a parental rights organization, endorsed 38 candidates in November’s school board elections across Arizona and unofficial results show that 20 of them won seats – including two in Scottsdale, one each in Gilbert’s two main districts, one in Chandler and one in Mesa. “We’re very happy,” said Michelle Dillard, the president of Purple for Parents. “It’s great to have school board members elected that support parents’ rights and will promote academics in the classroom.” The electoral victories follow success last spring, when the state Legislature passed and Gov. Doug Ducey signed the Parental Rights Bill. It further enhanc-
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es the Parental Bill of Rights passed in 2010. The newer legislation gives parents the rights to all written and electronic records from a school about their child. That includes any counseling records, even notes taken during a conversation. Parents can sue school districts if a teacher does not comply. “I think that enforcement is going to be something that all parents are going to have to be keeping an eye out, we’re going to have to be very diligent and making sure that they actually follow the laws,” Dillard said. She pointed to a school board meeting she watched where the board members changed the policy to comply with state law, but said repeatedly they were not happy to do so. That was the case in Kyrene School See
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West Region for Dominium, said he meets with people often to talk about what they do. Dominium is the company hoping to build and manage the property. “At the end of the day you get them to say, ‘Yeah, I know we have a problem’” Metz said. “But then they
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Republican claims LD13 GOP keep evicting him . .News . . . . . . . . . . .Page 9
Sports . . . . . . . . . 36 Neighbors . . . . . 38 Faith . . . . . . . . . . 42 GetOut. . . . . . . . 43 Directory . . . . . . 46
Young thespians shine in 'Les Miserables' . . . . . . . .NEIGHBORS . . . . . Page 43 8/5/22 1:13 PM
DOMINIUM on page12
It’s true that Kennedy Gaitan, Walker Padilla and Hannah Schuld all seem to be focused on earth as they attempt to pick up beads while wearing gloves. But what they are learning is far above as the three Jacobson Elementary School first graders study how astronauts must work on board the International Space Station. They are part of Jacobson’s Space Explorers program, which you can read about on page 38. (Ken Sain/Arizonan Managing Editor).
Hamilton names tennis complex after coach . . . .Sports . . . . . . . . Page 36
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rated area surrounded by city land. Therefore, it’s the County Board of Supervisors who will make the decision if the project happens or not. The County Planning & Zoning Commission is scheduled to discuss the case on Jan. 12. It is then the public can make comments. Owen Metz, the senior vice president and project partner for the Mountain
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