AZ MERIT CHAMPIONS
The Payson School District recently celebrated its latest batch of AzMERIT champions, although confusion persists in … Read more
Arizona remains perhaps the worst state in the country to be a public school teacher, according to a recent national survey. Read more
Override pitch at the tea party
Advocates for a ballot measure to extend the Payson Unified School District’s $1.4 million budget override took their… Read more
Everywhere Pine teacher Dean Pederson goes — students run up to greet him. Read more
Performance pay plan
The Payson school board last week unanimously approved the district’s state-mandated “performance pay” system for tea… Read more
Anyone who says Main Street is dead hasn’t attended a recent Main Street Merchants Guild meeting. Read more
Counselors
Payson faces a tight deadline to apply for state money to either continue funding for a police officer on campus or a… Read more
Payson High School student government recently honored Rim Country’s first responders with a hearty breakfast. Read more
The Friends of Rim Country Gila Community College recently raised $10,000 for student scholarships. Read more
Payson High School was put on lockdown Thursday afternoon after a student allegedly made violent threats. Read more
The computer classroom at Payson High School remains quiet, and that’s a good thing believe it or not. This is all be… Read more
PHOENIX — Studies show the best way to get students interested in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering… Read more
Daycare
The Community Presbyterian Church plans to open a day care center to help fill the void left by the shutdown of Head … Read more
Payson schools last week celebrated middle school students who scored as highly proficient on the latest AzMERIT test… Read more
Override
Payson Unified School District Superintendent Stan Rentz has been introducing himself to the community he now serves … Read more
The Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) doesn’t need magic beans to make magic happen. Read more
Top students
Proud parents and brainy students jammed the Payson School Board meeting recently to celebrate top scores on the stat… Read more
Payson High School seniors have a chance to win scholarships from the Elks National Foundation ranging from $4,000 to… Read more
Testing
Don’t count the new superintendent of the Payson Unified School District as a big fan of national, standardized testi… Read more
Would you like to spend an evening at the Chaparral Pines Clubhouse, including dinner, an art sale and live auction t… Read more
When school bells rang around Rim Country at the end of July, Tonto Village was quiet. The Shelby School has closed i… Read more
School districts throughout the state once more lurched into the school year with the nation’s worst ratio of counsel… Read more
The Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) doesn’t need magic beans to make magic happen. Read more
Arizona schools
Despite recent funding increases, Arizona still has one of the weakest school systems in the country, according to ra… Read more
Stan Rentz walked up to the Rim Country Middle School student holding a sign that read: “Are you lost?” Read more
Few people eagerly await the start of school like Linda Scoville. Read more
School board meeting
The Payson School Board this week doubled the pay for people who work the gates and concession stands at football gam… Read more
Gila Community College is offering four free concerts in August as part of its “Music in the Garden” series. Read more
Dual enrollment
Get this: An energetic Payson High School student can graduate with not only a high school diploma — but a community … Read more
Rim Country students can pick up a free backpack between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Sunday, July 21 at the TCC Payson store, … Read more
Gila Community College is again offering the study in substance abuse class this fall, taught by Jane Fender. Read more
Salary study
The Payson School Board approved a $15,500 salary study at its last meeting, which will affect the wages, benefits an… Read more
The Gowers are gone now. Read more
High school roofs
Two buildings at Payson High School will get about $700,000 worth of new roofing, thanks to the first signs of a turn… Read more
The school bus driver crisis dominated newly hired Payson Unified School District Superintendent Stan Rentz’s first m… Read more
December Tudor crept to the very edge of the water-smoothed boulder above the narrow slot of the foaming East Verde R… Read more
An art instructor with a master’s degree in fine arts who fell in love with Payson will share her expertise and creat… Read more
The Unified Payson School District budget will rise by almost 7 percent to $16 million in fiscal 2019-20, with most o… Read more
The Heard Museum has wrapped up its second annual Teacher Institute program, which gives Arizona educators a better u… Read more
If you live within a mile of a Payson school campus, your child can’t take the bus to that campus in the fall, the Pa… Read more
Northern Gila County educators, their families and friends packed the meeting room at the county offices on East High… Read more
The Pine-Strawberry School teacher whose personalized license plate reads “Bonaro” has been named the Gila County Tea… Read more
WASHINGTON – Gov. Doug Ducey touted Arizona’s first-in-the-nation universal licensing recognition law at the White Ho… Read more
The Philanthropic Educational Organization’s STAR Scholarship for 2019 went to Perla Luna, a student at Payson High S… Read more
WASHINGTON – Gov. Doug Ducey touted Arizona’s first-in-the-nation universal licensing recognition law at the White House Thursday to a recepti… Read more
The Philanthropic Educational Organization’s STAR Scholarship for 2019 went to Perla Luna, a student at Payson High School, May 14. Read more
Override
With arts classes, maintaining class sizes and nearly 10 percent of its operating budget on the line, the Payson School Board voted this week … Read more
Teacher merit pay
If everyone gets “merit pay,” does it really mean you’re doing a good job? Read more
Donations
The Mogollon Sporting Association once again came through for Rim Country’s kids, with nearly $9,000 in donations to sports programs to the Pa… Read more
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The Payson Unified School District’s transportation department is in turmoil, with the crash of a bus whose driver was cited for drunk driving… Read more
Teacher pay
Recent increases in teacher pay haven’t come close to lifting Arizona to the national average, according to a national survey released last we… Read more
political agenda
The Payson School Board really, really hopes the Arizona Legislature will resume paying for all-day kindergarten classes. Read more
Several Julia Randall Elementary students snagged a free bike on the last day of school. Read more
Thirteen students received scholarships to attend Gila Community College (GCC) this fall. Read more
Eastern Arizona College Small Business Development Center presents webinar "Social Media for Small Business" from noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, June 13. Read more
Gila Community College announced the Payson honor students for the Spring 2019 semester. Read more
State Schools budget
The state’s new $11.8 billion budget nearly doubled the reserve fund, increased spending by 11 percent and cut taxes by nearly $500 million — … Read more
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A concerned Kathlene Thomson kept an eye on the weather forecast. Read more
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Life isn’t about beating others, but setting and then besting your own personal records. Read more
Payson High School graduates donned their caps and gowns – not for graduation – but for high fives and good vibes. Read more
The Payson campus of Gila Community College celebrated the graduation of 16 students at their 2019 Commencement held at First Church of the Na… Read more
Gila County has received $1.16 million from the 2019 Secure Rural Schools Act (SRS) funds. Read more
featured
Tears filled Corrine VandenBerg’s eyes as she gazed at a colorful new mural that adorns the front of Payson Elementary School. For her, it is … Read more
Override election
A fretful Payson School Board this week asked for a resolution to be brought to them at the next board meeting to seek voter approval to conti… Read more
Payson School Board member Shane Keith this week resigned his seat after the district hired his wife as an English teacher, creating a conflic… Read more
Jacquelyn Oesterblad, a 2011 graduate of Payson High School, plans to attend Yale Law School this fall. Read more
Payson High School senior Kajal Daya wasn’t sure what kind of career she wanted until she volunteered at Banner Payson Medical Center. Read more
Playing songs from Mötley Crüe to the ethereal Mark Williams with some jazz thrown in, the bands from Rim Country Middle School and Payson Hig… Read more
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Education tax
Sen. Sylvia Allen’s (R-Snowflake) plan to raise the state’s sales tax to generate more money for education continues to move through the legis… Read more
Payson High School senior Olivia Hobson has been honored for her volunteer work with a Prudential Spirit of Community Award and President’s Vo… Read more
Payson High senior Cole Tenney is a finalist for a National Merit Scholarship. Read more
Stipends
The Payson School board at its last meeting approved a slew of stipends for teachers who supervise extracurricular activities and clubs, with … Read more
Donations
Payson loves its schools. And has a generous spirit. Read more
Payson Schools
The Payson School Board last week approved a roughly 5 percent employee pay raise, with money set aside for an extra, much-debated 5 percent “… Read more
Just a few days remain to nominate an educator for Gila County’s K-12 Teacher of the Year award. Read more
I’m clinging to Steve Stephens, like driftwood on the ocean. Read more
Consolidation
A bill that would have forced the merger of the Pine, Tonto Basin and Young school districts into Payson Unified School District has apparentl… Read more
Jim Strogen patiently attached the hand-tied imitation caddisfly nymph to my nearly invisible fly line, while my gaze wandered to the spillove… Read more
School board wrestles with raises and capital needs
Big classes. Read more
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The Mazatzal Optimist Club has selected a Rim Country Middle School eighth-grader the winner of their essay contest. Read more
Audience members were transported back more than half a century last week in the delightfully colorful production of “You’re a Good Man, Charl… Read more
Zoia Brouwer, a Payson High School 2016 graduate, showed five of her drawings and paintings in the 3rd Annual Elemental Cultural Arts Festival… Read more
School budget
The Payson School Board made nearly $1 million worth of employee raises and benefits its top priority in the course of two lengthy study sessi… Read more
Payson Unified School District just received recognition as a Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase School from the Flippen Group. Read more
Tests
The federal government has rejected an Arizona plan to stop requiring all districts to use the AzMerit test to track student gains. Read more
Payson will get a bright, shiny, new school bus, thanks to Volkswagen’s dirty air tests on diesel engines. Read more
The Payson High School Longhorn Theatre Company presents “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” at 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 and 7 p.m. Saturday,… Read more
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School mergers
A bill that could force the Pine, Tonto Basin and Young elementary school districts to merge with Payson has passed out of a key Senate committee. Read more
