Staff propose reassigning most Wilson Elementary students to Madison, Jefferson and Johnson amid falling enrollment

At the third and final public hearing of the Planning, Attendance and Boundary & Design Committee (PABDAC), district staff presented a recommended boundary option that would reassign large portions of Wilson Elementary’s attendance area to Madison, Jefferson and Johnson elementary schools while allowing Wilson families to opt into a Franklin program hosted on the Wilson campus.

Justin Wing, the district’s chief of staff, framed the proposal as a response to sustained enrollment declines: “we're the largest school district in Arizona…there's been a steady student enrollment decline,” he said while showing district and regional projections. Staff said the change is intended to maximize building usage and avoid school closures experienced by neighboring districts.

Why it matters: district analysis projects Madison would gain students under the recommended option but still have capacity; staff said Madison was built for roughly 700 students and the proposal would add an estimated 66 students to that campus. Wing cautioned these are projections and that statewide and national declines mean overall enrollment could remain lower than past years.

Staff explained the Franklin program’s expectations and capacity implications. The Franklin model emphasizes direct instruction, a higher grading threshold and parental commitments; staff noted a Franklin site with 55 classrooms would need roughly 69 classrooms to operate as a full K–12 campus and so a K–12 expansion would require leveraging other nearby campuses.

Questions from residents concentrated on class size, special‑education services, transportation and teacher placement. In response to whether special‑education services and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) would be preserved, staff said the district follows state requirements for IEPs and English‑language services and that those services are included in their staffing allocation process. “If your child comes in with an IEP, absolutely, we service the IEP,” a staff member said.

On class size, staff gave typical elementary classroom sizes of 21 to 24 students and explained the district’s long‑standing staffing formulas and governing‑board procedures that determine when additional teachers are allocated. Staff said that almost 200 Wilson students are projected to move to Madison under the option and that additional teacher allocations would be added, but exact class sizes will depend on final enrollments next school year.

Transportation and crossing concerns were addressed: staff said district guidelines do not provide bus service inside a one‑mile walking radius and that transportation will be provided for students crossing Southern Avenue to the receiving campuses when they are assigned to Johnson, Madison or Jefferson.

Staff listed outreach steps: USPS mailers (about 31,000 were delivered to homes in the four affected boundaries), ParentSquare messages to about 6,000 families, flyers sent home and school marquees. Human Resources said current Madison staff will remain at Madison; Wilson teachers would work with HR on placements and professional development opportunities to meet the receiving schools’ expectations.

Next steps: staff said PABDAC’s recommendation will go to the governing board in the October decision window (staff referenced October 20 as part of the timeline). The district invited ongoing feedback via boundaries@mpsaz.org and said Q&A from the hearing will be added to the district FAQ page. The hearing was adjourned with a reminder of a virtual meeting later in September.

The hearing included multiple resident questions and some pointed public submissions; district staff answered or committed to follow up where information was not immediately available. No final governing‑board action was taken at this hearing; PABDAC will forward its recommendation for board consideration.