The anticipated closure of Big Park Community School became a little less certain in the wake of last week’s 32-hour public hearing held by the Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board.

The proposal, which is scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, March 22, was considered a fait accompli, as four of the five board members seemed to be leaning toward closing BPCS.

Now, however, it appears as though there are two votes for closure, two against and one undecided, based on a poll of board members by the Sedona Red Rock News following the hearing.

The impetus to close BPCS began as the district was faced with financial challenges prompted by declining enrollment and insufficient government funding. School officials in October unveiled five models for restructuring the district.

The Governing Board held a series of public work sessions, culminating in the public hearing.

Although there were originally five models for restructuring the district, board members — based on research, presentations and opinions expressed by administrators — are almost certain to move seventh- and eighth-graders to the high school from BCPS and West Sedona School and perhaps consolidate kindergarten through sixth grades in either WSS or BCPS.

The proposed models were the school closure option or maintaining the current configuration, each of which would save slightly over $1 million after cost-cutting measures are taken. The other three models involved realigning grades, and those three had similar savings, though slightly less than the other two. Staff reductions are included in all models.

Those savings, along with other potential spending cuts, would offset an estimated budget shortfall of about $1 million.

The presentations provided by administrators and SOCSD staff regarding the restructuring are available online at sedonak12.org/wordpress/?cat=5.

More than 400 people attended the public hearing held March 10 at the Sedona Performing Arts Center. About 60 spoke, some standing in line for more than three hours to be heard.

Governing Board policy prevented its members from answering questions or engaging the speakers in discussion. Instead, they just listened.

What they heard was an outpouring of emotion, including pride, anger, fear and sadness. Of those who spoke — and even those who didn’t, but who cheered, applauded and sometimes hollered and booed — there was near unanimity for keeping BPCS open.

“I listened to every speaker carefully and was very moved by all the emotion,” board President Zach Richardson said the next morning. “I was also taken aback by all rude and insulting comments by others. I suspect they have been watching too many presidential debates.”

Bobby Surber, the only board member who has openly supported preserving BPCS throughout the restructuring process, said she hadn’t seen a turnout like that in 30 years.

“[I’m] so proud of the Village and Big Park parents, teachers, community members and students,” she said. “United they stood and their message was crystal clear: Big Park Community School is the heart of the community. I’m humbled by their devotion and dedication to the education of our students. Big Park Community School has my promise that I will continue to advocate for our school to remain open.”

The NEWS reached out to each Governing Board member, asking whether the public comments would influence  them to vote against closing BPCS.
Richardson didn’t explicitly say what his vote would be.

“We need to provide the students of our district the opportunity to attend a fully funded school, and based on the facts presented, that can only be done with just one K-6 school,” he said.

“On the other hand, I grew up in a family where my parents dedicated their lives to building communities around schools. Closing a community school goes against everything I have ever believed in. It is one thing to read about schools closing in other districts, but when it is our hometown, it does not sit well.”

Throughout the restructuring process, it’s been assumed that Richardson, Tommy Stovall and John Miller would vote to close BPCS.

Stovall was the only one not to respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.

Miller, in his response, said he hasn’t made up his mind.

“Those people that think the board has already made up our minds are naïve,” he said.  “My feeling about closing a school has been fluid and will continue to be so until a vote is taken ….

“My mind is fluid and animated at this moment and I thank those stakeholders that spoke their ideas quietly and clearly. The applause was distracting and hurt my ability to listen to the speakers, however, I understand and appreciate the enthusiasm of the folks in attendance.”

Assuming that Richardson and Stovall vote to close BPCS, Miller would become the swing vote because Karen McClelland, who indicated at the final work session that she was leaning toward closure, was swayed by what was said at the public hearing.

“I was especially impressed with community members who had no direct connection to the schools, saying, ‘I have this experience. I have the time. I can help,’” she said. “We haven’t been harnessing that time and enthusiasm to help the schools.”

As a result, McClelland said she would be open to spending a year looking into how to organize such resources, while also more thoroughly investigating “financial and logistical questions.”

The main themes of those who spoke at the hearing were:

• The board is moving too quickly.

“Give the community a year to look at the district’s financial [situation] …. Give the whole community a full year to work with you,” Nancy Robb Dunst said, adding that closing BPCS would be the “beginning of the dismantling of Sedona-Oak Creek School District as we know it.”

Dunst was one of the first speakers, and during her address audience members — as they would throughout the evening — clapped and cheered several times despite Richardson’s request that applause be withheld until the end in order to save time.

Ron Volkman, representing the Sedona Verde Valley Association of Realtors, said its board of directors voted unanimously to recommend that the school board postpone its vote to close BPCS.

• Board members and Superintendent David Lykins are ill-equipped to decide whether a restructuring is needed and, if so, to properly implement it.

“David was in over his head from the beginning,” said Russ Snider, former principal at WSS, BPCS and Sedona Red Rock High School, where he was Lykins’ supervisor.

When it became apparent that enrollment was dwindling, Snider said, “[Lykins] and the board should have had a plan.”

He blamed “ineffective leadership” for students and staff leaving the district and poor morale.

Snider said there are two kinds of leadership models: Show horse and plow horse. The former makes it appear that it’s doing the job; the latter actually gets down to doing the work that is needed.

“Unfortunately, Dave is a show horse,” Snider said to applause and cheers from the crowd.

The sounds of approval grew even louder when he suggested Lykins give back his raise in salary.

Nancy Jones, who said she has taught at both WSS and BPCS, talked about the public’s mistrust of the board. During her comments, she turned to the audience and asked for a show of hands from those who had “100 percent trust of what you’re hearing.” Just one person was observed raising a hand.

When she asked who didn’t trust what they were hearing, nearly all the rest raised their hands.

• The board failed to engage teachers and community members in the restructuring process.

“We have an incredible level of volunteerism and an incredible level of people … you need to tap into that,” Carolyn Fisher told the board. “Communicate better and give the process time.”

At the public hearing, as well as in the work sessions, people with backgrounds in education and business offered their expertise.

Heather Hermen talked about finding ways to financially support BPCS.

“We have passionate community members who want to help,” she said. “We will pay to play.”

As examples, she mentioned fundraisers and business sponsorships. “We will be cheerleaders and champions for the school.”

Jim Cunningham, a local pastor, said he was “in awe” listening to the “educators, administrators, corporate executives and entrepreneurs” who spoke on behalf of BPCS.

“This community has an amazing brain trust,” he said.

Several teachers spoke at the hearing, including Patty Falsetto.

“Use us teachers in the classroom to help come up with answers,” she said. “We need you to ask us. We take care of your children. Bring the teachers in.”

• Closing BPCS will have a negative effect on the Village of Oak Creek.

“It is the heart of our community. It breathes life into our village,” said BPCS teacher Diane Schumacher. “What will our community be without our community school?”

Ted Schultz said that closing it would be a “potential death blow to the community.”

He encouraged the board and Lykins to “roll up your sleeves and look at options other than school closure.”

Several VOC residents told the board that they were drawn to the community because of BPCS.

• Several students also spoke, including Nicholas Fox, a fifth-grader at BPCS, who asked the board, “Why are you closing Big Park?”

“The teachers are so awesome,” he said. “If I didn’t go to Big Park, I wouldn’t be as smart as I am now.”

Surber offered her thoughts on the students who spoke.

“You touched me with your honesty, intelligence and fierce protection of your fellow students and younger siblings to maintain the same neighborhood education that you have received,” she said the morning after the hearing.

• Other speakers expressed concerns over the long bus rides for students from the Village to WSS and the potential for bullying on the bus and at the school.

A few also said that if BPCS is closed, many, if not most, of the parents will take their children to schools other than WSS, which would result in lower enrollment in the district and, thus, less funding, which would exacerbate the current problem.

Miller, who characterized the hearing as “exciting,” said that “student achievement, school safety and school climate are all I consider in my community service on this board.  What’s best for the kids, all the kids.”

He went on to address concerns over busing.   

“Parents feel that busing is a problem. I feel it is an opportunity. Whether or not a school is closed, we have the undivided attention of students on their way to school and on their way home. Why don’t we have volunteers entertain the students and educate them while they are on the bus? There are countless ideas of how we can enrich their commuting experience and expand their minds.”

Jake Weber, owner of Weber’s IGA, elicited perhaps the most applause and cheers during the hearing.

Saying, “I have grandchildren in Big Park, so it’s personal for me,” he went on to call for the board to “dig in and find solutions… look at other aspects” and to “unify the district.”

“I respectfully ask the board not for more time, but for more leadership.”

And, if the board could not provide that, he said, “I respectively ask for you to resign … so we can go forward.”

As this edition went to press, school district officials were working to post the audio/video from the public hearing on the SOCSD website.