About Us | Arizona Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents

Overview

By the year 2025, Latino children will make up 25 percent of the school-age population. In the nation’s largest states – California, Texas, Florida, and New York – Latinos already have reached that level. Addressing the needs of the fastest growing community in the United States – the Latino community – is vital to our national interest.

Currently, over 45 percent of public school students in Arizona are Hispanic and at the same time less than 17 percent of administrators are Hispanic. AZALAS works to create and provide professional development and support programs for professionals who serve Latino students. AZALAS is committed to recruiting, preparing, and promoting professionals to serve Latino students. AZALAS’s focus is meeting the needs of superintendents, school administrators, and aspiring school leaders who serve Latino students. We are committed to providing you with pertinent professional development, quality communications, and unlimited opportunities for peer support and networking.

Philosophy

Vision
Ensuring excellence and equity in education.

Mission
To promote effective leadership that produces the best outcomes for all Students.

Belief Statements
We believe in improving the quality of education
We believe in actively promoting unity and collaboration among all school educators and administrators throughout Arizona
We believe in promoting and retaining professionals who serve Latino students in professional role
We believe in ensuring all students, parents, and personnel have equitable access to all educational resources
We believe in addressing equity challenges within the educational system
To stay informed and educated on state policy and legislation that affect equity challenges of all students
To develop and implement a plan to increase professional events for all AZALAS members
To develop and implement a marketing plan for sponsorship and recognition of AZALAS members

Year Goals
To provide a professional development program for aspiring administrators
To develop a list of administrator mentors
To identify promising practices that impact student achievement
To increase annual scholarships for students and administrators
To increase membership by 30%

Benefits

The opportunity to become a member of AZALAS offers many benefits. Listed below are some benefits available to you when you join the association. District membership comes with even more benefits. Click the button below to learn all about the details.

Professional Development Opportunities
Scholarship Eligibility
Networking with Colleagues Throughout AZ
Job Assistance
Updated Legislative News
Mentoring Opportunities
Access to Research
Degree Advancement Information
Annual Conference Discount

Join Now

Officers

Ms. Monica Mesa

President

Area Assistant Superintendent, Mesa Public Schools

Mrs. Ana Samaniego

President Elect

Superintendent, Douglas Unified School District

Mr. David Verdugo

Treasurer

Superintendent, Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District

Ms. Christina Boston

Secretary

Multi-Lingual, Multi-Cultural Director, Tolleson Union High School District

Dr. Marvene Lobato

Executive Driector

Retired Superintendent

Mr. Javier Baca

Board Member

CIO, Pima County

Mr. Juan Ceja

Board Member

Deputy Superintendent, Tolleson Union High School District

Dr. JoEtta Gonzales

Board Member

Professor, Mary Lou Fulton School of Education

Mr. Jose Gastelum

Board Member

Superintendent, Sunnyside Elementary School District

Ms. Nora Gutierrez

Board Member

Retired Superintendent

Ms. Gisselle Herrera

Board Member

Superintendent, Tolleson Elementary School District

Mr. Juvenal Lopez

Secretary

Retired Administrator

Roxana Rico

Board Member

Superintendent, Continental Elementary School District

Mr. Marco Ruiz

Board Member

Assistant Superintendent of Education Services, Cartwright Elementary School District

AZALAS Legislative Positions

Letter from Arizona School District Superintendents

Good day,

The letter below has been sent to the Governor and State legislature leadership.

June 10, 2020

Open letter to the Governor, Arizona State Legislature, and Arizona citizens,

We wish to first thank all of you for your efforts to work together to deal with the pandemic impacts on Arizona’s schools, staff, communities, and especially our children and their need for a robust public education. There are many efforts underway, In addition to your offices, from the Arizona State Department of Health, the Arizona Department of Education, and other efforts to identify and publish tools to help guide our communities towards re-opening our schools in just a few short weeks. Even as we acknowledge these efforts we feel compelled to address four key issues that represent the proverbial “elephants In the room” that we feel must be dealt with in the broadest possible sense when it comes to public policy going forward in the immediate time-frame.

First, the state funding formula is based on a world that does not exist today, post-pandemic. Student count in the current year funding format, given the massive absences that may at least initially prevail, does not just potentially disrupt the education process, it could completely derail it. Also, if districts offer a model where students can continue their education virtually, it makes it difficult to impossible to ‘record’ attendance.

We urge that the current year funding model be set aside In favor of utilizing previous year funding -or some other effective remedy -for at least the next two years. Absent this financial stability, budgeting is severely impacted and will result in student educational services, at least potentially being fatally compromised. Equally important, the current funding formula is not adaptive to distance learning instructional models for regular schools as all instruction must be done in a brick and mortar environment to claim ADM based upon instructional minutes provided. Even with an approved Arizona Online Instruction, those children receiving such instruction are not a part of their regular school.

As our schools suffer, so do our communities. Schools are the heart of many communities and often the largest employer in rural areas, which speaks loudly for the sustainability of education as a means to the survival and economic recovery of Arizona.

Second, standardized student assessment is not viable nor even remotely informative to parents or the community given the Impacts of the extended “summer slide” due to school closures. We see this more as a “Covid Cliff” than a slide. The learning and re-learning challenge our students face would have been daunting absent any continuing health epidemic exigencies. Now, it is of paramount importance to focus instead on student academic recovery and growth as our main focus.

We recommend that statewide assessments be suspended for at least the next two years as we go through this challenging Covid Virus pandemic recovery period.

Third, we very much appreciate your support and consideration that the health issues that have become an overwhelming challenge will not be addressed on day one of schools re-opening, but will be a continuing issue as we both operate and learn from the dynamic changes that this epidemic is causing to this day. This will require continued investment of both healthcare expertise, social/emotional learning,

Instate Tuition for any Arizona High School Graduate

The Arizona Board of Regents recently adopted a resolution giving DACA students a discount from out of state tuition rates. The new level is 50% over the in-state level. Arizona still prohibits any benefits to undocumented students.

AZALAS supports the offering of in-state tuition to any graduate of an Arizona high school. Arizona has high standards for graduation. This proposal is a recognition that while the number of undocumented students is unknown, these students complete high school and are ready for higher learning but meet a barrier with the out of state tuition mandate or even the recent lower rate for DACA students. There are many examples of students’ success in high school as indicated by stories of Valedictorian and Salutatorian honors received at graduation events around Arizona but leave Arizona accepting tuition waivers and scholarships to institution outside of Arizona. DACA students in higher ed are visible and performing well!

Arizona has high need for various work position requiring college degrees. The state is experiencing shortages of teachers and healthcare professionals! The state looses the opportunity to take advantage of these graduates by requiring such high levels of tuition. Why would Arizona refuse to provide this opportunity to students that have done the work and prepared themselves for higher level learning and economic contribution.

According to the Children’s Action Alliance KIDS COUNT Statewide Profile, 95% of children in Arizona are citizens which leaves relatively few that are not and would provide for little impact to state tuition revenues. In fact, reducing the impact of high tuition cost could actually increase participation thus eliminating any negative impact on revenue. We also know that undocumented students are mostly people of color which are already not represented proportionately in higher education attendance. It is also the right thing to do! Limiting access to higher education for students that work hard and do the right thing by preparing for a career just does not make sense.

AZALAS supports providing in-state tuition for any student that receives a high school diploma.

AZALAS Statement on School Funding

There is much talk about continuing the current funding in support of public schools in Arizona, While not adequate, it is at least admitting that it is needed. Not continuing 30 l funding would lead districts to further erode the needed curricular and extra curricular program that create a well rounded educated student and citizen! Any of the other options are better if school districts are given the discretion on using the funds where needed according to the districts. All agree that something has to be done to solve the funding problem. And, we do not want to wait for 2020 for only one shot at getting what is needed now! The sooner the better!

For too long, discussion of the funding for schools has taken place with but temporary solutions. We all know the facts about student access to learning with excellent teachers and proper support materials and comfortable classrooms. The reality of the recent efforts leaves us hopeful but skeptical that enough will be done to reverse the trend of the past 20 or so years. Several proposals have been voiced especially on the issue of renewal of Proposition 30 I. One proposal is to renew 30 l as is. Another is to add to the current level by .4 cents to a total of 1 cent. Yet another is to add enough to bring the total to 1.5 cents. Our estimate is that neither will bring public school funding to the level of 2008. Today, public schools operate short by over 1.2 billion dollars from the 2008 level which, by the way, still ranked Arizona at the bottom of school funding nationally.

There is a suggestion that maybe a 1 cent excise tax on electricity produced could replace as much as 1.2 billion. One third of electricity generated is exported and we benefit nothing! All but a handful of states already use this vehicle on exports. In Texas as an example, an excise tax on gas and oil contributes millions into their education trust.

The most ambitious proposal is to end all exemptions to sales tax which would bring in an estimated almost 5 billion in revenue to the general fund and provide the needed revenue to deal with schools and other infrastructure needs. Yet other recent suggestions include stop or postpone business tax cuts.

A law suit brought about by the public school community challenging the state on facility funding is a sad note that exemplifies what cutting these funds to schools does to the safety of facilities our children are in! We have been here before!!

The expansion of”opportunity grants” which would ”indirectly” give parents the option of talcing public money to use for private and parochial schools will be on the ballot in November. These “voucher” will drastically erode needed resources for the almost one million students still in the public schools. The Arizona Constitution directly prohibits the use of State funds for these purposes. AZALAS will support the challenge to this completely unwarranted action.

The real solution is to bring about an understanding and agreement on why appropriate spending for Arizona’s students is essential for the economy, socially and for simple benefit to the children of Arizona in the long run. Many people agree around these benefits already which is why we see these proposals.

AZALAS stands ready to support immediate solutions from our state leaders. If not forthcoming, AZALAS will work diligently with other public schools organizations in going to the voters of this state for the solution.

AZALAS Supports Opportunity Weights

On the topic of adding an opportunity weight in the state budget, we, the Arizona Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (AZALAS), wish to support an opportunity index for additional funding for economically disadvantaged students. We also recognize the need for continued desegregation funding for district specific court orders and agreements with the Office of Civil Rights
(OCR). We believe opportunity weight and desegregation funding should be kept as separate school funding sources.

AZALAS recognizes the growing number of students living in poverty and the opportunity gap economically disadvantaged students experience in relation to more affluent students. An opportunity weight would provide additional funding to address education factors that negatively impact student academic success.

In 1985, legislation was enacted to allow districts under federal court orders or OCR agreements to levy property taxes outside of their revenue control limit to address issues of inequities in educational opportunities for ethnically diverse students, English language learners and economically disadvantaged students. Each of the 19 school districts participating uses desegregation funding to address district specific OCR findings.

We, AZALAS acknowledge opportunity weight and desegregation funding may overlap on the necessity for additional funding to address issues of poverty and its impact on student achievement outcomes. We also acknowledge desegregation funding for several districts provides services, supports and programming for English language learners not currently defined or addressed in opportunity weight calculations.