The Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board is tentatively set to decide on its next superintendent and will make a step towards leasing the former Big Park Community School in the Village of Oak Creek to Yavapai County, with an option to purchase, on Friday, June 23. 

A “Meet the Finalists Night” will be held in the multipurpose room at West Sedona School from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on June 23 prior to the meeting to allow the two finalists for the superintendent’s position to introduce themselves. They are Katrina Sacco, director of curriculum and assessment at Payson School District, and Tom Swaninger, principal of Eastmark High School in Queen Creek School District. 

*Originally the board was scheduled to move forward with the next steps in the county proposal and vote on a proposed lease at the BPCS to the Arts Academy of Sedona on Friday, June 23 both actions have been moved back to Tuesday, July 11 at 4:00 p.m. The announcement was made after this issue went to print.

Big Park Community School 

Because of dwindling enrollment, the district closed Big Park Community School in the Village of Oak Creek in May 2018. Students were then transferred to West Sedona School and Sedona Red Rock High School. 

“Looking at the beautiful campus, it came to me that this could be a multi-use community campus, and it could have for the library that already presently exists to an expanded library offering … to look at workforce housing,” Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Donna Michaels said during the SOCSD meeting on June 13. Michaels also proposed partnerships with Spectrum Telehealth and the Verde Valley Caregivers as part of her plan for a “Heart of the Village.” 

Yavapai County presented a non-binding letter of intent to proceed with the lease agreement, which the board unanimously approved 3-0. Board members Karen McClelland and April Payne were absent. 

“We’re in the process of working on that agreement,” Governing Board president Randy Hawley said. “We haven’t signed the lease yet because our attorneys haven’t had a chance to look at it. [Michaels] is going to try to make that property into a kind of community center, and she has a number of different organizations that are interested in renting space there.” 

SOCSD did not provide a copy of the letter of intent by press time in spite of multiple requests. 

The financial benefit to the district from renting or selling the campus was also not made public. 

The board did not discuss the consequences of the proposed lease for a teacher housing project that was planned to convert the school’s Building C to between eight and 11 condo units at a cost of $3 million. Instead, Basil and Mimi Maher, the Village of Oak Creek residents who offered to fund the conversion, have purchased a $4.2 million property on Jordan Road containing 14 one bedroom units that they plan to offer as affordable housing for SOCSD teachers. Basil Maher said that the building should be ready for teachers to move into by the start of August; however, the property does require about $100,000 in repair work.

The change in the location of the teacher housing will not affect a $500,000 grant that SOCSD received from Yavapai County Schools for the original Big Park housing project. Tim Carter, Yavapai County superintendent of schools, said the Uptown location will be more convenient for district staff.

“We have tentative approval from the Arizona Department of Education [for the location change],” Carter said. “We don’t have a final written document back, but I’m confident that’s going to happen. It’s the same grant, it’s just being transferred to this new property.”

One of the conditions of the $500,000 grant is the SOCSD must own the property that the apartments are on, making the Big Park sale discussions incompatible with the county grant. “We are going to assign the purchase to [SOCSD] prior to close, and they will use their $500,000 as a down payment,” Basil Maher said.

“Then we will work off the rest of the money, similar to what we were going to do with Big Park, where we manage the building for them, we collect the rents, and the rents will pay off a non-interest-bearing note. Then [SOCSD] will own the building outright.” Maher added that there are indications that Building C at Big Park will now be used as housing for county personnel.

Dennis Dearden’s Last Meeting 

The meeting on Tuesday, June 13, was the last for outgoing SOCSD superintendent and Sedona Red Rock High School principal Dennis Dearden. The board showed its appreciation for Dearden’s service.

“My last job, I was associate superintendent in a large district in suburban Chicago, and our superintendent there was a national Superintendent of the Year,” Hawley said, then pointed at Dearden. “He’s better. [Dearden] had all the skills we needed for this job and has made this a great place to be. You can walk into a building now and feel the difference.”

Fine Arts

There has been high turnover in the district’s theatre department, starting in January with resignation of the theatre teacher, who relocated back to Ohio, followed by a successor who “didn’t work out,” Dearden said. Consequently, SOCSD has decided not to rehire for the high school theatre position for the rest of the year.

“What we’re looking at for the theatre department is contracting with somebody to put on a couple plays per year, and not doing it as a class, but more of more as a club,” Dearden said. “We’ve got some people around the community that I think could do that. That might be interested. In fact, they did hire somebody at the elementary for theatre, a half-time position.”

SOCSD has been sharing music teaching positions between the schools because it is a small district and the focus has been on building the orchestra program taught by Cody McKesson.

“Our orchestra teacher [McKesson] is exceptional, and he’s really working hard to develop this program … he’s also a new teacher. From the first concert to the second, there was a lot of improvement,” incoming Sedona Red Rock High School Principal Heather Isom said.

Arts Academy

The board will also be considering a three-to-five year rental agreement with the Arts Academy of Sedona to lease the music classroom at BPCS, which is 1,408 square feet, at the rate of $1.25 per square foot plus a $250 monthly utility fee.

“We would entertain a longer agreement of five years at a slightly lower rate as well,” the AAS proposal stated.

Additionally, AAS seeks to have priority use of the auditorium in Big Park for 55 days per year for performances by the Emerson Theater Collaborative, for which it has offered to pay $9,020.

The auditorium is currently being rented for Sunday church services, while the company often offers Sunday afternoon theatre productions. AAS Executive Director Camilla Ross said that she is confident they can work out an agreement.

“I have spoken with Michaels to be a part of her vision that is going to enter that facility,” Ross said. “For me, it’s about art and community … and I think arts is important to the vision which Michaels is bringing forward.”

Dearden had a followup question about how the AAS and Michaels’ vision for the property would affect current tenants, such as the church and the Sedona Public Library.

“How would that work, Donna, in terms of, if you’re renting the building? I think it’s a great idea, but how would that work?” Dearden asked.

“[I don’t have a] magic wand to have all the answers that everybody ever asks about any vision,” Michaels said. “If we attract, as I believe Camilla has demonstrated in the last few years in our community, as evidenced by the community turnout and participation of children’s dance classes.”

Michaels did not address how current tenants would be affected. The county offered few specifics.

“Once we get to the point of contracting for further action, we would then work around whatever agreements that were presently in place,” County Manager Maury Thompson said, adding that the Governing Board “could make whatever decisions [it deems] appropriate. We believe it’s compatible use. Once we get to the next stage in the process, we would know this is a reality that we would address whatever our agreement is going forward.”

English Language Learners

The needs of English language learners emerged as one of residents’ top concerns. SOCSD has hired two ELL teachers for the coming school year and has announced the hiring of Cheryl Guess for an ELL position at SRRHS.

“Guess will teach three targeted English language development classes,” one each for grades 6-8, grades 9-10 and grades 11-12,” Assistant Superintendent Deana DeWitt said. “She will also be assisting ELL students in their general education classes as well as providing small group and one-on-one support.”

At West Sedona School, fifth-grade teacher Danielle Beinfest has been promoted to the English language development teacher position.

Sedona-Oak Creek School District 2023-24 Budget

SOCSD unveiled its proposed $8.9 million budget, consisting of $6.45 million for maintenance and operations and $1.5 million for capital projects, at the Tuesday, June 13 meeting, with final approval scheduled for Tuesday, July 11.

The maintenance and operations budget decreased to $6.4 million, while the capital fund increased sharply by 73% to $1.5 million from $905,000 the previous year.

The average salary of all teachers in the district under the proposed budget is $49,442, which is an 8% increase from the previous year and comparable to the 8.5% rate of inflation in Arizona.

“One of my goals here is to leave the district financially healthy,” Dearden said. “You should always have at least a 3% [cash] reserve. But I made a goal this year to have a 5% reserve.”

Dearden said he felt that was a prudent move and attributed the 5% carryover, which is $331,000, to the district’s restructuring, saying that it would allow his successor some flexibility regarding priorities.

The budget anticipates a loss of 40 students within SOCSD; however, Director of Finance Stacy Saravo estimated that the loss will be closer to 15 to 20 students.

Yavapai County’s Draft Letter of Intent
to Lease and Purchase Big Park Community School
from the Sedona-Oak Creek School District

TO: Sedona – Oak Creek School District No. 9

995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road

Sedona, AZ 86336

RE: Letter of Intent: Big Park Community School Lease with Option to Purchase

Property Owner: Sedona – Oak Creek Unified School District 9

Project: Lease-Purchase Big Park Community School, Parcel No. 405-27-006C

Redevelop and utilize existing structures to provide government services, and partner with private businesses to enhance the economic welfare of residents of the community.

Applicant: Supervisor Donna Michaels, Yavapai County Supervisor District 3

Property Address: 25 West Saddle Horn Road, Sedona, AZ 86351.

Purpose: This letter of intent represents the basic terms for a potential agreement between the Property Owner and Yavapai County. This letter is issued by and on behalf of District 3 Supervisor Donna Michaels individually and is therefore subject to review and approval by the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors. After this Letter of Intent is approved by all Parties, a formal agreement may be entered for the benefit of the Parties, and Yavapai County will be substituted as Applicant and made a party to this Agreement.

Purchase Price: The Purchase Price shall be the Appraised Fair Market Value of the subject property, as determined by a MAI designated member of the Appraisal Institute licensed in the State of Arizona, at the time the Parties agree to enter into a formal Lease with Option to Purchase Agreement (hereinafter “Lease-Purchase Agreement”). Applicant will be responsible for the cost of the appraisal.

Purchase Terms

Payment: Payment of the Purchase Price shall be made in the following manner: Lease-Purchase Agreement with a term of up to nineteen (19) years pursuant to A.R.S. § 11-251(46) at a rental rate of $1.25 per square foot, payable per month from Applicant to Owner due on the first day of each month following initial occupancy by Applicant. All initial repairs necessary for Applicant to take occupancy of the Property shall be completed by Applicant at Applicant’s expense and shall constitute a credit against monthly rent payments otherwise due until such time as the credit for initial repairs is exhausted. Subsequent repair expenses incurred by Applicant may be credited against monthly rental payments or the Purchase Price of the Property at Applicant’s sole discretion.

Building C: In the event Building “C” is designated for use as affordable housing for employees of the County, whereby the building will be remodeled into residential apartment units, the Parties agree to cooperate fully and provide all reasonable assistance required in order to establish the proposed use.

Closing on Purchase of the Property: Upon notice of exercise of the Option to Purchase by the Applicant, the Parties shall enter into a Purchase Agreement and close on the sale of the property as a soon as practicable. Any extension of the Closing must be agreed upon in writing by Applicant and Owner.

Closing Costs: All costs associated with the Closing shall be the responsibility of the Applicant.

Possession: Possession of the Property shall be given upon execution of a Lease-Purchase Agreement by the Parties, or earlier by mutual agreement (“Possession”).

Property Inspection: Upon Applicant exercising its Option to Purchase, a conditional Purchase Agreement shall be executed by the Parties, and the Applicant shall have the right to have the Property fully inspected. The inspections shall be complete within forty-five (45) days after a Purchase Agreement has been executed. After the Property has been inspected, the Applicant shall have an additional five (5) business days to report any deficiencies to the Owner in writing. If the Applicant and Owner cannot reach a mutual agreement within ten (10) business days of delivery of the written disclosure regarding correction of the specified deficiencies, the Purchase Agreement shall be null and void. Any monies on deposit toward the Purchase Price shall be promptly returned to Applicant.

Binding Effect: This Letter of Intent shall be considered non-binding and the Parties acknowledge that this Letter of Intent is not enforceable by either Party. The terms outlined herein are solely for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the future.

Agreement: Following the execution of this Letter of Intent, and until Closing, the Owner shall not engage in negotiations for the sale or lease of all or any portion of the Property with any other party unless the Applicant and Owner agree in writing to terminate this Letter of Intent.

Governing Law: This Letter of Intent shall be governed by the laws of the State of Arizona.

Acceptance: If the forgoing terms are acceptable, Owner should sign and return a copy of this Letter of Intent no later than ______________________________.

Benefits of Proposed Use: Given the prior use of the Premises, there is ample parking and infrastructure to accommodate the proposed use of the Property, and there will be no negative impact to nearby property owners. Furthermore, this project will assist the School District in alleviating the difficulties associated with maintaining this property and will further benefit all members of the School District and the community at large.

APPLICANT

Applicant’s Signature ______________________ Date ______________________ 

OWNER

Owner’s Signature _________________________ Date ______________________