Scottsdale Unified School District No Dream Too Big . . . No Challenge Too Great

The Governing Board discussed the District’s policy regarding public gifts/donations to schools.

At the Dec. 9, 2003, Board Meeting, Board Member Sandra Zapien-Ferrero, had requested the Governing Board to review the District Policy KCD Public Gifts/Donations to Schools at the Jan. 13, 2004, meeting. The interest expressed centered on issues of equality of gifts received by the schools in the District that were used for personnel.

Currently, the policy allows money to be donated for use of non teaching positions during the school day. Many school parent groups organize fundraisers throughout the school year to help the school pay for teacher aides, library aides, etc.

Margaret Serna, Principal at Tavan Elementary School, and Wendy Cohen, Principal at Yavapai Elementary School, asked the Board to find a way for more schools to share the wealth with less affluent schools.

In other action, the Board:

• Voted 3 to 2 to elect Mrs. Zapien-Ferrero as Board President and voted 4 to 0, with Christine Schild abstaining, to elect Karen Beckvar as Clerk. The County School Superintendent will be notified of the changes.
   
• Was presented with updates and revisions to the SUSD’s Facility Rentals Policy Handbook. The law requires school districts to charge a reasonable fee for the use of school property. New provisions to the law define “reasonable use of fee” as “an amount that is at least equal to the schools district’s cost for utilities, services, supplies, or personnel that the school provides." Bill Johnson, Ed.D, Chief of Facilities and Operations will bring the item back to the Board as a Consent Agenda Item at the Jan. 27 meeting.
   
• Approved the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the City of Phoenix for Resources Officers for the fiscal year 2003-2004, and the Governing Board or designee be authorized to sign the agreement. Each year SUSD renews an IGA with the City of Phoenix for one school resource officer at Arcadia High School and one resource officer at Ingleside Middle School.
   
  The District agreed to pay $110,352 plus compensation for additional expenses, including overtime resulting from school related activities, which is a 4.4% increase over last year’s amount of $105,682. The District will also provide office space and clerical support, establish a system for coordinating and scheduling each officer’s work, and provide assistance in the development and implementation of teaching materials.
   
• Accepted gifts valued at $125,925. The gifts were received from Desert Mountain Players, Hopi Student Council, Anasazi PTO, Cherokee APT, Desert Mountain PTO, Friends of A.N.L.C., Hopi, PTA, Kiva, PTO, Laguna PTO, Mohave PTO, Pueblo PTO, Saguaro PTO, Sequoya APT, Arizona Public Service, ASU Karsten Golf Course, Peter Carbonaro, Mr. Tino Ferrulli, Eric Freed & Shelly Ince, Intelli Tools Inc., J. F. Shea Homes, Los Olivos Mexican Patio, Nan Mc Loone, Joseph Morabito, Xavier & Guadalupe Morales, Pat Nolan, Theresa C. Oster, Reading is Fundamental, Salt River Project, Hayslett Sorrel, Washington Mutual, Clark & Darlene Watkin, Wells Fargo Foundation, and Chris Woolard.
  
  Please note there was an error in the Agenda. It stated Imperial School Photography donated items to Saguaro High school. The Agenda should have read Saguaro PTO donated $8,000 for campus beautification.

The next Governing Board meeting, a work/study session on the 2004-2005 Preliminary Budget, is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004, at the Education Center.
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