What began as an idea to give the community a voice on education issues appears to be morphing into something less broad-based.

When the Sedona-Oak Creek School District held a series of public hearings on restructuring its schools, residents spoke of the need for better communication with the board.

Many contended that public input — especially from individuals with education or business experience — would have helped the board deal with the issues it was facing, which were prompted by dwindling enrollment and insufficient funding.

The Governing Board considered closing Big Park Community School, but voted to keep it open, then opted to create a junior high school housed in Sedona Red Rock High School. Seventh- and eighth-graders will be moved from BPCS and West Sedona School to the new school.

The idea of a citizens advisory committee took root during the several months that the restructuring was considered, but judging by the SOCSD Governing Board meeting Tuesday, May 3, it has withered, if not died.

It was replaced by a proposal that would use site councils from the district’s three current schools — and the junior high school if a council is established for it — to advise the board.

Site councils were created by the state legislature to ensure that “individuals who are affected by the outcome of a decision at the school site share in the decision-making process.”

Site council representatives from the schools reported to the board on discussions among their respective members about creating the advisory committee.

The general consensus was that the process was not necessarily necessary.  

“Site councils have to be the voice of the schools … the parents, teachers and administrators,” said Shannon Jennings, president of the WSS site council.

She told the Governing Board that members of her council didn’t see the need for “reinventing the wheel.”

She added, however, that if the board decides to move forward with the advisory committee,  it should be “maybe quarterly … just so we know what’s going on.”

The issue was not set for board action at Tuesday’s meeting, but Governing Board member John Miller, who noted that he had never attended a site council meeting until most recently, said he agreed with Jennings’ assessment.

The SRRHS site council reached a similar conclusion at its meeting.

Governing Board member Bobbie Surber, who was not physically at Tuesday’s meeting, attempted to teleconference in but staff was unable to sustain a connection other than a for a brief moment, although Miller tried fiddling with the phone.

Contacted the next day, Surber questioned how the community committee concept, which would have been open to residents in addition to teachers and students’ parents, went by the wayside.

“Site council works with building administrators about school-specific issues,” she said. “I requested, as did many community members, to have a school board advisory committee. It feels as if we’re side stepping yet another community request.

“The sad part is this board desperately needs a group of diverse cross section of our community to help the board with issues ranging from budget, staffing to administrative realignment to name just a few.”

Heather Hermen, who represented the BPCS site council, had a similar view of the issue.

“It had been brought up at the March meetings at the Sedona Performing Arts Center. Bobbie and Karen [McClelland, Governing Board vice president] then stressed it again at the board meeting in April. I think that’s what Bobbie was trying to ask last night on the phone: How this turned into a district site council concept rather than a community advisory committee,” Herman said the day after the Governing Board meeting.

“At Big Park we have been informed that the site council needs to take more of a leadership role with issues, solutions, ideas, etc., and bring them to the board to stress what is most important on behalf of the school. This is a first in the four years I have been a part of site council. We had been informed that we were more of an advisory group to the principal. That’s why we feel so strongly that a clear plan and one that’s consistent within the district needs to be adopted. Then, we’ll know what our purpose is, how to operate and move forward.”

Hermen is a prospective candidate for the school board and a nominating petition was being circulated among the audience at the board meeting.

According to board President Zach Richardson, nothing is set in stone.

“We are still working on the structure for this advisory committee with a specific purpose and goals,” he said the day after the meeting. “I envision this committee to assist and advise the board and superintendent on a strategic plan for our future which should include the site councils, as they are a very important asset to our individual schools.”

Hermen reported to the board there was a strong turnout of community members at the BPCS site council’s last meeting.

Hermen said the questions raised by the public in connection with the proposed advisory board, included:

• Who would lead?
• Would the leader be independent of the three schools?
• What would the purpose be?
• Would it have a specific direction?
• What is the structure?
• Who would participate?
• Is this the most effective way to increase communication? Would it be better to send representatives to each others’ site council meetings?
• Would it be an advisory committee to the board or to the superintendent?

After that, the discussion devolved into the basics of site councils, including whether they are subject to the state’s Open Meeting Law [they are] and whether the should have a formal hierarchy [they should] and how members should be chosen [through an application and selection process].

Bringing the discussion back to the advisory committee question, McClelland said the district is facing issues that need to be addressed before the next school year starts and asked site council leaders to get together before the next board meeting and come up with a “timeline for how we’ll work together.”

Richardson added, “Keep it simple and to the point.”