Higley board approves one-year intergovernmental agreements with EVIT to preserve CTE programs

The Higley Unified School District governing board voted 4-0 on July 28 to approve one-year intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) with the East Valley Institute of Technology, preserving the district’s career and technical education (CTE) programs while placing student transportation under EVIT’s responsibility for the 2026–27 year.

Board President Wade moved to approve the agreements and Board member Van Hook seconded the motion; all four members voted aye. District staff told the board the agreements were structured as two related IGAs—one addressing central campus operations and transportation and the other covering satellite-program apportionment and quality provisions.

Superintendent Lawsonhiser and district staff said the one-year agreements are intended to protect programming while giving the district and EVIT time to negotiate a multi-year arrangement. "This has been an 18 months in the work to get us to this point," a district official said, adding the arrangement preserves programs for the next year. Craig Pearson, who reviewed financial terms, explained the new package includes EVIT taking on transportation and a funding apportionment that staff said is similar overall to prior district expectations.

The board’s approval is procedural and limited to accepting the IGAs as presented; staff said any future substantive changes would return to the governing board for acceptance. The district also emphasized that satellite-program quality metrics in the agreements will not be used to withhold pass-through funding during the one-year term.

The district expects transportation under EVIT to begin immediately; staff said they will monitor service and follow up with EVIT if problems arise. The board’s next step, staff said, is to re-open negotiations in January with the goal of securing a longer-term agreement that avoids repeated one-year renewals.