Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

In fiscal year 2012, Fowler Elementary School District’s student achievement was slightly higher than the peer districts’ averages, and the District operated efficiently. The District’s administrative cost per pupil was similar to the peer districts’ average, and it employed proper accounting and computer controls. The District’s plant operations costs per pupil and per square foot were lower than the peer districts’ averages primarily because of lower energy costs. Additionally, the District’s food service cost per meal was lower than the peer districts’ average, and the program was self-sufficient, in part, because the District paid the vendor that ran its program lower administrative and management fees than peer districts, on average. Further, the District’s transportation program was efficient, with lower costs per mile and per rider and efficient bus routes. However, the District did not accurately report its number of riders transported, which resulted in substantial overfunding for fiscal years 2011 through 2014.

In fiscal year 2012, Duncan Unified School District’s student achievement was similar to peer districts’, and the District operated efficiently overall. Although the District’s administrative costs per pupil were slightly higher than the peer districts’ average, the District has taken steps to reduce its costs by reducing its number of administrative positions. The District’s plant operations, food service, and transportation programs were efficient with lower costs per square foot, per meal, and per mile, respectively, than peer districts’ averages. However, the District needs to improve its purchasing and computer controls. The District also needs to accurately determine, and report to the Arizona Department of Education, its ridership information to help ensure the District is properly funded and to allow it the ability to calculate and monitor transportation performance measures such as cost per rider and bus capacity utilization. Further, the District should ensure that its inmate worker documentation complies with statute.

In fiscal year 2012, Scottsdale Unified School District’s student achievement was similar to peer districts’, on average, but it compared less favorably in operational efficiencies. The District’s food service program operated efficiently with a cost per meal that was lower than the peer district average. However, the District’s administrative costs were higher than peer districts’, primarily because it employed more administrative staff. In addition, the District inaccurately reported its costs on its Annual Financial Report and it lacked sufficient computer controls. The District’s plant operations cost per pupil was higher than peer districts’, on average, because the District maintained more square footage per student than the peer districts’ and many of its schools operated far below their designed capacities. Further, the District’s transportation cost per mile was much higher than the peer districts’ average, in part, because of inefficient bus routes.

In fiscal year 2012, Osborn Elementary School District’s student achievement was slightly higher than peer districts’, and the District’s efficiency in noninstructional areas was mixed, with some costs higher and some costs lower than peer districts’. The District’s administrative cost per pupil was slightly lower than the peer districts’ average, and its food service program operated efficiently with a lower cost per meal, on average. However, the District’s transportation program operated less efficiently, and although the District made some improvements to the program in fiscal year 2013, better oversight is still needed. Further, the District’s plant operations costs were much higher than peer districts’, primarily because the District maintained a large amount of excess building space, even after closing a school at the end of fiscal year 2011. Lastly, the District needs to strengthen some of its computer controls.

In fiscal year 2012, Payson Unified School District’s student achievement was slightly higher than peer district averages, and the District’s operations were reasonably efficient in most areas. The District’s administrative costs were similar to the peer district average, but the District lacked adequate controls over user access to its computer network and systems. The District’s plant operations cost per square foot was similar to the peer districts’ average, but its cost per pupil was higher because it operated more building space per pupil. The District’s transportation program costs were higher than peer district averages, but the program was reasonably efficient, with efficient bus routes and proper fuel usage monitoring. However, the District’s food service program was less than efficient, with a higher cost per meal than the peer districts’ average because of higher staffing costs and some food service vendor contract terms that were not favorable to the District. As a result, the District spent $24,590 of its Maintenance and Operation Fund monies to subsidize its food service program.

This document includes an attainment demonstration and formal request to the United States Environmental Agency to redesignate the San Manuel, Arizona area, a nonattainment area for sulfur dioxide (SO2), to attainment for the health-based 24-hour average and annual average SO2 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). It summarizes the progress of the area in attaining the SO2 standard, demonstrates that all Clean Air Act requirements for attainment have been adopted, and includes a maintenance plan to assure continued attainment after redesignation.

The Clean Air Act states that an area designated as nonattainment due to a violation of the NAAQS may be redesignated to attainment if the State submits and EPA approves a plan demonstrating that permanent emission controls that resulted in attainment will remain in place. This plan demonstrates that all CAA requirements for attainment and maintenance have been met and summarizes the progress of the area in attaining the PM10 standard. This document includes a formal request to EPA to redesignate the Rillito, Arizona PM10 nonattainment area to attainment for the health-based 24-hour average PM10 NAAQS.

The Clean Air Act states that an area can be redesignated to attainment if specific conditions are met, such as attainment of federal air quality standards; approval of a state implementation plan and a maintenance plan; and permanent and enforceable improvements in air quality. This document demonstrates that all CAA requirements for attainment have been met, summarizes the progress of the area in attaining the PM10 standards, demonstrates that the Payson area qualifies for EPA’s Clean Data Policy and Limited Maintenance Plan option, and includes a maintenance plan to assure continued attainment for ten years after the redesignation. This document is a formal request to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to redesignate the Payson, Arizona PM10 nonattainment area to attainment of the health-based 24-hour average and annual average PM10 National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Analyses included in this document show that ambient air quality measurements have remained below the NAAQS for PM10, and both the 24-hour average design value and annual average PM10 design value are below EPA allowable limits. This document also demonstrates that the emission reduction control measures responsible for the air quality improvement are both permanent and enforceable.

This document consists of the attainment demonstration, maintenance plan, and redesignation to attainment request for the Morenci Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Nonattainment Area. The purpose of this document is to demonstrate how the area has met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for SO2 and intends to maintain compliance with the NAAQS. Air quality standards are divided into two types: primary standards based on health effects and secondary standards based on environmental effects such as damage to property, plants, visibility, etc. Both standards are established by Environmental Protection Agency for criteria air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide.

Miami, Arizona, is a historic copper mining town in Gila County, 80 miles southeast of Phoenix and 112
miles northeast of Tucson. Miami’s sister city, Globe, lies four miles to the east. The Hayden/Miami
Nonattainment Area was designated for nonattainment of the particulate matter National Ambient Air
Quality Standard by operation of law following the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990. In March, 2007, EPA approved a boundary redesignation of the Hayden/Miami PM10 nonattainment area into two separate, but adjoining, PM10 nonattainment areas. Together, these two new PM10 nonattainment areas cover the same geographic area as the original Hayden/Miami PM10 nonattainment area. This plan demonstrates that all CAA requirements for attainment and maintenance have been met and summarizes the progress of the area in attaining the PM10 standard. This plan also summarizes and demonstrates that the MNA qualified for EPA’s Clean Data Policy and the Limited Maintenance Plan option.