Neighbors oppose proposed closures; mixed public reaction to ASU Prep lease nonrenewal

The Phoenix Elementary School District governing board heard more than two hours of public comment on Feb. 18 focusing largely on proposed school closures and the district's decision not to renew the lease at 735 E. Fillmore with ASU Preparatory Academy. Dozens of emailed statements, community-members and students spoke during the community communications portion of the meeting.

Neighborhood speakers and parents urged the board to pause or alter plans to close Dunbar and May Bartlett Heard (often referred to as Heard in testimony), said the district had not provided school-level budget details, and warned closures would erode neighborhood stability. Paul Booth, treasurer of the Westwood Village Estates Historic Neighborhood Association, told the board his community had gathered "over 600 signatures" in a petition to save Heard and warned the group would explore redistricting and legal options if the district moved forward without additional transparency.

Several commenters emphasized early-intervention services and preschool programs. Parents and program leaders said Faith North and district preschool programs serve children with developmental delays and trauma and that dismantling those services would be difficult to replace. "With early intervention, his entire trajectory could have changed," one parent wrote in electronic comment describing a child who later required specialized placement.

At the same time, multiple commenters supported the board's decision not to renew what they characterized as a below-market lease with ASU Prep at Fillmore. Parents, volunteers and district parents argued the lease subsidized a charter school at the expense of district children. "We cannot continue to subsidize a non-district charter school that is unwilling to pay fair market value for the rental space," Kim Barnes wrote in an emailed comment.

ASU Prep's head of schools, Dr. Betsy Fowler, also addressed the board in person, saying ASU Prep was "taken aback" by the termination notice and urged continued discussions about the lease because ending it would displace students and families. Dozens of current ASU Prep students filed electronic comments and read statements describing the school's college-course access, community and convenience near the downtown ASU campus; student commenters said relocation would upend their education plans.

The board did not take a final vote on school closures or on the lease at the Feb. 18 meeting. The public comment period concluded and the board continued with other agenda business, including adoption of monitoring reports and a policy update.

Votes at a glance (actions taken at this meeting): - Adopt agenda — approved by voice/roll-call (motion moved by board president; seconded by Carmen Trujillo). - Adopt student outcome progress monitoring report (Board Goal 3) — approved, roll-call ayes: Jessica Bueno, Erica De La Rosa, Carmen Trujillo, Erica O'Valle. - Adopt superintendent guardrail No. 1 progress report — approved, roll-call ayes: Jessica Bueno, Erica De La Rosa, Carmen Trujillo, Erica O'Valle. - Approve consent agenda — approved (roll-call recorded aye votes by board members present). - Approve Policy GBEF (digital communications and electronic devices) as second read — approved by roll call. - Adjournment — approved.

Speakers in the public comment record included neighborhood association leaders (Paul Booth, Allison/Allison Golic), parents and PTA representatives, preschool advocates, ASU Prep staff and dozens of ASU Prep students who submitted written and in-person comments. The board did not adopt any closure action at this meeting; community members said they will continue to press for more detailed school-level financial data and to organize around the proposed closures.