Oct. 3, 2017
By Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane
You can hardly be the most livable city, or one of the happiest cities in America, if you are not providing opportunities for people. One of the surest ways to cut off opportunity is to have less than a top-notch educational system available to our students and their parents.
Though the city has no responsibility for the school district’s governance or educational performance, we entirely understand that when it comes to Scottsdale Unified School District schools, the largest providers of education in our city, our community depends upon the elected school board. They are elected to ensure the best possible management of resources and talent to deliver the best possible education experience, environment and outcomes for our children.
SUSD Superintendent Dr. Denise Birdwell was hired by that school board to replace the previous superintendent, Dr. David Peterson, who left under some cloud of hostility in his performance review.
Among Dr. Birdwell’s immediate priorities was an independent assessment of the weaknesses perceived by the board in SUSD’s structure and educational system processes.
Mayor Lane
Dr. Birdwell’s educational and management credentials, along with her extensive experience and her reputation for leadership, made her the right candidate for the job.
The complete turn-around of Higley Unified School District a few years ago is a prime example of her ability to combine students’ educational achievement with managing the educational process for positive student results.
Dr. Birdwell has worked with the community. She has engaged parents, students, teachers, ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Scottsdale Community College, businesses and educational organizations in conversations to evaluate the current situation and to propose remedies to correct any shortfalls identified.
This sort of frank assessment is never easy. There will always be pushback from the long established status quo in circumstances such as this, but I personally have never been more confident or encouraged of the direction SUSD is moving.
There is hardly any greater area of importance in our city than our schools and the opportunities they present for Scottsdale’s children.
This letter confirms my full support for this effort and how it is being tackled. I wish Dr. Birdwell and the school board the very best in their efforts, and encourage everyone in Scottsdale to constructively engage in this critical process.
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