Phoenix Elementary board authorizes staff reductions and approves closure of Heard, Dunbar to address budget shortfall

The Phoenix Elementary School District Governing Board voted March 25 to authorize a reduction in force and to approve “Plan A,” which includes closing Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School and May Bartlett Heard Elementary School and associated boundary changes.

The actions follow a financial presentation by newly hired Chief Financial Officer Aaron Whittle and a series of public comments urging both action and alternatives. Whittle told the board, “Numbers tell a trend. They tell a story,” and said the district had lost roughly 1,500 students since fiscal 2018 and faces an immediate operating shortfall as federal COVID‑relief (ESSER) funds end.

Why it matters: Board materials and presentations showed the district’s unweighted enrollment fell from about 6,061 in 2018 to about 4,463 in 2025. ESSER spending had hidden some operating costs that now revert to the district’s M&O (maintenance and operations) budget. Whittle reported the district’s current-year accounting projects an overspend of about $564,282 and showed scenarios in which closing two campuses (Plan A) would produce a positive budget carryforward in year one and materially increase reserves in year two; alternative plans that keep buildings open but cut programs would leave the district at higher ongoing risk, Whittle said.

Board action and votes: The board first approved authorization to reduce or eliminate positions pursuant to ARS 15‑544 and district policies GCQA and GDQA; that motion was seconded and carried on a roll call vote with all voting members recorded as yes. Later the board voted to adopt Plan A (closure of Heard and Dunbar) after public comment and an executive‑session briefing. The governing board recorded the closure motion as passing unanimously.

What the…