Sedona AZ (April 20, 2018) – Rumors here, rumors there . . . rumors, rumors everywhere. Like sand through an hourglass, so are the days of our lives. However, in Sedona the word “sand” might more appropriately be substituted with “rumors” through an hourglass.

The decision to tackle this particular subject was not easy. However, trying to weigh pros and cons and based on a comment in an email from Mayor Sandy Moriarty stating… “I hope you will help going forward with getting the word out as to the separate responsibilities of the different jurisdictions...” this attempt will be extended with extreme caution, but embraced with an earnest endeavor to provide only information from appropriate and reliable sources.

Basis for the subject of city funding for the school district allegedly arose from the following reported comments on Facebook (I do not have a FB account or participate on FB):

It’s reported the Facebook entries relate to a proposed movement to encourage the Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District (SOCUSD) Board of Directors to solicit funding from the Sedona City Council. And, that somehow an end result might be to indirectly receive funding from some sort of slush fund that the Chamber of Commerce has set aside, earmarked for the purpose of ambiguously defined “Product Development?” After all, some of those funds went to the U.S. Forest Service for trail maintenance, so why wouldn’t it be fair to share with the SOCUSD, neither of which are directly under the jurisdiction of incorporated City of Sedona.

Confused? It’s possible a detailed explanation offered under the SedonaEye.com article City Limits 101 may be helpful: sedonaeye.com/sedona-city-limits-101-with-eddie-maddock/

With some reluctance the following email was my initial involvement with this issue. And to relate the entire story, one of the first responses offered from an undisclosed recipient was: “Normally Eddie is a pretty good writer, but structurally this is pretty bad.” Based on that and, with the exception of deleting an extra “the” and correcting the spelling of humbling to humbly, here’s the email sent to the Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District (SOCUSD) School Board which hopefully Eye readers will find comprehensive:

——-Original Message——-

From: eddies@npgcable.com
Date: 4/14/2018 8:37:01 PM
To: hawley@sedonak12.org; hermen@sedonak12.org; richardson@sedonak12.org; mcclelland@sedonak12.org; wiseman@sedonak12.org
Cc: JMartinez@SedonaAZ.gov; JCurrivan@SedonaAZ.gov; JThompson@SedonaAZ.gov; SJablow@SedonaAZ.gov; TLamkin@SedonaAZ.gov; SMoriarty@SedonaAZ.gov; Bthorpe@azleg.gov; Bbarton@azleg.gov; Sallen@azleg.gov; dmitchell@azleg.gov; Publisher Sedona Eye
Subject: SEDONA OAK CREEK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCUSD:

There’s a disturbing rumor circulating. Are any of you attempting to go to the Sedona City Council to solicit funding in order to prevent a closure of one or more schools in the Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District? If the answer is “NO” then this matter can very quickly be put to rest. However, if there’s any merit to that rumor please be reminded that same as the “Sedona Oak Creek Fire District” that holds true with the “SOCUSD.” Although incorporated Sedona is located within the two “districts” the residents pay taxes directly to either Yavapai County or Coconino County via property taxes as a means to finance those “districts.” Kindly keep that in mind if, in fact, there’s a smidgeon of truth that the school board has any intention of soliciting funding from the City of Sedona and/or the city funded regional Sedona Chamber of Commerce under the guise as “product development” or any other similar method of extracting public funds to enhance efforts to fund our failing school “district.”

This most assuredly isn’t a complaint against education, informally classified as “motherhood and apple pie.” What it does amount to is an open question in an attempt to hold elected officials accountable for being responsible for doing an appropriate job of designating public funding where it rightfully belongs. Your efforts for soliciting additional financial support should likewise be directed towards bonding options (over-rides) addressed to the voters in your “district” and not singularly to the residents of the City of Sedona.

The most recent edition of the Sedona Red Rock News (4/13/18) revealed at least one investigation with the Arizona State Attorney General’s Office has been successfully opened relating to another issue questioning Sedona activities. If we’re fortunate the investigation may not stop there due to other ongoing unsettling policies within the City of Sedona, yet another reason to discourage the Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District to refrain from complicating the issue by soliciting questionable legitimate funding. This could quickly and easily be resolved if one or more of you will kindly step forward and deny that any such movement to solicit public money from the residents of incorporated City of Sedona is untrue.

By copying this e-mail to Representative Darin Mitchell who successfully enabled the current investigation I’m humbling requesting for him to also share the information contained herein with the Goldwater Institute.

Thank you.

Respectfully submitted,

Eddie S. Maddock
Resident City of Sedona & Coconino County

Following are emails from the five individuals who responded, listed in the order they were received. And kindly keep in mind, non-personal communication from elected officials becomes a matter of public record, so there are no rules being broken here by sharing:

 

From: John Martinez
Date: 4/15/2018 7:16:09 AM
To: eddies@npgcable.com
Subject: Re: SEDONA OAK CREEK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Eddie, there is no way that the city will offer any funding to the school district.

 

From: Zachary Richardson
Date: 4/15/2018 7:17:05 AM
To: eddies@npgcable.com
Cc: TLamkin@SedonaAZ.gov; SMoriarty@SedonaAZ.gov; Bthorpe@azleg.gov; Bbarton@azleg.gov; Sallen@azleg.gov; dmitchell@azleg.gov; publisher@sedonaeye.com
Subject: Re: SEDONA OAK CREEK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Not me! – Funding comes from the state, federal government, budget override, tax credit and other grants – The city might support a small grant for specific projects related to the community, but not the amount needed to keep a school open. – Zach

 

From: Heather Hermen
Date: 4/15/2018 8:04:15 AM
To: eddies@npgcable.com; Dave Lykins; Sally Cadigan
Cc: SMoriarty@SedonaAZ.gov; Bthorpe@azleg.gov; Bbarton@azleg.gov; Sallen@azleg.gov; dmitchell@azleg.gov; publisher@sedonaeye.com
Subject: Re: SEDONA OAK CREEK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Good morning Eddie,

Thank you for your email and your concern about the school district budget.

Since I am the one who has had one meeting with the Mayor and Vice Mayor about the budget, it makes sense that I respond.

As a school board member, I’m following the direction given by our board member handbook on page 53, “keep the community informed.” Then it continues, “provides information to interested parties as requested on matters pending before the board.” As stewards of Sedona, I was informing them about information that has an impact on the community they serve.

Following these instructions, I asked for a meeting with the Mayor and Vice Mayor and shared the state of our budget and the three possible outcomes we are considering. It was a meeting held at city hall, in an office, with paper copies of finance presentations from the school district. We met once.

Prior to the last board meeting, I sent one email to all council members informing them of the most recent district meeting with finance presentation, links to the district website for where to find more and future meeting dates.

I assure you in no way has there been a request for funds nor discussion at any board meeting. We know clearly where our funding comes from.

I appreciate you taking the time to ask and clear up the rumor. We know how quickly they can spread and with the simple asking of a question, we can sometimes help the dust settle sooner.

If you need more information or have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You’ll notice I did not copy my fellow board members due to open meeting law concerns. I’ve copied our superintendent as well as the district secretary to keep record and share in a different format if needed.

Thank you again,
Heather Hermen

 

From: Sandy Moriarty
Date: 4/15/2018 10:59:46 AM
To: eddies@npgcable.com
Cc: Heather Hermen; Justin Clifton; Karen Osburn; Robert Pickels
Subject: Re: SEDONA OAK CREEK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Eddie,

I appreciate your email, and believe that by now you know that no member of the school board has asked me or the council as whole for funding. Heather Hermen did reach out to all of us to educate and inform us as to the situation currently faced by the District, which I also appreciated. The Vice Mayor and I did meet with Heather face to face, but the council has not discussed the situation at a council meeting.

Unfortunately, some members of the public seem to believe that the City should step in to remedy the situation, as expressed by Jan Montgomery’s Facebook post which you sent, so it is clear that many do not understand how the various legal jurisdictions function. I hope you will help going forward with getting the word out as to the separate responsibilities of the different jurisdictions.

Thanks,
Sandy

 

From: Randy Hawley
Date: 4/17/2018 3:58:01 PM
To: eddies@npgcable.com
Cc: hermen@sedonak12.org; richardson@sedonak12.org; mcclelland@sedonak12.org; wiseman@sedonak12.org; JMartinez@SedonaAZ.gov; JCurrivan@SedonaAZ.gov; JThompson@SedonaAZ.gov; SJablow@SedonaAZ.gov; TLamkin@SedonaAZ.gov; SMoriarty@SedonaAZ.gov; Bthorpe@azleg.gov; Bbarton@azleg.gov; Sallen@azleg.gov; dmitchell@azleg.gov; publisher@sedonaeye.com
Subject: Re: SEDONA OAK CREEK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Thank you for checking. No better way to stop a rumor than to check the facts. It is appreciated.

Randy Hawley

(end five email exchange)

*******************************************************

Based on the remarks from those five individuals, it appears all are aware of the appropriate source(s) of funding for the school district, as clearly defined by Mr. Zachary Richardson.

As Ms. Hermen explained her reason for meeting with Mayor Moriarty and Vice Mayor Martinez was to “keep the community informed” with “information that has an impact on the community they serve.” However, she goes on to explain the state of the (school district) funding was discussed, offering three possible outcomes and yet nothing more specific relating to what those three possible outcomes are.

Since the five people who responded surely appear to be aware the city is not responsible for the condition of the School District budget, good or bad, what would be the point in pursuing an audience with the entire City Council at one of their meetings? Especially since it was divulged they had each been sent an email relating the events at the last School Board meeting!

If all they seek is an opportunity to disseminate the state of their affairs, why not do so during the Council Meeting public forum?

And with all due respect to Mayor Moriarty, if she received a copy of a Facebook posting by someone named Jan Montgomery, it did NOT come from me.

My choice is to remain clueless about the workings and intricacies of Facebook, especially with recent national warnings. Frequently too many people regard information from that source as being ““facts“” which assuredly is not always the case.

However as indicated above, Facebook comments may serve as overt clues to expose potential plans. And, in some instances to even plant “seeds to grow” schemes for various reasons on its platform.

Therein, quite possibly, is the underlying reason this subject came off the shelf and appears here and defies my general rule of thumb: “When in doubt, don’t.”