Casa Grande Union board weighs options for PACE after years of low enrollment

Casa Grande Union High School District Superintendent Mister Lavender opened a Feb. 9 study session by presenting a multi‑year history of the district’s PACE program and the financial gap created by lower‑than‑projected enrollment. Lavender said initial New Schools Initiative grants provided seed funding, but attendance did not reach the modelled targets that underpinned staffing and facility plans.

“The first was a $100,000 installment for a planning year,” Lavender said, describing subsequent grants of $250,000 and $125,000. He told the board a final scheduled $125,000 payment was not received after the program failed to match enrollment projections used in grant calculations. Lavender said projected enrollment assumed 125 students at opening and increases of 125 students per year, but actual in‑person attendance was far lower.

Monica Price, the district’s executive director of business operations, presented a line‑item budget showing personnel costs of about $426,007 for five full‑time positions, instructional costs around $110,853, and operational estimates about $218,447, for a total estimated annual cost of $756,016. Price said the district’s estimated FY funding for the current 70‑student enrollment is about $624,135, leaving an estimated shortfall of roughly $131,881.

“If we build a budget for PACE alone, that’s what we would receive in funding this year,” Price said, explaining the district’s revenue is tied to average daily membership (ADM) rather than headcount.

Board members and staff discussed academic outcomes. District staff said students who have attended PACE for more than a year are more likely to be on track to graduate; many students who transferred in mid‑year were not on track. Staff also noted an operational challenge: the program’s shift to a blended online subject curriculum and the lack of a consistent on‑site math teacher has been a primary academic concern, particularly among freshmen.

Lavender presented five options for the board to consider: (1) expand PACE at its current site by hiring additional specialists; (2) maintain the current configuration and accept the financial implications; (3) relocate PACE to one of the district’s comprehensive high‑school campuses (Union or Vista Grande) to give students access to subject specialists while preserving the program’s framework; (4) transition students back to their home schools with cohort supports; or (5) discontinue PACE if sustained enrollment and outcomes do not improve. He highlighted tradeoffs between program identity, student supports and district capital needs.

Several trustees and a parent urged the board to engage directly with PACE students and families before deciding. A parent who identified herself but did not give a full name described how PACE helped her daughter focus on required subjects and urged the district to “please keep PACE open.” Trustee comments included calls for a town‑hall meeting so students, families and staff can provide direct feedback prior to any final decision.

Lavender told the board staff will study logistics for relocation if that option is pursued and said Union currently has more available classroom space than Vista Grande. No final decision was made; the board asked administration to provide additional cost analyses and to schedule community engagement before bringing a formal recommendation back to the board.