Scottsdale Unified School District Arizona’s Most Excelling Schools!

Bob Flach, chief financial officer, presented the Governing Board with a discussion regarding creating and issuing guidelines for operation of evaluation committees for Requests for Proposals (RFPs). The guidelines were established for creating committees, determining the staffing and providing a method to obtain volunteers from the public community. The items are addressed in the regulation, which will be combined with methods to volunteer via the district’s Web site. In addition, the Board is asked to provide the approval for one additional buyer to assist in implementing the new procedures and for recently added reporting requirements. The item will be brought back to the Governing Board at the June 21 Board meeting as an Action Item.

Also, Mr. Flach presented the Board with a discussion on long-range ballot schedules and tax rates. The presentation included future challenges in terms of the Arizona State Retirement System and future implications of the current and any future Override/Bond issue initiatives. The presentation is available on the district’s Web site at: http://www.susd.org/district/govboard/meetings.htm.

In addition, Kim Clark, general counsel, presented the Governing Board a discussion for the procedure for retaining outside counsel and guidelines for legal representation. Proposed changes to the guidelines include increasing approval for outside legal fees without Board approval from $25,000 to $30,000. The general counsel department has developed a tool to help them manage the process of using an outside counsel when need. The item will be brought back at the June 21 Board meeting as a Consent Agenda Item.

In other action, the Board:

• Tabled the award of an RFP for an External Construction Auditor.
   
• Awarded an RFP for Audit Services to Heinfeld, Meech & Co., P.C., for an amount not to exceed $50,000 for the 2005-2006 fiscal year. The firm will provide the annual single audit as required by statute, as well as audit services to focus on specific items as the Governing Board determines. This contract will be effective on the date of the award following approval of the subsequent contract by the Attorney General’s office.
   
• Approved the revision of the Flyer Policies KHC and KHB. Changes to the KHC policy include schools shall not distribute materials that would promote a program, activity or event that would conflict with students’ enrollment and attendance in the district’s schools, schools may also maintain in their offices a list of teachers who provide tutoring services, organizations renting space within the district may distribute promotional materials concerning only the youth-related programming for which the organization is renting the space, the district shall approve no more than one piece of promotional material from any outside organization in any quarter of the school year and the district requires at least one week to process requests to distribute promotional materials. Changes to the KHB policy include schools are not to distribute or display communications submitted by school-related organizations that contain advertisements and/or marketing material that the school would otherwise be prohibited from distributing.
   
• Approved additional architectural/engineering services for Coronado High School bond project in the amount of $38,000 for a security and safety consultant.
   
• Approved the Rentals Fee Income, which will allocate a portion of the net proceeds from short-term rental income to school sites starting with the 2005-2006 school year. The breakdown is as follows: 20 percent to the school originating the contract, 20 percent to be split based upon ADM among all schools, 50 percent for school facility maintenance costs related to the facility use and 10 percent to the district to help cover indirect costs. In addition, the site council will be part of the decision making process along with the principal and will approve the purchases made with the monies.
   
• Approved the Facility Rental Policy Handbook.
   
• Appointed Karen Beckvar and Dr. Eric Meyer as delegate and alternative to the June 25 Arizona School Boards Association Delegate Assembly in Mesa, Ariz.
   
• Accepted gifts valued at $173,540. The gifts were received from Arcadia Senior Class, Cheyenne Student Government, Pima Student Council, Saguaro’s Caring Club, Saguaro Senior Class, Arcadia PTO, C.H.A.P.T.S., Cherokee APT, Cochise APT, Cocopah APT, Desert Canyon Elementary School PTO, Laguna PTO, Mountainside PTO, Charros Don Chiappetti, Coronado Foundation for the Future, Fiddlesticks, Jane and Tom Frenkel, Dr. and Mrs. Janis, Peter Piper Pizza, Sam’s Club Foundation, SRP, Target, Mr. And Mrs. Tobin, Wal-Mart Foundation, Wells Fargo Community Support, Wells Fargo Foundation, Westcor and Zacher Homes.

The next Governing Board meeting, a Special meeting, is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., Thursday, June 16, at the Education Center. A Work/Study session is scheduled for 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 21, at the Education Center. A Special meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., Tuesday, July 7, at the Education Center.

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