Governing Board approves May override and November bond election

Maricopa Unified School District’s Governing Board meeting Wednesday evening was the first official session for newly elected board members James Chaston, Tracy Davis, and Margaret Jackson. They joined current board members Delia Carlyle and Tim White. White was elected President of the Board, and Carlyle will serve as the Clerk of the Board.

Governing Board members (left to right) Tracy Davis, James Chaston, President Tim White, Clerk Delia Carlyle and Margaret Jackson.

Speaking to a large crowd, Carlyle commented, “In all my years on school board I’ve never seen the room this full.”

Amy Jamieson, during the call to the public, explained that she had been spending her time and money to get out fliers, canvass businesses and make phone calls to encourage attendance at this meeting regarding a possible override or bond election. She expressed her thanks to those in attendance. “I am here to express to you how the community feels because it is so important.”

“All of us are here to provide the best education for our children. We won’t make everyone happy,” noted Chaston. “School funding and finance is the most difficult in the United States,” he explained.

The main presenter for the evening was Mike Lavalle from Stone and Youngberg. He was present to discuss bonding and assessed valuation of the district as well as how school funding and growth affect taxes.

Superintendent Alma Farrell discusses school funding with Mike Lavalle.

The board approved both a bond election for November and an M & O override for May, which will be the first override in the district’s history.

A bond election is the district borrowing money just like a homeowner acquires a mortgage, according to LaValle. The money is paid back over 20 years, but the bond amount must be realistic. Bond monies may be used for school buildings, renovations, school grounds’ improvements and the purchase of transportation vehicles. Funds may not be used for soft capital items such as furniture or computers. The bond amount is limited to 10% of the district’s secondary assessed tax valuation.

In an override election, a proposed increase in the district’s M & O budget is subject to voter authorization. This occurs over a period of seven years with the last two years phasing out to a lesser amount. M & O overrides are limited to 10% of the district’s K-12 Revenue Control Limit (RCL). Funds cannot be used for capital expenditures but only for maintenance and operations items, including salaries. The secondary tax rates are used to pay off overrides, which are renewable every five years.

Budget review:
Finance Director Daniel O’Brien presented a review of budgetary codes and their designations for the new board members’ edification. He will be presenting a comprehensive overview of the entire district budget at a future meeting.

Legal and architectural services:
A request for legal services for the district was discussed. A district committee reviewed this proposal and deemed the firms of Undall Shumway; Jennings Strouss; Miller, LaSota and Peters and Calderon Law as the most experienced and responsive in various specialized areas needed by the district. Approximately $80,000 per year is budgeted for legal services due to potential or pending legal issues. “Probably not more than 10 to 15% of that is spent,” explained Superintendent Alma Farrell. Money that is not utilized can be reassigned later.

Board member Margaret Jackson asked why the district did not use the County Attorney’s services that would be cost free. Superintendent Farrell explained that the county does not always have school area specialists. “The county must represent schools but not always in a timely manner,” she added.

Due to the amount of building at present and in the future, the district is required by law to seek proposals. A district committee selected the firms of Gilleland and Brubaker as well as the ADM Group, Inc. to provide architectural services. Gilleland and Brubaker are at the end of a five-year contract with the district. Four firms were interviewed, and two were selected in order to provide choices, according to Superintendent Farrell. “If one firm is busy, we have the ability to go to another firm,” she explained.

Above ground fuel tanks:
Business Manager Paul Kasparian made a request for above ground fuel tanks for the district’s use. “We have been fueling at service stations for years and years. We are at the mercy of gas prices fluctuating,” he noted. “Putting our own tanks in would help us out.” The board gave Kasparian the go ahead to pursue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for above ground fuel tanks.

Kasparian added that at a future meeting he would be making a request for the renovation of buildings at Maricopa Elementary School. The buildings are structurally sound. “It would cost a little bit of money to beautify them, to jazz those buildings up,” he explained.

Maricopa High School students:
Lindsie Clark, Student Body President at Maricopa High School was present to report on the Student Council’s activities. The group is planning faculty and student appreciations and is currently collecting new or gently used clothing and toys for distribution on January 26 from 1 – 4 p.m. at Maricopa Elementary School’s cafeteria. Ten students and two adult chaperones will be journeying to Tucson this weekend to attend the state AASC convention where student councils from all over Arizona meet.

Key Club sponsor Bernadette Russionello and several Key Club members informed the board and the audience about their activities which include campus clean ups, Walk America for the March of Dimes, helping with the city’s Salsa Festival, Pennies for Patients canisters and tutoring elementary students in math and reading.

The Maricopa High School FFA Chapter will travel to Peoria High School on January 21-22 to attend the Peoria Mini-Leadership Camp. Peoria Alumni and state officers will chaperone. Each FFA student pays part of the cost while the club pays the remainder.