Agua Fria Union High School District board approves settlement with School Facilities Oversight Board, adopts superintendent goals and FY26 capital plan

The Agua Fria Union High School District governing board on the evening approved a settlement with the School Facilities Oversight Board related to an appeal the district has pursued since 2023, adopted the superintendent’s goals for the 2025–26 contract year and approved the district’s FY2026 capital plan.

Speaker 16, who presented the settlement, told the board: "This was addressed during the executive session, and we just wanted to make sure that that everybody understood that this is a request for additional funding through the School Facilities Oversight Board that we've been working on as a district since 2023." The board then voted to authorize district attorneys to proceed and to empower the superintendent or deputy superintendent to execute the necessary documents.

The board also moved to adopt the superintendent’s goals for 2025–26, with Speaker 12 saying the goals included approved revisions discussed in executive session. The FY2026 School Facilities Division capital plan was presented as an annual statutory submission the district must file with the state; Speaker 16 described some years as triggering requests for additional funding or square footage, while others are largely a legal formality. The board approved the capital plan as presented.

On another action, the board approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to participate in the West Valley Migrant Education Program consortium for the 2025–26 year. Melanie Colleen, the district’s migrant coordinator, said the IGA will allow the district to access funds administered by Tolleson Union High School District (fiscal agent: Avondale) to support a very small cohort of migrant students (reported as about four to five students) by sharing information and services across districts.

The meeting’s consent agenda passed after staff responded to a question about an Edgenuity (Imagine Learning) contract used for the district’s online program. Staff reported Agua Fria Online currently enrolls about 195 students and that enrollment peaked near 400 last spring; the presenter also noted the Edgenuity platform showed more than 1,000 student sign-ups and roughly 3,000 courses across the district.

The superintendent later thanked staff for the work on the School Facilities Oversight Board matter, singling out Deputy Superintendent Tom Huffman, Assistant Superintendent of Finance Mike Shepherd and legal counsel Jeff Stratman for their roles in securing resources for the district.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to convene a public hearing on the Instructional Time Model (5.1): approved (roll-call recorded 'yes' from multiple board members). - Approval of minutes for 08/13/2025: approved. - 7.1 Approve settlement agreement related to SFOB appeal (transcript reference: "24Dash001SFDDashADM"): approved; board authorized staff to execute settlement documents. - 7.2 Adopt superintendent goals for 2025–26: approved. - 7.3 Approve FY2026 School Facilities Division capital plan: approved. - 7.4 Move the 10/01/2025 regular meeting to West-MEC (West Mac Career Center) at Agua Fria High School, 6 p.m.: approved. - 7.5 Approve IGA with Tolleson Union High School District for West Valley Migrant Education Program (2025–26): approved. - Consent agenda, including expenditures for Edgenuity/Imagine Learning: approved.

What happens next: The board said it will consider final approval of the Instructional Time Model in next month’s meeting as required by statute. The settlement documents will be executed by district leadership per the board’s authorization.