The Verde Independent

VERDE VALLEY – At 2 p.m. Monday, the Arizona House of Representatives will have their first of several say-sos on SB 1073.

The House Education Committee will receive Sen. Sylvia Allen’s presentation before voting whether to send the bill – with support – to the House Rules Committee.

On March 14, the Arizona State Senate floor voted 17-13 to pass SB 1073, the bill that could ultimately ease efforts to consolidate the Cottonwood-Oak Creek and the Mingus Union school districts.

The Senate’s Education, Rules and COW – Committee of the Whole – committees have already lent their support to the bill. Should SB 1073 be passed by the House’s same committees – and the house’s floor – the bill would then go to Gov. Doug Ducey for approval.

Should a proposed consolidation of the Cottonwood-Oak Creek and Mingus Union school districts go to vote, SB 1073 would leave the canvasing of votes as interpreted in Arizona Revised Statute 15-459 so each of three member districts – Clarkdale-Jerome, Cottonwood-Oak Creek and Mingus Union – would be counted separately

SB 1073 also states that the successor school district “that results from that unification or consolidation” would automatically continue to participate in the community’s career and technical education program – Valley Academy of Career and Technology Education – in the same manner as the former school district that was unified or consolidated.

Although a draft of SB 1073 also stated that $50,000 would be set aside to help offset transition costs of a new unified district, the appropriation language was removed “at the request of the Senate Appropriations Chair” but the amount for transition cost would be included in the budget, according to Yavapai County School Superintendent Tim Carter.