Board begins planning for facilities advisory committee and reviews long‑term substitute pay options

The Fountain Hills Unified School District board opened a planning discussion about long‑range facility use, possible consolidation and tenant relationships at the 4 Peaks site.

Superintendent Dr. Jagadinsky said the district needs to be transparent with stakeholders about building conditions, lease expirations and potential rent adjustments for business tenants in the district's 'biz hub.' He recommended creating a facilities use advisory committee to review options — including whether to renew tenants' leases, adjust rents or repurpose space — and said staff would bring an action item forward in a future meeting.

Board members noted that tenants currently have differing lease expiration dates and reported informal "chatter" that at least one tenant had been told of a substantial rent increase, which the district said it should address proactively. The board discussed potential relocation options for district administration if campus consolidation proceeds, mentioning an off‑campus building formerly used by the district that remains under lease.

On long‑term substitute pay, Dr. Jagadinsky said the district is beginning a "deep dive" into pay models and will run multi‑year simulations to show budgetary impacts, retiree payout considerations and the effect on staffing. He emphasized the focus will be long‑term substitutes first (where vacancies may be a semester or a year) and then day‑to‑day substitute pay to build a stronger pool of substitutes.

No formal decisions were made; the board asked staff to form recommendations and return with a formal proposal.