The Sedona Oak Creek School District Board of Trustees will tentatively determine the next Superintendent and vote Friday, June 23, to lease the former Big Park Community School in Oak Creek Village to Yavapai County with an option to buy. It is expected to be. .
The conference will be preceded by a “Meet the Finalists Night” on June 23, 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the West Sedona School multipurpose room, where two finalists for the superintendent position will introduce themselves. is. They are Katrina Sacco, Director of Curriculum and Assessment for Payson School District, and Tom Swaninger, Principal of Eastmark High School in Queen Creek School District.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office hopes to move to the campus in early July as the lease at another location ends, and before the 5 p.m. will vote for. The board will also vote on leasing the Big Park campus music classroom to the Sedona Academy of the Arts.
Big Park Community School
Due to declining student numbers, the district closed Big Park Community School in Oak Creek Village in May 2018. Students then transferred to West Sedona School and Sedona Red Rock High School.
“I saw the beautiful campus and thought it could be a multi-purpose community campus. I also thought that the existing library could be expanded to provide library services. …” Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Donna Michaels said at the June 13 SOCSD meeting. Michaels also proposed partnerships with Spectrum Telehealth and Verde Valley Caregivers as part of the “Village Center” initiative.
Yavapai County submitted a non-binding letter of intent to proceed with the lease, which the Board of Directors unanimously approved, 3-0. Directors Karen McClelland and April Payne were absent.
“We are working towards that agreement,” said Randy Hawley, chairman of the board. “We haven’t signed the contract yet because our lawyers haven’t had a chance to review it. [Michaels] She intends to turn the site into a community center of sorts, and there are many different groups interested in renting space there. ”
SOCSD did not provide a copy of the letter of intent as of this press release, despite multiple requests.
The financial benefits to school districts from renting or selling campuses have also not been disclosed.
The board did not discuss the implications of the proposed lease for the teachers’ housing project, which plans to convert the school’s C building into eight to 11-unit condominiums at a cost of $3 million. Instead, Oak Creek villagers Basil Maher and Mimi Maher, who offered to fund the conversion, purchased a $4.2 million property, including 14 one-bedroom units on Jordan Road, to SOCSD. teachers will be provided with affordable housing. Basil Maher said the building should be ready for teachers by early August. However, repair work on this property will cost approximately $100,000.
The relocation of teacher housing does not affect the $500,000 grant SOCSD received from Yavapai County Schools for the original Big Park housing project. Yavapai County Superintendent Tim Carter said the Uptown location would be more convenient for district officials.
“We have provisional approval from the Arizona Department of Education. [for the location change]”The final documents have not come back yet, but I am confident it will happen. It’s the same grant, just transferred to this new estate.”
One of the conditions of the $500,000 subsidy is that SOCSD must own the land on which the apartments are located, making Big Park’s sale negotiations incompatible with the county subsidy. “Assign purchases to [SOCSD] We plan to use $500,000 as a down payment before we close,” Basil Maher said.
“Then we’ll take the rest of the money and manage the building for them, collect the rent, and pay off the interest-free bills with that rent, just like we were trying to do at Big Park.”after that [SOCSD] Take full ownership of the building. Maher added that Building C in Big Park could be used as a residence for county officials.
Denise Dearden
The meeting on Tuesday, June 13, was the last for outgoing SOCSD Superintendent and Sedona Red Rock High School Principal Dennis Dearden. The Board thanked Mr. Dearden for his contributions.
“My last job was as a sub-superintendent in a large suburb of Chicago where I was the best superintendent in the nation,” said Holley, pointing to Dearden. “He’s better. [Dearden] He has all the skills needed for this job and has made this place a great place to be. Now you can go inside and feel the difference. “
fine art
Dearden said the district’s theater department had a high turnover rate, beginning with the resignation of a drama teacher who returned to Ohio in January and “didn’t get along” with his replacement. As a result, SOCSD has decided not to rehire high school drama positions for the remainder of the year.
“What we are looking at with the theater department is signing someone to put on a few plays a year, and not as a class, but rather as a club,” said Dearden. rice field. “There are some people in the community who think they can do it. It might be of interest. In fact, they hired someone in a half-time position for a play in elementary school.”
SOCSD is a small school district focused on building an orchestral program led by Cody McKesson, so they share music teacher jobs between schools.
“Our orchestra teacher [McKesson] He’s special and really committed to developing this program…he’s a new teacher too. There was a lot of progress from the first concert to the second,” said Heather Isom, incoming principal of Sedona Red Rock High School.
art academy
The Board also considers a three- to five-year lease with the Sedona Academy of the Arts to lease the 1,408-square-foot BPCS music classroom at a rate of $1.25 per square foot plus $250 per month utilities. I plan to.
The AAS proposal states that “we will also make a five-year long-term agreement at slightly lower interest rates.”
In addition, AAS is seeking preferential use of the Big Park auditorium for performances by the Emerson Theater Collaborative for 55 days a year, and is offering to pay $9,020 for the cost.
The auditorium is now rented for Sunday church services, and the company frequently offers theatrical productions on Sunday afternoons. AAS Executive Director Camila Ross said she was confident a deal could be reached.
“I spoke with Michaels to be part of her vision of going into the facility,” Ross said. “For me, it’s about art and community…I think art is important to the vision that Michaels is pushing forward.”
Dearden asked additional questions about how AAS and Michaels’ vision for real estate will impact current tenants such as the Church and the Sedona Public Library.
“Donna, what would happen if you rented that building? I think it’s a great idea, but what would happen?” Dearden asked.
“[I don’t have a] A magic wand has all the answers that anyone could ask about any vision,” Michaels said. “If we attract, community participants and children’s participation in dance classes will prove just as Camila has demonstrated in our community over the past few years.”
Michaels did not say how current tenants would be affected. The county provided few details.
County Mayor Morley Thompson said, “If we come to a deal for further action, we intend to circumvent the agreements currently in place,” adding that the board “can make any decision.” [it deems] appropriate. We consider them to be compatible uses. Once we get to the next stage of the process, we know this is the reality and we intend to address whatever future agreements we have. “
English learner
The needs of English learners emerged as one of the residents’ top concerns. SOCSD has announced that it will hire two of her ELL teachers in the next academic year and Cheryl Guess for her ELL position in SRRHS.
“Guess will teach three targeted English development classes, one in grades 6-8, 9-10 and 11-12,” said Deputy Superintendent Deanna DeWitt. Told. “She will also assist ELL students with general education classes and will also provide small group and one-on-one support for her.”
West Sedona School has promoted 5th grade teacher Daniel Beinfest to the position of English Development Teacher.
budget
At its meeting on Tuesday, June 13, SOCSD announced a proposed budget of $8.9 million, comprising $6.45 million for maintenance and operations and $1.5 million for capital projects, with final approval scheduled for Tuesday, July 11. ing.
The maintenance and operations budget decreased to $6.4 million, while capital funding surged 73% to $1.5 million from $905,000 a year earlier.
Based on the proposed budget, the average salary for all teachers in the district is $49,442, an 8% increase over the previous year, matching Arizona’s inflation rate of 8.5%.
“One of my goals here is to leave the economically sound district,” Dearden said. “You should always have at least 3%. [cash] reserve. But I set a goal this year to secure a 5% reserve. “
Dearden said he felt it was a smart move and attributed the 5% carryover ($331,000) to the restructuring of the school districts, giving his successor some flexibility regarding priorities.
The budget anticipates the loss of 40 students within SOCSD. But Finance Director Stacey Sarabo estimates the loss will be from him 15 to nearly 20 students.
