The Kyrene Elementary School District, grappling with a sharp decline in student enrollment and the fallout in funding that accompanies it, may soon see a significant contraction in its number of operational schools. After an intensive seven-month analytical period, a dedicated long-range planning committee has put forward a recommendation for the closure of nine schools within the district. As reported by ABC15, the Kyrene district, which presently counts 25 schools among its assets, could downsize to host just four middle schools and 13 elementary schools. The list of schools facing potential closure includes Kyrene de la Colina, Kyrene de la Estrella, Kyrene del Milenio, and others.
According to ABC15, a member of the committee and former school board member, the closures aim to address a $7 million budget shortfall stemming from the decrease in student numbers. Once teeming with 20,000 students, the district now enrolls roughly 12,000. The trimming of the district’s educational infrastructure mirrors similar events in neighboring districts, where declines in birth rates and the affordability of housing have been cited as contributing factors to the shrinking student bodies.
Underscoring the potential scale of this reconfiguration, a separate planning committee also convened to discuss prospective closures and drew up additional options that might see several schools on both the west and east sides of Interstate 10 cease operations. As 12 News details, the western region options could implicate schools such as Monte Vista, Estrella, Colina, and Akimel A-al in closures, while on the eastern end, establishments like Norte, Mirada, Mariposa, Paloma, Brisas, and Pueblo could be shuttered…