By Jennifer Jimenez

Independent Newsmedia

With retirement on the horizon for Dysart’s Executive Director for Business Services Jack Eaton, the DUSD governing board approved a recommendation from Superintendent Dr. Gail Pletnick to hire Kenneth Hicks to take the reigns as of July 1.

Mr. Hicks is no amateur in financials and is currently serving as the chief financial officer for the Peoria Unified School District. His approval by the boar, brings him back to the Dysart district, where this journey began in 2004.

“ Fourteen years ago, I came over here as the director of finance and was here for six years before someone ( and that someone is Dr. Pletnick) saw something in me and sent me to some additional trainings to become a better leader and facilitator. That sparked something in me that has really changed my career trajectory,” Mr. Hicks said. “ That helped me not only get the executive director job in Littleton and the job in Peoria, but other things as well.”

Mr. Hicks has served on the Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s Classroom First Initiative Council, he held the position of president for the Arizona Association School Board of Business Officials, and has been on the Auditor General School Finance Committee.

“I would say all this is because 10 years ago someone here at Dysart cared about me and invested time and energy in me and gave me a belief and faith that I could do more. When I saw this opportunity to come back to the place where it really sent my career going forward, I was so grateful,” Mr. Hicks said.

Peoria Unified CFO to leave district

Ms. Pletnick said she is happy Mr. Hicks is willing to come back with all his expertise and qualifications to serve again at Dysart.

Mr. Hicks said he learned critical thinking and decision- making skills at Dysart, which are the same they are trying to instill in their students. He said understands that it’s not just the instructors, but they are all in it together, which is something else he is looking forward to being a part of again.

With school financials as the hottest topic in education right now, Mr. Hicks believes this is a great opportunity. With his experience on the Classroom First Initiative Council, he realized the funding formula for Arizona is very complicated and understands how it can be confusing and hard for people to understand.

“It creates confusion and it is a challenge from our side, because we should be transparent and operate with integrity and really explain how it works,” he said.

Mr. Hicks said Dysart is a well- oiled machine and jumping on board makes it even more difficult than his previous districts.

“At my last four jobs, I have been coming in with a 90-day letter after an audit and this is the first district I will be going into that is highly effective and highly functioning,” Mr. Hicks said. “When you have a bad audit, you look at it and figure out what you are going to do and what you will put in place, so this is a good challenge to ask yourself how you will make this better and you also have to earn the respect of everyone. I will work very hard to do all that.”

Mr. Hicks is set to begin his new role for the 2018-19 school year.