Kyrene staff outline how consolidations would be implemented; financial tool due Dec. 2
Summary
District leaders described staffing, enrollment, technology, facilities and transportation steps they would take if the board approves proposed school closures, and said a scenario tool with school-by-school cost estimates will be available for the Dec. 2 board discussion.
District staff laid out how they would implement proposed school consolidations and boundary changes if the governing board votes to proceed, emphasizing legal reviews, change leadership, and detailed operational work across enrollment, facilities, technology and talent management.
"By consolidating our resources, Kyrene aims to preserve the excellence that defines our schools and ensures fiscal stability for years to come," Superintendent Laura Tenas said as she summarized the modified plan and the timeline for implementation. She told the board the elementary portion of the plan would mostly take effect in 2026–27 and middle school changes in 2027–28, with specific closures and boundary shifts identified on the maps shown to the public.
Why it matters: the district projects a multi-year budget shortfall driven by declining enrollment and is proposing closures and boundary adjustments as part of a larger long-range plan. Staff said the operational work to execute closures — moving curriculum and equipment, reassigning staff, readying classrooms and updating safety plans — is existing annual work done at a larger scale.
What staff told the board: leaders said they have assigned a project manager and formed networking committees aligned to three strategic categories (future-ready schools; optimal operations and resources; people and culture). Dr. Osmayer described two enrollment work streams: estimating school sizes and preparing registration systems to collect parent preferences. "Once I start to have those numbers rolling, departments can plan for the resources we will allocate at each school," he said.
Mr. Nichols outlined the technology and safety work required if students move between campuses: reconfiguring device access, single sign-on, distribution groups, classroom readiness (document cameras, intercoms), traffic flow and emergency plans. Mr. Herman summarized four operational categories — finance and budget impact, logistics and moving, facilities and maintenance readiness, and transportation — and said the district will provide school-by-school operational cost estimates and a scenario tool the board can manipulate at the Dec. 2 meeting.
Legal limits and land use: staff and counsel warned the board it cannot pre-decide land sales or leases before voter approval. Counsel said any vote authorizing sale or lease requires informing impacted households and, if approved by voters, the district has a statutory window (discussed in the hearing as up to 20 years) to act. The district noted lease proceeds offer more operational flexibility than sale proceeds, which must be used for capital purposes only.
On staffing and communications: talent management staff said they will run employee preference surveys to match staff to open sites and prepare systems (badges, access to files, absence reporting). Communications staff said they will post FAQs and transition timelines and may run enhanced marketing for open-enrollment schools.
Reserves and fiscal risk: Mr. Herman said the district could legally use reserves for ongoing expenses but warned of the long-term risks of doing so and noted past litigation had drawn on reserves. He said the district's reserve levels are not unusually large compared with peer districts and that staff will update that analysis.
Next steps: no vote was taken. Staff will post materials and the scenario tool before the Dec. 2 board meeting; the earliest the board would take formal action is Dec. 16. "We want the board to be able to manipulate different scenarios — four schools, five schools, seven schools — and see the operational impacts," Mr. Herman said.
