Interim superintendent outlines school consolidation plan after decade of enrollment losses

Interim Superintendent Terry Romo told the Sierra Vista Unified School District governing board at its regular meeting that the district is studying school consolidation after a decade of declining enrollment.

Romo said the district has lost more than 2,000 students in 10 years and currently has more than 3,000 empty seats across its campuses, with overall seat fill at about 51 percent. She said the review is intended to “better utilize our resources” so schools are fully staffed and students have access to consistent programs and grade-level teams.

Romo said consolidation would include a range of actions — campus mergers that may entail school closures, reviews of transfer policies, program realignment, facility repurposing and potential boundary changes — and that any final decision would be made by the governing board. “It’s not the building. It’s the people,” Romo said. “We’re fighting for our district as a whole.”

Why it matters: Romo said under-enrolled campuses make it difficult to staff teacher grade-level teams and dilute instructional resources. The stated district goal for utilization is about 85 percent; several elementary sites are well below that target (Romo cited Carmichael at about 48 percent, Joyce Clark about 47 percent, Pueblo del Sol about 48 percent, Town and Country about 43 percent, Village Meadows about 65 percent).

Romo described a data-driven process. She said the district is developing a rubric that will score sites using multiple data points: building utilization, facility condition (based on work orders and site walkthroughs), and educational cost per building (staffing relative to enrollment). Romo said the rubric and supporting data will be published for the community to review.

Romo outlined a tentative timeline and community engagement plan. The district will survey families in elementary and Joyce Clark Middle School communities from Sept. 8 through Sept. 19 to collect preferences and priorities (for example, interest in K–5, 6–8 or K–8 configurations). Survey results will be shared the week of Sept. 22–26. Romo said she plans to provide a recommendation to the governing board before fall break (noted on the district calendar as Oct. 6, 2025), and that a town-hall meeting must be held at least 10 days before any board vote on consolidation.

Romo said the survey is designed to collect themes and priorities, not to serve as a petition to keep a specific school open: “This is not a survey so you can go in and say, don’t close my school. That’s not what these are about,” she said. The district will ask respondents not to include personal identifying information or inappropriate language.

Romo also said she intends to include at least one K–8 option in any recommendation and emphasized that any final actions would aim to protect program access and long-term stability for staff. She linked the consolidation work to the district’s ability to fund salary increases, saying the district must get to a more sustainable staffing and funding model to support raises.

What comes next: Romo said the district will post the rubric and additional data on a consolidation webpage linked from the district site, run the family survey Sept. 8–19, share results the week of Sept. 22–26, and provide a recommendation to the governing board before fall break. A town-hall meeting will be scheduled at least 10 days before any board vote. Romo emphasized transparency and said she will visit sites and work with principals and facilities staff to compile condition assessments and work-order data.

Romo repeatedly framed the effort as a data-driven staff recommendation to the governing board and emphasized that the board — not administration — will decide whether to move forward with any closures or boundary changes.