SUSD ready to ring in new school year

Aug. 6—Principal Shelley Hummon was asked about the reaction to the new Pueblo Elementary School.

"Like kids on Christmas," she said.

And that's the teachers.

She said she can't wait to see the looks on the faces of kids when Pueblo — and the rest of Scottsdale Unified School District — opens its doors to 20,000 students Monday, Aug. 7.

A new school year could hardly be newer at Pueblo, where a massive reconstruction project that began last year and accelerated in the summer is nearing the finish line.

Pueblo wasn't the only SUSD school getting a big facelift.

According to Dennis Roehler, SUSD's director of Building Services, "our focus this summer has been on the full rebuild of Pueblo Elementary School and the administration building addition, art building addition, PE structure addition and parking lot renovation at Tavan Elementary School."

Despite supply-chain delays that have wreaked havoc on construction projects around Scottsdale and the country, Roehler's team expects to be ready for opening day on this massive project:

"Pueblo Elementary School is 100% brand new," he said.

The 27 other schools in the SUSD universe have hardly been quiet over the last month.

"Our Building Services team members work tirelessly throughout the summer performing preventive maintenance activities and small maintenance projects that are typical to school facilities," Roehler said.

"Let us not forget our custodial staff and custodial contracted service providers that are cleaning the schools preparing for the new school year."

At Pueblo Elementary, while Hummon is generally thrilled about the new school, a dark cloud looms on the horizon.

In mid-June, state schools chief Tom Horne stated, "Dual language classes, typically taught for half of each day in Spanish, are an obvious violation" of a voter-approved state law.

He said schools not teaching English Language Learners in English "risk losing funds for this legal violation."

Though he added, "these rules only apply to students who have not yet attained proficiency in English," state Attorney General Kris Mayes disputes Horne's claim that any school is violating the law.

Pueblo is a dual language immersion school. The school's website states, "Students spend half of their time in English learning reading, writing and content skills such as social studies.

"The other half of their instructional time is spent learning content such as mathematics and science through Spanish as taught by a native speaker."

Any potential impact on funding for Pueblo Elementary would be minimal, Hummon noted, as most of the school's students are native English speakers.

"I would say that about 97% of our students come from non-Spanish speaking families," she said.

"Our families are actually bringing their students here to learn Spanish — we have very few students who come that are not proficient in English."

Even so, for those who interpret Horne's plan as attack on dual language immersion, the Pueblo principal has a challenge: "I welcome anyone who has any doubts about this model or what it could do for any student to come to our school and come into the classroom and see the amazing learning going on."

Scottsdale native

Few know Scottsdale Unified like Hummon, who has been on both sides of student desks.

She is a Scottsdale native who attended SUSD schools Navajo Elementary School, Pima (when it was a middle school) and Saguaro High School.

After studying psychology in college, she worked in social services, including a stint as a victim's advocate with the county.

Then, when she was pregnant, she decided to shift to education and enrolled in a master's in education program.

After teaching, she moved into administration, landing at Pueblo Elementary six years ago — for some serious deja vu.

"When I was a student at Saguaro," she said with a chuckle, "I would come over to Pueblo and I would volunteer in the classrooms as part of my psychology class. So it's one of those full circle moments."

In May, the district Governing Board heard a presentation that noted in the last dozen years, SUSD "enrollment has declined by 5,050 students (19%)."

The average SUSD enrollment loss in the last 12 years: about 1.8% per year.

After hitting a high of 27,225 students in 2000, SUSD last year educated 20,939 — a 23% drop, over 23 years.

But there may be a few more SUSD students at classroom desks this year.

According to the district, projected enrollment for the 2023-24 school year is 21,457 students.

"The number always shifts up and down during the first couple weeks of each new school year," said Nancy Norman, a district spokeswoman.

Pueblo Elementary expects its new campus will educate 460 students this year — down by about 10 from the 2022-23 school year.

"We would always love to welcome more students," Hummon said. "We would love to have more students come to our school."

The year ahead in SUSD

Monday, Aug. 7: First day of the 2023-24 school year.

Tuesday, Aug. 8: First meeting of the school year of the SUSD Governing Board.

Aug. 14: Golf season begins.

Aug. 18: Football season begins.

Aug. 21: Badminton season begins.

Aug. 23: Volleyball seasons begin.

Aug. 28: Swim and dive, tennis, girls flag football seasons begin.

Sept.4: Schools closed for Labor Day.

Oct. 9-13: Schools closed for Fall Break.

Nov. 3: Football regular season ends.

Nov. 6: SUSD Marching Band Invitational.

Nov. 13: SUSD Middle School Choral Festival.

Nov. 15: Basketball season begins.

Nov. 20: SUSD High School Choral Festival.

Nov. 20: Wrestling season begins.

Nov. 30: Soccer season begins.

Dec. 22-Jan. 5: Winter Break.

Jan. 15: Schools closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Feb. 19: Schools closed for Presidents Day.

Feb. 21: Baseball, softball, tennis, track and field seasons begin.

March 11-15: Spring Break.

March 23: 2nd Annual ArtsFest.

April 8: SUSD Jazz Night.