Deer Valley Governing Board Member Flaunts Rules, Takes Over Presidential Powers

The governing board for the Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) is scheduled to meet early next month even though they have yet to elect a president, per board rules.

Board vice president Paul Carver arranged the meeting (scheduled January 7) and plans to lead it. For overlooking the rub of board policy, an email sent to the rest of the board promised that Carver would provide an exclusive dinner to precede their meeting.

Board member Kim Fisher alerted the public to the meeting on Facebook. Fisher claimed that it was not ignorance of board policy that resulted in Carver and superintendent Curtis Finch to arrange the meeting; she asserted that laws and policies were simply “not important to them.”

“Community members have asked that I attend so they cannot misinform the new board members,” said Fisher. “It is sad that they have become so extremely corrupted that it is expected. I will do what I have to for the district.”

Fisher also expressed concern that the board dining in the governing boardroom ahead of the meeting would constitute a violation of open meeting laws.

DVUSD policy clarifies that it is Finch who, as the CEO of the district, bears responsibility for translating board policy into administrative action.

Earlier this month, the Arizona School Administrators and Arizona School Boards Association gave Finch the All Arizona Superintendent Award for Large District.

Congratulations to DVUSD Superintendent @DrFinchDVUSD, on winning the Arizona School Administrators/@AzSBA All Arizona Superintendent Award– Large District for 2024-25! pic.twitter.com/vpPY2n9b5P

— Deer Valley Unified School District (@DVUSD) December 19, 2024

According to DVUSD board policy on organizational meetings adopted in February, the governing board must meet in January following the election and must be called to order by the president of the board from the prior year. That would have been Ann Ordway, but she lost her seat in the election last month. In that instance, policy dictates “a temporary president must be elected to call the meeting to order and preside until a successor is chosen.”

The agenda for January’s meeting does not include an action item for electing a temporary president. Subsequent DVUSD board policy on the duties of board officers does allow the vice president to act as president, but only in the absence of the president.

Carver opted to pass over that prerequisite established in DVUSD board policy requiring the election of a temporary president and took on the duties of the presidency.

DVUSD policy grants only the president that authority to preside over and conduct meetings, consult with the superintendent and approve items to be placed on the agenda for each meeting, encourage and maintain orderly and democratic participation, keep all discussions factual and on the subject at hand, allow for full and complete exploration of each item of business, and act as vice president in the vice president’s absence.

The board will open up their meeting to the public for their work session with an attorney, Denise Lowell-Britt from the firm Udall Shumway, discussing board protocols on open meeting law.

Fisher said that Carver ought to pay for the attorneys fees incurred by the work session, since the public has already paid for open meeting law training.

Following the open meeting law work session, the board is scheduled to undergo a discussion on board ethics and etiquette, and a discussion on social media, meetings, and email — both led by Carver with assistance from Lowell-Britt.