Kyrene Elementary District Superintendent Laura Tenas presented a modified long-range plan Oct. 29 at the districts third public hearing on proposed school closures and boundary changes, and then heard two hours of public comment from students, parents, teachers and community members.

Tenas told the audience the long-range planning committee studied projected enrollment and facility use for seven months and that the board revised the committees recommendation before seeking public feedback. "No district wants to ever have to close schools," Tenas said in her presentation, which included maps and an implementation timeline.

The presentation listed elementary schools the district recommends closing in the 2627 school year: Kaleena, Estrella, Millennio and Menitas. It listed two additional elementary closures in the 2728 school year: Mariposa and Kyrene Traditional Academy. The slides described multiple boundary changes and consolidations (for example, Colina and Lomas merge boundaries in 2627; Millennial and Esperanza merge in 2627; some schools would become open-enrollment only). The presentation also described middle-school closures and boundary changes proposed for 2728 and noted planned changes to out-of-district transportation tied to those timelines.

Community response was extensive and varied. Student speakers opened the hearing with short statements about what their schools mean to them. Parents and staff then testified for and against the plan, often focusing on consistent themes: how the district chose which schools to keep open, the plans likely effect on enrollment and program quality, equity and special-education impacts, transportation and staffing, and the districts communication and marketing.

Several speakers asked the board to make public the criteria used to select schools for closure. "What is the criteria being used to determine what schools remain open and what schools are closed?" asked parent Nicole Buckman, who urged the board to explain how factors such as enrollment, programming and community culture were weighed. Other parents pointed to schools the district previously marketed as high-performing; one speaker said it felt like the district had "rewritten the rules midstream" when the plan said A-plus designations and enrollment were not primary factors.

Teachers and the Kyrene Education Association (KEA) warned of staff and program impacts if the district keeps more buildings open. Mariah Munson, KEA vice president, told the board that if the district must cut $7,000,000 to keep more schools operating, "then people get cut," and that layoffs would likely mean larger class sizes and fewer specialist positions and interventions.

Several parents and staff raised equity and special-education concerns. Speakers said the current maps risk clustering Title I and special-needs students into fewer campuses and urged the board to assess how consolidations would affect class sizes, student-teacher ratios and program continuity for students with individualized education plans. Roxana Arambula, a parent of a child with autism, said Kalina provides consistent small-classroom supports that would be hard to replicate elsewhere.

Other testimony urged the district to slow the timeline, clarify criteria, and improve recruitment and outreach. Alan Earl recommended the district first agree on objective criteria and then apply them, rather than presenting maps the community does not understand. Several parents and community members said the districts marketing and family outreach is limited and asked for consistent touring, open houses and online outreach to help retain and attract students before deciding closures.

Some speakers asked for accountability and decorum. A few asked for a public apology from Superintendent Tenas for conduct at a prior meeting; others pressed the board to consider traffic and geographic convenience in boundary design.

Where speakers supported consolidation, they argued the district must act to preserve programs and fiscal stability for all students. "We can't continue to operate buildings designed to accommodate 20,000 students when we have less than 13,000 enrolled," said Alyssa Kelly, a parent and district resident, urging advocacy for funding and a continued focus on districtwide sustainability.

What happens next: the board is holding four more public hearings and continues to accept electronic comments; Superintendent Tenas said the board will not vote earlier than December. The hearing record will be part of the boards packet as members consider next steps.

Provenance: The article is based on the superintendents presentation (first related remarks begin at 00:12:17) and the public-comment record (last related remarks at the hearing close, 02:21:36).