PHOENIX — The Roosevelt School District Governing Board voted Thursday to close five schools as the district tries to get a handle on a $5 million budget deficit. Roosevelt School District Superintendent Dr. Dani Portillo made the recommendation to close the schools and consolidate them.
The superintendent's recommendation was approved 4-1, with Lawrence Robinson being the only board member to vote note.
The following schools will be closing after the conclusion of the 2024-25 school year:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
- C.J. Jorgensen Academy
- John R. Davis Elementary
- V.H. Lassen Academy
- Maxine O. Bush Elementary
The south Phoenix community has been up in arms over the decision to potentially close the schools.
At one meeting on November 12, parents and district alumni got up to speak at the podium one after another.
One stated, "My concern is that you are considering the fact that there is rich African American heritage in many of the schools that have been mentioned for potential closure."
Another echoed that sentiment and said, "We are under attack. We’re teaching our kids that you have to go elsewhere besides our beautiful community of black and brown people. You have to go elsewhere to get a good education."
On Tuesday, at the final meeting before Thursday's scheduled vote, School Board President Shelley Jackson shared some of the reasons the board is considering this severe measure.
"Roosevelt School District is a microcosm of what’s happening in the state and in the country. We have a declining birth rate in our state, about 29 charter and private schools over saturating our district, and so what’s happening is we’ve had declining enrollment since 2007," she said.
Board member Lawrence Robinson has been outspoken against the consolidation and closure of the schools. "There are various financial alternatives. The problem is that we’re not discussing them," he said on Tuesday. "The first alternative we have is to do what many of our sister districts have done, which is invest in affordable housing."
