Scottsdale Unified schedules public hearing on possible Echo Canyon and Pima repurposing after hours of public comment

The Scottsdale Unified School District governing board voted 3–2 on Oct. 24 to schedule a public hearing on Nov. 13 to consider proposals to repurpose or close Echo Canyon K–8 and Pima Elementary and authorized the superintendent to issue required public notices.

The hearing follows a large public turnout at the board’s Oct. 24 regular meeting, where nearly 50 people signed up for call to the public and dozens spoke about the two schools. Parents, students and staff urged the board to preserve both campuses, saying each school serves distinct neighborhood and special-needs communities and that students would be harmed by closure.

The meeting included repeated pleas to keep the campuses open. Stephanie Peyton, who identified herself as an Echo Canyon parent and life-skills program parent, said the school lacks alternatives for specialized accessibility and supports and asked the board “please make sure that these families and this community are not left behind.” Several speakers with ties to Pima described the school as a multigenerational community anchor and cited grants, Title I services and low student-to-teacher ratios as reasons to keep it open. Ellie McKnight said Pima was projected to receive an A rating and warned that closing the school would forfeit a recently awarded five‑year grant.

Board members debated procedure before the vote. A motion to table scheduling the hearing so the board could first hold additional internal discussion failed on a 2–3 roll call. The subsequent motion to set the public hearing for Nov. 13 passed 3–2; the board recorded no final decision to repurpose or close either school. Counsel advised the board that state law requires at least 10 days’ posted notice before the hearing and another mandatory 10‑day waiting period after the hearing before the board may vote on closure or repurposing.

Board members who voted to schedule the Nov. 13 hearing said the action was a procedural step to comply with statutory requirements and to ensure the community had a formal opportunity to be heard. Members who opposed scheduling the hearing said they wanted the board first to hold an internal study discussion about the district’s enrollment and budget context.

The district has a study session scheduled Oct. 28 that board members had discussed using for deeper review of budget and enrollment materials. Counsel clarified that the public hearing is a separate statutory step that can be bifurcated to hear from each school’s community if the board chooses.

Next steps: the district will post the legally required notices and hold the Nov. 13 public hearing. Under state law, the board cannot vote on repurposing or closing either campus until at least 10 days after that hearing.