Eugenio Vazquez likes his job, but he's also planning for the future.

Vazquez, who heads the English language learners program, is one of 25 Agua Fria Union High School District employees who have signed up for the Aspiring Administrative Academy.

The academy is a new program open to employees considering a future in school administration.

It gathers teachers and staff once a month to learn about education issues, certification procedures and what administration jobs are like.

"I'm finishing my master's in educational leadership and I want to continue on the same career path," Vazquez said. "Maybe I'll eventually become an assistant principal and later a principal. This program is a wonderful idea."

Leslie Anderson, director of human resources for Agua Fria, said the academy stemmed from looking at growth projections.

Anderson said Agua Fria's increasing population within the next five years would create a variety of administrative openings.

Agua Fria is building a high school in Buckeye's Verrado community. It is the district's fourth, and officials say they expect to build two more schools by 2010.

Officials would like to see some of these jobs go to employees already in Agua Fria.

"We know there are teachers here thinking about administration," Anderson said. "Those folks are internal candidates. They see a need and my hope is that they'll stay put. I'm thrilled that people want to be lifelong learners and start a different arm in their career."

The academy will help employees learn about working as an administrator and topics like classroom management and school law.

It will give Agua Fria staff a chance to decide if administration is their next career step.