Jaeger defends recommended closures at Amphi board meeting | Local News

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KVOA) – The Amphitheater School District is closing in on plans to close four elementary schools by next fall, following a governing board meeting held Tuesday night, citing the financial strain from current student enrollment.

Superintendent Todd Jaeger’s recommendation released last month said the district’s school have capacity for 19,000 students, however the current enrollment is about 10,500 children. Jaeger on Tuesday night pointed to falling birth rates and the expansion of school choice vouchers as some reasons for the enrollment woes.

Jaeger told Amphi Public Schools Governing Board members that the combination of fewer students with rising operational costs make the closures a necessity. However, several parents who sat through the more than three and a half hour meeting were opposed. 

“I’m not denying that something needed to be done, but I think that those affected by that, needed to be involved in that conversation,” Kaitlin Provencio, a parent from Holaway Elementary School, told News 4 Tucson.

Provencio highlighted that the district did not host public meetings on the closures until after the announcement of which schools could be impacted last month. The schools facing closure are Holaway, Nash, Donaldson, and Copper Creek Elementary Schools.

The district held three community meetings on the possible closure last month following that announcement. During the meeting, the board allowed 30 minutes for public comments on agenda items. That period of the meeting began after 9:15 p.m.

Before public comments began, Jaeger told board members that the closures are “unavoidable,” explaining that the district cannot manage its debt without shutting down schools.

“With several campuses with around some 200 students with room for hundreds more, we have classes that are too small and rooms sitting empty that are still being air conditioned,” Jaeger said.

Provenico, on the other hand, warns of the impact these closures could have on current families in the district.

“In their eyes, it’s the best financial move, but I think they’re understanding the financial impact of alienating families who may no longer want to be part of the Amphi district because they don’t feel like they matter to the district,” Provencio told News 4 Tucson.

While it is not immediately clear how much the district will save by closing these schools, spokesperson Michelle Valenzuela indicated that the long-term savings could amount to millions of dollars.

The board is expected to cast its vote on the proposal during its meeting scheduled for Jan. 13.