IGA - MCSS MCRSD - TPS (FULL).PDF

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INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN MARICOPA COUNTY, ON BEHALF OF 
THE MARICOPA COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT’S OFFICE, AND THE MARICOPA 
COUNTY REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 509 
 
1.0 
PARTIES.  This Intergovernmental Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made between 
Maricopa County, acting through the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office 
(“MCSS”) and Maricopa County Regional School District No. 509 (the “District”) 
(collectively, the “Parties”).  The parties to this agreement are authorized to enter into 
this IGA under A.R.S. §§ 11-952 and 15-342. 
2.0 
PURPOSE.  The Arizona Department of Education ESSER LEA Capacity Building 
Support grant provides funding for the Maricopa County Teacher Powered Schools 
Network (“MCTPSN” or the “Network”). The MCTPSN is designed to address the 
recruitment and retention crisis in Arizona through the strengthening of strategies, 
practices, and structures that have been correlated with low teacher turnover. The 
Parties agree to cooperate and assist each other as they explore ways to strengthen 
collaborative practices, elevate teacher voice, and create a regional TPS network.  
3.0 
TERM OF AGREEMENT.  This Agreement shall become effective upon execution by 
the last signer and shall expire on September 30, 2024.  
4.0 
RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTIES. 
4.1 
MCSS Responsibilities: 
4.1.1 Provide technical assistance for successful participation in the Network. 
4.1.2 Provide professional development in strategies and structures to support 
context specific design and implementation. 
4.1.3 Provide collaborative working and observational space within a nationally 
recognized Teacher Powered Schools Network school. 
4.1.4 Provide a repository of design and program evaluation tools. 
4.1.5 Establish a community of practice to share and scale successful practices. 
4.1.6 Provide reimbursement of travel funds for participation in the national 
Teacher Powered Schools Conference in accordance with Appendix B. 
4.1.7 Provide reimbursement of travel funds for site visits. 
4.1.8 Provide reimbursement of educator stipends per completion of individual 
project phases (exploration, design, implementation) in accordance with 
Appendix C.

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4.1.9 Administer funds in accordance with the grant award and schedule of 
participation in project phases.  A copy of the grant award is attached as 
Appendix A. 
4.2 
District Responsibilities: 
4.2.1 Participate in the collaborative learning sessions for the elected phase 
(exploration, design, implementation).  
4.2.2 Ensure that funds are not used to supplant district funds and are 
distributed in keeping with the intent of the MCTPSN.  
5.0 
PAYMENT.  The District shall invoice MCSS for reimbursement of the applicable and 
agreed to costs. MCSS will pay within thirty (30) days of receiving the invoice for costs. 
6.0  
TERMINATION. 
6.1 This Agreement is subject to cancellation in accordance with the provisions of 
A.R.S. § 38-511. 
6.2 In the event of non-payment by the District, this Agreement shall terminate as of 
the date of last payment received and MCSS obligations hereunder shall 
immediately cease. 
6.3 Either party may terminate this Agreement at any time upon delivering a written 
notice of termination to the other party three (3) months in advance of the 
requested date of termination. Such notice shall be given by personal delivery or 
by Registered or Certified mail. 
6.4 This Agreement may be terminated by mutual written agreement of the parties 
specifying the termination date therein.   
7.0 
AMENDMENTS.  Nothing in this Agreement may be modified or waived except by prior 
written amendment, duly executed by authorized signers for the Parties. The Parties 
may amend this Agreement upon the mutual written Agreement signed by authorized 
signers for the Parties. 
8.0 
NOTICES.  Notices required under this Agreement shall be directed to the following 
contract representatives: 
To Maricopa County: 
 
Matt Morales, Chief Deputy 
Maricopa County Office of  
the School Superintendent 
4041 N. Central Ave., Suite 1200 
Phoenix, Arizona 85012 
matt.morales@maricopa.gov 
 
To the District: 
 
Steve Watson, Superintendent 
Maricopa County Regional School 
District No. 509 
4041 N. Central Avenue, Suite 1100 
Phoenix, Arizona 85012 
Steve.watson@maricopa.gov

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9.0 
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. The Parties, including their employees, agents, and 
subcontractors, are independent contractors. Nothing in this Agreement will be 
construed to create any partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship between 
the Parties or create any employer-employee relationship between a Party and the 
employees of the other Party. Neither Party will be liable for any debts, accounts, 
obligations, or other liabilities whatsoever of the other. 
10.0 ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement shall not be assigned, in whole or in part, without the 
prior written consent of the Parties, and any assignment in contravention of this 
provision shall be null and void. 
11.0 NONDISCRIMINATION. The Parties agree to comply with all applicable state and 
federal laws, rules, regulations, and executive orders governing equal employment 
opportunity, immigration, and nondiscrimination. 
12.0 IMMIGRATION; E-VERIFY. To the extent applicable under A.R.S. § 41-4401, the 
Parties warrant compliance, on behalf of themselves and all subcontractors, with all 
federal immigration laws and regulations relating to their employees, and compliance 
with the E-Verify requirements under A.R.S. § 23-214(A). Any Party’s breach of the 
abovementioned warranty shall be deemed a material breach of this Agreement and the 
nonbreaching Party may terminate this Agreement. The Parties retain the legal right to 
inspect the papers of any other Party to ensure that the Party is complying with the 
abovementioned warranty under this Agreement.  
13.0 INDEMNIFICATION. To the fullest extent permitted under Arizona law, each Party and 
its Agents (as “Indemnitor”) agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the other 
Party and its Agents (as “Indemnitee”) from and against any and all claims, actions, 
liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or expenses (including, but not limited to, court costs, 
attorneys’ fees, and claim processing) (collectively, “Claims”) arising out of bodily or 
personal injury (including death) of any person or tangible or intangible property 
damage, in whole or in part, by the negligent or willful acts or omissions of Indemnitor. 
This indemnity includes any claim or amount arising out of or recovered under the 
Workers’ Compensation law. It is the specific intention of the Parties that the Indemnitee 
shall, in all instances, except for Claims arising solely from the negligent or willful acts or 
omissions of the Indemnitee, be indemnified by the Indemnitor against all Claims. 
Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as consent to any suit or waiver of any 
defense in a suit brought against either Party in any State or Federal Court arising from 
the negligent or willful acts or omissions of the Parties.  
14.0 DISPUTE RESOLUTION. In the event a dispute under this Agreement arises between 
the Parties, the Parties will follow this process:

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14.1 The Parties will meet and confer in person about the issue. The Parties will make 
their best efforts to reach a resolution at this meeting. 
14.2 If the Parties are unable to resolve the conflict after the in-person meeting, within 
ten (10) business days after the meeting, the Party raising the issue shall prepare 
a written conflict report and deliver to the other/receiving Party for a response. The 
conflict report shall include, at minimum, a section summarizing relevant 
background, an issue statement, and a proposed solution. The receiving Party 
shall prepare and deliver a written response within ten (10) business days from the 
date of receipt of the conflict report.  
14.3 If the Parties cannot resolve the issue after assessing the conflict report and 
response, the Parties shall once again meet and confer in person to discuss the 
conflict report and response and try to resolve the issue. The Parties shall make 
their best efforts to reach a resolution at this meeting.   
14.4 If the Parties are still unable to reach a resolution, the Parties may seek resolution 
through mediation/arbitration. The Parties may provide the conflict report and 
response to the arbitrator to aid in resolution. The Parties shall select a mutually 
acceptable third-party as arbitrator. Each Party shall bear its own arbitration fees, 
attorneys’ fees, and costs. 
15.0 PARTIAL PERFORMANCE. The failure of either Party to insist in any one or more 
instances upon the full and complete performance of any of the terms of this Agreement 
shall not be construed as a waiver or relinquishment of the right to insist upon full and 
complete performance of the same, or any other term, either in the past or in the future. 
16.0 FORCE MAJEURE. Neither Party shall be responsible for delays or failures in 
performance resulting exclusively from unanticipated, unpreventable, uncontrollable, 
exceptional, and overwhelming events or acts. This includes acts or events of nature, 
such as fires, pandemics, floods, hurricanes, monsoons, tornadoes, or communication 
line or power failures; and, acts or events of people, such as riots, wars, and 
governmental regulations imposed after the fact.  
17.0 INSURANCE. The Parties agree to secure and maintain sufficient insurance coverage 
for all risks that may arise out of the terms, obligations, operations, and actions as set 
forth in this Agreement, including, but not limited to, public entity insurance. The 
acquisition of insurance or the maintenance and operation of a self-insurance program 
may fulfill the insurance requirement. 
18.0 APPLICABLE LAW. Each Party shall comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, 
Executive Orders, rules, regulations, standards, and codes of the Federal and State 
whether or not specifically referenced herein.

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19.0 VENUE; CHOICE OF LAW. 
19.1 The proper venue for any proceeding arising from this Agreement shall be 
Maricopa County, Arizona. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with 
and be governed by the laws of the State of Arizona. 
19.2 This Agreement and all obligations imposed on the Parties arising under this 
Agreement shall be subject to any limitations of budget law or other applicable 
local laws or regulations. No term in this Agreement shall be construed to relieve 
the Parties of any obligations or responsibilities imposed on Parties by law. This 
Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Arizona.  
20.0 HEADINGS. Sections and other headings contained in this Agreement are for reference 
purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this 
Agreement. 
21.0 ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement contains all the terms and conditions agreed to 
by the Parties. No other understanding, oral or otherwise, regarding the subject matter 
of this Agreement shall be deemed to exist or to bind any of the Parties hereto. 
[SIGNATURES ON FOLLOWING PAGE]

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FOR AND ON BEHALF OF  
MARICOPA COUNTY:  
 
FOR AND ON BEHALF OF  
MARICOPA COUNTY REGIONAL SCHOOL 
DISTRICT NO. 509: 
 
______________________________ 
Chairman, Board of Supervisors 
 
______________________________ 
Date 
 
 
______________________________ 
 [Representative Name]  
 
_________________________________ 
Date 
 
Attested to: 
 
 
______________________________ 
Clerk of the Board 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pursuant to A.R.S. § 11-952, the attorneys for the parties have determined that this 
Intergovernmental Agreement is within the powers and authority granted to each party under the laws 
of the State of Arizona. 
 
 
______________________________ 
Attorney for Maricopa County  
 
 
 
______________________________ 
Date 
 
 
__________________________________ 
Attorney for Maricopa County Regional School  
District No. 509 
 
 
_________________________________ 
Date

Teacher Powered Schools 
Section I- Proposed Scope of Work 
During the 2022 Arizona Educator Job Fair, State Superintendent Kathy Hoffman reiterated what all 
school leaders know to be accurate, "we're actually seeing the teacher shortage is being even more 
exacerbated because of the burnout teachers are feeling after the last couple years of dealing with the 
pandemic."  
The Maricopa County School Superintendent (MCSS) has a bold plan to address Arizona's COVID 
pandemic-related teacher recruitment and retention crisis. Our data shows that many of the factors 
driving teachers from the profession are pressures from increased workloads, lack of respect, lack of 
trust, and lack of autonomy. Many of these issues have been exacerbated by COVID-19, but all have 
been festering for years.  
By supporting schools and districts to significantly restructure decision-making processes and 
empowering teachers with the autonomy to lead their schools collaboratively, teacher satisfaction will 
increase, and fewer educators will leave.  
The system has been fractured for years, and COVID-19 has broken it apart. We must act now, and we 
must act differently to change the trajectory of teachers fleeing the classroom. 
This proposal outlines how the MCSS will leverage ESSER funds to use a proven, national model of 
teacher-powered schools to keep our best teachers in the profession and attract the next generation 
workforce. We will create a robust collaborative networking hub in Maricopa County that will extend 
state-wide. We will use the next two years to not only support cohorts of innovators but to build a 
sustainable network that will continue and expand the initiative long after ESSER funds subside. Because 
as we know, the devastating effects of the pandemic will impact teachers and students for years, if not 
decades to come. 
The Maricopa County School Superintendent is requesting $675,000.000 to directly increase teacher 
retention in 30 schools, state-wide, that have been negatively impacted by the COVID pandemic and 
to create a retention roadmap and support system for all schools in Arizona moving forward. 
Key Impact Area – Recruitment and Retention of Teachers, Leaders and Staff 
Prior to the pandemic, In the fall of 2018, the MCSS conducted a Teacher Retention Survey of over 5,000 
public school teachers in Maricopa County. The survey was in response to the 2017 Morrison Institute 
report, Finding & Keeping Educators for Arizona's Classrooms which stated:  
•
22% of teachers hired between 2013 and 2015 were not teaching in Arizona after one year.
•
42% of Arizona teachers hired in 2013 left the profession within three years.
•
52% of Arizona charter schoolteachers hired in 2013 left within three years.
The Maricopa County Teacher Retention Survey asked Maricopa County teachers to define the factors 
that contribute to teacher turnover and retention. The top five factors across every grade level were:  
•
Salary
•
Class Size
Appendix A - Grant Award

• 
Pressure from Increased Workloads  
• 
Respect  
• 
Benefits  
Deep into the pandemic, and in the first semester of most schools being fully in-person (October 2021), 
the MCSS conducted another survey seeking information on teacher stress. The results were alarming.  
• 
96% of teachers reported experiencing stress at work. 
• 
78% of those stated that it was "severe" or "extreme." (It was 8% in 2018-2019)  
• 
46% "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that their school leaders took steps to reduce their 
stress.  
• 
62% "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that their district leaders took steps to reduce their 
stress.   
When asked about the symptoms those that feel stressed are experiencing, the top four were:   
• 
Anxiety   
• 
Irritability  
• 
Prolonged Fatigue  
• 
Trouble Concentrating  
Additional data collected made clear that much of the stress came from increased instructional and 
emotional needs of students impacted by disrupted learning and lack of access to social-emotional 
supports due to remote work. But just as significant were the responses related to surmounting 
pressures to do more and be more from school and district officials- without additional classroom 
support.  
For too many teachers, the only way they see to mitigate that stress is to leave the profession. 
 
LEA Support 
Our school systems cannot continue to manage human capital the way they did before the pandemic. 
The practices of handing down curriculum, assessment, student management, and professional 
development from above were creating dissatisfaction among teachers prior to the pandemic. The 
pandemic amplified those feelings and shed a bright light on what needs to be changed. 
Now is the time to dramatically transform the teaching profession. To re-think how we support, inspire, 
and empower the most important component of the education system. The teachers. 
We propose the creation of a collaborative hub where we support district and school leaders by 
implementing teacher-powered school practices that increase teacher engagement, satisfaction, and 
retention and create a structure to ensure the practices continue beyond the tenure of a particular 
district or school leader. 
 
What are Teacher Powered-Schools?

Teacher-powered schools are comprised of educator teams that have collaborative cultures and use 
shared decision making. To understand how teacher-powered schools are different from other schools, 
we look at two things: 
1. 15 areas of autonomy for which the teacher teams have potential decision-making authority to 
varying degrees. These are: 
o Learning Program 
o School-level policy 
o Schedule 
o Determining work hours 
o Selecting colleagues 
o Choosing school leaders 
o Professional development 
o Evaluating colleagues 
o Setting tenure policy 
o Terminating/Transferring colleagues 
o Setting the budget 
o Determining compensation 
o Setting staff patterns 
o Determining assessments 
o Broadening assessments 
2. The professional practices teams use to implement their autonomies are: 
o Keeping students at the center of decision-making 
o Meaningfully Involving families and communities 
o Honoring student voice and choice 
o Cultivating a collaborative culture 
o Embracing transparency in decision-making 
o Creating shared leadership structures 
o Reimagining and rotating leadership positions 
o Engaging in peer observation 
o Taking on a learner mindset 
In teacher-powered schools, teachers have greater ability to make the changes that they determine 
necessary to truly improve student learning and the teaching profession—changes such as: 
• 
Personalizing learning for both students and teachers 
• 
Addressing “teacher quality” issues by making teaching a more attractive job and career 
• 
Increasing the sense of ownership—and accountability—among teachers, in areas where they 
have authority to make decisions 
• 
Collaborating with administrators to boost student achievement and advance authentic 
assessment 
Each teacher-powered school looks different because their team is empowered to create the best 
system and environment for their students, staff, and community.

There are more than 150 teacher-powered schools spanning 20 states, serving students from preschool 
to age 21, in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Some operate within school districts and others 
operate as charter schools. Some have union-affiliated teachers while others do not. They enjoy support 
from leaders on all sides of today's major education debates. As a result, they rise above the usual 
conflicts that can exist between districts, charters, unions, and government. 
Teacher-powered schools are about fulfilling one of the nation's greatest responsibilities: preparing the 
next generation of young people to reach their full potential, contribute to their communities, and 
participate in a 21st century global economy. Public education needs innovation and transformation to 
fulfill this responsibility. Teacher-powered schools enable teachers, those who work closest with 
students, to be the driving force behind this change. 
What's more, teacher-powered schools address the issues that are driving our teachers from the 
profession. They allow the teachers to better control their work loads, create meaningful solutions to 
learning loss and student emotional needs, and restore the respect that so many feel has been lost. This 
is more important now than ever.  
 
How will ESSER Funds Be Leveraged? 
Technical Assistance- The MCSS will partner with two national education reform agencies (Education 
Evolving and Empower Schools) to provide direct technical support to schools and create a network of 
teacher-powered schools throughout Arizona. This will happen by identifying schools to participate in a 
Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship and then collaboratively (with the school and MCSS) 
selecting schools to participate in a Teacher-Powered School Design Fellowship Cohort. This will be done 
using a six-phase approach: 
• 
Phase 1: Align key stakeholders on the approach 
• 
Phase 2: Recruit school teams; Prepare for the Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship 
• 
Phase 3: Launch and facilitate the Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship; Select the 
Teacher-Powered School Design Fellowship Cohort (7-10 schools) 
• 
Phase 4: Launch and support first Teacher-Powered School Design Fellowship Cohort 
• 
Phase 5: Recruit and facilitate second cohort of Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship; 
Select second Teacher-Powered School Design Fellowship Cohort 
• 
Phase 6: Launch and Support Cohort 1 of Teacher-Powered Network(s), Support Cohort 2 of 
Design Fellowship, recruit Cohort 3 for Exploration Fellowship 
Staff- The MCSS will contract with a part-time external evaluator to develop monitoring tools to 
evaluate the progress the fellowship teams make with implementing autonomies as well as assessing 
teacher satisfaction and retention rates. 
Professional Development- The MCSS will provide professional development in strategies and structures 
to implement successful teacher-powered school practices. Participants will attend virtual and in-person 
meetings and conferences with existing teacher-powered schools, be equipped with reading materials, 
workbooks, and videos created by existing teacher-powered schools, and work together to surface 
challenges and solve problems.

Stipends for Participants- The first two years of this initiative are critical and will require a concerted 
effort to create strong cohorts that will support teacher-leader teams in years to come. In addition, the 
stress of the COVID pandemic has teachers and principals feeling that additional support for additional 
effort is necessary. We agree. We will provide all leaders who engage with the first two years of cohorts 
with a $1,000 stipend for their time and intellectual content.  
Collaborative Observational Space- The MCSS will rent collaborative space at an existing teacher-
powered school for cohorts to meet, collaborate, learn, and plan all while being immersed in a teacher-
powered, student-centered learning environment. By having real-time access to teachers currently 
operating in a teacher-powered environment, participants will receive the inspiration and support they 
need to effectively create the systems and structures to effectively implement their plans. The space in 
the school will be solely used for teacher-powered services so will require a lease. 
 
Assessing Local Needs 
The MCSS will leverage relationships with Maricopa County school districts, public charters, and Arizona 
County School Superintendents to recruit schools interested in this new model of school leadership. Ten 
to 15 schools from Maricopa County, Coconino County, and Yavapai County are being targeted for the 
first cohort of the Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship. 
Readiness tools will be developed to determine which leaders currently have the disposition and 
philosophy to extend autonomies to teachers. The tools will be developed based on competencies 
identified through the Maricopa County Exemplary Principal Award which is awarded to principals who 
intentionally and strategically nurture school cultures where teacher and student voices set and realize 
the school's vision. Principals awarded the Exemplary Principal award intrinsically value educator 
expertise and leverage collaborative leadership structures in decision making. As a result of these safe 
and supportive environments, the students achieve academically and emotionally, and the teachers 
remain in the profession. 
 
Braiding of Federal, State, and Local Funds to Maximize Local Impact 
A value of this service is to integrate it into what is already being done at schools. Not to add another 
initiative. The targeted schools already have leadership that values teacher input, contribution, and 
voice. This work will walk alongside principals and teachers and help guide their goal setting and 
professional development planning to formalize their current practices and put in structures to ensure 
their sustainability. Therefore, current school-level professional development funds will support this 
work. For schools who receive Title funding, we will support with identifying activities that support their 
Integrated Action Plans. 
The MCSS will leverage approximately $111,000 in county general budget funds to support with the 
additional staffing, travel, coordination, and materials. The expected “in-kind” funds are as follows: 
• 
$60,000.00 in salaries (.50 FTE split between two current staff) 
• 
$10,000.00 in travel to schools throughout Arizona 
• 
$5,000.00 in professional development and conference fees

• 
$35,000.00 initial investment in contracted services with national teacher-powered experts 
• 
$1,000.00 for supplies 
 
Sustainability Planning 
ESSER funds will be used as seed money to establish a cadre of teacher-powered schools throughout 
Arizona. The cadre will be supported by the National Teacher-Powered School Network to create self-
sustaining structures to maintain the work. Those structures include: 
• 
Establish Maricopa County (and any other participating counties) as Empowerment Zones. An 
Empowerment Zone creates empowering conditions of autonomy, accountability, sustainability, 
and support. When established, an Empowerment Zone “protects” community-based 
innovation from leadership changes in the school, district, or governing board. Empowerment 
Zones: 
o are responsible for meeting ambitious goals set collaboratively with the district. 
o follow important district policies on matters such as enrollment. 
o have key design and operating autonomies enabled and ensured by a partnership 
agreement. 
o are overseen by a dedicated nonprofit board founded in partnership with – and made 
up of – local district leaders, educators, and community members. 
• 
A repository of design and evaluation tools for teams to use in negotiating and successfully 
implementing autonomies. 
o Teacher-powered schools Readiness Self-Assessment 
o Teacher-Powered Progress Monitoring 
o Teacher-Leader Competencies Peer Evaluation Tool 
• 
Establish a community of practice to share and scale successful practices. 
o A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common concern, a set 
of problems, or an interest in a topic and who come together to fulfill both individual 
and group goals. 
o Communities of practice often focus on sharing best practices and creating new 
knowledge to advance a domain of professional practice. Interaction on an ongoing 
basis is an important part of this. 
o Many communities of practice rely on face-to-face meetings as well as web-based 
collaborative environments to communicate, connect and conduct community activities. 
• 
Building a relationship with the National Teacher-powered schools Network to offer technical 
assistance. 
o Establish Maricopa County as a Regional Network under the Teacher-Powered Network 
umbrella. (Current Regional Networks are Boston, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minnesota, 
and Wisconsin) 
o Add schools to the National Teacher-powered schools Inventory for the purpose of 
connection, collaboration, and support by Teacher-powered schools from around the 
country.

Evaluating and Measuring Impact 
In 2019, MCSS in collaboration with the Maricopa County Regional School District, drafted a Teacher-
Powered progress monitoring process. The process is rooted in Bruce W. Tuckman’s four stages of team 
development (forming, storming, norming, and performing) contains specific activities for each stage of 
development. The progress monitoring process looks at factors contributing to the successful 
implementation of teacher autonomies and highly functioning collaborative teams. It was piloted during 
the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years with a Teacher-Powered School and found to provide 
feedback and guidance for the successful development of teacher-leaders. A more detailed description 
of the process can be seen here. 
These tools will be used to evaluate schools’ successful progression. Schools deemed successful during 
the two-year project will move from forming to storming and into norming. 
As mentioned earlier, MCSS conducted a comprehensive retention survey in 2018. Teacher-powered 
school participants will take the survey both years.  Schools deemed successful during the two-year 
project will move away from “adverse experiences” in the areas of respect and autonomy as compared 
to their peers in other schools. 
Teachers in teacher-powered schools will complete the teacher satisfaction survey that is part of the 
MCSS Exemplary Principal Award. Schools deemed successful during the two-year project will have 
results comparable or better than teachers in schools with identified Exemplary Principals. 
Finally, we will look at teacher-retention rates of participating schools. Schools deemed successful 
during the two-year project will have a 30% increase in their retention rates as compared to the 2021-
2022 school year, or as compared to the state-wide average. 
 
Section II- Capacity and Readiness 
Experience Assessing School Culture and Climate 
The MCSS has a six-year history assessing school culture and climate. In 2017, the MCSS took over the 
prestigious Exemplary Principal Award from the Rodel Foundation. While at Rodel, the award 
emphasized student growth in lower socio-economic schools. Although those factors are still included in 
the MCSS iteration of the award, our version only awards principals who demonstrate high teacher 
satisfaction and professional retention rates. To do so, we developed several tools to identify and 
spotlight leaders who value and prioritize: 
• 
Shared Vision 
• 
Shared Expectations 
• 
Student Centered 
• 
Trust 
• 
Asset Based 
• 
Collective Efficacy 
• 
Multiple Perspectives 
• 
Community

• 
Results Oriented/High Expectations 
• 
Responsiveness 
• 
Actionable Feedback/Growth Opportunities 
• 
Collaboration 
• 
Engagement 
• 
Equity 
• 
Whole Child 
• 
Teacher Voice 
 
Experience Implementing Human Capital Management Structures 
Since 2010, the MCSS has been implementing federally funded grant programs that have transformed 
how local LEAs recruit, retain, support, and compensate teachers and principals. We have re-distributed 
over 165 million dollars to schools throughout Arizona through direct human resource support, decision-
support technology systems, professional development, and performance-based pay.  
We have worked with some of the country’s leading teacher recruitment and retention leaders and have 
been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a leader in the field. 
Experience Operating a Teacher-Powered School 
Arguably the most significant experience is that the MCSS currently oversees a Teacher-Powered high 
school in Phoenix (Hope Academy/ Maricopa County Regional School District). The small, alternative 
school does not have a traditional principal, and the teachers have full or partial autonomy in the 
following: 
1. Learning program 
2. School-level policy 
3. Schedule 
4. Determining work hours 
5. Choosing school leaders/roles 
6. Professional development 
7. Setting the budget (Partial autonomy) 
8. Determining assessments (Partial autonomy) 
9. Broadening assessments  
The school re-opened as a teacher-powered school in the fall of 2019 and persevered through the initial 
COVID pandemic school closures and a year of on-line learning with teachers at the helm. The school 
just completed its third full year of operating as a teacher-powered school and is retaining 100% of 
teacher-leaders for the coming school year. 
 
Section III- Demonstrated LEA Interest in Services and Supports 
Starting in October of 2021, the MCSS has been assessing LEA’s interests in teacher-powered schools. 
We hosted an informal event where representatives from the national Teacher-Powered Network

presented, and local examples were showcased. 17 LEAs and organizations attended, and we had a 90% 
interest survey return rate. 
 
In January of 2022, the MCSS hosted a Teacher Stress Town Hall with a break-out session about teacher-
powered schools. 35 Maricopa County school districts attended the town hall, and 18 attended the 
break-out session to learn more. 
 
In May of 2022, MCSS staff began visiting school and district leaders interested in learning more about 
teacher-powered schools as a retention strategy. As of the publication of this document, 22 school 
district and charter organizations have attended an information meeting and are being invited to send 
school teams to join the first teacher-powered school exploration cadre. The current school district and 
charter organizations are: 
1. Buckeye Elementary 
2. Cave Creek Unified 
3. Cottonwood Oak-Creek Elementary 
4. Edison Project 
5. Gilbert Unified 
6. Herberger Young Scholars Academy 
7. Higley Unified 
8. Kyrene Elementary 
9. Laveen Elementary 
10. LEAD Charter Schools 
11. Litchfield Elementary 
12. Littleton Elementary 
13. Maricopa County Regional 
14. Mesa Public Schools  
15. Nadaburg Elementary 
16. Peoria Unified 
17. Phoenix Union 
18. Queen Creek Unified 
19. Scottsdale Unified 
20. Tempe Elementary 
21. Washington Elementary 
22. Wilson Elementary 
These 22 district and charter organizations represent 30 interested schools in three counties (Maricopa, 
Coconino, and Yavapai). A representative from Pima County was also in attendance and is in discussions 
with potential schools. 
 
If funded, the MCSS is expecting between ten and fifteen schools to officially join Cohort 1 starting in 
August 2022 and an additional ten to fifteen schools to join Cohort 2 in 2023. In total, we expect to 
positively impact up to 30 schools and create a collaborative networking hub that will continue to 
improve working conditions for teachers and retain our top talent far beyond the COVID pandemic 
environment.

Section IV- Budget 
July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023 
$125,000.00 
Technical Assistance Teacher-powered schools (TPS, Empower Ed) 
$20,000.000.      Contracted Staff (External Evaluator) 
$60,000.000      Professional Development (Teacher-powered schools Conference) 
$50,000.000 
Stipends for Participants ($1,000. For up to 50 participants.) 
$100,000.000    Rent for Collaboration Space and Teacher-Powered School Observation Lab 
 
July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 
$125,000.000 
Technical Assistance Teacher-powered schools (TPS, Empower Ed) 
$20,000.000 
Contracted Staff (External Evaluator) 
$15,000.000 
Professional Developoment (Travel for site visits) 
$50,000.000 
Stipends for Participants ($1,000. For up to 50 participants) 
$100,000.000     Rent for Collaboration Space and Teacher-Powered School Observation Lab 
 
July 1, 2024 - September 30, 2023 
$10,000.00 
Contracted Staff (External Evaluator services and final report) 
----------------- 
$675,000.000

Appendix B 
 
 
Teacher-Powered Schools National Conference 
November 3-6, 2022 
 
Sponsorship provided by the Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent will include 
airfare, hotel, conference registration, per diem, and travel to and from the airport. The budget 
includes an estimate of $1740 total per participant in order to stay within the $60,000 allotted 
in the grant. Information about the breakdown used is listed below.  The amount of each 
budget line item can vary, but please stay at or below $1740 total per participant. 
 
Registration- $350 
Airfare- $600 
Hotel- $500 
Airport Travel- $50 
Per Diem- $240 
 
Information needed to make arrangements can be found at 
https://www.teacherpowered.org/conference/schedule 
 
• 
Flights- You will see the schedule information helpful in determining travel times. 
November 3rd is a travel day. Please note, participants do not need to be there for 
the 2-5pm jumpstart session because that content is included in the exploration 
cohort. Participants are not required to participate in the 4-6pm registration. All MC 
cohort participants will already have tickets reserved for the site visits. It is 
encouraged that all groups make arrangements around what is most conducive to 
their schedules and arrive in time to be settled and fully prepared to join the site 
visits Friday morning. The last session on November 6th ends at 11:15. Airlines that 
have multiple flights to/from Minneapolis include Delta, American, and United, 
among others. 
• 
Hotel- On that same schedule page you will also see the button to reserve the hotel 
at a reduced rate of $139 per night. 
• 
Conference Registration- On that same schedule page, please click the “register 
today” button for conference registration. Once you click register today, you will find a 
tickets button. Click that and you will see a blue link “Enter promo code.” Enter the 
code MARICOPATPS and apply. You will unlock Maricopa TPS rate of $350 and this 
includes the site visits which have been reserved for everyone separately.  
• 
Travel to and from hotel- Please arrange for shared rides as much as possible.  
• 
Per diem- The conference schedule contains information helpful in determining rate. 
 
Please do not hesitate to reach out to Darcy Moody at darcy.moody@maricopa.gov or 602-
689-1692 with any questions.

Appendix C 
 
 
General TPS Stipend Information 
 
• 
$500 per participant for Exploration Phase (the kickoff, and virtual meetings in Sept, Oct, Nov, 
Dec) 
• 
Up to $1,000 per participant for team continuing into Design phase, not to exceed a total 
amount of $5,000 for MCRSD ($2,000 allocated for Durango and $3,000 allocated for Hope 
Academy) 
• 
Up to $1,000 per participant during implementation phase, not to exceed a total of $6,000 for 
MCRSD ($2,500 allocated for Durango and $3,500 allocated for Hope Academy) 
 
Stipend Criteria 
Phase 1: Exploration, July 2022 – December 2022 
To be eligible for the $500.00 stipend, participants will complete 6 of the following: 
❑ August: Kick Off and Shared Purpose (2-hour event, August 18) 
❑ August: 1 hour follow up activity to be done with your team 
❑ September: Attend Teacher-Powered 101 Part 1 (90-minute virtual meeting) 
❑ September: Attend a site visit with school team (1-hour virtual visit) 
❑ October: Attend Teacher-Powered 101 Part 2 (90-minute virtual meeting) 
❑ October: Complete the Teacher-Powered Readiness activity 
❑ November: Attend the Teacher-Powered Schools National Conference (November 4th-6th, 
Minneapolis, MN) or attend the virtual overview 
❑ December: Attend Ready for Phase 2 (1-hour virtual meeting) 
Stipend eligibility will be sent to the district upon completion. District will then pay-out the stipend (and 
bill the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office). 
 
Phase 2: Design, January 2023 – May 2023 
MCRSD will receive up to $5,000 to provide stipends of up to $1,000 per participant for participation in 
the design phase and completion of activities below. ($2,000 allocated for Durango and $3,000 allocated 
for Hope Academy.) Specific eligibility and amounts will be determined by MCRSD leadership based on 
level of participation. District will then pay-out the stipends (and bill the Maricopa County School 
Superintendent’s Office). 
Project deliverables for the design phase must include the following: 
• 
Co-created shared purpose 
• 
Timeline 
• 
Facilitated student, parent, and community feedback sessions 
• 
Identified evidence of growth 
• 
Communication plan

• 
Implementation plan 
 
Phase 3: Implementation, August 2023 – May 2024 
MCRSD will receive up to $6,000 to provide stipends of up to $1,000 per participant for participation in 
the Implementation phase and completion of activities below. ($2,500 allocated for Durango and $3,500 
allocated for Hope Academy.) Specific eligibility and amounts will be determined by MCRSD leadership 
based on level of participation. Districts/charters will then pay-out the stipends (and bill the Maricopa 
County School Superintendent’s Office). 
Project deliverables for the implementation phase must include the following: 
• 
Integration of collaborative decision-making processes 
• 
Integration of shared leadership structures 
• 
Implementation of identified autonomies 
• 
Revision to design plans based on feedback and outcomes