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Board approves boundary changes, repurposes Wilson as Franklin Accelerated Academy and adds Franklin High and Shepherd College Prep
Summary
Following a PABDAC recommendation and three public hearings, trustees approved boundary changes that move students out of Wilson Elementary and designate a Franklin Accelerated Academy at the Wilson campus. The board also approved adding high‑school grades to Franklin and Shepherd with initial ninth‑grade enrollment planned for 2026–27.
Mesa Public Schools trustees approved a package of boundary and program changes after receiving a recommendation from the Planning and Boundary Design Advisory Committee (PABDAC) and holding three public hearings.
What the board approved: by separate motions the board approved PABDAC’s recommended boundary adjustments to redistribute Wilson Elementary students to nearby schools, designated the Wilson campus at 5619 E. Glade Ave. as Franklin Accelerated Academy (preschool–6 with intent to enroll K–4 in 2026–27), authorized adding grades 9–12 at Franklin High School with intent to open grade 9 (and potentially grade 10) in 2026–27, and authorized adding grades 9–12 at Shepherd College Preparatory with enrollment beginning at ninth grade in 2026–27. Each action passed on 5–0 recorded votes.
Why PABDAC recommended change: committee members and staff cited long‑term declining enrollment (Wilson’s enrollment had fallen markedly over several years; presenters said that campus previously housed roughly 1,000 students and now is near 340) and strong parent interest in Franklin‑style programming. Committee chairs said they conducted three community hearings (Wilson, Johnson, Madison) and distributed over 31,000 mailers to affected households during outreach.
Cost and program matters raised by trustees: trustees pressed staff on capital and conversion costs, transportation and guarantee of services for relocated students. Staff said small, targeted capital allocations would be considered through the capital budget process and that principals for receiving schools would request specific project funds through normal capital requests. Staff also said transportation routes will be provided for affected neighborhoods and that the district had allocated $75,000 per repurposed school as an initial redesign budget from capital funds.
Enrollment and program notes: staff said one purpose of staging Franklin Wilson as kindergarten–fourth grade initially is to preserve space and keep Wilson students together if families opt to remain on that campus. The Franklin model emphasizes consistent curricular overviews across classrooms, structured parent orientation, and site expectations; staff and Franklin principals said the school provides a more standardized classroom rhythm and family commitment model than a typical neighborhood elementary site. For Franklin High and Shepherd College Prep, staff said the campuses will be small (district estimates of cohort capacity were presented) and course offerings will aim to include honors, AP and dual‑enrollment where staffing and certification permit; district leaders said some electives and CTE pathways will be limited by cohort size and must be built around student interest.
Board direction: staff were asked to hold information sessions at Wilson and other affected campuses and to return with more detailed capital and staffing requests as enrollment figures from open enrollment become available for final 2026‑27 planning.
Action record: the board approved the boundary changes and the three school designation/grade‑addition items in separate votes; each vote was recorded as 5 yeas and no nays.
