Ray’s leadership team are, from left, Patty Edgemon, Dr. Jeremi Brewer and Melissa Huerta. Photo by Mila Besich
The Ray Unified School District is currently and actively implementing a new and refreshed mission and vision for the school district. During their December 2024 board meeting, the Ray Unified School Governing Board approved the hiring of Dr. Jeremi Brewer as the part time superintendent. The vote to hire Dr. Brewer was not unanimous and was a four-to-one vote.
Despite the lack of unanimous board approval, Dr. Brewer has begun developing and implementing a transformational leadership dynamic, working together with the Junior-Senior High School Principal Patti Edgemon and Elementary Principal Melissa Huerta. The district’s leadership team has set several strategic goals for the district. One primary change is adjusting the curriculum to a mastery- and project-based educational model. Mastery-based educational models allows the students to study the subject material and only move forward when they master the learning objective. With the project-based modeling, teachers can teach each skill set with a project in mind, often combining math, English and science into each project to allow for subject mastery. This type of educational curriculum design can allow for more robust skill mastery and immersive skill utilization across the curriculum.
A model such as this allows the district to align all courses from Pre-K through 12 adding in opportunity to learn the basics such as English Language Arts, Math and Science through project-based learning. This especially becomes more of a career growth opportunity for students as they enter junior high and high school. The plan for the upper grades will allow students to pick their coursework based on career exploration.
Those students in grades 9-12 will be able to pick from the following career objectives, agriculture, child development, stage craft (theatre arts), sports medicine, and industrial arts. The industrial arts portion of the curriculum will include programs in welding, shop and auto. Dr. Jeremi Brewer shared that already the district has received an great deal of support from Resolution Copper including financial and in-kind support for the career technical programs they are advancing at RUSD.
Junior-Senior Principal Patti Edgemon commented that students are already showing a positive response to the leadership changes.
“They are excited to come to school and all seem to be interacting more with each other,” she said.
She also credited some of the improved camaraderie amongst students due to the fact that they are now a cell phone free campus.
“The students really are interacting more,” she said.
Edgemon taught at RUSD before and recently returned after serving as a Dean of Students at the Florence Unified Public School.
Elementary School principal, Melissa Huerta shared that with the new curriculum alignment, students at the Elementary school will now have music, art and physical education in addition to the core competency programs such as Math, English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies.
“I am very excited for the new opportunities for our school,” she said.
After a year serving as the elementary principal, she has enjoyed having the opportunity to work with all of the students and families as RUSD.
Dr. Brewer explained that the long term vision for the school is to include the community more and have the students engaged across the community in their studies. Under his leadership they have set a five-year goal to be an “A Rated” school, have increased school pride and have 800 students in the school district. While population may be declining in the greater Copper Corridor region, their goal is to add an online school component which would allow students statewide to participate in the RUSD curriculum model. To accomplish this goal the district leadership has adopted a mission of “Develop Leaders. Inspire Innovators. Foster Curiosity”. To inspire the mission, the values of the entire team and students will be based on collaboration, mastery-based learning, project based learning and community engagement.
He further explained that to accomplish all of this the school leadership will have a management promise.
“That promise is compassion, accountability and transparency,” he explained. This mission and vision and management promise is what will guide the district to reach their year 2030 goals. When the online school component is added to the district curriculum, the school will receive 80 percent of daily attendance revenue per student, which will increase the revenue for the district.
Recently the RUSD Governing Board approved a $3 contract with Dr. Brewer’s wife, Dr. Rebecca Brewer. Her scope of work is to review the current curriculum and help to develop the long term strategic curriculum. Currently Dr. Rebecca Brewer operates the Winkelman Preparatory academy and is highly skilled and trained in curriculum development and management. She offered the discounted rate on her services as a service to the school to help the board and staff have a plan for the new curriculum design and ensure that it continues to meet the state standard. Dr. Jeremi Brewer explained that his wife Dr. Rebecca Brewer would be reporting to the Junior-Senior High Principal Patti Edgemon. Should the board decide to hire her after her initial study, she will continue to report to Principal Edgemon.
“We have consulted with Judge Orzell on this matter to ensure we do not violate any policies on nepotism,” explained Dr. Brewer.
The energy of these three educational leaders was fully observed during their interview, a willingness to make changes to benefit the students and families in the district. Dr. Brewer further explained that the community should be aware if his wife is hired by the district after her initial contract to develop the curriculum alignment, she will be closing the Winkelman Preparatory. Dr. Brewer explained that he and his wife are both committed to the education systems within the community and want to share their knowledge of curriculum development and education in the region.
“If this all comes together, our children will be attending public school for the first time next year,” he explained.