As we are all keenly aware, the only way to describe technological change in the last few years is in exponential terms. AI has only been publicly accessible for a little over a year, yet it has the potential to be one of the greatest disruptors to education.

In Vail fashion, a committee of staff and community members was put together last April to create common values around technology to use as a lens to make decisions across our schools. There were many robust and honest conversations, including respectful disagreements over the eight months that the group met. By the end, the committee created the Tech Values that capture the values, tone, and language of the group. Thank you to the 30+ committee members whose critical input helped us shape this document. 

As we operationalize how to handle emerging AI technology, we will use these technology values to help guide our way.  

High school is such an exciting time in a young person’s life. It is also an exciting time for parents. In Vail, we honor parents’ choices and recognize that students have different needs. As a result, Vail has six unique high school options from which to choose. High School Choice is also an opportunity for our young people and their parents to familiarize themselves with the process of visiting schools, considering options for this important phase of life, and determining a best fit… a process that expands to far greater lengths just a few years later.

High School Choice season is well underway. Parents and their 8th grade students have been visiting open houses the last few weeks and working their way through the different options offered at each of our high schools. If you are unfamiliar with our high school choice program, we welcome you to visit the High School Choice Site to learn more. 

The ASBA Golden Bell Promise Program Award recognizes and celebrates initiatives and programs from schools across the state that have excelled in nurturing the potential of each student while achieving exceptional growth and success. 

Vail Early College (VEC) received a Golden Bell Promise Program Award in the high school category at the annual ASBA Golden Bell Luncheon this past December. Vail Early College is a program available to seniors who attend a Vail high school. Students attend full-time on the Pima Community College East Campus, yet are still able to participate in school clubs, sports, and activities at their respective high school campuses. 

Congratulations to Vail Early College on earning this prestigious award. We are thrilled to provide this additional award winning choice for parents of high school seniors!

The Arizona Educational Foundation A+ School of Excellence Award program includes a rigorous application process that encourages schools to examine and evaluate all of the components of their schools including community involvement and participation, student growth and achievement, extracurriculars, academic practices, and more. Once the application is evaluated and deemed worthy by judges, site visits are scheduled, and judges come to visit our campuses spending two whole days ensuring that what was in the application is actually happening at the school. We have several schools up for renewal and a few applying for the first time! 

We will keep you posted on the outcomes of the visits. While we love to earn these prestigious awards, what a win really means is that the district’s motto, “Where Education Is a Community Effort,” is in fact who we are as a community. A+ Awards are just one indicator that young people are thriving in Vail because of the tremendous community that rallies to support them!

Each year, you have the opportunity to open doors to our students by keeping a portion of your Arizona state taxes in Vail instead of sending them to the state. 

Provide supplies for students in Chemistry Club, Cooking Club, Robotics Club… Cover a student’s activity fee for football, volleyball, swimming, cross country, orchestra, band, student council… Send a Vail student to learn in Costa Rica, Spain, the Galapagos Islands, New York, Washington D.C.… The possibilities are endless!

How?

It’s easy! Keep your Arizona state income tax in Vail and decide how YOU want it to be used. Visit vailtaxcredits.org, select a school, and shop for the activity you’d like to fund. You can select any dollar amount up to $400 (married filing jointly) or up to $200 (filing single). Then simply claim it for a dollar-for-dollar credit on your Arizona taxes. 

You have until Monday, April 15th to claim your 2023 tax credit, or if that one has already been used, please feel free to hunt for an opportunity to impact a young person with your 2024 credits now.

However you direct your Arizona Tax Credit, that amount can only go towards supporting the activity that you choose. It’s one of the best ways we have to directly control where our tax dollars are spent. Thank you for your consideration in investing those dollars to better the lives of young people in our community.