The Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board discussed a range of topics at its business meeting last Wednesday, Feb. 15. They reviewed the 2023-24 M&O and Capital budget for the first time and continued discussions over policy advisories. They also passed all seven action items with 5-0 votes, including an increase on preschool tuition and a purchase of a third-party janitor service.

Monthly tuition will rise from $560 to $595 for full-day preschool next year, and half-day tuition prices will increase from $335 to $350. The price hike will still keep FHUSD competitive with surrounding districts, as Scottsdale Unified School District charges $674 per month for full-day pre-K.

Enrollment

Superintendent Dr. Cain Jagodzinski reported earlier in the meeting that he was meeting weekly with Orcutt Winslow, the architectural firm behind consolidation and renovations. He assured a “wow factor” with the designs they are showing him, and also said there were encouraging signs at the three kindergarten round-up meetings FHUSD held in January and February.

Enrollment is on an upward trend for the first time in years. The 2023 revised budget adjusted for an increase of 31.50 average daily membership (ADM), and the increase in ADM resulted in a higher budget limit. The revised general budget limit grew by $335,996, or 3.1%, with higher enrollment.

Budget

The Board will hold its second review of the Fiscal Year 2024 budget projections at the next work study session on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Jagodzinski also talked about the recommendation from True Professionals using the remaining $120,000 in ESSER funds on upgrading air conditioning at the current middle school campus. True Professionals has served as a third party financial service this year, and Jagodzinski said his administration has not spent any ESSER funds yet.

The district projected more than it actually carryforward in the budget balance. The balance has been reconciled, and there is also grant money that the district did not receive but believes they should be eligible for.

FHUSD has receipts from submitting ESEA grant funding paperwork to the county Superintendent that day before it was due in December. The grant completion report was then approved by the county office at 5:12 p.m., but the deadline for completion was 5 p.m. FHUSD did not receive grant money, but the Board gave Jagodzinski approval to appeal to the county.

The Board approved a purchase of over $100,000 for RNA Facilities Management. FHUSD reached out to three companies, and RNA bid $317,590 for the quote, and the next lowest bid was $413,918. The district will try to retain their current custodial staff and may potentially move them to other areas such as the warehouse or transportation.

FHUSD has a budget for 11 in-house janitors, but they have only been able to hire and retain half that number over the last two years. Jagodzinski has been satisfied with the third-party technology service FHUSD acquired earlier this year, and he believes RNA will be an easy fix for a reoccurring issue.

Other business

The Board also approved three field trips. AVID has been approved to take students on a college tour of Northern Arizona University this upcoming March. The two international trips were also approved: Scotland and England in March 2024, and Germany in May 2024.

The Board discussed a half-day for high school students on Friday, March 10. The half-day will allow students to leave for spring break vacations earlier, and it will allow more time for staff to input grades before the break. It would also lead to the first annual staff picnic, which will be March 11 and sponsored by the Rotary Club and Kiwanis.

Board president Jill Reed commented that the donations listed in the Board packet was the most she’d seen in a long time. Five local businesses and families recently donated directly to FHUSD, and two were specifically for the staff picnic and two were for the high school field.

There was one public comment from a women who has taught special education pre-K classes for 16 years in Fountain Hills explained what social, emotional learning looked like at the prekindergarten level. The comment prompted Vice President Dana Saar to ask for pre-K special education to be an agenda item in a future meeting.

Fountain Hills High School Principal Chris Hartmann gave a presentation on the mission and goals of FHHS moving forward. The two main objectives for Hartman and his staff are to regain an “A” letter grade from the State of Arizona. FHHS is currently a “B” school, and FHHS staff is determined to have students leave with the skills they need for the next level, whether it be college, trade school, or straight into the work force.

The Board ended the meeting with policy advisories. They approved two on second readings, relating to informing parents of new library materials and admission of foster care students. The parental consent form for sex education was discussed for a second time but will be approved after the third reading.

Two new policy advisories were discussed. One updates an exhibit to avoid HIPPA violations, and another requires schools to provide parents with a way to request information. These will both be discuss again before approval.

The next Board meeting will be a work study session starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22. The next business meeting will be Wednesday, March 8, at 6 p.m. All Board meetings are held at the district learning center and are livestreamed and recorded on FHUSD’s YouTube channel.