4 schools recommended for closure in Paradise Valley Unified

Four Paradise Valley Unified School District schools are in danger of closing after years of declining enrollment.

A committee recommended on Tuesday that the Paradise Valley Unified board vote to redraw school boundaries and close Hidden Hills Elementary, Sunset Canyon Elementary, Desert Springs Preparatory and Vista Verde Middle schools to better align with changing community demographics.

The committee estimates each closure would save the district $600,000, with the potential for more savings depending on how the district uses the vacated properties moving forward.

The board did not immediately act on the recommendations and said it would host community forums before closing any schools.

“It’s an emotional conversation that is not new to Paradise Valley, and it’s not new to school districts across the country,” said Superintendent Troy Bales. “We can have these conversations because we are courageous enough to do so.”

Enrollment down by thousands from 10 years ago

The district has closed five schools since 2004, most recently in 2019, with the losses of Aire Libre and Arrowhead elementary schools. The board’s upcoming decision could mark the first time more than two schools closed at once.

Enrollment challenges are the primary driver behind school closures. About 27,000 students attend Paradise Valley Unified schools today, down nearly 6,000 from a decade ago, according to annual October enrollment data collected by the Arizona Department of Education.

Bales attributed the loss of students to declining birth rates, the area’s increasing housing costs, an aging community population and a competitive school choice market, among other variables. Closing schools is “about maximizing limited resources,” Bales said.

“Small schools increase administrative costs, can limit special program opportunities, and shrink opportunities for teacher collaboration and professional development,” a post on the district’s website says. “Merging smaller school communities could be beneficial as it would enhance available educational and extracurricular resources and opportunities.”

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Discussions about potential closures began in October 2022 following a demographic report at a board study session.

The voluntary 20-person School Closure and Boundary Review Committee was formed this spring to make recommendations on how to use district buildings more efficiently and to understand the impact potential changes might have on individual schools and programs. The group of parents, staff members, principals and administrators has met seven times since April to review district enrollment trends and demographic data.

Where will students go if schools close?

Nine elementary schools and four middle schools have respective enrollments below 400 and 500 students today, according to Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Leadership Steven Jeras. The committee focused on those schools when considering closures, breaking them out into five different regions.

In the southwest region, roughly 300 Hidden Hills students would transfer to the newer Larkspur and Desert Cove buildings, depending on where they live. Larkspur’s enrollment is projected to grow by more than 200 students as a result and Desert Cove by 80, bringing both above the 400 benchmark.

In the west region, Sunset Canyon’s roughly 310 students would all transfer to Eagle Ridge, increasing its projected enrollment to about 680 students next school year.

The east region’s Desert Springs Preparatory is recommended for closure, with its approximately 340 students split between North Ranch and Liberty, whose respective enrollments would soar above 500 with additions of more than 100 students each. A small change in Sonoran Sky’s boundaries would also send a group of about 40 students to North Ranch.

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No schools in the northeast region are in danger of closing because the district anticipates future growth in the area. The committee instead recommended redrawing the boundaries of Desert Trails Elementary School east of 56th Street, with some students moving to Grayhawk and Pinnacle Peak.

The middle school region would close Vista Verde, splitting its roughly 450 students between Greenway, Shea and Sunrise elementary schools. The three schools’ enrollments would increase by more than 100 students to exceed the 500-student benchmark.

“If we were not to make these cuts, you would be making other cuts, which would be extremely painful, so I guess we get to choose the pain,” Governing Board President Nancy Case said.

The four sites flagged for potential closure employ a little more than 200 people total, according to Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Shaun Holmes. He believes the district will have the capacity to keep every existing employee by placing them somewhere else, even if not in the same position, he said. The upcoming hiring season would likely be more restrictive for outside hires as a result.

Board to vote Thursday on moving closure discussion forward

The board will vote at its regular meeting on Thursday on whether to move forward with the committee’s work and begin community outreach on the topic. Thursday’s vote will not yet decide whether the closure recommendations will take effect.

If the board votes to move forward, the district will announce a series of five regional community forums, all expected to occur in January. District employees would field questions and solicit feedback.

A final district-wide community forum would take place on Jan. 23 before the governing board reconvenes on the matter during its Feb. 8 meeting. The board would then make a final decision on which, if any, recommendations it will approve. Changes would take effect beginning next school year.

In the event students and staff are diverted to new schools, committee members say they’ve brainstormed ways to facilitate as smooth a transition as possible via a buddy system for new students, hosting open houses for incoming families, offering moving support to staff via compensated time and supplies and hosting retreats to encourage staff bonding.

Decisive discussions on how to use potentially vacated school buildings will come later.

Reach the reporter at nicholas.sullivan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Paradise Valley Unified may close 4 schools after declining enrollment