The Sedona-Oak Creek Governing Board unanimously approved a proposed 2016-17 budget of $7.34 million, about 1.7 percent less than the current maintenance and operation budget.

The approval also included a capital budget of $959,577.

The board directed that the spending plan be advertised and a public hearing be held Tuesday, July 12.

Board President Zachary Richardson and board member Tommy Stovall were not at the meeting.

Salaries and benefits account for most of the proposed budget at $5.57 million — about 6.2 percent higher than the current budget. Nearly all of that salary increase is due to the school district bringing student transportation in-house rather than contracting out, though nixing the contract itself lowered the overall budget. Salaries and benefits for bus drivers, mechanics and the transportation director were added.

Salaries and benefits for teachers in regular education is proposed to be about $2.72 million, up from $2.65 million. For special education, it rose from $510,000 to $516,307.
Generally, line items in the proposed budget were relatively equal to the current year.

The majority of total savings came from the decision to bring transportation in-house [$90,000], support services for instructional staff [$80,000] and support services for administration [$21,000].

The school district presents the budget to the governing board, which is not consulted during the budgeting process, according to board member Bobbie Surber. She said that public school funding is far more restrictive, including predetermined limits, than other public bodies such as city councils.

Prior to voting on the proposed budget, the governing board approved a revision to the current budget that accounts for funds generated from Proposition 123, which was approved by voters last month.

The school district was awarded $247,693, but netted $176,038 due to adjustments to the budget.

All staff will receive a three-step bump in their salaries effective Friday, July 1, according to comments at Tuesday’s meeting, although the decision had been made in April in the event Proposition 123 passed.

In other action, board members and staff agreed to place the issue of extra-duty contracts on a future meeting agenda in order to develop a policy governing approval.

“Staff members are upset over the inconsistency of compensation,” said Surber, who has raised the matter previously.

“Right now I would be satisfied to have the long-requested extra-duty contract schedule in place to assure all employees are treated equally,” she said in an email the following day. “I would also like to see an end to asking the board for approval on extra-duty contracts after the fact. Why ask us to vote on something that staff has already been informed they are receiving and as we heard at the prior board meeting work that is already underway?”

Board member Karen McClelland supported the idea and directed that it be agendized.

In other matters, the board:

• Raised the fee for students to park in the Sedona Red Rock High School lot from $30 to $50 per school year.
  Student parking fees totalled just under $4,000 last year.

Deana Dewitt said the parking lot has fallen into disrepair and needs extensive work, including bringing it into compliance with ADA and fire regulations.

Although the lot will eventually require resealing — resurfacing is too expensive — she said that starting Monday it will be professionally swept and all loose material will be hauled away, then will be restriped and painted.

Dewitt said that Mingus Union High School charges $75 per year or $5 per day.

• Instituted a fee of $10 per credit hour for dual-enrollment classes at Yavapai College. The fee was implemented by the college over the objections of area high school superintendents, according to SOCSD Superintendent Dave Lykins.
• Voiced support for West Sedona School’s effort to become accredited as a STEM academy.

WSS Principal Scott Keller presented details of the process, which will take anywhere from three to nine months to prepare for an onsite certification review.

He said the school’s leadership team, site council and PTA are in favor of the plan.

The move is similar to Big Park Community School’s plan to become an International Baccalaureate school.

Given financial challenges faced by the district, the schools are attempting to rebrand and differentiate themselves to attract more students. BPCS was nearly closed earlier this year and both schools lost their seventh and eighth grades to the newly established Sedona Red Rock Junior High School.