Sedona officials and school leaders weigh city support for fields, after‑school programs and transportation

Sedona city and school officials met in an informal workshop to identify ways the city might partner with schools on shared recreational facilities, landscaping, after‑school programming and transportation, and to agree next steps before the upcoming budget cycle.

The conversation focused on five areas: upgrading and maintaining athletic fields and courts, clarifying who would pay for landscaping around school buildings, expanding Wildcat Academy with Parks & Rec–run camps, exploring shared transportation resources to address a bus‑driver shortage, and creating mentor and marketing partnerships to attract families to Sedona schools. City Attorney Kirk Christiansen cautioned that municipal spending must have statutory authority, noting “the city is prohibited from gifting its money in general,” and pointing to Arizona law that governs shared recreational facilities.

Why it matters: school and municipal staff said the city could deliver notable public benefits by partnering with schools — increasing recreational opportunities, improving safety and freeing school dollars for classroom priorities — but officials said they must quantify costs and legal pathways before any budget commitments. School leaders estimated roughly $50,000 a year on contracted landscaping for campus grounds and asked parks staff to evaluate what it would cost for parks and rec to assume or supplement maintenance of athletic fields.

School officials described the Wildcat Academy after‑school program as a base that could be supplemented with two‑week sports and enrichment camps run by Parks & Rec staff to increase participation. “We don’t have the bus drivers to make that happen,” said Superintendent Tom Swaninger, summarizing a constraint that limits after‑school transport for tutoring and extracurricular routes; he proposed exploring shared driver or bus‑barn arrangements and said the district would pay service fees if city mechanics worked on district buses.

Participants discussed safety fencing to allow campuses to be open to the public at times and secured for school use at others, and weighed marketing options with the tourism office to better showcase school choices to prospective residents. Schools flagged mentorship and internship programs to connect students with skilled residents as lower‑cost, high‑impact options that require staff coordination.

Next steps: staff agreed to collect specific, quantifiable estimates. Parks and rec staff were asked to inspect named fields and provide ballpark costs; the schools will supply contractor estimates for landscaping and a list of priority areas. The group asked organizers to compile a memo for counsel and to include the options in the upcoming one‑year budget work session. Organizers requested that initial ballpark figures be provided by next Thursday so council can consider the items during budget discussions.

The meeting concluded with participants agreeing to focus on a small number of achievable pilot projects that could be successful and scaled later.