As all of Arizona’s public school districts brace for future spending cuts as provided for by the budget passed this Legislative session, some districts such as the Amphi unified school district has been facing a reduction in funding for a number of years due to their declining enrollment.
While Amphi has passed the blame for its declining funding on the Legislature, the truth of the matter is that even the loss of a handful of students can dramatically affect a district’s ability to provide services. For a District like Amphi, which has experienced a steady decline in enrollment , as long as the State funds on a per pupil basis, the future looks grim if its Board continues to point fingers rather than increase enrollment.
A quick look at Amphi’s enrollment shows that it has lost approximately 1000 students in the past three years, some of its schools operate at well below capacity. On average, the Amphi schools operate at 66 percent capacity. This includes highs at Walker and Harelson elementary schools and a low of 33 percent at La Cima Middle School.
Even the best run schools cannot offer all that they can to students when they are covering the cost of an at capacity school with lower than capacity funding.
Contrary to claims by the pro-charter school crowd, not all traditional public schools are seeing a drop in enrollment due to the flight of families to charter schools. In fact, the Flowing Wells and Marana school districts have seen an increase in student enrollment numbers.
Despite turmoil in the administration and a recall of two Board members, the Sunnyside Unified School District has maintained its enrollment numbers.
While the administration and most on the Amphi Board seem content to blame the State while the schools empty, parents in the District are looking to Marana, Flowing Wells and other districts to see what it is they are doing to maintain and even grow their numbers.
Before he retired, Flowing Wells School District Superintendent Nic Clement successfully worked to maintain enrollment numbers. He shared his success with other educators in his piece “Marketing Magic: Turning Little Details into Big Deals,” published in the Arizona School Boards Association Journal. Current Superintendent, Dr. David Baker continues the districts efforts to attract and retain students.
| Flowing Wells Enrollment | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| 5653 | 5710 | 5714 |
Marana Unified Schools implemented the “Points of Pride” marketing plan. The campaign includes reaching out to parents who have taken their kids out of the district. District employees spent months personally calling parents in order to ascertain why they left and what might bring them back.
| Marana Enrollment | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| 12,299 | 12,358 | 12,438 |
While TUSD spends hundreds of thousands of its desegregation dollars trying to “draw” students to its magnet schools; the schools have little magnetic power. Rather than focus on improving their programs, TUSD has focused on packaging.
Unlike TUSD, districts like Amphi have more to sell than glossy pictures and flashy videos. The Amphi Board, like their TUSD counterpart is little more than a rubber stamp for the superintendent. The one exception on the Amphi’s Board is Scott Leska, who like his TUSD counterparts Michael Hicks and Mark Stegeman, is outnumbered and has little chance of changing the direction of the District alone.
Still, the Amphi Board, by all accounts might be more willing to consider action.
Earlier this year, one Amphi parent and public school teacher proposed a marketing plan of action to the Board. He told the Board that “now is the time to take action and create an Amphi Marketing Plan. We need the Board to be the leaders and start the process to stop Amphi’s declining enrollment. If we do not, we will continue the cycle of doing nothing but cutting away programs and people.”
With the Ducey administration aggressively attacking traditional public schools, it is more important than ever before for educators to begin “selling” their product. However, just like every product, if it is inferior no one will buy it. So at the same time they are “selling” their product, it is more important that they have a quality product to sell.
The question becomes: Amphi Unified School District does have a quality product, does it have a quality Board?
| School Name | School ID | Enrollment Day 100 | Capacity | Percent |
| Amphi Academy at Donaldson | 185 | 7 | ||
| Amphi Academy at El Hogar | 285 | 42 | ||
| Amphitheater High School | 281 | 1154 | 2130 | 54% |
| Amphitheater Middle School | 166 | 624 | 840 | 74% |
| Canyon del Oro High School | 282 | 1621 | 2500 | 65% |
| Copper Creek Elementary | 118 | 525 | 960 | 55% |
| Coronado K-8 | 118 | 985 | 1460 | 67% |
| Cross Middle School | 167 | 679 | 900 | 75% |
| Donaldson Elementary | 106 | 350 | 460 | 76% |
| Harelson Elementary | 107 | 535 | 650 | 82% |
| Holloway | 108 | 363 | 710 | 51% |
| Ironwood Ridge High School | 280 | 1796 | 2290 | 78% |
| Keeling Elementary | 109 | 451 | 600 | 75% |
| La Cima Middle School | 165 | 456 | 1370 | 33% |
| Mesa Verde Elementary | 116 | 368 | 700 | 53% |
| Nash Elementary | 110 | 467 | 810 | 58% |
| Painted Sky Elementary | 114 | 536 | 800 | 67% |
| Prince Elementary | 111 | 355 | 600 | 59% |
| Rillito School | 125 | 86 | 140 | 61% |
| Rio Vista Elementary | 117 | 536 | 800 | 67% |
| Walker Elementary | 112 | 515 | 630 | 82% |
| Wilson K-8 | 168 | 1227 | 1550 | 79% |
| Totals | 12,402 | 19,350 | 64% |