Superintendent’s Message

Fowler Community Members,

Our Fowler Family is working hard to ensure that we lead our students in making academic gains. And the results are showing!

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) recently released the school grades, a legislative requirement for our state accountability system. School letter grades are composed of a wide range of student academic growth and achievement indicators. Sunridge and Sun Canyon Elementary School are rated “B” schools. Fowler, Tuscano, WVES, SMMS, and WVMS were rated “C” schools. Tuscano was fractions of a point away from being rated a “B.” Fowler and SMMS were not far behind, 2 and 3 points away from the B score.

Two of our schools, Fowler and Sun Canyon, received 10 out of 10 possible points in English learner proficiency. Fowler, Sun Canyon, Sunridge, WVES, and SMMS also scored 10 of 10 possible points in the Acceleration Readiness category, which gives up to 10 points for a variety of indicators like 3rd-grade movement of students out of minimally proficient, subgroup achievement, and growth, and improvement in chronic absenteeism. These are tremendous accomplishments!

Additionally, ADE categorizes schools based on the achievement of smaller population groups within each school. These are Additional Target Support and improvement schools (aTSI). The following are achievements directly related to aTSI subcategories:

  • Fowler Elementary has not previously been designated an aTSI school and remains free of this designation, another reason to celebrate.
  • Western Valley Elementary, Western Valley Middle, and Santa Maria Middle Schools exited students from aTSI in two. categories: Students with Disabilities and English learners who have been categorized as proficient and exited for 1 to 4 years.
  • Sun Canyon Elementary exited students in the Students with Disabilities category.
  • Sunridge Elementary exited students in the English language learner’s category.
  • Tuscano exited students from four categories: students with disabilities, English learners, and two population subgroups.

The Virtual Academy is rated a “D” school; however, it is a situation where the odds are not on their side. In school year 2022–2023, they were identified as aTSI for the ELFEP 1–4 category, but currently, they do not have sufficient students to be exited. Each school is far more than its letter grade. The VA has had the most mobile population of students. Each year, the enrollment has fluctuated, and staffing has been adjusted. No two years at the VA have ever been the same, but they continue to support students who have been enrolled consistently from day one and meet the needs of a very fluid student population.

Our second cause for celebration is the support of our community in passing the request for a 15% Maintenance and Operation Budget Override. Thank you to our many volunteers for getting the word out and communicating the importance of this funding source to maintain smaller classrooms, assistant principals, and special area teachers.

Thank you, Fowler voters, for supporting our schools. We do not take your support lightly and will continue to work on ensuring that our schools are points of pride in our community.

Happy Holidays!

Nora Ulloa

Respectfully,

Nora Ulloa

Nora Ulloa
Superintendent