[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6077906,"mediaKeyId","2962813-6736383422b7af61a96c2395f0192431","parentId",2962813,"title","Board accepts superintendent's recommendation to terminate teacher Alyssa Plaza after public comments","audioSeconds",1152,"startMs",4157000,"endMs",5309000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2962813-6736383422b7af61a96c2395f0192431&start=4157&end=5309","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2962813-6736383422b7af61a96c2395f0192431/thumbnail_4157000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6077906/Arizona/Board-accepts-superintendents-recommendation-to-terminate-teacher-Alyssa-Plaza-after-public-comments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077906-9c0d0326f1ae4a3b3d37c073f00236d7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146538&Signature=R9FXTWBxvg0VfhBxSWCE~vsFgpZRiofcmZaDpIY~9Js9lZvoklNJVRA2JfMQfoel4NGjgeVKRXAlzFFOZau7jsBMMJUHM8CvUdsqK-51MlW07G0nV-DepQRnyOlsmDkhA6SerybXUv4u-DX1XwKyjKrR7q5RqZ~LbyQgRapso9FF6jTOs-8kT0V-TJkHDJKdwa1rO56sCWfNCIrP3ySkx9NSJQfldxVAtTmniXi14SZebZG~-J0LeRwifulemw03BfajmqyBcXQ4PmUns8j6LtAMTrHJgZHGcuLNjLnUUsED-GDCgAT1EuDRZasx24SmgS3vnmJRC~IPK9IN7JIVZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Yuma Union High School District","date","2025-04-11T14:55:09.65Z","article","YUMA — The Yuma Union High School District governing board on Wednesday voted to accept Superintendent Tim Brianza’s recommendation to terminate Alyssa Plaza from employment, effective April 19, 2025, after a public-comment period that included students and parents speaking both in favor of and critical of district handling of student-safety concerns.

Superintendent Tim Brianza read the recommendation during the action portion of the meeting and a board member moved that the board accept the superintendent’s recommendation; another trustee seconded the motion. The board then voted by voice; the motion carried with all members saying \"aye.\" The record does not show a roll-call tally by name.

Public comment before the vote included multiple speakers. Student speakers told the board that coach and teacher Alyssa Plaza had been a mentor and positive influence. \"She wasn't just my coach. She was someone I trusted,\" said Maya Chavez, who identified herself as a student and described Plaza as a mentor who supported students during family and personal problems. Maria Lopez, another student speaker, described Plaza as a \"mentor, a listener, and a protector\" and asked the board to allow Plaza to continue in the role.

Other public commenters raised concerns about the administration's handling of separate bullying and conduct complaints, questioned investigative procedures and asked why some incidents were treated differently. One speaker said their son was questioned with a parent present and alleged repeated questioning that they described as confusing; the speaker said district administrators had dismissed an earlier bullying report as a joke and asked why district policy apparently was not applied consistently. That commenter asked why anonymous reports were handled with greater seriousness than other reports and criticized the language used in district documents when describing students.

The public commenters who asked that Plaza be reinstated framed her removal as damaging to students who relied on her as a mentor; speakers said several students felt they had lost a key support figure and that the team and campus had been negatively affected.

During the action, the board moved to accept the superintendent’s recommendation to terminate and authorized the superintendent to send required notices and take related actions. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

Ending — Trustees then proceeded to other business, including a call for an executive session later in the agenda and approval of a superintendent evaluation and performance pay. The termination motion includes the effective date of April 19, 2025, as read into the record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","YUHSD Governing Board Meeting April 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After public comment both defending and criticizing school staff handling of incidents, the Yuma Union High School District governing board voted to accept the superintendent's recommendation to terminate teacher Alyssa Plaza effective April 19, 2025.","taxTitle","Yuma Union High School District (4507), School Districts, Arizona","taxId",13630,"location","Arizona","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6077911,"Board reviews auditor general spending analysis, teacher pay and accountability indicators",1000,1713000,2713000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2962813-6736383422b7af61a96c2395f0192431&start=1713&end=2713","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2962813-6736383422b7af61a96c2395f0192431/thumbnail_1713000.jpg","/articles/6077911/Arizona/Board-reviews-auditor-general-spending-analysis-teacher-pay-and-accountability-indicators","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077911-7eb259cc398a3c4c4d1c0cb2a7fa7cc5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146538&Signature=XiDVLvFdaGrFzxagiPdDFoP2VAY5OxczxVD~4k4X92s8T6mONUct7cO2PYyleiyggLYnoZQzCnb47nC14FoZsN7JvPk23JnC6HDG3UVQetmcMJy13~-imWV6bv4nnTLYtw~I~f-FaA4Og9zsUUxwEK7xP1jLFdfAYbNMKfF40YpJYfilCeXU2pWRhgOyAkYFKiz1Yg9QevDdJACIVXgyekjq3fGsyK~j-XUsWEmPh0fR9ISonmvMpan6zgs2XtXNpc-mpknGguPD8Exm5kLX4USA--SXQ-E~rQtt1i4GT1ipTnmsWrJthYnYLCG~ctt~N1UyfE3jekWmlfWCW~lrAA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","YUMA — Yuma Union High School District staff reviewed the recently published Auditor General school-district spending analysis and provided updates on district finances and state accountability measures at the April board meeting.

A staff presentation on the FY2023–24 Auditor General report highlighted changes in how the state classifies certain expenditures and noted COVID-era funds have ended. Staff said the district’s classroom spending as reported to the state showed a modest decrease while non-classroom spending rose because of state-mandated reclassifications.

In the financial review, a staff member reported that the district’s total budget is $109,027,008 and that year-to-date spending stood at $56,757,003. The capital budget line was discussed separately; staff said capital equipment spending for the year included gym construction and other one-time projects and that the district spent $7,848,718 from capital allocations during the year.

On personnel, staff reported the district’s average teacher salary is $74,244, which the presentation said is $9,131 higher than the state average of $65,001.13. Presenters noted that the percentage of teachers in their first three years has fallen to 22%, which staff framed as an indicator of improving retention.

The board also heard a detailed account of Arizona’s AF accountability system from Ms. DeGrantrial, director of assessment and accountability. She summarized the components that make up a school’s letter grade: proficiency (state ACT/test results; 30% of the grade), graduation (20%), growth (20%), English-learner measures (10%), and college-and-career readiness indicators such as AP, dual enrollment, industry credentials and other measures (20%).

Ms. DeGrantrial explained that college-and-career readiness is itself composed of multiple indicators — AP scores, CTE technical assessments and credentials, ASVAB performance, FAFSA completion and other items — and that schools can earn points across those sub-measures. She said the district administers the ACT to juniors and the ACT Aspire to ninth graders to measure growth between tests.

A board member asked whether the district’s letter grade is calculated from school-level grades; a presenter said the district grade is computed like a GPA from the individual school letter grades and that the state rounds results when calculating district ratings.

Ending — Trustees did not take immediate action on budget items during the presentation; staff asked the board to use the report as context for mid-year adjustments and for planning upcoming budget and staffing decisions.","Staff summarized the Auditor General's FY23–24 district spending analysis, reviewed internal budget and capital spending, and walked trustees through Arizona's school accountability (AF) system and college-and-career readiness indicators; staff also reported average district teacher salary exceeds the state average.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6077916,"Yuma Union trustees hear proposal to raise student ID, ticket and athletic participation fees",492,2762000,3254000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2962813-6736383422b7af61a96c2395f0192431&start=2762&end=3254","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2962813-6736383422b7af61a96c2395f0192431/thumbnail_2762000.jpg","/articles/6077916/Arizona/Yuma-Union-trustees-hear-proposal-to-raise-student-ID-ticket-and-athletic-participation-fees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077916-58682bcf346072141e8e15a48afe4ec5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146538&Signature=YLc2D26mt5ZSV2FTIYEyljIyE6fxrEzbTuffVLe9zpXFKptHUGM0R7rSsR1rCw4JdafTlq9vt9kAnG2czcV05mY9taJC7V9sxAK4UeLeP~3jdPhQqXdlidDo66ynq5LfZj5F74AUyxyFp5XQ-tTiZis6BmS9ofgEMQLBOU0fJFhPJejFah0zPLun~Tu4K9lyMseqO~zccfOIE4pNPep~XfduyVrIDdG42uPK73m-LIWw1BFTkctTWiOH3ZcbkmfkLl-kOTl6Vab7XUVGk4O-RaKuw8P6cEBYadn~yIJZuVr~nplKFTd0r6o27H8DF9JciLbWE555uTRbG2xK-8jibg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","YUMA — Yuma Union High School District staff on Wednesday outlined a proposal to raise student ID fees, general-admission ticket prices and athletic participation fees for the 2025–26 school year to narrow a shortfall in school athletic budgets.

District staff said the proposal would raise the student ID fee from $15 to $20 (with $14 earmarked for athletics and $6 for activities), increase general-admission tickets from $5 to $6 and raise the per-sport athletic participation fee from $45 to $55. Officials said the district will keep a military/senior discount and has not yet set the fee for ESA students because of pending state legislation.

District leaders described athletics funding as a mix of ID fees, participation fees, ticket sales, principal budgets, booster-club donations and outside scholarships. \"We are working to be fiscally sustainable,\" said Miss Cordell, who reviewed expenses and revenue lines for the trustees. She said the proposed fee changes would bring the district closer to covering growing costs but would not fully eliminate the deficit.

The presenters said the athletics budget faces unavoidable increases: dues and official (\"rep\") pay set by the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) and higher transportation costs for away contests. Cordell showed that rep pay has increased and AIA fees rose for the coming year, and she noted two-official crews for baseball and softball games, plus travel for officials, as substantial recurring expenses.

Board members asked about support for students who cannot pay fees. Presenters said each school maintains scholarship or assistance programs, boosters and community groups sometimes step in, and principals and coaches work with families. \"We are not here to hinder any student from participating,\" Associate Superintendent Jankowski said, describing planned site-level assistance and scholarship options.

Staff provided line-item examples showing how proposed fee increases would change revenues for each high school based on current participation counts; Cordell said, using current enrollment and participation, the changes would yield \"almost $3,000\" additional revenue for some schools but would still leave gaps made up by principals, boosters and donations.

The board did not vote on the proposal at the meeting. Staff indicated they will return with final recommendations and asked trustees to consider the proposal as part of next year’s budget process.

The presentation included a request that the board weigh affordability and equity concerns against the need to maintain safe fields, up-to-date equipment and transportation for contests.

Ending — The board scheduled no immediate vote; trustees asked staff to continue work on mitigation plans so students from low-income households can continue to participate, and staff said they will provide updated revenue and assistance figures if the board moves forward with the fee changes.","District staff proposed raising student ID fees, general-admission ticket prices and per-sport participation fees for 2025–26 to reduce an athletics operating shortfall; presenters said the increase would not fully close the gap and schools and donors would still be expected to cover remaining costs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board accepts superintendent's recommendation to terminate teacher Alyssa Plaza after public comments

Board reviews auditor general spending analysis, teacher pay and accountability indicators

Yuma Union trustees hear proposal to raise student ID, ticket and athletic participation fees