is in the best interest of our children

Financially viable.
No new taxes.
Accountability.
Improved student performance.
Better achievement.
Parent-friendly.
Community conscious.
Responsive to our needs.

It’s time for two school districts that work well. Based on recent APS test scores and high school dropout rates, our children’s future is in jeopardy. APS is still a school district with more than 90,000 students, ranked as the 30th largest district in the entire U.S. It has simply grown too large to meet the needs of our children. The creation of a smaller Westside School District would give our children a better education, bring parents into the process, and increase performance. APS will also do better with a smaller, more manageable district.

It will be financially viable. NO NEW TAXES

• The WSD would be financially viable according to a recent study by Casey Financial Consulting and confirmed by the Public Education Department.
• The new WSD would be able to operate without a tax increase and without new taxes to run our district. (See financial report)
• It would be the state’s 3rd largest district, with solid enrollment numbers, the day it opens.

Better Achievement & Performance for Our Students

• The APS dropout rate, 53% APS 2008 adjusted cohort graduation rate*, and test scores (51.8% Reading Proficiency, 36.1% Math Proficiency) are unacceptable. We can more readily focus on these areas as a smaller district with fewer students and schools than APS.

An Accountable Administration

• All five WSD Board of Education members would reside on the Westside, instead of one out of seven currently on the APS Board of Education.
• Our administration would be “fit and trim” with a focus on the education of our children rather than on the maintenance of bureaucracy.
• Accountability will improve in the WSD and in APS as well.

Community Focus and Control

• The WSD will be more responsive and attentive to the needs of our children since it will only have a quarter of the current APS enrollment.
• As a smaller geographic district, the WSD would be more parent-friendly and community conscious.
• Community involvement will increase. Large school districts, like APS, are too big to handle input from all of its stakeholders, so community
and parental involvement are never fostered.
• We’ll have more local control. Studies show local control is good for student achievement.