June 2017
Relentlessly local coverage of Gilbert and our neighboring communities
Hello, summer!
Macy Searcy, 6, shows off all the color thrown on her during a May color run at Spectrum at Val Vista.
Superintendent Kishimoto to say ‘aloha’ to Gilbert
Student shakeup at GPS with Gilbert Junior High repurposing
BY SRIANTHI PERERA
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MELODY BIRKETT
Three years after taking on the rancorous school board of Gilbert Public Schools and helping bring more cohesiveness, Dr. Christina Kishimoto is leaving her superintendent role. Three senior members of the superintendent’s office are departing in her wake. They are Chief of Staff Alex Nardone and Chief Academic Officer Linda McKeever, who are both retiring, and Chief Financial Officer Tom Wohlleber, who is leaving for a position in Casa Grande, where he lives. Nardone previously worked with Kishi-
moto in Hartford, Connecticut and joined GPS three years ago along with Kishimoto; he plans to return to his home state. McKeever was also hired just following Kishimoto’s hire and oversaw the district’s academic services, including assessment and curriculum. Kishimoto’s current contract was extended for two more years. However, when she was invited to apply for Hawaii’s state superintendent position, see
KISHIMOTO page 4
A long fight over whether to keep Gilbert Junior High School open finally came to an end on May 30 when the Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board voted 5-0 to close the school, citing declining enrollment. The campus, in the northwest part of the town, is to be used for Gilbert Classical Academy, which is in temporary digs on Greenfield Road. Meanwhile, Gilbert Junior High students are to attend Mesquite Junior High School. In the 2017-18 school year, projected
enrollment at Gilbert Junior High is 400, even though the school has space to enroll 1,200, according to GPS. If it remained open, the challenge would be “how do we get those kids art, music, athletics,” said Irene Mahoney-Paige, GPS spokeswoman. “We can’t afford it. We can’t afford for that small number to give them a comprehensive junior high school.” While Gilbert Junior High students are to attend Mesquite for the 2017-18 school
4 Community 22 Neighbors 38 Business 46 Youth
56 Spirituality 57 Arts 60 Opinion
see
GILBERT JR. HIGH page 4
Mailed toYour Home Monthly Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX PERMIT # 1333