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Scottsdale Unified board hears proposal to retool instructional time, opens public hearing with no comments
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Summary
District staff presented a proposed Instructional Time Model to align virtual and in-person programs and potentially allow the district to count 100% FTE for some online students; board members asked questions and no public speakers commented during the ITM hearing.
The Scottsdale Unified School District governing board heard a presentation Tuesday on a proposed Instructional Time Model intended to align the district’s virtual, e‑learning and brick‑and‑mortar offerings and to ensure the plan fits within state law. Miss Mitchell, who led the presentation, said the model would allow the district to offer direct instruction, project‑based and mastery learning across modalities and, in some circumstances, account for a full 100% FTE for students enrolled remotely.
"We are recommending an instructional time model that sits and resides very well within all of our state statutes," Miss Mitchell told the board, noting the proposal takes advantage of state flexibility for Arizona online institutions and local governing‑board planning guides.
Why it matters: The model is framed as both an instructional redesign and, secondarily, a funding alignment. Miss Mitchell said the change could eliminate the current limitation that an Arizona Online Institution earns 95% of a full‑time equivalent for full‑time virtual students, allowing the district to seek a full 100% in appropriate cases. Board members pressed on practical impacts: course reciprocity between campuses, potential changes in course availability and whether the change was driven primarily by funding or by student experience.
Board member Mike Sharkey asked if a student based at one campus would still be able to take an online class run from another campus; Miss Mitchell replied that "all the online courses, no matter where they're situated, will be available to our students," and that the district intends to retain staffing mechanisms that let instructors serve students across schools.
Several members also raised compliance questions. A board member asked whether the district meets state required instructional minutes; Miss Mitchell said the district is already "well over" state expectations for the current 180‑day calendar and would provide exact hour counts before the next hearing.
The public hearing portion for the ITM was opened and no members of the public offered comments on the specific proposal; the board adjourned the hearing portion and proceeded with the regular meeting.
Next steps: Miss Mitchell told the board the district must hold two public hearings per statute before adopting an ITM, and that upon adoption the district would submit required documentation to the Arizona Department of Education and could begin internal implementation work for 2026–27.
