The Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board unanimously approved the district’s $8.015 million budget for the new school year during its July 9 meeting. The 2024-25 budget represents a 10% reduction in spending from the previous budget of $8.9 million, which was driven largely by a decrease in district enrollment. 

SOCSD finance director Stacey Saravo estimated that the number of students enrolled in the district would be down by 53 at the state of the next school year.

“As our average daily membership declines, so does our budget capacity,” Saravo subsequently said. Out of the 716 students enrolled in the district on the last day of the 2023-24 school year, 97 were graduating seniors. SOCSD Superintendent Tom Swaninger estimated the district will gain 30 kindergarten students this year.

The average base level support per student will increase from $4,914.71 to $5,013, and the average teacher salary will increase by $1,857, or 3%, from the previous average of $53,988, which does not include teacher performance bonuses.

“[That] figure does not include classroom site funds which are allocated  at $9,250 per full-time equivalent teacher/counselor,” Saravo said. “The classroom site fund is paid out as follows: $2,875 is paid in December to all teachers/counselors; $2,875 is paid in May to all teachers/counselors; $3,500 is paid in June and is performance pay based on receiving an evaluation of ‘meets expectations’ or above.”

Additional teacher stipends to improve retention will be considered by the governing board in August.

“Even though we’ve had to reduce, we’ve still been able to give all the staff a two-step increase,” Governing Board President Randy Hawley subsequently said.

The board approved a 2% salary increase for Swaninger contract following his first year at SOCSD; his new annual salary will be $132,600.

“That it’s just your standard inflation increase … it’s what all of our administrators are receiving,” Swaninger said prior to the meeting. “From my understanding [former SOCSD Superintendent] Dennis Dearden always did that to be transparent with things, so I decided [that] it was best to follow suit.”

Another Dearden initiative that will be continued is SOCSD’s 5% budget carryover.

“An update on our bond debt service and the principal bond balance as of June 30, 2023, was $16.27 million,” Saravo said. “The principal payment for that bond in 2023 was $3,935,000 and the interest payment was $920,975. Our final payment on that bond is due on July, 1 2028.”

The student fee schedule will see parking fees increase by $10 to $75. The athletic participation fee will remain at $100 per sport and Advanced Placement course registration will remain at $100 per class or $140 per AP Seminar or Research class.

Stipends for all varsity coaches received a 4% increase, with coaches receiving $4,189 and varsity assistant and junior high coaches receiving $2,205.

“We’re looking at consolidating bus routes … because we do have a bus that goes from Cottonwood to here and back, we get quite a few kids from Cottonwood,” Hawley said. “But we’re having a really hard time finding bus drivers and custodians. So one of the things that tried to consolidate some of the routes so that we can provide good service to the families with fewer drivers because we just can’t find [drivers].”

The district currently has a job listing for a bus driver that also offers the option for additional hours as a janitor, with an advertised starting rate of $18 an hour, increasing to $21 upon completion of training. SOCSD is purchasing a new bus annually.

Big Park Community School

Hawley confirmed that repairs to the roof of the former Big Park Community School are not included in the district’s maintenance budget.

“At this point, we’re assuming that whoever buys that will be responsible for the repairs,” Hawley said.

A proposal by outgoing Yavapai County Supervisor Donna Michels [D-District 3] for Yavapai County to buy the school through a lease-to-purchase agreement has not come to fruition and SOCSD will be asking voters to give it the option to sell the property to a third party on the November ballot. There is no current buyer; the vote will only give the board the option to sell the public facility to a third party should one make an offer.

Swaninger announced during the meeting that he will hold a forum with Village of Oak Creek residents, likely in September, at the former Big Park school to discuss the proposal with voters.