By Dr. Finch

Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) has been on a run of winning awards these past couple of years. Our laser focus on our community and staff-driven Strategic Plan has successfully propelled the district in the same direction for the last four years. Arrows pointed in the same direction increase the likelihood of hitting the target right in the bullseye – every time. DVUSD’s financial targets are some of the goals we strive to hit every year, with financial transparency as one of the focuses. 

The DVUSD “Special Report to the Community” is released every year to our community and was redesigned last year to make it more user-friendly and appealing to the reader. With over sixty percent of the households in DVUSD not containing children, it is important for all community members to see the impact of the correct use of tax dollars for maintaining public structures and equipment, improving school facilities, and being fiscally responsible. Good stewardship positively affects property values when coupled with strong academic performance. 

The formation of a community and DVUSD budget committee, financial website links at www.dvusd.org/budget411, additional community and staff surveys on budget priorities, and the “Special Report to the Community,” all help to promote DVUSD’s transparent approach to spending tax dollars. After the release of the new version last year, internet traffic on the District financial web links jumped sixty-eight percent. 

DVUSD’s Communication Department was given professional accolades for their outstanding “Special Report to the Community” these past two years. As your DVUSD Special Report arrives in your mailbox, you can thank Communications & Community Engagement Director, Monica Allread, Finance Director Heather Mock, and Deputy Superintendent for Fiscal Services, Jim Migliorino, for their hard work in making this an award-winning publication. 

The edition features summaries of construction projects, exciting programs supported with tax dollars, DVUSD awards, financial data, and website financial links for additional information. One of the report’s highlights is an excellent program at Barry Goldwater High School’s (BGHS). BGHS Career Technical Education (CTE) program won the highest CTE award in the state, the “Arizona Outstanding CTE Program of the Year.” This prestigious award focuses on the student-run community restaurant, Avenue 27, located on the BGHS campus. This diner is an outstanding opportunity for students to display their talent in serving the community with excellent fine-dining food from a professional kitchen built with your tax dollars. 

This “Special Report to the Community” was given the “Award of Excellence” for two years in a row – 2019 and 2020 by the Arizona School Public Relations Association. Congratulations to the team that focused their efforts on producing a quality publication informing the community of DVUSD’s economic situation and transparent use of financial resources. With all arrows pointed at the same target of #extraordinary excellence, great things happen – an award-winning and informative financial report for your review. Visit our website for more detailed information – www.dvusd.org/specialreport.

Dr. Finch is the superintendent of DVUSD and can be reached at [email protected].