Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Government Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sunnyside Unified board approves Bilby Road easement sale, selects benefits consultant through cooperative and renames calendar holiday
Summary
The Sunnyside Unified School District governing board voted to sell a 698‑sq‑ft easement to the City of Tucson for the Bilby Road Complete Streets project, approved procurement of employee benefits consulting via the SAVE cooperative, and adopted a calendar change renaming a holiday to "Good Friday / Farm Workers Day."
The Sunnyside Unified School District governing board approved three separate motions during the meeting: the sale of a small easement parcel to the City of Tucson for the Bilby Road Complete Streets project, authorization to procure employee benefits consulting services through the SAVE purchasing cooperative, and adoption of the proposed academic calendars that rename an entry to "Good Friday / Farm Workers Day." All motions passed by roll call.
On the Bilby Road request, a City of Tucson representative and district staff outlined the need for two small easement parcels adjacent to Sunnyside High School to accommodate road‑widening and safety improvements. Dr. Morado described the planned work as "road improvements along Bilby" that will include a raised and widened crosswalk and additional lighting to slow traffic and make students easier to see. Administration recommended approval of the sale; the board moved to approve selling 698 square feet of easement to the City of Tucson for $2,040 and to deposit proceeds into school plant fund 506. The motion passed by roll call.
Later in the meeting, district legal counsel and administration explained the procurement background for employee benefits consulting. The district earlier solicited proposals (solicitation No. 260131); Valley Schools Management Group originally scored highest but a bid protest led a hearing officer to recommend resolicitation based on procedural language. Administration recommended using the SAVE purchasing cooperative, which had already competitively awarded Valley Schools Management Group; Miss Walters said the cooperative procurement was reviewed and verified as compliant with state procurement rules. The board approved a resolution authorizing procurement of benefits consulting from Valley Schools Management Group via SAVE.
The board also considered an academic calendar change. In light of recent media attention and to continue honoring farm workers, administration recommended renaming the holiday entry previously listed as "Good Friday / Cesar Chavez" to "Good Friday / Farm Workers Day" for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 academic calendars; the board approved the calendars as proposed.
On procedural matters at the meeting's close the board voted to enter executive session under the Arizona Revised Statutes cited on the record; after returning the board adopted the instructions it had given legal counsel during executive session.
Votes at a glance - Easement sale to City of Tucson (Bilby Road Complete Streets): approved (motion to sell 698 sq ft for $2,040; proceeds to school plant fund 506) — roll call approval. - Resolution to procure employee benefits consulting from Valley Schools Management Group via SAVE (solicitation No. 260131; cooperative procurement): approved — roll call approval. - Academic calendars (FY 2025–26 and FY 2026–27) including renaming the holiday to "Good Friday / Farm Workers Day": approved — roll call approval.
Board members asked administration for details in follow‑up: the district will provide documentation supporting the cooperative procurement and a breakdown of how the easement proceeds and procurement costs are accounted for in fund and project budgets.
