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ECRWSS Carrier Route PreSorted Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 371 Cave Creek, AZ
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TheFoothillsFocus.com
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This Week
Cave Creek - Carefree Area Edition
NEWS ................. 5
FEATURES ........ 18 Jo Ann Newcomer loses ‘big’ with TOPS
YOUTH ............. 21 Cactus Shadows football eyes regional championship
OPINION ................... 10 BUSINESS ................. 14 FEATURES ................ 15 YOUTH ...................... 21 CLASSIFIEDS ............ 22 2
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Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Education Foundation grants teachers’ needs BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer
‘Fed Up!’ holiday campaign runs through year’s end
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Serving the communities of Cave Creek and Carefree
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he Cave Creek Unified Education Foundation granted a total of $25,258 to 15 teachers in the district, surprising them with a giant check and balloons on Nov. 1. Teachers submitted a grant application for a need in their classroom that fits into the four pillars emphasized by the foundation, which are technology, music and the arts, international learning, and health and wellness. According to Superintendent Cort Monroe, almost everyone gets approved. “It’s important to us that we try to recognize someone from every school, at least one from
every school,” he said. “We’re hoping every year that it gets bigger and better so that teachers know that this is a great opportunity where they do very little work and they can be granted $2,000, $2,500 for things that they don’t have to use their own money on.” Grant the District is a yearly event and, to date, the Cave Creek Unified Education Foundation has granted more than $200,000 to
see GRANTS page 4
Sonia Moran, a psychologist at Desert Willow Elementary, was granted $500 for a sensory safe room. (Photo by Cait Bunkers with the Cactus Shadows Press)
Cave Creek Unified’s $42M bond doesn’t pass the polls BY ALLISON BROWN Foothills Focus Staff Writer
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nofficial election results show 48% in favor of and 52% against the $42 million bond proposed by Cave Creek Unified School District. The Maricopa County Elections Department reported that nearly all ballots had been accounted for at press time. There were 22,236 ballots cast in Cave Creek — a 41.35% turnout. The jurisdiction had the second largest voter turnout, only behind
Fountain Hills, which had 41.53%. “Although this was not the outcome we predicted, we respect the collective vote of our constituents and we are committed to providing all CCUSD students with an education of the highest quality,” Superintendent Cort Monroe said in a public statement Nov. 5. CCUSD has seven schools. The total estimated cost of the bond would have been $59,077,000 including principal and interest. The proposed funds would have been split up with $4.8 million for new technology, $1 million for safety and security, $3
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million for sports facility upgrades, $27.4 million for general facility upgrades and maintenance, $3.8 million for buses, and $11 million to pay off debt from a previous project. The cost to the average homeowner would have been $42 a year. Some parents said that while the funds could be used to help the schools, the district has increased its administrative spending and cut programs. Nate Weddle, a parent of CCUSD students, said that before commit-
see POLLS page 6
