By Madeline Bates
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Kyrene school district will make a difficult decision in December — which schools will be closed indefinitely beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

Enrollment declines have evolved into a loss of funding that has left parents emotional at the prospect of losing a nearby school.

 In response, the district created the Long Range Planning Committee that consisted of parents, teachers, staff and community members to discuss solutions.

During the Sept. 16 meeting, the committee will present its recommendations to the board. There will be two public hearings following on Oct. 15 and Nov. 20. The board will vote on the issue Dec. 16 and open enrollment will begin in January 2026.

The Sept. 2 governing board meeting saw many parents and educators share their concerns with potential closures.

In December 2024, Superintendent Laura Toenjes announced the board would establish a committee that would explore solutions of maximizing school facilities and managing the possible override of maintenance and operations funding. Now, the board must decide which schools to close.

Many point to the east side of I-10 where district schools would close in both Tempe and Chandler.

These wouldn’t be the first Phoenix area schools to close. These issues also aren’t specific to Kyrene.

Arizona schools made national headlines when the Roosevelt Elementary School District closed five sites a year ago due to lack of enrollment. Public schools get state and federal funding based on enrollment numbers. 

The committee’s “East Option A” was popularly supported. It would close Pueblo Middle School, and Brisas, Norte and Paloma Elementary Schools.

It also presented the option of repurposing Manitas Elementary School as a gifted academy. Manitas currently is titled an “innovation academy” and is one of the many specialty schools where Kyrene offers including Spanish language immersion and other gifted programs.

 “Kyrene is special, every single community of ours is special,” said Triné Nelson, vice president of the Kyrene governing board.

Kyrene currently has 12 schools that were given an “A-plus” from the Arizona Educational Foundation. Brisas, Paloma, Manitas and Pueblo have all earned this honor within the past 10 years.

Some parents shared that they had moved to live within the district to attend one of these schools. Others shared if their school closed, they would have to go to another district.

Sandy Theobald, a current office manager at Kyrene Traditional Academy, said she empathized with the board in making these decisions.

 “I’ve been watching budgets get tighter over the last 24 years of my career and it's become harder and harder to provide an education with the budgets that we are provided,” she said.

In August, Maricopa County Judge Dewain Fox ruled schools had been underfunded for capital projects so significantly that it is unconstitutional. This affected the maintenance budgets of many schools, the judge wrote, and called on the state Legislature to increase the funding.  

Kyrene has only received $21 million in capital funding from the state during the past three years, even after officials estimated over $82 million for repairs. The district even applied for grants, but has only received $24,000 since 2022, said Erin Helm, communications director for the district via email.

Every member of the board took the time to recognize that this was an emotional and difficult time for families and staff and that it would be the main priority for every meeting until a decision was made.

“Let’s make sure we address the elephant in the room to make the most sound decision possible,” said member Cedric Collins.

For more information or to voice a concern visit Long Range Planning - Kyrene School District.