It\u2019s great to have options, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
The Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board might not agree.<\/p>\n
At the board\u2019s Feb. 10 meeting, multiple alternatives were presented to them \u2013 but on rather unpleasant topics.<\/p>\n
One: what to do with schools the board voted to close.<\/p>\n
Two: how to save even more money and avoid a budget deficit.<\/p>\n
Three: how to change attendance boundaries.<\/p>\n
With budget cuts needed in the face of declining enrollment, the SUSD board voted in December to close Pima and Echo Canyon elementary schools.<\/p>\n
Three months later, during another marathon, five-hour meeting, the board had options heaped on it.<\/p>\n
Few decisions were made, with tempers flaring by the conclusion of the intense meeting.<\/p>\n
Echo Canyon repurposing<\/strong><\/p>\n At the Feb. 10 meeting, options were presented for \u201cEcho Canyon K-8 repurposing.\u201d<\/p>\n Superintendent Scott Menzel told the board \u201cthe floor\u201d is not to use maintenance and operations (M&O) funds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Initial options include:<\/p>\n Polaris Academy to lease a portion of the Echo Canyon campus \u201cfor operation of a private K-12 school specializing in the education and care of autistic and neurodivergent students.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Jones Gordon School, which serves students with learning challenges (\u201c80% of our students have a diagnosed Specific Learning Disorder, 74% have been diagnosed with ADHD and 68% are diagnosed with dyslexia\u201d) to relocate to Echo Canyon from nearby Paradise Valley.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Arcadia Sports and Performance Complex to provide \u201con-site tutoring, mentoring and social enrichment,\u201d as well as \u201cmulti-sport development, strength and conditioning, and sport-specific training.\u201d According to the company\u2019s pitch: \u201cfields and outdoor courts will be upgraded using donated funds.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Menzel emphasized he was looking for the board\u2019s guidance, including whether they wanted to \u201cmaximize\u201d potential lease revenues.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s zero financial information on any of these options,\u201d board member Mike Sharkey noted.<\/p>\n Matt Pittinsky added, \u201cI am open to the schools listed here. I put a particular premium on the neighborhood and what the neighborhood wants out of the facility.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to focus on what\u2019s best for kids,\u201d Amy Carney stressed.<\/p>\n Pima repurposing<\/strong><\/p>\n Only one option was given regarding Pima Elementary School: Transitioning to a Level D program.<\/p>\n As the presentation noted, \u201cA Level D school in Arizona is a specialized educational setting designed for students whose primary needs cannot be safely or effectively met in general education classrooms or less restrictive special education placements.\u201d<\/p>\n This serves students with significant cognitive, behavioral, emotional, medical or developmental disabilities who require intensive support, highly structured programming and small class sizes.<\/p>\n Currently, 38 SUSD students are receiving Level D programming services in private schools \u2013 at a cost of $2.7 million.<\/p>\n \u201cBy transitioning students from private placements to an in-district Level D program, the district can redirect a significant portion of the Maintenance and Operation dollars and IDEA dollars in<\/p>\n annual tuition expense toward district-operated services.\u201d<\/p>\n While there would be startup costs, \u201cthe model is expected to generate long-term cost savings, improve fiscal sustainability,\u00a0and reinvest funds directly into student programming,\u201d according to the presentation.<\/p>\n Boundaries<\/strong><\/p>\n At a special Feb. 2 meeting, the board heard a presentation on \u201cpotential attendance boundary changes for students currently enrolled or residing in the boundaries for Pima Elementary School.\u201d<\/p>\n At the Feb. 10 meeting at Coronado High School, the SUSD board was to vote on options from a committee:<\/p>\n Dividing students currently residing in the Pima Elementary School boundaries between Navajo Elementary School and Yavapai Elementary School.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Dividing students currently residing in the Pima Elementary School boundaries among Hohokam Elementary School, Yavapai Elementary School and Navajo Elementary School.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Dividing students currently residing in the Pima Elementary School boundaries between Hohokam Elementary School and Yavapai Elementary School.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Option 1 would expand current boundaries for Mohave Middle School.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Option 2 would expand current boundaries for Mohave Middle School and Saguaro High School.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Option 3 would not change feeder patterns in the Coronado complex.<\/p>\n Carney made a motion to table the vote until the next meeting, to allow more time for the board to study the options. The board unanimously approved the motion.<\/p>\n Budget cuts<\/strong><\/p>\n The board also received three options regarding a frightening budget hole.<\/p>\n According to Shannon Crosier, the district\u2019s chief financial officer, \u201cThe estimated Maintenance and Operations budget deficit is $7.7 million.\u201d<\/p>\n She noted a Jan. 20 study session reviewed early budget projections, with cost-saving options developed by the interest-based negotiation (IBN) team.\u00a0<\/p>\n After last month\u2019s meeting, the IBN team created two additional options.<\/p>\n The first option: No change from the information presented to the board Jan. 20.<\/p>\n Option 2 has multiple levels:<\/p>\n Revises ratio for guidance counselors projected at<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 425 students to 1 counselor;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Security Department to cut $250,000;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Reduction of middle school certified librarians;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Reduction of teacher instructional leader program by $250,000.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The third option uses cost reductions of option 2, but with a ratio of 400 students to 1 guidance counselor.<\/p>\n Pittinsky reiterated his position he acknowledges is unpopular:<\/p>\n \u201cI believe we should be closing more schools operating a smaller footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n Carney also hammered points she has made before:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating there\u2019s a refusal to look at over spending in district departments,\u201d Carney said.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot wrap my head around cutting positions that directly impact students while we continue to spend excess money on marketing and consultants.\u201d<\/p>\n Menzel insisted the district has made significant cuts in administration.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to challenge the mis-spending comment,\u201d Menzel said.<\/p>\n He said Pima, Echo Canyon and other families \u201care asking for more marketing \u2013 not less.\u201d<\/p>\n He also noted the board could \u201cprotect the positions but you wouldn\u2019t be able to give raises.\u201d<\/p>\n In a rarely sharp response, Menzel added, \u201cI need to push back on the false narrative \u2026 you haven\u2019t been given information.\u201d<\/p>\n Carine Werner jumped in to defend Carney and attack Menzel\u2019s statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have to rebut something Scott said,\u201d Werner said, via a remote connection. \u201cThere was over $1 million spent on travel \u2026 millions of dollars spent on contacts \u2013 there was misspending.<\/p>\n \u201cNot until December did we start having a conversation about this.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re wrong, Scott,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n Pittinsky countered that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been given complete and total transparency of data for every single person that works at the district office,\u201d Pittinsky said.<\/p>\n State data, he added, shows \u201cmore than half the districts our size spend more on district expenses than we do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI take offense\u201d at the term mis-spending, Pittinsky added.<\/p>\n Ultimately, a motion for Option 3 \u2013 except for the guidance counselor change, which made it the same as Option 2 \u2013 passed, with Werner opposed and Carney abstaining \u201cbecause I did not get information I asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s great to have options, isn\u2019t it? 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