Superintendent Berry highlights district PAFR, student-safety video and $50,000 in Safeway grants

Superintendent Dr. Berry used his regular report to highlight financial transparency, student-safety efforts and community partnerships.

Dr. Berry said the district published a Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) that details annual financial performance and how tax dollars are used. "The PAFR is available on our website and... I would encourage all of you... to take time to review it," he said, crediting the business and finance department for producing the report.

Under student safety, Dr. Berry described an e-bike safety-and-regulations video produced with school resource officers and the Queen Creek Police Department to promote helmet use, obeying traffic laws and safe behavior on campus. A short excerpt (about 30 seconds) was played for the board as a demonstration of the full 3-to-4 minute video.

On partnerships, Dr. Berry announced Queen Creek Unified received $25,000 from Albertsons/Safeway to be distributed across schools and an additional $25,000 donated to the Queen Creek Schools Education Foundation for teacher grants and student scholarships. He said the foundation's endowment now stands at $625,000 and the district aims to reach $1,000,000.

Dr. Berry also recognized staff and schools for recent honors: the district was named best school district in an East Valley publication and runner-up for best place to work; the district reported a teacher-retention rate near 85 percent. He invited student Paisley Rogers of Chrisman High School to the front to recognize her selection as a semifinalist for the Flynn scholarship and as Distinguished Young Woman of Arizona for 2026.

Next steps: PAFR materials are posted online and the district said it will continue safety outreach and publicize the full e-bike safety video.