The Scotts Valley Unified School District will be headed to new digs at 108 Whispering Pines Drive.
During its June 15 meeting, the SVUSD Board of Trustees unanimously authorized Superintendent Tanya Krause to sign a lease agreement for the office location.
But the deal was contingent on the last puzzle piece falling into place—that its telecommunications provider AT&T Inc. installing an adequate internet access setup. There has been good news on that front “every baby step” of the way, Krause said.
Michael Shulman, the board’s vice president, said he’s comfortable moving forward and letting Krause wrangle with AT&T.
“I’m fully confident that she wants this to happen and she’s going to be on top of AT&T,” he said. “Large corporation that they may be, they have not yet encountered Tanya Krause when she’s on a mission.”
Trustee Roger Snyder said the current headquarters on Scotts Valley Drive has “underserved” district employees for years and he believes the new office space will work out better for the team.
No members of the public asked to speak about the deal during the meeting.
The current lease costs $1.30 per square foot, while the new building costs $1.21 per square foot and is bigger overall, according to a staff report.
According to the agreement approved by trustees, the district will pay $4,400 per month beginning Sept. 1, 2021 (rising to $4,577 per month by 2023) to Aptos-based Giuliani Properties. The district could make the move as soon as June 16, 2021. The agreement expires Aug. 31, 2024.
Trustees adopt $28.7 million budget
The SVUSD board also passed its $28.7 million 2021-22 budget unanimously.
The district expects to bring in $25.7 million in revenue from everything from developer fees to government contributions. It plans to spend $9.1 million on “certified salaries,” $2.7 million on “classified salaries,” $7.2 million on employee benefits, $1.8 million on books and supplies, $6.3 million on services (and other operating expenses), and $576,500 on capital expenditures. The trustees also agreed to spend $253,221 on servicing its debt next year.
Chief Business Official Mary Navas presented tweaks that were made since the May 25 meeting.
She said the district has only received 39% of one-time Covid-19-related funds, and noted it has spent half of that, so far.
Superintendent Krause said it’s important to not become dependent on the cash infusion.
“While it looks like there’s a lot of money, which we are pleased to receive, it is one-time in nature,” she said.
But that doesn’t mean the district should sit on it, Navas said.
“We have to spend it, and we have to spend it on the allowable uses,” she said, noting otherwise the government will ask for the funds to be returned.
The district passed its most recent financial audit, Navas added.
Adult beverages policy for fundraisers discussed
In the end, the SVUSD board decided to put a decision on the matter off for another day, but the topic of alcohol at fundraisers got a fair bit of discussion during the June 15 meeting.
Shulman said incorporating alcohol into events on campus after school or during off-campus functions “can really go haywire.”
“I don’t think we should just cut loose on this item,” he said. “We’re going to have some responsibility.”
Board President Sue Rains said she was confused about what “non-compliant food and beverages” referred to, and she wasn’t alone.
Rains wondered, for example, if this might prohibit candy bars from being sold during sporting events.
“I’m not looking to cause problems,” she said. “I want candy and soda beverages.”
Superintendent Krause said those weren’t targeted items and explained the historical perspective.
“This came from bingo,” she said. “Seriously.”
According to Krause, bingo events—complete with plenty of boozing and smoking—had been a big moneymaker for schools in the past. But over time they were halted, and revenue took a hit. So, districts have been looking for ways to phase adult beverages back in appropriately, she said, adding one way this can occur is through the “facility use agreement” process.
Shulman said he could imagine a scenario where an enterprising group thought it was a good idea to make money through a cooking event featuring wine pairings, and wondered how that would fit in.
Trustee Corey Warner said he could picture an event involving “funny brownies” now that marijuana has been legalized for adult recreational consumption.
