Payson Roundup

They have a mission, they have a vision, and they’re ready to roll.

Payson Unified School District Board members recently gathered at a Saturday afternoon work-study session to modify their guiding ideals to reflect the addition of three new board members.

The event was held at Business Manager Bobette Tomerlin’s house, and the sunlight flooding in her wide-windowed living room offered fuel for thought, if not a reminder of the beautiful Saturday morning unfolding outside as the board toiled inside. A representative from the Arizona School Boards Association, Karen Beckvar, facilitated the discussion.

Board member Richard Meyer had pushed for the board to revisit its mission statement. The current one — “Unite students, parents, staff and community to achieve the common purpose of academic excellence” — offered no specificity, he has said.

Members began by writing the newspaper headlines they would like to see emerge about the district in five years. Most reflected the desire to achieve universal excellence, although member Matt Van Camp wrote of his dream to build a new high school.

Then came time to examine the mission statement. “The Phoenix Fire Department has a great mission statement,” Beckvar began — “Prevent harm, survive, be nice!” Although, she added, the school district’s job is different than a fire department’s.

Neither the PUSD’s mission statement, nor its vision statement, grew an exclamation point. The robust discussion that followed, however, did illuminate each board member’s perspective on what the school should be teaching. Board member Rory Huff believes the district’s academic focus should lie on vocational training, while Meyer believes students should be trained to compete in today’s global economy.

Payson students tend to ignore phenomenon “past Rye or Pine,” Huff said.

“I think the kids’ perspective is that,” said Superintendent Casey O’Brien. “But they’re going to wake up — whether it’s three days later or three years later.” Then, a knowledge shortfall won’t “get them to where they need to be.”

“Where are we going to have the time to teach Taiwanese culture?” Huff wondered.

Beckvar mentioned that 90 percent of the students in her district attend college. “Where is that?” board members wondered. “Scottsdale,” Beckvar answered.

“We are a rural community,” Huff said. “We like to work with our hands.” Welders, homebuilders, auto mechanics — they don’t need to know what’s going on in other countries, Huff said.

“They need a broad spectrum,” Meyer said. The job a student trains for today may not exist 10 years later, he added. “I want to prepare them to go into many things.”

Member Matt Van Camp said the district should focus on both. “I deal with many cultures on a daily basis,” he said about his job as a police detective. He said the district should find a balance between educating students with a large perspective while still maintaining community roots.

Beckvar told board members the district needs to prepare students for whatever they want to do, whether college, vocational school or industry.

“I don’t particularly care for the buzzword of global economy,” member Viki Holmes said, adding that she liked the word “world” better.

The new mission, which has yet to receive formal board approval is, “Educate and prepare students in a safe and supportive environment that promotes academic excellence for success in a changing world.”

Vision: “Every student is prepared academically with the life skills and confidence necessary to be a productive citizen.”

Newly developed values included valuing the contributions of all stakeholders, believing in the six pillars of character and continuing improvement, as well as celebrating success.