C-OC Supt.

 COTTONWOOD — Officials at the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District expect between 1,700 to 1,800 students will be enrolled when classes start districtwide on Thursday, Aug. 1.

That’s lower when compared to the district’s enrollment before the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared in March 2020. The decline in the student population at the six schools in the Cottonwood-Oak Creek district can also be attributed to changes in the local economy, according to district Superintendent Jessica Vocca.

“The population in the Verde Valley is changing. It’s harder to raise a family here if you cannot afford a home. During 2008 to 2015, we had a big migration of families relocating here, and a lot of those family members were working in the service industry. But, lately we have seen a lot of restaurants closing and people can no longer afford to live in the area, so they are moving away,” Vocca said.

That means smaller class sizes at Cottonwood-Oak Creek District schools this academic year and that can be considered a positive for students and teachers because students will get more individual attention than they would with crowded classrooms.

This year’s anticipated maintenance and operations budget at the Cottonwood-Oak Creek District totals about $13 million, which is a slight increase over the previous school year — roughly an uptick of about $100 per student, Vocca explained.

In addition to state funding and other revenues provided to Arizona public school districts, Cottonwood-Oak Creek District regularly applies for competitive grants to bring in additional money.

Vocca took over as district superintendent last spring after serving as principal at the district’s Dr. Daniel Bright Elementary School. Vocca has been with the Cottonwood-Oak Creek District for 20 years, and she is a Verde Valley native, who grew up in Sedona and Cottonwood.

Her grandmother, Karen Pfeifer, once served on the Cottonwood City Council as vice-mayor and has been involved in other city committees and commissions. Vocca said she uses the inspiration from her grandmother to be dedicated to improving the community and she has some clear goals she wants to achieve as superintendent in the upcoming school year.

Among other things, she vowed to update curriculum and expectations for teachers as well as improving student proficiency in core academic areas. She aims to establish a more diverse and inclusive school culture where students feel physically and emotionally safe and connected.

Vocca has prioritized updating aging buildings, some of which were originally built in the 1950s. In fact, the district headquarters is located in a building constructed about 100 years ago.

“I also want to put more emphasis on the district participating in community outreach and creating tighter bonds with families of students who attend our schools, and that includes finding better means of communications with families. Right now, we regularly use robocalls, emails and apps,” Vocca added.

Currently, the Cottonwood-Oak Creek District reports it has hired all of the teachers needed for the new school year.

“However, we are still recruiting qualified candidates for paraprofessional positions, custodians and bus drivers. Bus drivers are a big need and some districts are even offering signing bonuses for new bus drivers. In the past, we have had to cut routes because we were not able to find enough bus drivers,” Vocca said.

All Cottonwood-Oak Creek schools will continue to provide free breakfasts and lunches for students during the upcoming school year.

As the first day of school quickly approaches at the Cottonwood-Oak Creek District, Vocca encouraged parents and guardians to get their students back into their daily routines including earlier bed times, planning for means of transportation to and from school, and contacting the district and schools with any last minute questions.

“After all, creating a path for success isn’t just up to the student. It’s the family and everyone in the community. We all have to be involved. Yes, it really does take a village,” Vocca said.

Mingus Supt.

 

COTTONWOOD — Melody Herne, Ph.D., the new superintendent of Mingus Union High School District, credits a strict upbringing by her parents and strong devotion to Christianity for helping her land an important leadership position in the community.

“I am a God-fearing woman who prays about everything, and I believe that’s helped me get to where I am today,” Herne told the Verde Independent.

Herne wants to use her position with Mingus Union District to encourage young women to consider careers in public education.

“When I was younger, there were not a lot of female role models. I want to try to use my position here as superintendent to connect to young women. I think being a strong role model requires a person to listen carefully, to ask others how their journey is going? It’s important to connect with young people so you can provide them with good advice about how they can reach their ultimate success,” Herne said.

Herne started her new job in May. Since then she’s been busy meeting her staff, students, parents and the five members of the Mingus Union Governing Board. Herne succeeds Mike Westcott, Mingus Union superintendent since 2019, who announced his retirement in September to allow an appropriate amount of time to find a replacement.

“I am going to use this position to always defend public education. I am focused on helping kids get to the next level in academics and in life. I always depend on prayer to help our schools, and I pray for all of our kids because they are the future,” she said.

Herne relocated to Cottonwood from Scottsdale, where she was previously superintendent of the Salt River Schools for the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community.

“I came on early in this new position in Cottonwood while Mike Westcott was still in the role. That gave us time to work together and we had a good time. We had a good working relationship,” Herne said.

“Building rewarding relationships is key to success in the superintendent’s role at Mingus Union or any other district where I was involved before I arrived here,” she explained.

Herne was born in Heidelberg, Germany, where her family lived while enlisted in the U.S. Army. Her mother was a teacher, and both parents were influential as Herne embarked on a career in education leadership herself.

“My father was a man’s man,” she said. “He was reassigned to Fort Huachuca, so we moved as a family to southern Arizona. From my mother I learned diligence, she always encouraged me to speak proper English, and I credit her for that,” she said.

While Herne was attending college working on her education credentials, she served as a substitute teacher in Sierra Vista. She landed her first full-time teaching job and moved around Arizona quite a bit over the years, serving in various teaching and administration jobs with Dysart, Higley, Mesa Public Schools and Phoenix Elementary school districts before she ended up with Salt River Schools.

“That’s where I got immersed in their language revitalization programs learning O’odham, Maricopa or Piipaash. They are considered endangered languages. It was a wonderful opportunity learning the language, and I even studied Latin during my earlier years,” Herne added.

In-between her different jobs at school districts, Herne was employed with the Arizona Department of Education, where she helped to create a statewide school grading and evaluation system that still exists today.

In her free time, she loves to sing and she has been involved in church choirs and Sunday School wherever she lived at the time, including at Cottonwood’s Faith Baptist Church.