Anne Phillips, USD 260 Board of Education

08/30/2026

Thank you so much to the rapid response from the Derby Fire Department during the alarm at Derby Hills Elementary! Things could’ve been MUCH worse, and we are tremendously grateful they were able to mitigate damage to the least amount as possible. Be assured active investigations into the cause, coupled with remediation efforts, are underway, and a plan is being developed at this very moment to minimize the impact to your students, your families, and our staff. Thank you to all for your understanding while we navigate this situation.

08/27/2026

Tis the season! 🏈

08/19/2026

Turning fuel into freedom!

For almost the entirety of my Air Force career, I was a jet engine mechanic (or, Aerospace Propulsion, as it’s formally called). I had some experience around a toolbox by the time I took my ASVAB my junior year of high school, knowing barely enough to qualify for several maintenance positions. But aerospace propulsion stood out: once you fixed the engine, you got to test it. How cool is that, my 16-year-old brain wondered, so I told the recruiter at MEPS to sign me up.

My first day of technical training in October 2001, I asked my instructor when we got to test the engines: he responded that I could do that when I was a 7-level craftsman technician.

Fast forward many years later and I got the chance to do so much more than test the operation capabilities on those engines: I rigged, serviced, tore down, built up, inspected, burnt myself, poked myself, busted all of my knuckles, caught my hair, caught my clothes, and caught major attitude with these big beasts. From building the internal bearing components on the B-1B Lancer’s F101-GE-100s, to making rapid pre-launch repairs on the F-15 C/D Eagle’s F100-PW-220/220Es, to ending my career on the KC-135R/Ts dependable CFM-56s, I loved my job. And while I never got the chance to physically work on the KC-46s powerful PW4062s, I spent a lot of time working with those fine men and women who spend their days keeping those big jets in the air.

I’m a very proud jet troop and always will be. The Air Force gave me a sense of purpose, belonging, sorely needed structure, and opportunity. And being a jet troop…well, it may have given me a few scars, bruises, and a concussion (true story), but it was the BEST career in the entire world.

08/15/2026

Yesterday was our final day of greeting all new employees to Derby Public Schools. Over these last few days, I got to see a lot of familiar faces — folks that are personal friends, people who’ve left and returned, or poking my head in to classrooms to greet my children’s former teachers and paras — and it reminded me just how important it is to be at ground zero: in the schools, in the classrooms, talking to the staff, engaging with the students, and seeing what’s good and what could be better.

Example: earlier this year, the BOE approved funding for emergency repairs to Derby Hills Elementary’s southern wing of their building. Yesterday we saw the fruits of the labor, and it looked incredible! The entire western façade of the south wing has been repaired with new floor to ceiling windows, moderate room expansion, completely redone HVAC duct work, and most importantly, no more sinking floor! Alternatively, we visited the eastern side of the south wing, and while it is dramatically less severely damaged than the western side was, it doesn’t diminish the importance of completing these repairs. As I stated to one of the teachers who has some significant floor damage, the criticality of these repairs cannot be understated because it could present a safety hazard to students (especially kiddos who may not be watching where they’re going), but that particular teacher deserved a safe work environment. While the repairs cannot be completed until next summer, it’s important for everyone to know that district leadership and the BOE are 100% aware of the issue, we have funding set aside, and the second school lets out, the floor and HVAC will be fixed.

Thank you to all new employees for taking a few minutes out of your day to chat with us! As always, the inbox is open, or you’re welcome to wave me down if you see me around.

08/14/2026

What are your thoughts on Derby Public Schools’ newest EZArrival app?

If you have a bus riding child, then you should be using EZArrival. It is an app that notifies you of your child’s pickup and drop off on the bus. The USD 260 Board of Education adopted use of this program earlier in the year.

I’m curious what parents, students, and transportation specialists think! Feel free to comment here, to DM me, or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts!

08/14/2026

It was another great day of meeting and greeting our new staff members to Derby Public Schools. Lots of steps logged, tons of laughs, and a few surprise visits were made…to include my own child! Tomorrow will be our third and final day of these visits, but I’m making it a point to spend more time in the schools going forward especially now that I’ve found my groove on the Board.

08/13/2026

What a fun day! We got to meet so many new (and some familiar) faces, and greet so many kids on their first days back to school! There were smiles for miles.

This is an aspect of being on the BOE I truly enjoy: it’s getting out there and being with the people that are making it happen for the people that are growing and learning and exploring. From the adorable teeny tiny littles in our early childhood classes, to the senior who’s on the cusp of taking that next step in life, they’re all learning. But amongst it all are those devoted teachers, paras, and support staff that are making IT happen! The administrators are keeping things running behind the scenes like a well-oiled machine to help the teachers focus on what matters most: educating.

Tomorrow is another round of visits. I learned my lesson midday today to NOT wear wedge sandals, especially after years of wearing steel toed combat boots. Think anyone will notice if I wear bright pink Converse? 😉

08/10/2026

I absolutely love our community! Thank you to Dillons and every single person that donated back to school supplies for children in our district. This is so helpful, particularly for families that struggle to afford the list of necessities, and helpful to our teachers who will generally help offset these costs out of pocket so that all children have equitable access to supplies.

Shoutout to Dillons Derby Marketplace for stopping by today to deliver school supplies purchased and donated by local customers for our students!

We’re grateful to everyone in our community who has contributed school supplies through donation drives happening across Derby. Your generosity helps ensure our students and educators have the tools they need for a great school year.

Thank you for making a difference! 💚

08/03/2026

I may be slightly biased about sharing this article, but there’s a story that goes along with it…

When my oldest daughter was in 5th grade at Derby Hills Elementary, she decided to join the band. As a former band kid myself, I tried to convince her to use my old tenor saxophone, which was last played in 2001 during my senior year of high school. However, my daughter chose not to play it, instead electing to learn on the far inferior and significantly less cool (😉) alto saxophone.

But just a year later, she changed her mind and decided tenor sax was where it was at. A quick tuneup at Musical Offerings, and she was all set to play in the Derby Middle School band. Except there were too many tenor saxophonists already: she would have to either go back to alto or pick a new instrument entirely. So, she chose to play the bassoon.

We spent hours on rehearsals, private practice sessions, reeds, and sight reading bass clef but she did great with it! And by 8th grade, when a tenor sax spot opened up, she was able to quickly jump back to her treble clef-reading, single reeded instrument as if a day hadn’t passed.

She was selected to perform with the DHS Varsity Band as a freshman. She stuck with marching band, basketball band, and symphonic band for four years. She was selected to perform with her university’s band despite not being a music major. And then, the opportunity to tour Europe with old and new friends.

I am a huge proponent of the arts. While many criticize the arts as being a worthless pastime since you can’t make money off of it, I would hope that some would understand the benefits to mental health, creative and critical thinking, and eye-hand coordination. As a musician — particularly one on multiple instruments or modes of performance — you learn to sight read, listen, interpret notes on a staff into translatable fingerings on an instrument. Singers must adjust their body to produce the just the right note while listening to ensure they’re on key singing words often in different languages…not to mention the intensity of their cardiovascular and respiratory health. Sculptors turn ideas into three dimensional images. Embroiderers use varying techniques and skill to take single colors and weave them into light and shadow. Actors bear their souls for all to see.

But they aren’t the only artists if you think outside the box: welders are absolutely geniuses in their abilities to literally fuse metal with artistic flair. Electricians see colors in ways we cannot imagine, all while making some synthesis of madness. Plumbers are levied with the responsibility to turn fluid dynamics into aesthetically pleasing and functional everyday uses.

Therefore, I encourage the arts in many ways. Tell your kiddo to take that elective: let their mind be free to explore new cooking techniques or learn to sew a basic stitch to fix a broken button. The arts aren’t just crucial to the brain, but many are simple basic life skills that can benefit you for years to come.

Or, give you the chance to travel Europe and display your talents for countless people to see…

“Having the opportunity to perform in another country was something I figured I would not get twice in a lifetime,” said DHS senior Sophie Segelke.