Good morning, Gilbert. Highs sit near 103 today and around 101 the next couple of days, so handle the outdoor errands early.
- 🎓 EVIT funding case awaits a judge's ruling. The trade-school dispute reaches students in both of Gilbert's school districts.
- 💧 Gilbert's water audit comes back clean. An outside review found no major problems with the town's meters or billing.
- 🌾 Heritage District and Agritopia. A Tuesday farm tour, Find Waldo all July, and dueling pianos midweek.
- 📚 The week's calendar. Perry Library storytimes, Wednesday bingo, and an open mic on the way.
- 🏠 A Somerset home sold for $5.75 million. One of the town's pricier recent sales.
- 🎭 Around the Valley. Beauty and the Beast at Gammage, the Giants at Chase Field, and more.
A trade-school funding fight is now in a judge's hands
A funding dispute between the East Valley Institute of Technology and the districts that send students there has gone to court, with a ruling pending. EVIT is the public career-and-technical school where East Valley teenagers train for trades, healthcare, and other hands-on careers, so the outcome reaches Gilbert families on both sides of town.
Key facts:
- The case sits in Maricopa County Superior Court, awaiting a judge's decision.
- At issue: EVIT's satellite programs and student transportation.
- Districts named in the dispute include Gilbert Public Schools (GPS, the district covering most of Gilbert), Higley Unified (HUSD, the district covering southeast Gilbert), and Chandler Unified.
Satellite programs let students take EVIT courses closer to their home campus instead of busing to a central site, which is why transportation and who pays for it sit at the center of the disagreement. The ruling will shape how those programs are funded across the East Valley going forward.
What to watch: the judge's decision, which both EVIT and the districts are waiting on. Details.
The week
- 📖 Storytimes at Perry Library. Toddler Storytime Tuesday at 10:15 AM, Family Storytime at 11:15 AM. Details.
- 🎲 Beer Barn Bingo runs Wednesday. Bingo with Leslie, 7 PM. Details.
- 🎤 Powerful Voices Open Mic lands July 9. Live music, comedy, and poetry. Details.
- 🏀 USA Basketball U.S. Open opens July 3. At Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, a short drive up Power Road. Details.
- 🏫 GCA offices close July 6. Gilbert Classical Academy is shut for the Independence Day holiday.
Around Gilbert
💧 The town's water audit came back clean. An outside review for the town council found no major problems with Gilbert's water meters or billing. It did flag some over- and under-billed accounts and past-due balances, but nothing structural. Details.
🏠 A 2024-built home in the Somerset area recently sold for $5.75 million, among the town's higher recent sale prices (county records).
🌾 Heritage District and Agritopia
Downtown Gilbert and what's on at the farm this week.
- 🚜 Agritopia Farm Tour, Tuesday at noon. A guided walk through the working farm at Higley and Ray, covering the land's history and how it gets farmed. Details.
- 🔎 Find Waldo in Gilbert, all July. The striped character is hiding in shops around town, including Literally, a Bookshop. A good excuse to walk the district. Details.
- 🎹 High Key Wednesdays at Backyard Gilbert. Cactus Keys runs a dueling-pianos night midweek. Details.
- 🎬 Movie nights at Arizona Wilderness. The Gilbert Brewhub tasting room screens a film every Wednesday at 7 PM. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving Gilbert for this week.
- 🎭 Beauty and the Beast. ASU Gammage, Tempe, Tuesday at 7:30 PM. The touring Broadway production, close to home. Tickets.
- 🎸 Jinjer. Marquee Theatre, Tempe, Tuesday at 7 PM. The Ukrainian metal band in a room built for it. Tickets.
- ⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Giants. Chase Field, Phoenix, tonight at 6:40 PM. One of the few times the Giants swing through this year. Tickets.
- 🎵 Claypool Gold: Primus and friends. Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, Tuesday at 8 PM. Les Claypool plays three of his projects in one night. Tickets.