Public school districts are grappling with declining enrollment. Here in Arizona, public school enrollment has fallen by nearly 49,000 students since 2019, a 4.2 percent decline, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. It’s time for districts to plan for their future today and take proactive steps to minimize school closures and financial uncertainty. As a governing board member for Mesa Public Schools (MPS), I have been part of many important decisions to decrease spending and increase revenue through organizational redesign and utilization of excess space.
We adopted a small school model that allows a school to stay financially viable and continue to operate. These schools have shared resources, shared staff, focused specials, and aides may be leveraged differently than at a comprehensive campus. The model provides the opportunity to specialize and meet student interests.
Small school campuses have been redesigned as STEM academies, college preparatory schools, accelerated traditional schools, with grade reconfigurations such as K-8 or 7-12. These changes have been well received by the MPS community, and are supported by the board and Superintendent goals to make academic rigor and student outcomes the focus of the district.
Shrinking enrollment means that with fewer students, staffing levels must adjust accordingly. Nearly 90% of the Mesa Public Schools budget supports employees, making staffing one of the most significant areas districts must examine when addressing budget shortfalls. For the 2025-26 school year, MPS identified nearly $18 million in necessary budget reductions and part of closing the deficit was the elimination of 42 certified staff positions.
Responsible budgeting requires continual evaluation. Positions not related to the classroom and not required by regulation or law can be eliminated in many cases. Courses with low student interest should be removed, which will change staffing needs. Districts need to chisel away at contracts every year and employ based on future projections. MPS has continued that work through administrative redesign and has generated approximately $3.75 million in annual savings.
Financial uncertainty also means we must explore ways to bring in revenue, which is underway at MPS. Mesa fully welcomes ESA families. The Eagleridge campus offers three full days of educational programming for K-12 students from across the Valley. Ninety-five percent of Eagleridge is funded through ESA dollars. The MPS board approved a fee schedule allowing families to use ESA dollars to participate in classes at other campuses, which increases revenue to the district.
Better utilization of district property is another part of that strategy. MPS has identified approximately $1.4 billion in capital needs over the next decade. With significant long-term costs associated with maintaining and improving district facilities, we must ensure that the property we already own is being used as efficiently and productively as possible.
MPS is already putting that approach into practice by leasing excess space. The board recently approved two lease agreements with Polaris Academy, bringing important educational services to the community while putting unused district space to productive use. Polaris is a private school serving autistic and neurodivergent students. The school will use its own funding to make substantial capital improvements at our campuses and will share in costs such as utilities.
As part of our redesign, leadership is also directing those in leadership positions from administrative buildings into excess space on school campuses. This puts district administrators closer to where learning is happening while freeing administrative properties for other uses.
Mesa is asking voters to approve Prop 420 to sell or lease these administrative buildings that will no longer be used by the district. As the community has asked, I will continue to monitor whether these moves produce the impact on the budget we expect and provide operation benefits to put more money in the classroom.
If enrollment continues to decline, the Board may eventually have to consider school consolidation or closure. Those decisions should come only after other strategies have been exhausted and after careful consideration of student outcomes, finances, facilities, transportation and community impact.
Since 2017 the Goodyear School District has IGNORED a continuing severe decline Student literacy from grades 4th through 12th.
Basic Math and Reading are usually mastered accomplished by Children by the 4th Grade in the U.S.
Having 60% of Goodyear, AZ. High School Grads that are illiterate in Math and Reading This means 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th ,11th and 12th Grade Teachers are also complicit in allowing 60% of our Children to graduate as ILLITERATE and keeping silent and collecting their paychecks. This is appalling!
(The following statistics were sourced From Google AI Oct 2026)
In 2026 Goodyear, Arizona, Public Schools hold an average math proficiency score of 36%. While this is slightly above the overall Arizona state public school average of 34%, math scores lag noticeably behind the city’s reading averages.
For Goodyear, Arizona, the overall average reading proficiency for public schools is 44%.
SIXTY(60%) percent of the Goodyear School High School Graduates are ILLITERATE IN BOTH MATH AND READING. That’s 6 of of every 10 Students that cannot do basic Math and Read basic English comprehension.
These Young Adults transition into Life and attempt to get jobs. Most also fail in 1st year college math and reading courses.
How does both the Arizona State Board of Education, the Goodyear City Council, the Goodyear City Manager and the Goodyear School Board continue to FUND and APPROVE failing school programs and more importantly they IGNORE these FACTS of Student Illiteracy???
Goodyear was one of the best West Valley Neighborhoods and Schools 20 years ago.
Today, we have ADULTS in charged of Goodyear, Arizona that should be prosecuted for Child Neglect for allowing illiterate Children and Young Adults to fail to progress in school and become Illiterate High School Grads, (where they then to cycle into life where they will likely fail).
The Arizona Attorney General is mandated to be the State’s Checks and Balances when City’s failure to uphold their obligations under the State Constitution. We need an immediate AZ, State Grand Jury investigation to seek the root failure of the schools in Goodyear and issue immediate corrective actions.
Explain this concept to TUSD.
1st get rid of the unions so that people who actually want to teach have an opportunity! There are many who are not union members but the politicians want the left to remain in power thus maintaining the status quo. They are the ones trying to maintain it by limiting the power of the people by doing away with ESA and ensuring they dont have to teach and can get away with INDOCTRINATION. For many years we didnt have ‘teachers’ unions and we had education that worked, Yes there were some failures along the way but unionism hasnt improved things and we are now ranked down the pack for education. A lot of kids CANNOT, read, write or do simple math which is the greatest failure of the system. No History classes, no CIVICS classes and now look at the people who dont know history are trying to reinvent the problems of years ago thru ignorance and encourage the pushing of CRADLE to the GRAVE dependency on the govt for handouts. Vote this year and vote for the ones who will support the community, state and fed gov’t dont rely on the same old ads thate tell you they want to do this or that and are from the same party that hasnt done anything helpful in years. If they had then why are they pushing the same topics that are the same issues from years ago?
Soooo many reasons why this is happening I can’t even begin to list them! Been a long time coming.