Cartwright board adopts multiple ASBA policy updates, approves employee handbook; ADE flags $39,389 in ESSER disallowed costs

The Cartwright Elementary District governing board voted on Aug. 19 to adopt a package of Arizona School Board Association (ASBA) policy advisories, approve the district's 2025'26 employee handbook and review a fiscal-monitoring report from the Arizona Department of Education that identified disallowed federal spending.

The actions were taken during a regularly scheduled meeting at the Cartwright School District boardroom. Lydia Hernandez, school board president, moved the principal policy and handbook measures; Rosa Cantu, vice president, seconded several motions. Ms. Romero, a governing board member, repeatedly objected to the board's makeup during the meeting and recorded absentions on multiple votes.

The policy package included second readings and adoptions of ASBA advisories across several volumes. The advisories adopted or moved forward addressed staff certification and credentialing, support-staff qualifications, curriculum development language, procedures for administering medicines and seizure-management training, student records and technology-use rules. Hernandez described the work as "the bulk of our policy work," saying the advisories align local rules with state law and administrative code.

Superintendent Watson summarized the advisories for board members before votes. Among the specific changes noted by administration were: - PA 803 (professional staff certification and credentialing) updated to reflect statutory language cited in the packet; - PA 805 (curriculum development) removed language that had required certified personnel on curriculum committees because, per the advisory, no statutory basis was found for that requirement; - PA 808 and a set of advisories in volume 37 added provisions on IEP transition services, estimated graduation dates and the Arizona State Board of Education's seizure-management training rule (SB 1654). The board approved the advisories on second reading.

Board action: The board approved the policy advisories on second reading after discussion. Vice President Rosa Cantu and President Lydia Hernandez voted aye on the motions; Ms. Romero repeatedly raised a procedural objection and abstained on several policy votes.

The board also approved the 2025'26 employee handbook, which administration said incorporates recent meet-and-confer items and clarifies items such as FMLA, medical insurance during leaves and an attendance-award program. Dr. Espritsch (district administrator leading human-resources updates) told the board the handbook is reviewed annually and that items approved through meet-and-confer were folded into this edition. The motion to adopt the handbook passed with Cantu and Hernandez voting aye and Ms. Romero recording an abstention.

During public comment, resident Henrietta Anderson asked why a longstanding neighborhood block-watch memorandum of understanding (MOU) had not been signed by the district. Anderson said she had delayed paying contract police officers and that the partnership had existed "since 2013" and earlier. The board said calls to the public are for comment only and that staff would follow up outside the meeting. "I need some clarification as to why the block watch 'brand' and the Homestead block watch'brand... has not been signed by the Cartwright Board," Anderson said.

Fiscal monitoring: The board received a fiscal-monitoring update from the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) covering federal grant expenditures for the 2022'23 school year. Superintendent Watson and business staff described the ADE review as a routine ADE sample audit of federal grant lines and procurement compliance. ADE identified two "questioned costs" and one category of "disallowed costs." Watson said the largest disallowed cost arose from a longevity payout that was paid in December 2022 but whose final governing-board approval occurred in January 2023; ADE determined some payouts were not allowable because the retroactive approval postdated the payments.

Watson reported the district would return $39,389 to federal ESSER funds for the disallowed longevity payments and that a voucher to reimburse the federal funding will appear on the next board meeting agenda. He also described a curriculum-adoption transaction flagged as a questioned cost because federal procurement procedures were not followed when federal funds were used. "There were two question costs," Watson said. "The disallowed costs were from the longevity payout... the amount of $39,389." Board members asked that staff investigate whether individuals should reimburse any funds and requested periodic updates to the board on the investigation.

Delegate appointment and other business: The board appointed Vice President Rosa Cantu as Cartwright's delegate to the ASBA delegate assembly for the proposed 2026 political agenda and named President Hernandez the alternate. The board also received reports on recent conferences (including NALEO) and on district openings and school visits.

Recurring objection from a board member: Ms. Romero repeatedly told the meeting that the board was "illegal" because, she said, "a mother and daughter are both serving on the same governing board." Romero's comments interrupted several votes; the transcript records her statements and her decision to abstain on multiple items. The board did not take legal action on-site; staff did not present a legal opinion during the meeting.

Votes at a glance: - ASBA policy advisories (PA 801'807, PA 808 and PA 906'908, PA 863'865 and related advisories): Motion to adopt (second reading). Mover: Lydia Hernandez; Seconder: Rosa Cantu. Recorded votes: Cantu, aye; Hernandez, aye; Romero, abstain or object. Outcome: approved. - 2025'26 employee handbook: Motion to adopt. Mover: Lydia Hernandez; Seconder: Rosa Cantu. Recorded votes: Cantu, aye; Hernandez, aye; Romero, abstain. Outcome: approved. - ASBA delegate appointment for proposed 2026 political agenda: Motion to appoint Rosa Cantu (delegate) and Lydia Hernandez (alternate). Mover: Lydia Hernandez; Seconder: Rosa Cantu. Recorded votes: Cantu, aye; Hernandez, aye; Romero, recorded comments then vote; motion carried.

Why it matters: The ASBA advisory updates change local policy language on curriculum committees, IEP transition services, student records, technology use in instruction and health/medication procedures; those changes affect how schools implement curriculum, special-education transition planning and record access. The ADE fiscal finding requires the district to return federal funds and may prompt further administrative review of procurement and payroll approvals.

Next steps: The district will place a voucher on the next board meeting agenda to return the $39,389 to ESSER funds and will follow up with the resident who raised questions about the block-watch MOU. The board listed its next regular meeting as Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.