Phoenix Elementary board frames ballot question on property leases, outlines budget impact and focus on math achievement

The Phoenix Elementary School District Governing Board and Superintendent discussed a proposed ballot question on using underused district property for long-term leases or exchanges, recent budget pressures after federal grant reductions, and the district's efforts to bolster student math outcomes.

Board President Carmen Trujillo said the ballot measure is intended to give the district more flexibility to fund programs without raising taxes. "A yes vote gives the district the flexibility to use our properties to generate long term revenue, long term revenue streams that, directly impact our students without without creating new taxes," Trujillo said.

Superintendent Deborah Gonzales and board members framed the measure as an option for generating revenue to support preschool, after-school programs, field experiences and teacher training while stressing it is not intended as a pathway to close schools. Gonzales said, "The governing board does not intend to sell district properties, but we wanna seek voter approval to be able to enter into long term leases of our unused and underused school properties." She added that closing schools is governed by a separate statute that requires a public hearing.

Why it matters: District leaders said revenue from leases or exchanges would be earmarked for student programming and school improvements rather than for general tax increases. The discussion came as leaders outlined recent budget pressures after federal grants ended and as the board emphasized monitoring student outcomes.

Budget status and reporting timeline The board reviewed the district's recent Annual Financial Report (AFR) and ongoing budget process. According to remarks during the meeting, the end of the ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) grant produced an $8,000,000 reduction in grant revenue, and other federal grant cuts followed. Despite those losses, the district reported a $1,300,000 carryforward balance for the current budget period and said there is a plan to increase that amount over time to reach a 10% balance carryforward goal.

The AFR was cited in the meeting as showing that about 88% of maintenance and operation funds were directed to supporting student learning. Board members and staff emphasized the district's annual budget cycle: a projection submitted to the state in July (based on enrollment estimates) followed by a December revision once actual student counts are available.

Targeted supports for student achievement The board and superintendent discussed monitoring for board goals 2 and 5, described in the meeting as the district's math goals for early literacy and middle grades. Superintendent Gonzales described the district's use of "focus schools" for campuses that consistently perform below peers; focus schools receive additional resources such as instructional coaches and instructional assistants targeted to accelerate growth between fall and winter assessments.

Gonzales also summarized district efforts on customer service and family engagement, saying the district is surveying PTAs and holding community roundtables, "cafecitos and coffee talks" and partnerships with business and community groups. Community feedback reported during the meeting included requests for more social workers and school safety officers, stronger arts and music offerings, longer preschool days, transportation improvements and parent training on supporting middle school students.

Board guardrails and next steps Board leaders said the governing board has adopted internal guardrails, including a guideline that at least half of board meeting time be devoted to progress monitoring of student outcomes and superintendent guardrails. Board members acknowledged they had not met the 50% target at a recent meeting because time was spent on financial and administrative matters but said they plan to emphasize monitoring in future meetings.

The meeting concluded with announcements of upcoming community events: a roundtable on Oct. 14 at "Magnet" and a community session on Oct. 18 in partnership with Roosevelt's governing board. The board's next meeting was announced for Nov. 13 at 5:15 p.m. in the Governing Board Room; student performances precede meetings at 4:15 p.m.

No formal vote on the ballot question or on budgetary actions was recorded in the remarks presented during this recap; the discussion focused on explaining the ballot measure, budget context and planned monitoring and supports for low-performing schools.