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Scottsdale Unified District board meeting, Oct 6, 2026

2 h 55 min · 8 public speakers

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 2 h 55 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Scottsdale Unified board approves closing Copper Ridge K-8 and Laguna Prep under Option C 1:52:59

  • The board discussed Phase 2 redesign options for school closures and boundary changes, including staff estimates of student churn and an analysis of Model 6. 54:16
  • Dr. Donna W. Lewis announced that a motion did not pass, 3 to 2, and a motion followed to adopt Option C and Boundary Model C-1.A, including the closure of current program schools at Copper Ridge K-8 and Laguna Prep. 1:52:51
  • The board voted 4 to 1 to table a proposal to merge Desert Canyon Elementary and Desert Canyon Middle School into a K-8 school. 2:28:30

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and agenda changes 7:26
    • Mike Sharkey asked to pull item 8N from the consent agenda, saying the item involved the Trust Committee, on which Mike Sharkey serves. 8:34
    • Requests were made to move items 9E through 9J to the consent agenda and to move board reports and superintendent's comments to the end of the meeting. 8:44
    • Dr. Donna W. Lewis read the meeting decorum rules for those attending. 10:43
  2. Student and staff recognitions 11:09
    • A district staff member described a college and career fair, a Sisters in STEM event at Saguaro, a girls golf invitational title for Chaparral and marching band results. 11:49
  3. Public comment 13:03
    • Speakers at public comment asked the board to take more time on the Phase 2 decision and to consider Model 6, and one speaker asked the board to consider Option A. 14:31
    • A speaker said a complaint had been filed under the open meeting law about the Phase 2 committee process, and another asked the board to take the Desert Canyon merger off the table. 20:53
    • A speaker representing a community partner said the decision could require relying on the district's transportation in new ways. 25:14
  4. Item 29:07
    • The staff member said the district had 54% of expenditures in direct instruction in fiscal year '25 and would have to move $14.9 million in expenditures to meet the requirement. 30:27
    • Amy Carney asked about the required yearly progress, and the staff member said the minimum was half a percent each year. 39:45
  5. County attorney open meeting law disposition 42:56
    • The staff member said no corrective actions were noted, and in response to Amy Carney said the county attorney indicated it was too late for corrective action. 45:00
    • Dr. Matthew Pittinsky asked about seeking clarity from the state, and the staff member said the board could seek another attorney general clarification. 52:15
  6. Phase 2 redesign options discussion 54:16
    • A staff member said the estimated central churn was 91 for Option A, 60 for Option B and 41 for Option C. 56:50
    • A staff member said the 1,055 figure for Model 6 represented a much larger universe, and that Laguna costs more to keep open because its utility costs are higher than Redfield's. 1:07:03
    • Carine Werner moved to table the vote, and a staff member said in a point of order that the motion could come at the related action item. 1:32:17
  7. Consent agenda 1:50:11
    • Dr. Donna W. Lewis moved to approve consent agenda items A through M and O through P with items 9E through N added, and Mike Sharkey seconded. 1:50:11
    • The consent agenda passed on a 5⁠-⁠0 vote. 1:51:01
  8. Employee wellness coordinator position 1:51:01
    • One board member said the position was approved through the Trust Committee, is of no cost to the district and that they planned to abstain. 1:51:31
    • The item passed 4⁠-⁠0 with one abstention. ~1:51:54
  9. Phase 2 school closures and boundaries 1:52:03
    • Dr. Donna W. Lewis announced that a motion did not pass, 3 to 2. 1:52:51
    • The motion adopted Option C and Boundary Model C-1.A, closing Copper Ridge K-8 and Laguna Prep and allowing current Copper Ridge area students to attend Chaparral High School with transportation for the next 3 school years. 1:52:59
    • Two board members each said they were voting no, while a third board member said they were supporting Model C, Model C1A. 1:56:25
    • The motion passed, the board president said. 1:54:37
  10. Desert Canyon K-8 merger 2:28:16
    • A district staff member said it made sense to table the merger to implement the decision just made on 9A. 2:29:14
    • Dr. Donna W. Lewis moved to table the item, and Mike Sharkey asked about the difference between tabling and taking no action. 2:29:36
    • The motion to table passed 4 to 1. 2:31:54
  11. Annual financial report 2:31:54
    • A staff member said the district had an M&O budget of $189 million and ended the year with a negative cash balance of $6.6 million. 2:32:53
    • Mike Sharkey asked about other financial concerns, and the staff member said about $1.2 million in cash accounts will have to move into M&O. 2:37:24
    • The report was approved 5 to 0. 2:40:14
  12. Amended trust agreement 2:40:14
    • A staff member said the amendment would consolidate separate trust accounts to allow more flexibility on investments and expenses. 2:40:21
    • The amended trust agreement passed. 2:45:54
  13. Governing board reports 2:45:54
    • Carine Werner reported visiting a program at Cherokee, and Amy Carney reported visiting Redfield and Laguna campuses. 2:46:45
    • Mike Sharkey reported attending the Sisters in STEM event at Saguaro. 2:48:11
  14. Superintendent's report 2:48:27
    • A district staff member said there would be no students Friday because of a professional development day for staff. 2:49:17
  15. Future agenda items and adjournment 2:50:24
    • Dr. Matthew Pittinsky asked for a budget discussion focused on technology and a review of screen time guidelines, and Amy Carney asked for a presentation on ed tech from 2019 to present. 2:51:01
    • Carine Werner asked for a survey of psychologists and support staff at schools that absorbed students from earlier closures. 2:52:18
    • Dr. Donna W. Lewis said the next meeting is a special governing board meeting on October 27th at 6 PM. 2:54:04

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “SUSD Governing Board Regular Meeting - October 6, 2026”