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An effort to delay the vote on the proposed boundary changes within Deer Valley Unified School District was successful Tuesday.
The governing board had a scheduled voting item on its Nov. 9 agenda to consider proposed growth-driven changes that would impact neighborhoods and school communities in the northern sections of Peoria, Glendale and Phoenix following months of discussions.
This past week, a movement to delay the vote in the hopes of focusing on other boundary options gained momentum. As a result, the board agreed Tuesday night to table the vote and revisit the issue at a special meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 30. The board hadn’t been scheduled to meet again until Dec. 14.
“We do know that they’re expecting growth, but there’s also an impact on the students who have just adjusted to that area,” said James Schneider, an Aloravita neighborhood resident whose children attend Terramar Elementary, 7000 W. Happy Valley Road, Peoria, which figures to be impacted. Schneider was among the parents who addressed the board Tuesday night.
A parent-sponsored petition gained 247 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon in the week since it was first posted online.
It wasn’t just the recent petition. Jim Migliorino, the district’s Deputy Superintendent of Fiscal & Business Services, said Tuesday night that almost half of the 50 emails the district received about the boundary proposals were related to the Aloravita neighborhood “not wanting to be reassigned to the Las Brisas and Hillcrest Middle School designation.”
The one-square mile Peoria neighborhood is bordered by Jomax Road to the south, 75th Avenue to the west and 67th Avenue to the east. He characterized the representation of feedback against the proposal from that neighborhood “a significant number.”
The delayed vote won’t necessarily stop the proposed changes, which are driven mainly by current and expected growth in that section of the DVUSD. This past summer the district reported projected school capacities for the 2021-22 academic year, and Stetson Hills (105%) and Terramar (101.3%) were projected to be over capacity, while West Wing (95.1%) and Las Brisas (92.6%) were approaching capacity.
Superintendent Dr. Curtis Finch cautioned against delaying the vote from a logistical standpoint.
“It would just disrupt the timing for all of the other decisions that need to be made,” he said Tuesday night. “It certainly could be a detriment to our parents because the open enrollment priority that we provide to parents is if they submit their open enrollment by December.”
Although Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources Jenna Moffitt said the system could manage the “flexible process,” she also cautioned that delaying the decision would impact other district resources. The date for first priority consideration under open enrollment is Monday, Dec. 6, and that process involves developing budget sheets and staffing allocations for the 2022-23 academic year, which can change as months go by.
While the process continues, she advised parents to file for an open enrollment application as soon as possible. Those applications can be withdrawn at a later date.
Steve Stockmar has been with the Independent Newsmedia team since 2017. An NAU alum and Peoria resident, Steve’s community journalism pursuits focus mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference. In his spare time Steve plays in a vintage baseball league using uniforms and rules from the 1860s, and also acts (badly) in community theater. In addition, he has an unhealthy obsession with baseball and the Chicago Cubs.
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