Lake Havasu principals set ambitious proficiency targets, outline tutoring and test-prep steps; board approves budget and policy first reading

Lake Havasu Unified School District principals presented school-level goals and coordinated action plans on Aug. 14 aimed at raising student proficiency on the Arizona Student Assessment (AASA) and the ACT, while the governing board approved a 2026 budget amendment and advanced a slate of policy updates on first reading.

District student achievement director Miss Olsen told the board the district will focus on two priorities for the year: "what is being taught" (alignment to Arizona state standards) and "how it is being taught" (defining and monitoring high-impact instructional elements). She said the district has identified eight instructional elements — including clear learning objectives, student engagement and formative assessment — and will provide monthly tools and observation support for site leaders.

The presentations that followed laid out school-specific SMART goals and interventions. SmokeTree Elementary Principal Mrs. Mersin said SmokeTree will seek an 8% increase in third- through sixth-grade ELA and math proficiency, describing action steps that include backward-designed lesson planning, weekly grade-level planning with special education collaboration, content-writing professional development and expanded after-school tutoring and homework-club supports.

Nautilus Principal (Miss Williams) described a 10% proficiency goal for grades 3–6 and said monthly data meetings, targeted after-school tutoring twice a week and intentional use of specialist teachers will be used to reinforce standards-aligned instruction. Starline Principal Ginny Sautner also adopted a 10% target, stressing teacher PLCs, tiered interventions and family engagement to lift reading scores.

At least three schools — Havasupai, Jamaica and Thunderbolt Middle School — set more aggressive, "bold" targets. Havasupai's principal proposed a 25% increase for third- through sixth-grade ELA and math proficiency and described rapid implementation of standards-aligned lessons and engagement strategies. Jamaica Elementary's principal similarly proposed moving roughly 25% of students in grades 3–6 out of low-performance bands by targeting interventions and family-engagement strategies. Thunderbolt’s principal framed its target as moving partially proficient middle-school students to proficiency, specifically naming a cohort goal of 18 students (about a 25% improvement for that subgroup) and emphasizing tiered supports and co-taught classrooms.

At the high school level, Lake Havasu High School Principal Mr. Becker described goals tied to ACT performance. He said the science department aims to raise the ACT science mean score to 19.8 and the math composite to 19.5 through focused PLC work, practice question routines and IXL use in algebra classes. Becker and other principals noted that mimics and practice tests help predict outcomes but that students also need structured test-taking strategies and stamina for longer assessments.

Board members and principals identified recurring needs across sites: more tutors (and sustainable pay for after-school tutoring), targeted professional development for teachers, transportation support for field trips, and continued efforts to recruit and retain special-education teachers. Several principals and board members urged the district to treat teacher development as a primary lever for student achievement; multiple speakers called for strategic use of carryover funds for training and retention incentives.

"Teachers deserve ongoing opportunities to refine their craft," Miss Olsen told the board; principals repeatedly called for time and funding to support PLCs, conferences and hands-on learning experiences.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (item 4.1): Motion to approve carried; roll call indicated unanimous approval. Outcome: approved. - Policies: First reading of a set of policy updates (including mandatory reporter clarification, student records/directory information, student-with-disability procedures, and interscholastic athletics AED requirement): board approved the first reading and moved to second reading. Outcome: approved (first reading advanced). - Business services: 2026 budget amendment (item 6.2) to reflect legislative adjustments to per-pupil base funding and revised carryover estimates: motion to adopt carried. Outcome: approved.

Implementation details and next steps

Principals described specific, measurable activities they will use to pursue goals: weekly grade-level planning using backward design, monthly PLC data dives, WIN time or targeted intervention blocks, expanded after-school tutoring (commonly 2:30–3:30 p.m. twice weekly), and use of IXL and district "mimic" assessments to monitor progress. Several principals said they will implement or expand small-group, tier 2 and tier 3 interventions, and some schools plan monthly MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) meetings to track progress.

Board discussion and directives included requests for quarterly updates on progress, further work on tutoring staffing and compensation models, and proposals to use some carryover funds for targeted teacher professional development and field-trip subsidies. The superintendent and business director flagged an immediate follow-up: publishing policy procedure updates and scheduling implementation timelines in the coming month.

Why it matters

Lake Havasu Unified leaders tied these goals to both equity and long-term outcomes: improved reading and math proficiency affects grade promotion, high-school readiness, and postsecondary access. Several principals emphasized early reading (grade 3) and test-taking preparation as high-leverage areas.

Ending

Board President Rose closed the meeting by encouraging principals to bring specific funding requests to the district for board consideration, noting the board's interest in investing in teacher development, tutoring and transportation solutions to support the goals presented.