Marana Unified board approves new courses, policy changes, staffing and agreements; signs opposition letter to Pima JTED bond draft

The Marana Unified School District governing board on Nov. 18 approved a slate of routine and programmatic items, including new high‑school courses, revisions to graduation and procurement policies, additional staffing, two partnership agreements and a release of a sewer easement — and voted to sign a letter expressing formal opposition to the current draft of a potential Pima County Joint Technical Education District (Pima JTED) special bond election.

The board began by adopting the meeting agenda and approving the consent agenda by voice vote. In substantive action, the board approved a package of new high‑school course proposals presented by Educational Services: Business Management with an overlay to award economics credit for program completers (first eligible cohort expected in 2027); a 0.5‑semester Sports Officiating elective; Advanced Placement (AP) Cybersecurity; AP Business with Personal Finance; and a 0.5 ACT preparation elective tied to a previously approved district ACT‑prep grant that provides online access to roughly 2,000 sophomores and juniors. “We are excited to provide this course to you for approval,” the presenter said when describing the proposed courses.

The board also approved a revision to policy IKF (graduation requirements) to accept state standardized assessments taken before a student’s enrollment in the district (so students would not be required to retake an assessment such as the ACT) and to allow, in specified situations, a written version of the state test in lieu of the online version.

Administrative policy cleanups recommended by the Arizona School Boards Association were approved for DJE (bidding and purchasing procedures). The board adopted an updated class participation and fees schedule that removes two unused fees (safety goggles and instrument usage) and restores non‑math Pima Community College dual‑enrollment course fees to $50; math courses will keep higher fees for required software.

The board approved two partnership agreements: an affiliation agreement with Liberty University to host a social work intern during the second semester (no cost to the district), and an intergovernmental agreement with the University of Arizona (Arizona Board of Regents) for the Pathways to Teaching program designed to grow local teacher candidates. The board also approved the release of a public sewer easement to the Town of Marana for property adjacent to MUSD holdings in the Saguaro Blum neighborhood after staff said the town no longer requires the easement because sewer lines now run through adjacent parcels.

On staffing, the board authorized three positions requested by human resources: a nine‑month clerk at Tangerine Farms (effective Jan. 5, 2026) and staffing tied to career‑technical education — a 1.33 full‑time equivalent lab assistant (described in meeting remarks as components of 0.33 and 1.0 FTEs) and a 0.33 FTE network security teacher at Marana Vista Academy for the 2026–27 school year. During discussion, staff clarified those CTE positions will be funded with available JTED/CTE funds rather than from MUSD’s maintenance & operations budget.

The governing board also voted to sign a letter expressing formal opposition to the current draft of a potential Pima County JTED special bond election under consideration for November 2026. Board members said they support strong career and technical education but raised concerns that the draft bond would over‑prioritize central campus projects and reduce access for students on satellite campuses. The motion to sign the letter passed by voice vote.

Finally, the board approved a motion to convene an executive session under the ARS citation recorded in the meeting for personnel matters related to the superintendent evaluation and scheduled a return from closed session in January.

Actions recorded in the meeting were approved by voice vote; the transcript records board members responding “Aye” to each motion but does not list a roll‑call tally by name for every item.