Arrowhead administrators warn of multimillion-dollar shortfall, propose ending open enrollment and a Feb. 2027 capital referendum to consolidate high school

Jeff, a staff member in Arrowhead UHS School District administration, told a public facilities workshop that the district’s head count has fallen and that the revenue-driving ‘membership’ figure is lower than a decade ago. "At the high school level, we were at 2,217 in 2016–17. This year we're down to 1,862," he said and noted the district’s third‑Friday membership was 1,697.

Administrators displayed three scenarios for the district’s finances: a base scenario with staffing reductions that balances the next year but creates multi‑year deficits; a scenario that restricts open enrollment (OE) and steps down staffing with similar long‑term shortfalls; and a consolidation scenario that pairs OE restriction and staffing reductions with moving students under one roof. The consolidation model assumes conservative annual facility savings (the presentation used $750,000) and reduces but does not eliminate projected deficits.

Jeff and other administrators stressed that part of the problem is state funding that has not kept pace with inflation: "We're about $3,500–$3,600 per student below what inflation would have been since 2009," a presenter said, a shortfall the administration estimates at about $6 million per year for the district. The presentation also described the expiration of a prior $1.9 million operational referendum and a 2020 restricted $1.7 million referendum used for maintenance—together, those changes increase the near‑term operating gap.

To address the gaps and reduce long‑term operating costs, administration outlined an approach the board is considering: (1) stop accepting new non‑resident open‑enrollment students after the current cohort (a target implementation tied to the 2028–29 school year in the scenarios), and (2) run a capital referendum in February 2027 to build a smaller addition and renovate one high‑school campus so the district can operate under one roof. Administration said the smaller footprint reduces the referendum ask and could make a capital question more attractive to Arrowhead taxpayers.

Board members discussed timing, the legal/technical cadence for establishing OE seats (January decisions each year), and community outreach. The board asked administrators to engage polling (School Perceptions/Bill Foster was named as a consultant) and consider advisory groups or additional workshops before a final OE policy decision or referendum placement. "If the board ultimately isn't comfortable with that open‑enrollment decision, we will probably have to look at some other path," one administrator said.

The presentation included a draft plan and a stated budget target just under $80 million (administration used the $80M figure as a planning target) and an estimated tax impact of about $0.54 per $100,000 of property value at that dollar amount. Administrators emphasized the timing tradeoffs: construction costs rise over time and the district’s next operational referendum expiration makes the timing for a capital proposal consequential.

The board took no formal vote at the workshop. Administrators were asked to pursue community surveying, bring School Perceptions to the next Buildings & Grounds meeting, and return with refined scenarios and timing for any OE policy change or referendum placement.