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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/08/1996 MUSD Joint MeetingMARANA TOWN COUNCIL~VI.U.S.D. GOVERNING BOARD SPECIAL JOINT MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 1996 II. 111. IV. VI. CALL TO ORDER Meeting was called to order by Mayor Honea at 7:12 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Mayor Honea INVOCATION Led by Mayor Honea Council Members Ed Honea Sharon Price Tom Clark Ora Ham Herb Kai Sherry Miliner Bobby Sutton, Jr. Mayor Vice Mayor Cotmcil Member, excused Council Member Council Member, excused Council Member Council Member Marana Unified School District Governing Board Janice E. Mitich President Bill Kuhn Clerk Bonnie Demorotski Member Nancy B. Magelli Member Dan Post Member, absent Staff Hurvie Davis Doug Maples Jerry Flannery Dave Atler Kelly Schwab David Smith Brad DeSpain Town Manager Town Building Official Planning Administrator Town Engineer Town Attorney Chief of Police Utilities Advisor APPROVAL OF AGENDA A motion was made by Ora Harn, seconded by Sharon Price and carried unanimously to approve the Agenda as written. GENERAL ORDER OF BUSINE~_S A. Joint Meeting with Marana Unified School District Board regarding growth and development issues and coordination between the two bodies to increase service at reduced costs. Mayor Honea: This meeting was called tonight to discuss what the Town and the School District can do to coordinate efforts. MARANA TOWN COUNCILfM.U.S.D. GOVERNING BOARD SPECIAL JOINT MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 1996 Hurvie Davis: ~his meeting is a result of the Council over the last six or eight months, acting on some rezonings and development in our Community. The issues of schools and the District being able to provide schools have come up. In order to be responsive to the needs of the School District they needed to have an understanding on how the District operates and what the needs are. If we have problems and we don't communicate, no one can address those problems. Wade McLean, Superintendent, Marana School District: Mr. McLean gave an overview of the District and passed out some information to the Members. Twenty three years ago the School District had throe schools and the total enrollment was less than 2,000 students. We now have eight elementary schools, two junior highs and two senior highs. We also have an alternative school, but their enrollment is included in the junior and senior high enrollments. The ethnicity of our District has not changed too much in the course of time. Our largest problem that we have right now is funding. We have asked the voters on several occasions for bond referendums, they have been very good to us the last two referendums have passed. There is a lot of construction and growth taking place at several different schools in the District. He has also hear that Marana has this high tax rate in the County for the School District. We have the second lowest school tax rate in Pima County, Flowing Wells is the lowest. When we are compared to other places we are doing fairly well. We have been going backwards with the money that we receive from the State each year, it has not kept up with the rate of inflation. Our employees received a 1% pay raise this year, the rate of inflation was also the same. We am not happy about that, they weren't either. We get about $1.0 million from local property taxes and over a million from the State. Almost $500,000.00 a year is spent on text books, $70,000.00 on library books and a large amount on transportation. This years current budget has about 6.5% to 7% budgeted in administration. We are one of the lowest staffed central administrations in the County for school districts. The biggest problem within our District with students is fighting. Some are rather minor and some are major. What do we do to stop the problems in the schools. Mr. McLean went over a list of prevention programs that the schools currently have. We have the D.A.R.E. Program which is assisted through the Town, that helps a lot. The Marana Police Department does quite a few things for the School District and we are real happy to be working with them. Most of the employees of the School District are full time. Mayor Honea: The Town of Marana and the School District are rapidly growing. It is his understanding that rapidly growing school districts are more affected by State cuts in education and things of that nature than those that are contained. It is our wish to do what we can to help the School District. We would like to come up with some basic formulas that we could put in place. When developers come to the Town, we would tell them this is what the school needs would be, we have started doing this the last couple of years. We've had a couple different builders deed property to the School District, they have an option of what to do with it. We have a Council that is really interested in working with the School District. Janice Mitich: We really lucked out at the last bond election in that we already had property that was deeded to us in Continental Ranch. It would really help us when big develops come in that they are required to donate land for a school site. And also what else would help is if they had to build some park areas around the school so the schools could use those facilities. Ora Harn: The Town and the School District care about the same people. Would it be help if when a developer comes in and starts with the water, electric and other utilities on the property, that he stubbed up and made a available to that property the utilities and infrastructure.. Wade McLean: One of our major considerations is land being set aside for schools. When a developers comes to the Town, one of the requires would be 12 to 15 acres set aside for an elementary school. It would be wonderful if they were stubbed out, it would save costs later on. Our intention is to put the schools in the middle of the communities if we can. By having the land deeded to the School District we know that we have that site there. MARANA TOWN COUNCILfM.U.S.D. GOVERNING BOARD SPECIAL JOINT MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 1996 Mayor Honea: We need to try and develop a formula where it states that with so many houses we will need this for schools. Bobby Sutton, Jr.: What would have to be included in that formula, it would have to be on a case by case basis. Sharon Price: You have to think ahead also to any age res~'icted commtmities that may want to develop. In Continental Ranch there are seven sites available, we will probably never utilize all of them. Wade McLean: One &the issues that we are starting to find ourselves looking at that is very grim right now is our bonding capacity. A percentage of our assessed valuation determines how we establish our bonding capacity. We can have all the school sites in the world and get bonds approved, but unless we have the capacity we can't sell them. We really don't generate the revenue for the kids that are going to be moving into the new schools for a year or two. Not only do we need the land, we have to have an increased assessed valuation. We have three issues when it comes to growth, land, bonding capacity and operational funds to open the school once it is built. We're finding that the average elementary school with approximately 600 students is an additional cost to us of over $500,00.00 to open. Janice Mitich: That's basically for support staff, most of the teachers are already in the system at another school. When we open a new school other teachers just transfer over. Janice Mitich: We have been consistently growing by 600 - 700 kids each year for the past six or seven years, we have never caught up. Mayor Honea: We could get a letter drafted for the Legislators in our District and strongly support the current year funding. Ora Harm If we were to talk with the League of Cities and Towns, we're probably not the only people having this problem. Mayor Honea: What can we do to help you with bonding. Janice Mitich: More commercial development. Mayor Honea: A lot of people complained about the Marana Treatment Center, but it was a godsend to this Community. We get $115,000.00 in State Revenue Sharing for those individuals who don't use any services from the Town. The School Dis~ict gets the tax base from the $6.0 million facility and they don't attended the schools. We are trying to find things that the Town can do to help the School District. Janice Mitich: Lobbying efforts in joining the School District in some of these issues would be very helpful. Bobby Sutton, Jr.: Are there legal implications, how are we going to approach developers, we can't make them do it or can we. Mayor Honea: We can make them do it. We can't do it on the zoning necessarily but on the planning. When they come in for a Plat Review and they have a certain number of houses, we say we need so much. And if we have it programmed into the system, with a formula, people would know ahead of time. Ifa large Specific Plan came in the developer would know what is required for schools.. Bobby Sutton, Jr.: He thinks that type of program would be excellent because it would make developers do some type of commercial extension to their development to cut down the amount of land they would have to donate. MARANA TOWN COUNCIIdM. U.S.D. GOVERNING BOARD SPECIAL JOINT MEETING FEBRUARY $, 1996 Sharon Price: What was done to get Ranch Holdings to donate $100,000.00 £or the parks in Continental Ranch, was it just requested. Scott Mundell: It was negotiated with Ranch Holdings. Mayor Honea: How about other areas where the Town and School District can work together. How about purchasing, we don't have a lot of things in common. We could research possibly how we could share some facilities. Janice Mitieh: We have always had a good relationship with recreational programming and park usage. Things like that have been very helpful. Mayor Honea: We may be overlapping on some programs and things. Maybe some of those we could work together and coordinate some of these programs to where we can do it concurrently and share some of the costs. Hurvie Davis: On the purchasing issue, we found out that Tucson has a joint agreement with all the School Districts within the City's boundaries. The City's purchasing agent is very high on having a joint purchasing agreement between the City and the School Districts. We have asked them to share with us the agreements that they have. We are looking into seeing if we can bring something like that about for marana. Wade McLean: We have been trying to decentralize our purchasing. One of the things we are looking at now is not buying a lot of things that need to sit on shelves, have them bought as they are needed. Scott Mundell: Pima County is wrestling with an impact fee ordinance, to use the fee for road construction. One way would be if we could enact an impact fee ordinance to provide funds for construction and operation of schools, ls that something that is legal. Wade McLean: There is a house bill right now in the Legislature that would give authority to use impact fee collection for schools. It has been introduced in the Legislature on and off for the last ten years. He doesn't believe it has ever even gotten out of Committee. This is a bill that we should support, but there hasn't been a lot of support from others. Hurvie Davis: The Town has a Master Plan for the Town boundaries and so forth, which we are in the process of updating. Does the School District have a master plan or how do you approach growth, development and the siting of future schools. Wade McLean: We do not have a long range plan. One of our goals this year is to implement a one three five ten year plan. The problem is we don't know what a lot of the developers are thinking in regards to next year or the year after. It's real difficult for us because they don't always tell the truth on when they plan on breaking ground. Scott Mundell: For the last nine years we have been tracking all new plats and any type of changes in zoning that we get information on. We know pretty well what the developers say they are going to do for that period of time. Mayor Honea: When an individual comes to us with a zoning request or a plat change, we would automatically put the School District on the list to receive that infonnatiun up front. Scott Mundell: We are already getting that information from the Town. Bobby Sutton, Jr.: We get citizens who attend Council meetings asking us to stop developments. What point do you get to where another school is needed. 4 MARANA TOWN COUNCIL~VI.U.S.D. GOVERNING BOARD SPECIAL JOINT MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 1996 Janice Mitich: We keep putting portable units on to our existing schools. Wade McLean: The several schools that we have built schools to relieve overcrowding for were in excess of 1,000 students at the elementary level. When we open the school at Continental Ranch Estes Elementary will go down to approximately 450 students, that will no longer be a cost effective school. Scott Mundell: There is some trade offs there because the School District uses a good part of Estes Elementary for business operations and offices. Wade McLean: We need to make the high schools as large as we can so they are cost effective. A school with 1,200 or 1,300 students is not as cost effective as one with 2,000 students. Ora Harn: She has had a couple of teachers talk to her about disabled children. They feel strongly about these kids, but they talk about children who come in their classroom. They have no idea where they are and am disruptive in their classrooms. This makes it difficult for them to teach the other children around them. Wade McLean: We get our regulations on dealing with disabled children either by Federal Statutes or by Case Law. We spent $350,000.00 this last year in additional staffing and special education alone. And an additional $180,000.00 of purchased services in special education for people that we had to bring in, consultants and outside agency services. This was in addition to the $350,000.00 to the staffing. All children by law deserve a free public education. One of the problems that we are nmning into is we are seeing a tremendous increase in students with disabilities. Ora Harn: How much of a success rate is there overall that can be accomplished with these children. Most programs you rate by how successful they are. What she is hearing from teachers, these programs are not particularly successful. Wade McLean: Some are and some aren't. Students who have a lower level of disability are quite successful, students that have very severe problems we're not always successful. Ora Harn: Our young people usually go to school from five to eighteen, why the longer span for the disabled. Jan ice Mitich: School districts are mandated to do those kind of programs. Scott Mundell: If you imagined yourself as a parent of one of these children, you would want assistance as early as it can possibly be obtained. Sherry Millner: Don't we have schools for these children instead of putting them in a main school. She has people she has talked to that live on the east side and they begged the school system to help. They don't have the facilities in their schools to take care or learning disabled children. Scott Mundell: He would guess we have about a 50% attendance of expulsion hearings by the parents. Janice Mitich: Their solution to the problem is to move. Wade McLean: A school district is required to provide a free and appropriate public education. Appropriate means within the terms of that particular student's deficit. Bobby Sutton, Jr.: The reason we are here is to interact with the Board, we want to be proactive. From what he hears is that we have one of the best school districts there is to offer, that is something he is proud off What would help the Council out or a way to be proactive is if the Board could provide us with some type of outline on what we can do. MARANA TOWN COUNCIL/M.U.S.D. GOVERNING BOARD SPECIAL JOINT MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 1996 Is there some way the Town can assist the Board in networking elderly in the Community to come to the schools as one on one tutors. We have a lot of retired people here, a lot of them are isolated in the area. Ora Harn: She would be glad to help with a program with this. Many of our school problems stem out of problems that happen at home and in the neighborhood. We could use some assistance in helping mediate those problems before they are brought to school. Sharon Price: What am the fees for the cost of the permits in Continental Ranch. Dave Atler: We did it in house. Approximately 40 hours was spent time wise with engineering staff. Mayor Honea: Let's look at setting sites aside in new developments, if the school could get some information to us on school requirements. This information would allow us to get started on a formula. We will work on some of these fees as well. Maybe we could set up a half fee schedule for the schools, if that will cover our expenses. We cannot tell a person that comes to us in good faith and says they want to build a housing project and goes through all the hoops, we can't tell them they can't build here because the school system is full. Ora Ham: We have a Fair Share Ordinance in the Town. If we require one developer to give fifteen acres of land for a school because they have a bigger development, a smaller development comes in could we require that they give a fair share. Mayor Honea: Kelly Schwab could research that. Ora Harn: There was an article in the newspaper about the Council's decision for fire protection in this area. One of the things that we will want to talk to the School District about is if the school had maybe some land where we would put this fire department. We have the funds to build the department and equipment. Maybe the fire department could be put on a leased site from the school and would be an advantage to the School Dis/a'ict as well as the Town. Hurvie Davis: Mr. Davis introduced the Town Staff in attendance to the Governing Board. Sherry Millner: When she moved to Marana her daughter was in school for about a month and she said she liked the school. VII. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Ora Ham, seconded by Sherry Millner and carried unanimously to adjourn. AUDIO TAPES OF THE MEETING ARE AVAILABLE AT THE MARANA TOWN HALL CLERK'S OFFICE. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are the true and correct minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of the Marana Town Council held on February 6, 1996. I further certify that a CLERK 6