There hasn’t been a dull moment in Fountain Hills Unified School District this summer. The Governing Board has had more purchase orders and programs to consider than ever before with consolidation, renovations and construction all happening simultaneously.

The Board held a public hearing for the adopted budget for 2023-24 and passed it with unanimous support at the School Board meeting on Monday, July 10. Tyler Moore, a consultant from True Professionals LLC, said the adopted budget is similar to the proposed budget he presented to the Board on June 7.

The only differences were that the encumbered costs on consolidation were updated, and the adjacent ways levy was struck from the budget, as members Jill Reed, Madicyn Reid and Libby Settle voted for.

The Times covered the proposed budget in the June 14 edition.

FHUSD has spent $807,636 on consolidation costs over the past month, and $666,382 was spent on playground modifications. Superintendent Dr. Cain Jagodzinski admitted that the costs were higher than expected at the June 7 meeting, which did impact the fourth and fifth grade themed team room getting done this year.

Jagodzinski later clarified fourth and fifth grade students would still have a team room after the classes move from the middle school to the elementary school, it just won’t be themed. Settle asked if the playgrounds would take away from any other priorities, and Jagodzinski doubled down on play.

“Kids playing is a priority, and I’ve said that over and over again,” Jagodzinski said. “I believe in play. I believe that that’s important for kids. I think that it’s important for families that their kids are outside and they’re imagining, and they’re communicating, and they are learning the skills that are required to be successful in life.”

Some playground costs were unavoidable, and others were chosen by kids. McDowell Mountain Elementary School will have a new playground area with three different playground sets nested in the courtyard between the cafeteria and gymnasium. Jagodzinski shared a video at the June 7 meeting of students talking about what they wanted.

The playground at Little Falcons Preschool was modified for preschoolers to meet insurance requirements. The Board approved the purchase order for playgrounds over $100,000 by a 3-2 vote on June 7, with Reid and Settle dissenting.

On that same night, the Board approved a purchase for Riddle Painting by a 4-1 vote. Jagodzinski contracted Riddle to paint McDowell Mountain for more than $90,000, but he needed approval to exceed $100,000 so the preschool could get painted before its licensing visit on Saturday, July 15.

Reed asked Jagodzinski if Riddle could honor a similar price per square foot at the preschool, and Settle said she was agreeable to setting a limit at 50 cents per square foot. Jagodzinski said if Riddle didn’t honor it, he would get another company to meet the approved price.

FHUSD purchased playground equipment from Dave Bang Associates, which is a member of the Mohave cooperative purchasing group. Jagodzinski got an 18% discount through Mohave, and on July 3, he addressed criticism against cooperative groups in a newsletter entitled, “For the Record.”

“These companies have met all procurement requirements, have to apply to be a vendor, offer discounts to schools, and have experience working with school districts,” Jagodzinski wrote. “As a result, when using a cooperative, we do not need to get three bids because the cooperative has already done that for us and continues to update pricing and bid for all school districts.”

Jagodzinski addressed other concerns, and ended by welcoming feedback and inviting community members to take a tour. To see his full message, visit fountainhillsschools.org and click on the “For the Record” tab.

The Board approved another cooperative purchase exceeding $100,000 on July 10. Jagodzinski needed approval because Bluum, a company he wanted to purchase from, had recently merged with Troxell Communications, which previously sold 300 Chromebooks to FHUSD.

Bluum will install the Lu Interactive System near the indoor gym in the second and third grade team room. Lu is grant funded and includes interactive and educational games in different subjects, and Jagodzinski believes it will raise engagement in school and help differentiate the district.

Reid said her main concern with Lu was additional screen time in schools, and both she and Settle voted against the measure.

“I think we just have a different opinion on what will attract people,” Reid said. “My concern is that we’ll put in this awesome, modern system, but then Scottsdale, who has a lot more financial ability than us, is going to do the exact same thing. Instead, I think that what we really should focus on is exactly what [Cindy] Couture talked about. We have a community that is very supportive…I think our wow factor is the people in this community.”

Couture gave the only public comment and pointed to recent community support for paint projects and field fundraising. She ended by stating she hopes all Board members support the upcoming bond this election season.

The Board voted 5-0 to pass the new schedule and senior internship program. The members also passed an updated salary schedule for the administrative assistant-attendance position, and a 25-cent increase for school breakfasts and a 40 cent increase for school lunches with 5-0 support.

The Board agreed 5-0 to table a discussion on meet and confer updates related to hard-to-fill positions. The annual renewal of Beyond Textbooks passed without Reid and Settle’s support.

Jagodzinski mentioned an organized playdate for kindergarteners before the school year begins and said details would be sent out soon. He wants families to get to know each other and students to have friends before the first day of school.

The Board will meet for a retreat at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26. The next business meeting will be on Wednesday, Aug. 2, at 6 p.m.

All meetings are held in the FHUSD Learning Center and are recorded and live streamed on YouTube.