Canutillo board considering hiring $12,000 speaker for convocation ceremony

The Canutillo School Board is considering the possibility of hiring a $12,000 speaker for its convocation ceremony next year.

Listed in Wednesday’s school board meeting agenda was the “Discussion and recommendation regarding the approval of Mrs. Consuelo Kickbusch as the 2017 Convocation guest speaker. Total amount $12,000.00.”

Kickbusch is a US Army Retired Lieutenant Colonel and education advocate. She is a motivational speaker that has helped mentor students, parents and teachers for more than 50 years.

School Board President Stephanie Frietze tells Abc-7 a convocation is held every two years and usually two weeks before the school year starts. The goal is to get teachers and staff pumped up for the upcoming school year. Canutillo’s would be held inside the high school’s auditorium.

Frietza couldn’t say how much the district has spent in the past, but says she believes it’s an investment into staff that helps motivate students for the upcoming school year.

School board trustee Leticia Gonzalez wouldn’t say how she plans to vote but says Kickbusch is a ‘wonderful speaker.’ She adds she wants to see where the funds for the speaker are coming from before she votes.

“Sometimes especially teachers, they get bogged down by the day-to-day work and pressures and tasks, put upon them by administration that sometimes it’s good to hear somebody from out of town telling them, hey, you’re doing a good thing,” CISD Board Vice-President, Adrian Medina said, adding, if the board approves the item, it would be an investment.

“Staff development is a huge thing at Canutillo, we spend $700-800,000 dollars a years so to say that we spend $12,000 for a speaker for our staff so I don’t think it’s excessive at all. I think we have to look at the return and who’s it affecting,” Medina said.

A closer look reveals the cost actually falls in the middle for how other districts compare. EPISD does their convocation ceremony via video conference with the superintendent in their own classroom, at zero cost.

YISD meanwhile, held their convocation ceremony at the Don Haskins Center this year, costing more than $28,000. But it didn’t cost the district a dime, because they got corporate sponsors to cover all costs.

In a statement, the district told ABC-7, “The purpose of our district’s convocation is to energize faculty and staff with a celebration of their accomplishments and encouragement for the coming school year. A nationally renowned speaker addressing our dedicated employees affords them an opportunity to be encouraged by a unique, captivating story of effective leadership and unyielding will. She will share her experiences and skill sets of making the impossible, possible. The District is working to get this event sponsored to reduce the expense. The cost will also be paid across two fiscal years since a convocation was not held this year.”

“If it was just affecting a small portion of our community or our staff, but this is every one of our teachers, we pack them into the auditorium it’s a great environment and they get something out of this,” Medina said.

The board discussed the item Wednesday night and placed it on its consent agenda for final approval.