I am writing to provide an important update regarding recent Governing Board meetings and the impact the lack of a quorum is having on District business.

The Cartwright School District Governing Board has now had three recent meetings in which a quorum was not reached. At the two most recent meetings, Board Members Jennifer Romero and Denise Garcia were absent. Because the District is currently operating with one vacancy on its five-member Board, the absence of two additional members prevents the Board from conducting official business.

The consequences are real.

Employee stipends have been delayed. Student meal service contracts remain pending. School safety-related matters are awaiting Board action. Academic evaluators and support services have also been delayed, affecting instructional oversight and staff evaluations.

These are not simply agenda items. They affect our employees, classrooms, school safety, academic accountability, and ultimately our students.

This comes at a particularly important time. Cartwright has experienced an enrollment decline of approximately 900 students. Enrollment directly affects funding, staffing, programs, and classroom resources. Our focus must be on strengthening academics, supporting employees, engaging families, maintaining safe schools, and rebuilding confidence in our District. Board members do not have to agree. Every member has the right to ask questions, challenge recommendations, and vote no.

But there is an important difference between disagreement and the inability to conduct business. When a Board member votes no, the public knows where that member stands. When there is no quorum, there can be no discussion, no vote, and no action.

While the Maricopa County School Superintendent's Office works to fill the vacant Board seat, Cartwright must continue moving forward. Our schools are open, our students are learning, and our teachers and employees are serving families every day.

The participation of every remaining Board member is therefore especially important.

There should be difficult questions, transparency, accountability, and healthy disagreement. But those discussions must ultimately lead to decisions. Our students, employees, families, and taxpayers deserve a Governing Board that can meet, deliberate, vote, and keep the District moving forward.

Thank you for your continued commitment to the children of Cartwright.

Respectfully,

Lydia Hernandez

Cartwright Elementary School District No. 83 Governing Board President