S Chool Board of Trustees...

Blackwater Community School and Akimel O'Otham PeePosh Charter School is operated under the effective supervision of five Board of Trustees representing the respective communities surrounding the school District. Board of Trustees are elected members from the local community served by our school. On behalf of our community and the parents, we would like to Welcome each one of you. It is our pleasure to oversee a school which is student-focused with a dedicated and committed employees. We try our very best to provide a well-balanced curricula and other activities for the development of a "all-rounded" and "whole-child". We are proud of the academic progress our children are making in core areas of the curriculum. We as the governing-body of this educational institution which is funded partly by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and Arizona State under the PeePosh Charter status, make every effort to provide all necessary tools to our staff to ensure a continues and significant growth in all areas of the school curricula.

Academics and Our Culture...

We understand that the academic growth is important for the success of all children, but we equally believe in the preservation and promotion of our language and culture of our community (Gila River Indian Community), our rich heritage from our gloius past that we want to pass on to the future and young generations. It is no surprise therefore , that our Tribal Council earmarks a certain percentage of the tribal allocation for this very purpose. Secondly, a certain percentage of our annual tribal allocation also goes towards teaching our children the tranditional farming and agriculture techniques with modern tools which serves dual purpose of teaching the farming skills as well as instilling a sense of entrepreneurship among the youth of this community.

The charter school is located on federal trust land operated under the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education. The school was established in 1939 when Congress approved the establishment of the Gila River Indian Reservation. The school was chartered as a K-2 day school and typically served less than 100 students from District 1 (Blackwater) and District 2 (Sacaton Flats). However, because of the growing population and the community’s support of the school, there was a desire to expand grades on the campus. Parents also wanted to keep their children close to home instead of attending feeder schools off the reservation. Therefore, the Board and Administration requested that the school be allowed to expand grades. This was denied because of a Congressional Moratorium to limit BIE schools from expanding. Not to be deterred, the Board and Administration requested that the BIE allow the school to apply for a charter school for grades 3 – 5. This was granted and in 2000 the State Board of Charters approved the application for this charter. This is monumental because there had not been this type of shared governance on federal trust land. In addition, the Gila River Indian Community supported this expansion.

Our Committment...

The School Board & staff are committed to the following principles:

School climate which fosters individual responsibility for behavior, acceptance of others and acceptable child/adult interactions.

• Cultural experiences which enhance positive attitudes toward self and others and creates an awareness of cultural heritage and language.
• Opportunities for community support through school sponsored activities.

In conclusion, the Board of Trustes, teachers and support staff actively support and implement the schools vision "Quality Education Begins Here".

• New Law about Open Public Meetings