Fountain Hills board approves multiple personnel and policy items; counselor job description passes 3–2

The Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board approved several personnel and policy items at its regular business meeting.

After public comment the board moved to approve the personnel action report excluding the item concerning Lawrence Hughes; the board said the Hughes matter will be discussed later in executive session. The motion to approve the personnel actions minus that item was seconded and carried by voice vote.

The board then approved a new instructional coach job description designed to use extra‑duty or short‑term contracts (an extra teaching period model) to allow strong classroom teachers to support newer teachers at the middle and high schools.

A lengthy discussion preceded approval of revised school counselor job descriptions. Board members debated language about counselors’ scope — specifically whether descriptions should reference student "personal and social development" and the district’s potential use of maintenance and operations funds if a safety grant is not awarded. Supporters said counselors are certified and are essential for academic interventions and coordinating student support; opponents raised concerns about role overlap and budget tradeoffs. The board approved the counselor job description by a 3–2 recorded outcome.

The board also authorized issuance of district administrative contracts for the 2023–24 school year (routine annual action) and approved changes to the certified salary schedule. Superintendent Doctor Jay told the board the meet‑and‑confer process produced a second round of increases for teachers and classified staff: the negotiating committee agreed to a 2% raise and to add roughly $3,500 from Prop 301 monies into the base salary. Transcript numbers on exact starting salaries reported in the meeting were unclear; administration described the adjustments as a step toward raising starting pay.

Board members approved a minor revision to the district's pay‑for‑performance plan that would expand opportunities for student voice feedback (grades 6–12) and parent surveys (PK–5) as non‑evaluative input for teacher development; the board approved the plan.

Several items were approved by voice vote with no roll‑call tally recorded in the transcript; the counselor job description was the one item where a tally (3–2) was explicitly announced.

The board asked staff to ensure packet materials correctly reflect donated items (board members flagged duplicate donation entries tied to the same check number) and to provide clarifying documentation where needed.

Next steps: the Hughes personnel item will be addressed in executive session at a later date; any additional contract or salary implementation questions will be handled in follow‑up materials to the board.