Printable VersionThe number of public schools shutting their doors statewide has almost tripled in the past three years, according to figures provided by the Arizona Department of Education.
The Lake Havasu Unified School District Governing Board will decide Tuesday whether to close Daytona Middle School.
Arizona School Superintendent Tom Horne said the increased closures “could be due to the financial cuts, that districts have less money (and) with a bad economy there may be declines in enrollment so that may be a loss in funding that a district has.”
“As a general matter, when you do have to cut, it is usually politically unpopular, but financially smart to close schools,” Horne said. “As your use of capacity goes down, you become less efficient. You end up cutting more teachers if you try to keep those schools open.”
Horne added the closing of schools allows districts to “maintain better all of your teachers and all of your programs.”
Daytona is educating 493 students compared to Thunderbolt’s 993, according to October data from LHUSD.
Daytona had a lower student count than each of Jamaica, Smoketree and Starline elementary schools, according to the figures. Other than the high school and Thunderbolt, Starline has the most students in one school in the district — 580.
Wes Brownfield, LHUSD director of educational services, wrote in an e-mail that “Daytona’s overall attendance area is smaller, has far less housing, includes the Island and has lots of highway and downtown,” adding that Thunderbolt has more residences in its area fueling the dramatic difference in student attendance.
In other parts of the state, the Mesa Unified School District, outside of Phoenix, “approved a controversial restructuring plan” in January, according to The Arizona Republic. The article states the district is Arizona’s largest. The plan includes closing two schools and reconfiguring grades to meet a budget riddled with cuts and declining student enrollment. The expected budget cuts to Mesa schools next year are $2 million.
In early February, Flagstaff Unified School District principals recommended two to three school closures — including a high school — to its governing board to meet an expected $3 million deficit, according to the Arizona Daily Sun.
But in the southern portion of the state, the Tucson Unified School District is taking a different approach to meet constricting budgets.
“We tried unsuccessfully, two years ago, to close schools,” said Maggie Shafer, TUSD assistant superintendent for elementary schools. “(It was a) top-down decision to close for economic reasons. I think the administration tried to do it too quickly and the communities became up in arms and the governing board ultimately did not approve the closing of those schools.”
Shafer said the district is still looking at closing schools — but instead of the decision coming from the governing board, they are giving incentives for schools to take the option to combine with neighboring schools.
The district covers at least 112 schools, including a K-8 and even a K-12 school, according to its Web site.
“(Our schools) were built to be small schools. When they become under-enrolled, we are not spending the taxpayer money as well as we can,” she said.
Shafer said about a week ago two school councils that “share a border” decided to merge to receive financial incentives expected from shared utility bills, facility improvements, and administration. The TUSD governing board is expected to decide on the merger March 9.
“It was a financial factor, but it was not based on a loss of overrides,” she said. “We don’t operate on overrides. We haven’t for some time. I’ve been in the district for 10 years.” Shafer, however, said the district has passed voter-approved bonds.
“It’s not very easy for us to operate when year after year when the state doesn’t budget for inflation,” she said. “The site councils from both the schools formed a transition plan and bylaws and set up all kinds of great socials and things so the transition is smooth.”
You may contact the reporter at jleatherman@havasunews.com
Article Rating