Thursday, January 5, was a big day for the Oracle School District Governing Board. Not only was it the first board meeting of 2023, but Superintendent Nehrmeyer swore in two board members elected in November 2022. Wendy Odell, the new board member, is a school administrator originally from Minnesota. She has lived in SaddleBrooke for seven-years, working full-time until 2019 as a principal in the Amphitheater School District and part-time since then, as a principal mentor. A SaddleBrooke Ranch resident, Gary Terrell, was a law-enforcement officer in California before moving to Arizona. He was initially appointed to the Governing Board in 2017 to fill a vacated seat and then was subsequently elected to a full term. Over the last four-years, Gary served one year as vice president and then two years as president, providing calm, common-sense leadership during the most tumultuous time of the global pandemic.
New Board leadership was also determined during this first meeting of the year. Now in her third term, Linda Lyon was elected for a second time as the board president. Edie Crall, two years into her first term, was elected vice president. Both Linda and Edie live in SaddleBrooke. An Eagle Crest resident, Camilo Gotay, in his first term, rounds out the board.
This year promises to be an exciting one for the Oracle School District. The voter-approved $13.2M bond project will be completed this year. The new junior-high classroom building is already in use and getting rave reviews. The library renovation is well underway and will be an exciting place for our students and staff alike to enhance learning opportunities. Of course, these facilities are just a portion of all the upgrades the campus has seen.
The Governing Board and District leadership are focused on ensuring our students stay safe, and have every opportunity to achieve. We are encouraged by our improvement on Arizona’s A-F School Letter Grades Accountability System, which in 2022, saw us move from a “C” school to a “B” school. No doubt we continue to have much work to do to keep us there and get us to the next level, but we are committed to that end. We couldn’t do it without the tremendous support of parents, voters, and of course, our Oracle Schools Foundation donors and other community partners. Thank you to you all!
Sheryl Hester went out to take a sunset photo, but found these young bobcats playing on a golf course. She couldn't resist snapping away. Photos by Sheryl Hester
