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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019.0430.TCJMSB.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL AND FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD APRIL 30, 2019 1. CALL TO ORDER — Mayor Ginny Dickey Mayor Dickey called the Joint Meeting of April 30, 2019, to order at 5:30 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL — Mayor Ginny Dickey COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Ginny Dickey; Vice Mayor Art Tolis; Councilmembers Mike Scharnow, Dennis Brown, Alan Magazine, Sherry Leckrone and David Spelich. COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Grady Miller, Town Attorney Aaron D. Arnson, and Town Clerk Elizabeth A. Burke. SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: President Mrs. Jill Reed; Vice President Dr. Wendy Miedel; Board Members Mrs. Judy Rutkowski, Nadya Jenkins and Dr. C.T. Wright. SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: None. SCHOOL STAFF PRESENT: School Superintendent Dr. Allen. 3. Discussion relating to intergovernmental agreements between the Town of Fountain Hills and the Fountain Hills School District a. Resolution 2003-68 — Intergovernmental Agreement relating to Channel 99 b. Resolution 2007-01 — Intergovernmental Agreement relating to construction, installation, operation, maintenance and joint use of facilities for recreational and athletic facilities c. Resolution 2007-26 — Intergovernmental Agreement relating to shared use of District and Town facilities. Mr. Miller said that they have the resolutions attached to the agenda, which show that the Town and School District have several working relationships TOWN COUNCIL JOINT MEETING WITH THE FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD- MINUTES APRIL 30, 2019 PAGE 2 Board Member Dr. Miedel thanked the Town for working with the School District, allowing some of the athletic teams to use the community center at no charge. She said that she appreciated the different camps and programs brought by the Town. She said that they have been wonderful and the kids really enjoy the activities. Mr. Miller said that it is a model; not all towns and school districts have such a positive working relationship. President Reed noted that the signatures on the IGA's are from four superintendents ago and perhaps it was time to update them. Mr. Miller said that they were written to be evergreen, but there may be some language changes needed. He and Dr. Allen could meet and determine if there are any relevant changes needed. Mayor Dickey said that when she was on the School Board they had just started talking about having a School Resource Officer. She said that it was nice to see them working together as they all have the same constituents. She said that in February she and the School Board President met to discuss some possible projects. She asked if any type of a project would need to be done through an IGA, or if they can have more of an informal agreement for joint projects. Dr. Allen said that they could work through an informal agreement; Mr. Miller concurred, as long as it did not include governing the use of a facility. Board Member Rutkowski said that with all the programs available through the School District and the Town, the kids could not say they do not have anything to do. Councilmember Scharnow said that most recently they updated the strategic plan which has components about the District and Town working together, and he wants to keep that working relationship strong. 4. Discussion relating to safety and security of Fountain Hills Schools and Campuses a. Recently Completed Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Site Vulnerability Assessment (will include speaker points in agenda packet but not full report due to security concerns) Dr. Allen noted that speaker points were included in the agenda packet. b. Improvements made to schools to improve security Dr. Allen said that they believe they have safe and secure school campuses, but they are constantly seeking improvement. They have undertaken several endeavors with respect to school vulnerability. They have assessed both the access and perimeters. He said that they are not trying to restrict access, but they want to make sure that adults or visitors go where they are allowed. They have added bullet-resistant glass and walls, and have buzzer doors, in the reception area. When a visitor or parent walks into the front lobby, they meet and greet a receptionist. This is a significant improvement paid for by bond funds. TOWN COUNCIL JOINT MEETING WITH THE FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD- MINUTES APRIL 30, 2019 PAGE 3 Secondly, they recently completed (fall of 2018) an assessment of the perimeter vulnerability. They have not done significant construction on that yet; it is being planned out over a multi-year period of time. Councilmember Magazine asked who did the assessments. Dr. Allen said that it was the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Counterintelligence Office who worked with the District's DERT (District Emergency Response Team). In addition, Dr. Allen said, their plans have been uploaded into the AZTEC statewide emergency management safety and security program so if there was an emergency, they would already have demographic information with site plans. Dr. Allen said that this summer they are upgrading their server system so they will have the infrastructure capacity to maintain the storage of data. In addition, they just updated specific points of access where they had padlocked areas and they are moving to push bars so students can evacuate, but access is limited. Councilmember Spelich reported that he and the Mayor attended a school safety conference in Phoenix last Friday. He said that according to the event organizers, it was the first time that so many different agencies were there, such as US Secret Service, Behavior Profiling of the FBI and Sheriff Penzone's office, and they also had some Green Beret Special Forces. He said that they drilled into them the need for schools to drill the students in active shooters and how important it is to get the kids familiar with different scenarios. He said that they also talked about the need for school districts to have security directors. He said that currently it seems to be being handled mostly by athletic directors. He said that he understands that budgets are limited but he thinks that in the age they are in and the way things are going, they should be looking at a director of security, and they could also do threat assessments with students. Dr. Allen said that they will consider that in the future. He said that the district employees do partake in training in preparedness and safety meetings. They also work with the Property Liability Trust and they attend annual regional consortium meetings where they interact with law enforcement from school districts and municipalities. He said that they also engage their Athletic Director with the School Safety and Preparedness Office and they have attended several times over the law few years. He said that they have taken a multi-prong approach involving existing staff. He said that they have access to the School Resource Officers Brooks and Miller, during school hours at all three sites and they do threat assessments. If they see any type of aggressive behavior, they work with the School Threat Assessment Team, under the lead of the School Psychologist. Once the assessment is done, there is a plan put in place that includes discipline, behavior monitoring and limiting certain access to the student. Dr. Allen said that they have also done lock-down practices, similar to a fire drill. He said that oftentimes active shooters are students themselves versus someone from the community. They need to learn to shelter in place or run/fight/hide. He TOWN COUNCIL JOINT MEETING WITH THE FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD - MINUTES APRIL 30, 2019 PAGE 4 said that they practice those and will continue to do so. He said that he was at Grand Canyon University for a Superintendents Symposium and they were offered free training for active shooting. He said that they have a dedicated staff; there are complications in finding a specific staff member for that narrow type of responsibility. Councilmember Spelich said that they also mentioned a program in Arizona where they will teach teachers how to handle wounds so they can render fair aide in such situations. Dr. Allen said that the Trust did a training specifically for high school teachers for that exact thing just two weeks ago. Board Member Rutkowski said that at a conference she attended, they talked about safety and there was a different attitude. They talked about the fact that no one wants to share information with regard to student behavior. She said that the teachers need to feel free to say something if they see something. President Reed thanked the Town for providing the School Resource Officers. She said that it helps to have them get to know the students and it makes a difference to have the presence of MCSO on their campuses. c. Town budgeted School Resource Officer position (added as it relates to the safety discussion) See above discussion d. Safe Routes to Schools Mr. Miller said that the Council has been concerned about pedestrian safety and they want to protect the youth as they are going to and from school. There is a program available where they can get some funding from both the Feds and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. Town staff will be working closely with Dr. Allen and his staff to identify routes between the elementary school, middle school and high school, to make those zones safer. He said that one area they will be looking at is the mid-intersection crossing on the south side of Palisades between Golden Eagle and Fountain Hills Blvd. He said that they will be looking at various routes over the next three months. President Reed that on their end, they need to remind students to use the crosswalks. She sees students running across the roads all the time. It is the law and it is for their own safety. Brief discussion was held on the crosswalk signal at Hampstead. Mr. Miller said that they did have issues with the controller, but he believed that has been corrected. They also talked about the accident at Hampstead and Palisades. Mr. Miller said that they did fully investigate that through the Sheriff's Office and it turned out that the driver was blinded by the sunrise coming up and did not see the jogger in the TOWN COUNCIL JOINT MEETING WITH THE FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD- MINUTES APRIL 30, 2019 PAGE 5 street. He said that it did bring to his attention that there was an area where there should be a sidewalk. Mr. Miller said that they do want to encourage people to walk a little farther and cross at Golden Eagle rather than the mid-intersection crossings. Also, another area is in front of Four Peaks Condos in front of Safeway; a lot of people cross there. Mr. Miller said that they will be doing a mini traffic study and will probably have another mid-intersection crossing.They will probably come back with options. e. Bullying and Social Media Discussion was held on bullying and social media. Dr. Allen said that bullying has been around for a long time, but it takes on a new face with the new modalities. He said that the District does have a policy which defines what bullying is and references the discipline action. He said that it even covers such things as hazing. Dr. Allen said that in their schools they are trying to teach the kids to build positive relationships. In March they had a Be Kind Assembly. He said that on May 14 they are having a session on bullying awareness for parents at 6:00 p.m. at the Middle School. He said that the Maricopa County Attorney's Office will be presenting their program "Stand Up to Put Downs." Councilmember Magazine asked if there was a way for a child to report a bully in total confidence so they can get some type of relief. Dr. Allen said that each school has a school counselor where students can report such activity and it can be investigated. Board Member Rutkowski said that they have also been presenting the Character Counts program at the McDowell Mountain Elementary. Board Member Jenkins said that last fall they had a special presentation sponsored by the PTO on social media. She said that it covered a lot of the details and how the kids can get sucked into it. She said that they also have a great partnership with the Coalition that addresses drug and alcohol awareness. She said that at the high school they have had at least one incident where students suspected a student was doing something. She said that it turned out to be nothing, but all of the students are very aware. Dr. Reed said that they do have an Anti-Hazing document for the sports teams. There was one incident where a player felt they were being bullied and the coach took action; the player was suspended. He said that at the end of the day, they can educate, provide counselors, etc. but the biggest problem is at home. He said that they are relying on the parents to track social media. Once the students leave the campus there is only so much that the school can do. Board Member Dr. Miedel said that they are so lucky to have the partnership with the Fountain Hills Coalition. They are about finding things that are positive, doing the right thing, and how to be a friend. She said that kids are speaking out. As a School Board, they have started to push for understanding social and emotional health of their students. She said that at the elementary school the full-time TOWN COUNCIL JOINT MEETING WITH THE FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD- MINUTES APRIL 30, 2019 PAGE 6 counselor brings a dog to school. She said that it is about seeing something happen that is nice and having the students being awarded for their actions. Councilmember Scharnow said that as a board member for the Coalition this was wonderful to hear. He said that his fellow board members of the Coalition love working with the District and Town in presenting the programs. The key strategy is prevention, so kids feel good about themselves. Board Member Rutkowski said that there are no other districts that have a Coalition like they do. President Reed said that she could say the same about the PTO. They have the Youth Frontiers and Be Kind campaigns, specifically designed for appropriate age levels. They have two different programs, one geared for high school students, focusing on boys because of the higher rate of suicide in boys, and the second program geared toward elementary students and educating them on social media. Mayor Dickey said that she learned that Arizona is the worst state for counselor/pupil ratios. Councilmember Spelich said that his current position is as an investigator for the State Department of Education, part of the teacher misconduct unit. He said that the amount of social media traffic that is discovered by parents is staggering. He said that anyone that has a child should have the password to their kid's phone and their accounts. He said that he would love to have the District stress to parents that it is imperative for them to monitor the social media. 5. Discussion relating to proposed use of Fountain Hills High School and Middle School for possible emergency shelters Fire Chief Dave Ott said that they have an Emergency Operation Plan that provides guidance to the Town in all procedural areas. One of the things that they have been talking about is the ability to have a few facilities available for emergency centers. He said that he has worked in the past with Dr. Allen and the Facilities and Transportation Director. It was determined that the best viable spot would be the middle school, based on the facilities and the kitchen. The high school was not as beneficial because of the different tiers and areas. He said that during the school year some of the fires on the rim may pose a threat. He said that they feel lucky that for the most part their threats are fairly limited. They could be looking at power outages during hotter times. For them, they do have the challenge of not having an emergency generator. They are working with SRP to re-route some of the power. Mr. Miller said that they wanted to bring this topic to both of the governing bodies as they believe it will be coming back to both of them. He said that in this region it would probably be more of a cooling center. He said that they do have a backup generator at Town Hall, but that room is designed to be the Emergency Operations Center. He said that they just wanted to bring this up for discussion and let both bodies know that they will be working on this and bringing something back for further consideration. TOWN COUNCIL JOINT MEETING WITH THE FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD- MINUTES APRIL 30, 2019 PAGE 7 6. Discussion relating to school district participation in Teen Court Judge Melton said that this is a program that is near and dear to his heart. He said that Teen Court is a diversion program for juveniles across the country. If they enter a plea agreement, they usually go to Teen Court and have students from the local high school or another community serve as prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors, etc. He said that the jury gets to decide the punishment; a lot of times it is writing a letter of apology and sitting in on the Court. He said that some years back they had this program with Fountain Hills High School, but over the years the enrollment and participation dropped. They were hoping to generate some interest and get them back into the program. Dr. Allen said that they will bring in the Assistant Principal to work with the Judge. President Reed said that she would like to have them do this. 7. Discussion relating to Student of the Month Mayor Dickey said that the idea of Student of the Month was brought up by someone in the recent Leadership class. She said that she thought it was a great idea as it brings recognition to the students and there are often times when their parents have probably never set foot in Town Hall or a Town meeting. Councilmember Scharnow said that as a member of the new Kiwanis group, they have the Pacesetters Program where they have two students of the month that they recognize. They send out e-mails and get nominations from the teachers. They usually have a male and a female. He said that perhaps it could be tailored to this program. Councilmember Magazine said that at their last Council meeting they talked about the possibility of a bonus for one employee and he voiced concerns. He said that he would voice concerns with this as well, as he would not want to see it become political. Vice Mayor Tolis said that he would hope that it would be based on the merit of the student in such things as academics, leadership, sports, etc. He thought it was a great idea. He said that they have a Teacher of the Month with Four Peaks Rotary and they ask the principals to identify those teachers that are excelling. He said that he did not think there was anything wrong with recognizing someone that is doing a good job. Councilmember Magazine said that he was not against it either, he just wants to make sure it is done right. Board Member Dr. Wright said that he would agree that they need to do it right. If they come up with the Town/District criteria up front then they will not have that problem of it becoming political. Councilmember Leckrone said that she thought it was a wonderful idea and suggested they include in the criteria a student's civic involvement since it would be coming from the Town. TOWN COUNCIL JOINT MEETING WITH THE FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD - MINUTES APRIL 30, 2019 PAGE 8 8. Discussion relating to EVIT (East Valley Institute of Technology) Mayor Dickey said that there was a fact sheet prepared for EVIT and she would like to start talking about the Accelerator Building and get the students more involved. She said that there are many good things happening with EVIT. Dr. Allen said that EVIT plays two roles with the High School. They have the EVIT campus, but they are also providing CTE classes. At the Four Peaks site they are moving forward with nursing, video technology, veterinarian technician and cyber security this coming year. They are currently recruiting kids for that location. There is also the potential of creating internships. Dr. Allen said that their intent is to continue moving forward and recruiting more kids to participate in those programs. They do get some kids from Desert Mountain. He said that Cave Creek is also going down the road of creating a JTED and some kids go to Mesa. Their goal is to be an intermediary location. Mayor Dickey said that there have been three classes go through the new Leadership program, and this was another one of their ideas, including the Student of the Month. She said that it was eye opening to see the efforts going into their different presentations. 9. Discussion relating to volunteer service hours Mayor Dickey asked if the District still required community service hours to graduate; President Reed confirmed that they did. Mayor Dickey asked Mr. Miller if there was an opportunity with the Town to facilitate some of those community service hours. Mr. Miller said that he checked with staff and while there are some opportunities, there has been a challenge in getting students to volunteer for Town activities because it is decentralized at the School District and they do not have one "go to" person with which to work. President Reed said that if there are events that the Town needs help with, they could contact Jodi Langworthy who has a bulletin board where they can post such notices at the high school. She keeps track of the community service hours. Board Member Wright said that as a result of this meeting, he hoped that everyone would recognize the fact that the Fountain Hills Unified School District is still a great district. He hears people saying negative things, but they are doing an outstanding job. He said that they need to keep telling themselves that they are great, and he could say the same thing about the Town. They always hear negative things, but they are an A+ district, and no one ever wants to talk about that. Vice Mayor Tolis thanked the School Board for their time and effort put into the District. He said that while he thought the meeting was good, there are a lot more "meat and potatoes" they should be talking about and how they can help each other. He said that he moved here in 2002 and at that time the Fountain Hills Homecoming Parade was phenomenal; it was well attended. He said that it is important to tie the community with the District. He would like to see Friday night football games full of community spirit. They need to continue to focus on positive things. He said that other issues, such as enrollment and finances, need to be talked about together. TOWN COUNCIL JOINT MEETING WITH THE FOUNTAIN HILLS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD - MINUTES APRIL 30, 2019 PAGE 9 President Reed thanked the Town for hosting. She is grateful to be able to have a great partnership with the Town. She agreed that it would be nice to see more school spirit. She said that they are very thankful to the community because they passed the override. They have seen other districts that have problems, but in the 16 years she has been there, there has been only one time that an override was not passed. 10. Adjournment Mayor Dickey thanked everyone for coming and said that it was all about working together. Next time the Council will head to the School District's office. The Joint Meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council and Fountain Hills Unified School District Board held April 30, 2019, adjourned at 6:51 p.m. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS r J Ginny Dickey, Mayor ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: (4)719 t\ Z5X_ ElizabettriCatirke, Town Clerk