Peoria OKs school district agreement

The Peoria City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to update its intergovernmental agreement with the Peoria Unified School District.

The decision guarantees the two bodies continue what City Manager Terry Ellis described as an "unprecedented relationship."

"Other cities may share something similar," Ellis said. "But I think it's unique, and it shows the excellent relationship the city and the school district has. It is tremendous that the two can work together so well."

The partnership allows the city to use school facilities for city programs, especially youth-oriented activities during the summer. The city uses 20 elementary schools and four high schools for community programs, and that number will rise as new schools come aboard, de la Montaigne said.

Ellis helped develop the first intergovernmental agreement in 1999.

"We have a very successful recreation program, and it was the only way to utilize the school district's facilities," de la Montaigne said. "We were paying rent and utilities and the school district was paying for fees, too, including building new schools, and we were planning reviews of those new schools. In our analysis, those fees were similar, so it didn't make sense to pay each other back and forth."

The agreement includes covering new school fees and remodeling fees. It will also help pay utilities during after-school programs and during the summer.

PUSD will decide at its next board meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday whether to adopt the agreement. The meeting is at 6330 W. Thunderbird Road.