Board approves superintendentguardrail report to address enrollment barriers; district outlines preschool, transportation partnerships

The Phoenix Elementary District governing board on the evening it met approved Superintendent Gonzalesmonitoring report for board guardrail No. 5, a plan to identify and address community barriers to student enrollment through community roundtables, revised transportation practices and partnerships to expand preschool and before/after-school options. The motion passed in a roll-call vote with two members voting yes and one voting no.

Guardrail No. 5 requires the superintendent not to allow the district to operate without a community-focused plan to mitigate enrollment barriers. Gonzales told the board that the district will use community roundtables and a short survey (available via QR code) to ask families what matters when choosing a school, what blocked previous enrollments and what the district should change. Gonzales said the roundtables will begin immediately and that the district is identifying community liaisons to help recruit participants.

The report lays out three interim components for 2025-26: (1) community outreach and roundtables to surface barriers; (2) more equitable and efficient transportation, including hub stops and a performance-based system for drivers; and (3) securing long-term partners to provide a sliding-fee schedule to subsidize preschool and extended-day services.

"Enrollment barriers…