Safford Unified District No. 1 is a fiscally independent, tax supported public school system for grades preschool through twelve. The district is locally controlled by an elected governing board of five members who serve four-year terms. The governing board establishes policies for the management of the schools and employs a staff to carry out the day-to-day operations. Regular board meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. A staff of 184 certificated employees plus 177 support personnel and fifteen administrators serves 3321 students on a school calendar of 180 instructional days. The district owns 156 acres of real estate. It operates 19 buses and other vehicles for activities on 832 miles of daily routes. Students are accommodated in six schools made up of 33 buildings. The general budget is approximately $14 million. School year grade organization for instruction has been assigned as follows: Dorothy Stinson School, Lafe Nelson School and Ruth Powell School house Kindergarten through sixth grades; Safford Middle School operate for seventh through eighth grades; and Safford High School and Mt. Graham High School are senior high schools of grades nine through twelve. Special education for disabled students is available pre-school through twelfth grade. Individual assistance for students from homes where English is not the primary language spoken is provided. Academically talented students are also identified for specific programming. The Safford Unified School District is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or handicapping condition in its educational or employment opportunities.