UPDATE:
The fate of two elementary schools in the Phoenix School Elementary District is still undecided.
According to a district spokesperson, the board voted 3-2 Tuesday night to remove the decision to potentially close Heard and Dunbar Elementary from the agenda. Two of the board members said they wanted to work with the community to come up with a plan to solve the financial and enrollment issues, while the third board member said she needed more information before placing a vote.
No future dates have been set on if or when the closures will go back up again for a vote.
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The Phoenix Elementary School District board is expected to vote Tuesday on whether or not to close two of its schools.
The district is considering closing Heard Elementary and Dunbar Elementary schools, citing declining enrollment.
See ABC15's previous coverage on this topic:
Data from the district show that Heard will see a 36% decline in enrollment over the next 8 years. The district says they will lose about 650 students districtwide during that timeframe.
Dozens of families have spoken out against the potential closures at public meetings over the past few weeks.
An online petition to save Heard Elementary has over 900 signatures.
“I’m very angry. I’m very upset because nobody’s listening to us,” said Heard Elementary parent Angelica Luna.
More than 500 students will be affected by the two schools closing. However, these are decisions that more and more school districts are making.
“In the inner-city areas, we're seeing less kids. Schools are having to make tough choices. You can't afford to operate schools that are half full or half empty,” said Paul Tighe, the executive director of the Arizona School Administrators Association.
Tighe has more than 30 years of experience in education under his belt. He said the declining enrollment has to do with a number of factors, which includes declining birth rates and an increase in school choice.
The Phoenix Elementary School District says Dunbar Elementary has 123 students, whereas Heard Elementary has 444.
The state funds schools based on the number of kids enrolled. Then, districts also have to go to voters to increase funding for their maintenance and override budgets that go toward staff pay and additional extracurricular classes, as well as school bonds that go toward school facilities.
Some districts saw those election measures fail in November. Deer Valley Unified and Higley Unified are among those districts that saw the override fail, and now they’re discussing cuts for the coming school year.
Districts like Mesa Public Schools and the Tempe Union High School District have made the emotional decision to cut dozens of positions the next school year as declining enrollment continues.
“I can't do anything else but shed tears because I know that this is a bad thing. It’s people's lives. And this is one of the hardest votes,” Tempe Union High Board Member Berdetta Hodge said in September when discussing potential staffing cuts.
Tighe said he’s concerned about the future of public education with the trajectory of fewer students enrolling in public schools.
“That's kind of the cornerstone of our country,” Tighe said.
Phoenix Elementary School District parents Paul Booth and Angelica Luna feel the discussions and possible decision came too fast for the district. Public schools do have laws they need to follow to close schools and notify the public.
Phoenix Elementary School District is the third district this school year to have considered closing schools. ABC15 reported on both Cave Creek Unified and the Roosevelt School District voting to close down a few schools at the end of this school year. The Paradise Valley Unified School District closed schools down last school year as well, citing the same reasons of declining enrollment, more school choice and lack of affordable housing.
Tuesday's meeting is at 5:15 p.m. at the Phoenix Elementary School District office.
For more information about the district's plans, click here.
