PHOENIX — Families in the Phoenix Elementary School District could see two of their schools close by the end of the school year.
The district is considering closing Dunbar Elementary and students there would move to Bethune. The district is also considering closing Heard and students would move to Capitol.
Officials say bus transportation would be made available to impacted students.
The district says, like many, they have been dealing with declining enrollment for years. In part, they say it's because of lower birth rates and also because fewer people are living in the downtown area with the higher cost of living.
The district is 153 years old.
In an online video message to parents, the district's superintendent Dr. Deborah Gonzalez said a serious budget deficit has led them to take some hard actions.
"So that the next 153 years do not have to be a time where we worry about finances, but instead we worry about how many children we're able to serve," Gonzalez said.
The district is holding the following public meetings:
- Tuesday, February 4th at 5:15 p.m. (Governing Board Room, 1817 N. 7th Street)
- Thursday, February 13th at 5:15 p.m. (Heard, 2301 W. Thomas Rd.)
- Saturday, February 22nd at 10:00 a.m. (Capitol, 330 N. 16th Ave.)
- Tuesday, February 25th at 5:15 p.m. (Dunbar, 707 W. Grant St.)
ABC15 has reported extensively on plans involving local school closures and staffing changes. See some of our recent reporting below:
