10-29-2025 Kyrene Long Range Planning Public Hearing

001Good evening, everyone. We're going to start our hearing off. Thank you all for being here. Item 1.1, call to order our hearing. This is our public hearing being called to order at 6 p.m. Today is Wednesday, October 29th, 2025. This is the third of seven public hearings that the district board is having to discuss and get feedback on the proposed boundary trainings and school consolidations. Before we jump in, I do want to let you know, board member Cedric Collins was in a car accident. He is okay. He's good, but he wanted to let us know he's not going to be at the hearing tonight. So that's where he's at, and he's going to be watching all this feedback on YouTube after the fact. So he's going to hear everything you say tonight. So thank you

002all for being here. So again, this is our third of seven public hearings. If you've been to the hearings before or not, this is an opportunity for you to share your feedback on the proposed. closures and boundary changes. This is going to be a lot like the public comment portion of any governing board meeting with one main difference. So at a governing board meeting, we usually give everybody an amount of time based on the number of speakers here. If there's more than 30 speakers, we'll limit everybody to one minute. But tonight and at all of our public hearings, because of the magnitude of what we're talking about, everybody's going to have two minutes to address the board, regardless of how many people are here to speak. If you do like to speak, please fill out

003the blue card. It was on the table right when you walked in. And turn that in up to our board secretary, Ms. Nancy Moser. We're gonna call you up one by one. We're gonna start with our students, because we love hearing from our students. We wanna make sure they can speak on a school night. Before we get into public comment, I do want to have a quick presentation that our superintendent is gonna lead us on, just to refresh everybody on what the proposed changes are. And then we will jump into. proposed school closure. Before I do that, are there any board members who wish to make any public comments this evening? All right. Superintendent Tenyes, I'll turn it over to you. Thank you. There we go. Thank you to everyone who made time to be

004here tonight, whether to speak or to hear from fellow community members regarding the proposed school closures and boundary changes in Kyrene Elementary School District. I am Kyrene Superintendent Laura Tenyes, and I have just a short introduction this evening. Thank you. A year ago, the Governing Board voted to form a long-range planning committee to address projected enrollment trends and maximize the use of our schools and our facilities. After seven months of study, the committee presented a recommendation to the board in September. Following the board review and early community feedback at the guidance of the governing board, the plan was modified in late September. Kyrene is now seeking feedback on the modified proposal, which will go to the board for a possible vote in December. Tonight, we will show you maps as well as a proposed implementation

005timeline. Then, community members who signed up to speak will each have two minutes to address the board. As a reminder, this is not a town hall with questions and answers. This is an opportunity for board members to hear public comment both for and against the proposed changes. Questions can be submitted on the Long Range Planning webpage and may be answered in future communications or in online FAQs. I want to take a moment and acknowledge how difficult I know this moment is for our community. No district wants to ever have to close schools. By consolidating our resources, Kyrene aims to preserve the excellence that defines our schools and ensures fiscal stability for years to come. So I'm going to start with our elementary recommended closures and boundary changes. So here we have for closures, the recommendation

006is that Kalina, Estrella, Millenio, and Menides would close in the 26-27 school year. Mariposa and Kyrene Traditional Academy would close in the 27-28 school year. The boundary changes that are from the impact of closing schools include Lagos and Norte would have no boundaries beginning in 26-27. They would be open enrollment only and would not have transportation. Colina and Lomas would merge boundaries beginning in 26 and the 26-27 school year. Millenio and Esperanza would merge boundaries beginning in the 26-27 school year. The Estrella-Lagos super boundary would be split between Monta Vista east of 32nd and Sierra west of 32nd beginning in 26-27. Menides and Murata would merge boundaries beginning in the 26-27 school year. Mariposa and Wagner would merge boundaries beginning in the 27-28 school year and Kyrene Traditional Academy would be split between Breesis and

007Paloma beginning in the 27-28 school year. Our out-of-district transportation and students, Maricopa Region students would be offered transportation to Monta Vista, in 26-27 and our baseline region students would be offered transportation to Ninos and Lomas in also 26-27. There would be no changes to the current boundaries of Cerritos, Cielo and Ninos. This next slide just really shows those same changes just highlighted in a little different way in more of a timeline view as you can see most of the elementary changes would occur next school year including our out-of-district transportation changes and our dual language open enrollment no boundary changes in middle school Our school closures would include both Ocumal et al. and Pueblo in the 27-28 school year, and the boundary changes from those closures would include centennial boundaries would change to include Lomas, Esperanza,

008part of Monta Vista south of Chandler Boulevard, and Lagos dual-language open enrollment beginning in 27-28. The Alta Dania boundaries would change to include Cerritos, Sierra, part of Monta Vista north of Chandler Boulevard beginning in 2728. The Apprende boundaries would change to include Breesis, Cielo, Paloma beginning in 27-28. And the Kyrene Middle School boundaries change would include Ninos, Wagner, Murata, and the Norte dual language open enrollment beginning in 27-28. For out of district, our Maricopa region students would be offered transportation to Centennial in 27-28, and our baseline region students would continue to be offered transportation to both Kyrene Middle School and Centennial Middle School in 26-27. These are also the same changes I just shared in a timeline view focused on our middle schools as you can see any and all of our middle school changes

009would occur in the 27-28 school year and that concludes the presentation Thank You superintendent Tanyas item 3.1 is our public comment so before we jump in I do want to thank everybody for being here this is a huge decision that the board is facing the magnitude and the consequences and how it's going to impact families, students, and teachers is not lost on us. And we are very grateful that you are taking the time this evening to be here with us and to provide us with your feedback. And for those who have been providing feedback electronically, thank you for that as well. I want to let you know that the board gets those updates regularly and reads each of those comments in their entirety. So your feedback is valuable. We're listening to it. We're going to

010start off this evening with our students, as we do in all of our public hearings. So I'm going to call up each of our students first, followed by our adults. For all of our speakers, there's going to be a timer on the screen that shows you your time left. There'll be a little ding when your time is up. Before we get into our students, I do want to thank each of our students who are here tonight for coming out. We know it's intimidating to talk in front of a big room and we are grateful that you're here you're going to do wonderful we are really valuing everything you have to say and we're proud of you so we're going to start with our first student this evening that is mackenzie cupp who will be followed

011by noel getting good evening kairi and school board my name is mackenzie cupp and i'm a sixth grader at centennial middle school no former kalina coyote i know how hard this is for everyone if my school was closing i would be so sad Think about two schools in one. That would be so cool. There would be more teachers and more opportunities for classes and more chances to make friends. I know there are a lot of people who don't know a lot about my school. So here are a few things I want to share. I was so nervous about my first day of school, but I have some amazing teachers. Ms. Lucan, Mr. Karis, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Redshaw, Ms. Buchanan, and Ms. DuPont, who work hard every day to make sure every student has an awesome

012day. In sixth grade, we have a den, and when we're in the den, we're not only a community, we're a family. In the den, we have town hall meetings and the opportunity to work quietly. It was fun seating. I love Centennial and I hope other students will give it a chance. Thank you for your time and remember, vote yes for Kyrene. Thank you, Mackenzie. Excellent job. Our next speaker will be Noelle Getting, who will be followed by Elizabeth Kupp. Oh, you're not a student? Oh. Well, you can wait then. Then we're going to move right on to Elizabeth Kupp. Thank you, Miss Getting. Good evening. Marine School Boarding. My name is Elizabeth Kupp and I am in third grade, student at Kalina. I will be sad if my school closes because it's been my school

013for four years. I will miss the teachers, the staff, my friends, the Star Jar, being on student council, Bright Buddies, and Franklin, our school pet. If I have to go to a new school, I will make new friends, meet new teachers, and maybe get to ride the school bus no matter what. Once a Coyote, always a Coyote. Remember to vote yes for Kyrene. Thank you, Elizabeth. Great job. Are there any other students that wish to speak this evening? Any other students? All right, let's give it one more round of applause for our students. All right, now we're going to move to our grown-ups. We will start with Ms. Noelle Getting. Listen, it's like when you go to the checkout line and they ask for your ID. It's a good thing, right? Ms. Getting will be

014followed by Mark Wolf. Thank you. I'd just like to ask that all future speakers throughout the night manually adjust the mic stand for themselves to the correct height for their mouth. It's a one-handed operation. Just clamp and then adjust. All right. I'm Yoel Getting Knotts student. I'm the seventh grade administrator here and also the athletic director, so hello. I just wanted to kind of stick up for Centennial because in this process we've heard and witnessed kind of a couple not so great things about our school, so I kind of just wanted to speak up. about our wonderful teachers and just brag about the best parts about us. You might think that it's our teachers who pour their heart and soul into everything that we do here and their profession. You might think that it's James

015and Jesse, our principals, who have laid the foundation for us to continue to be successful. But really the... Most important thing about our school is our students According to Niche's 20-26 rankings and they get their information from the US Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics as well as reviews and surveys from responses that students and parents make Centennial ranks number two out of 853 middle schools in the state of Arizona for being one of the most diverse middle schools. And we rank number four out of 27,466 middle schools in the United States for being one of the most diverse campuses. And I just, we're really proud. We can ignore a lot of the comments and things that have been said about our school, but we will never ignore how proud we

016are to represent. welcome and celebrate diversity. So I just wanted to say that about us. Thank you, Ms. Getty. And our next speaker is Mark Wolf, who will be followed by Corrine Inouye. I would like to thank the Kyrene Governing Board for giving the Kyrene community the opportunity to give voice to our opinions at seven hearings. We've always needed your leadership, however, now more than ever. What if I were to tell you that there was a plan to consolidate schools and the list included schools that were doing the best at attracting students into our district. The list included thriving schools with the highest utilization rate and schools with growing enrollment. And we are going to keep schools with 40 to 50% utilization rates despite a comment suggesting that it's fiscally irresponsible to keep schools operating

017at such low capacities. Giving the schools with the lowest utilization rates a larger boundary will lead to even more students leaving the district. What if I were to tell you that the plan did not consider the things that parents value most, such as signature programs, they plus school of excellence readings, teacher quality, test scores, the school's community, PTO support. At this point, you might think that there is a marketing problem if the district doesn't understand what parents really want. But the list goes on. The enrollment data of each school ignored. They seek to address a budget shortfall. Surely they looked at the fiscal efficiency of each school. No. Each school was treated the same. And you've been told multiple times to ignore all these things if parents bring them up. Repeatedly. Repeatedly you've been told

018to ignore parents. Unfortunately, this plan is not hypothetical. This is our plan. It is a plan that will force our future leaders to close more schools with less options. The Long Range Planning Committee has given you a short-term band-aid that addresses a symptom of the issue we face and fails to address the underlying cause of the budget shortfall. The district has shared nothing to justify how this plan will ensure the long-term stability of the district. How does this plan address declining enrollment? It makes it worse. Use a data-driven approach. Don't close schools like Mariposa that are bringing students into the district. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Wolfe. Our next speaker is Corrine Inouye, who will be followed by Nicole Buckman. Got it. All right, tonight I want to talk about what it really means to

019plan for the future and what happens when we forget about what our greatest assets truly are. We live in a world that changes by the minute. Families are changing. Communities are changing. The pace of innovation is faster than ever, and yet we're planning our schools as if we can predict a decade ahead. We've heard it again and again. We don't have a crystal ball. So if that's true, why do we keep acting like we do? The most successful organizations from tech companies to thriving districts don't make massive, irreversible decisions based on uncertain forecasts. They move forward iteratively, learning, adapting, and refining as they go. That is how you build trust, flexibility, and progress at last. As presented last night, Kyrene has just been recognized as one of the most financially responsible districts in the state.

020I mean, I'm sorry, nation. That recognition should remind us and reassure our community that we can do this. That we can be disciplined, efficient, and strategic without dismantling what makes us strong. That should empower us, not make deeper cuts, but to make smarter ones, to show that we can manage resources wisely without dismantling the culture and community that make Kyrene strong. And yet this process feels stuck, dug in, almost defensive around 25 buildings and a long-term plan that can't possibly keep up with how quickly our community is changing. Maybe it's time to lift our heels a little, to stop being so rooted in short-sighted approaches that prioritize property over people. Because our real assets aren't those 25 dots on a map. They are the teachers who show up for our kids. They are the families

021who continue to choose Kyrene because of what happens inside those classrooms, not because of the walls around them. So I'll ask, when we talk about right-sizing and efficiency, are we talking about what's being lost, the sense of belonging, the culture of excellence and diversity that defines who we are? We can't afford to cut so deeply and sever the roots that keep this district alive. Let's move forward with courage, but also with care. Thank you, Ms. Inouye. Our next speaker is Nicole Buckman, who will be followed by Amanda Woodmancy. Hi, thank you so much for being here tonight, and hello to Member Collins. I hope he's doing great. Just one question for everybody tonight. What is the criteria being used to determine what schools remain open and what schools are closed? We started with a demographer,

022and since then, the criteria has changed, and that change is a great thing when it's applied holistically to the entire process and not selectively. So let's talk about the criteria. is in enrollment numbers because Mariposa is the highest percentage enrollment in the district. That number is made up of 66% home students. That home student number is also the largest in the district. Home students walk and bike to school, eliminating transportation costs. They can open enroll anywhere, but they choose their home school in Mariposa. If it's culture, besides our amazing programs I could list, I think it's most important to highlight that Mariposa is a safe space for kids who are different. My family is different in more than one way. And differences are not only accepted, but they are celebrated intentionally and out loud every

023day at Mariposa. If it's geography, well given the current map, we now have a hole in the east map that Mariposa will naturally and happily fill. If it's curriculum, we're a computer science academy where our kids have coding and online safety incorporated into their everyday learning. But who knows if there's a future in tech? Maybe we could ask Google or Alexa or ChatGPT if they know. If it's performance, we are the only Kyrene school to receive that A plus rating five consecutive times. But if it's economics, certainly the schools that are most affluent should not be prioritized. And if they were, then Mariposa would certainly be on the chopping block because affluent we are not. Our enrollment includes 43 percent economically disadvantaged yet wonderfully smart funny and kind students all who have contributed to those

024A plus ratings. We've been asking you to define your criteria and whatever that is I also challenge you to defend the closing of Mariposa against it. We understand that all Kyrene schools are special but when we are forced to go through this exercise of closing eight schools within four months time there has to be strategy involved to build on what is working. Mariposa is working. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Buckman. Our next speaker is Amanda Womansi, who will be followed by Kathy Mindeman. Good evening. I'm a parent of four Kyrene students. Thank you for taking another opportunity to hear from the Kyrene community. It's been reiterated countless times how incredibly difficult this process has been for all involved thus far. Please know that your time, energy, and devotion to our students do not go unnoticed.

025Over the past several board meetings and regional hearings, you've been bombarded by many well-meaning and fiercely loyal families who oppose the plan to close their beloved schools. Unfortunately, you have also had to witness the inevitable division, that tough division. tough decisions often provoke as many shortsighted speakers have felt compelled to publicly plead their case to defend their schools at the expense of other schools, making disparaging comments about neighboring school communities, even insinuating that families participating in polls would rather leave the district altogether than be moved to a school that they deem less than. I think it bears repeating that our kids are watching and listening and we should do, we should set the tone for how to respond to adversity in life. We can and we should do better. I'm here tonight to rely on

026logic and reason to implore the board not to lose sight of the big picture. Our district cannot continue to operate with buildings designed to accommodate 20,000 students when we have been less than 13,000 students enrolled. There's no denying that a consolidation does not happen or if not enough action is taken, we put ourselves in a position of jeopardizing the Kyrene experience for generations to come. Superintendent Tanyas has emphatically highlighted the what's at stake considerations, factors that should be non-negotiables when it comes to the educational excellence. All day kindergarten, middle school electives, elementary specials, these should be treated as standard expectations, not privileges in our district. I urge you to remember the risks that are involved with failing to do enough to maximize that bottom line. I would argue that we've hit a point of being

027stretched too thin. Just this past Friday, my daughter and 80 of her third grade classmates waited patiently outside Lomas for buses to come and pick them up to take them on their field trip to the Chandler Center for the Arts. Due to miscommunication in the transportation department, the buses never came. They did not go on their field trip. Transportation oversights, long bus rides home, and continual bus staff shortages could certainly be mitigated with a right-sized district. Thank you. Our next speaker is Kathy Miniman who will be followed by Allison Moser. Hello. Good evening members of the board and community. I'm a proud Kyrene parent with a current sixth grader at Ocumal. Last night I heard the superintendent outline the factors used in developing the current proposal but also what she chose not to use. I

028heard clearly that letter grade specific programming and resources school spirit and enrollment trends were not. important. I understand the desire for a long range systems view, but when we reduce this discussion to 25 dots on a map, we risk overlooking the very qualities that make hiring special and desirable for families. Quality matters and not every school is the same program excellence and the people, the people who make it possible matter. Parents choose schools because of thriving teams, proven programs, and strong culture, not just geography. Board members, I urge you to pair quantitative criteria with qualitative judgment. Where do we see the strongest student, family, and teacher engagement today? Which campuses have programs with clear momentum, whether built by one passionate leader or a full team? Where have families already shown you through enrollment trends where

029they want their children to learn? When a program or curriculum is thriving, let's not assume it can be dismantled and instantly rebuilt elsewhere with different people. I propose you allow schools that have created unique high-performing programs to stand as centers of excellence that Kyrene can proudly spotlight to attract and retain families. Ask yourself, which schools are actively lifting Kyrene's reputation and outcomes right now? Protect what's working so Kyrene's future is built on its current success. And finally, thank you. Thank you to the board for the thoughtful questions you asked last night. I really appreciated understanding where your stance is and where your questions are. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Minderman. Our next speaker is Allison Moser, who will be followed by Bethany Benesch. Hello, everyone. I'd like to give a brief introduction about myself and

030my family. My husband and I are proud Kyrene parents. Our daughter, who is now in high school, attended Kalina from kindergarten through fifth grade and Centennial Middle School all the way through eighth grade. Our son attended the Millennial Early Learning Center for Pre-K, and then he attended Kalina all the way through fifth grade and is now a seventh grader here at Centennial. I was a Kyrene teacher for 16 years, and my husband is in his 32nd year of teaching PE, all in Kyrene. So between the four of us, we have attended and are taught at 13 out of the 25 Kyrene schools. I like to share this perspective because we have had the opportunity to see and be a part of so many schools and communities on both the east and west sides. And I

031can honestly say every community is unique and special because of the teachers, the staff, and the administrators who care so deeply about every child who walk through their doors. We moved into the Kalina and Centennial community in 2008, and it felt like home immediately. Our children's experiences at both of our neighborhood schools have been second to none. I wish I had more time to expand on all of their accomplishments, amazing teachers, and incredible friends. that they have because of this community. But what I do want to express is these proposed school closures are devastating for so many of us, including me and my family. What is also devastating is the negativity and disrespect towards some of the schools that are proposed to stay open, including Centennial. I've heard about other schools having the best test

032scores, the best sports and music programs, and then those same people dismissing and even disparaging our Centennial community. Our students, teachers, and families are hearing this, and it's hurtful, and it's simply not okay. I'm wondering how many of those speaking negatively about Centennial have actually visited here, walked the campus, spoken to teachers, students like my children, and parents like myself and my husband, and truly took the time to see what our school community has to offer instead of just reading scores off a website or opinions from social media platforms. Please stop demeaning a beautiful school. Thank you, Ms. Moser. Our next speaker is Bethany Benesch, who will be followed by Kyle Ross. Hello, I'm Bethany, and I have three kids. My oldest, a kindergartner at Mariposa. Eight months ago, my family moved to Warner Ranch.

033While house hunting, we continued to strike out. Despite a home checking our boxes, the neighborhoods felt too empty, too quiet. We finally found the neighborhood I was waiting for. One where kids are allowed to walk out the front door and find neighbors to play with. One where kids can walk to school or the park. One in which kids live and thrive in a safe and warm community. After living in our new home, For two months, I witnessed the activity next door, a constant revolving door of Mariposa kids scootering to and from their friend's house. After touring many other schools, that's what ultimately sold me. I knew enrolling my kids in this neighborhood school would be the key to providing my kids with a strong sense of community and belonging. And the neighborhood is a significant

034consideration. A core reason Warner Ranch families choose Kyrene is because the school is embedded in the community. And if it is closed, we will all be in a position to make a school choice. Warner Ranch has nearly 2,000 homes, and there are 400 properties within a square mile of the school that are under 1,800 square feet, including many townhomes. And an additional 800 apartments also exist in the Royal Palm area, which makes 1,200 existing units within the school boundaries that are attainable for renting families or first-time homebuyers. Mariposa serves a community that is still here and still has kids moving in, and its stable 75% utilization supports that. Kareen has already lost Battleground and Ahwatukee, with 295 kids at Basis and 592 at Horizon Honors. This current plan to disrupt South Tempe with the closure

035of highly ranked schools like Mariposa and the removal of the self-contained gifted path at Murata exposes the district to the huge risk that now our families will make similar choices to our two key families. You must ensure you are satisfying the current families that are willing and able to pursue the best education choice for their families. Thank you, Ms. Benesch. Our next speaker is Kyle Ross, who will be followed by Jen Casey. Good evening, board and everybody in attendance and watching online. My name is Kyle Ross. It is my pleasure to serve as the principal of Kyreendale Esperanza. I'm not here to influence any of your decisions. That would not be appropriate. Instead, I'm here to deliver a message to the Kyrene community as a whole of empathy and encouragement. A number of years ago,

036I had the unique experience at the time of serving as a principal of a school that was closed. So I am in a very unique position to express empathy and express empathy to the families and teachers and students who are affected by this, whether your school is proposed to be closed or consolidated or in any other way affected. I have shed many tears over my own school. You can see it still there. So I understand. I don't want it to be lost on anybody that the leaders in our district are also affected by this. We are. But the leaders, I don't formally represent the other principals in Kyrene, but I am comfortable saying that we are united and we are dedicated to whatever our board votes. We are dedicated to making it work and to

037making the transition. as successful as we possibly can. And again, I don't speak for the other principals, but I do represent Kyrene de la Esperanza. And for our part, I want to say that if there are families that come to our school next year, we will welcome them and we will love them as much as we possibly can. Thank you. Thank you, Principal Ross. Our next speaker is Jen Casey, who will be followed by Kim Bryant. Good evening members of the Kyrene Governing Board, Superintendent Tenias, and the Kyrene community. My name is Jen Casey and I'm the school counselor at Lomas Elementary. I want to begin by expressing my deep gratitude to each of you for your time, care, and courage you've shown in making difficult decisions about the future for our district. I know

038that school consolidation is not easy and that these discussions are emotional for our families, our staff, and our students. I also want us to remember that this moment is not about individual schools. It's about ensuring that Kyrene remains strong, sustainable, and able to provide the high quality education our students deserve for years to come. If we don't take steps now, we risk stretching our resources too thin, impacting the very programs, supports, and people that make Kyrene such a special district. I am proud to work in the Kyrene district and be a part of a community that values students above all else. My hope is that as we move forward, we can come together as a community by setting aside how these changes may impact us personally so that we can continue to build a strong,

039united future for Kyrene. Thank you for your leadership and your willingness to do what is needed for our students, our staff, and our future. Thank you, Ms. Casey. Our next speaker is Kim Bryant. She will be followed by Matthew Sparks. Good evening. My name is Kim Bryant, and I'm a proud member of the Lakewood community for 14 years and a parent of children at Hockey Mall. I know this decision before you is incredibly difficult, and I truly respect the weight that it carries. What you decide will have a lasting impact, not just on buildings or budgets, but on children, families, and the very heart of our community for years to come. As you continue these important discussions, I ask that you listen with both your head and your heart. Data matters, but so do people.

040Last night it was said enrollment was not a primary factor in choosing which schools to close, and that Ockamall was selected based on district-wide optimization of assets. I'd like to pause on that. Optimization may look neat on paper, but schools aren't spreadsheets. They thrive on relationships, reputations, and the trust family builds with educators. Aki Mall has one of the highest out-of-boundary enrollment rates in the district. Families actively choose this school over others. That speaks volumes about the quality of education, the teachers, and the community culture that's been built there. Just today, I met a mom recently that moved here from Colorado. We were at the dentist's office. Her daughter attends Cerritos, and she told me she's been hoping that Akumal stays open, that her child can attend. That's the kind of school Akumal is. The

041families seek out and are willing to drive the extra miles because they know it's worth it. Think about how many hairstylists do you drive by to go to your person? How far is your favorite restaurant? And how far would you go to ensure your child has the best educational atmosphere to thrive in? So I ask you, when you make these decisions, please look beyond the numbers. Consider what Akimaw means to this community and what will be lost if it closes. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Bryant. Our next speaker is Matthew Sparks. He will be followed by Felicia Sparks. Hey, thank you to the board members who have invested time learning more about Kyrene de la Colina, both academically and communally. I hope you experience the same sense of wonder that our families and students feel

042every day at that campus. I also recognize that wonder alone doesn't keep schools open. Difficult decisions are necessary to maintain the care and excellence and opportunity our community expects. That's why I've prepared this proposal, not from sentiment, but from logic, data, and alignment with the district's best interests. It focuses on academic excellence, operational efficiency, equity, and community stability. Kalina is an A-plus school of excellence, a recognition earned through measurable achievement, dedicated leadership and community engagement. Closing one of our A plus campuses would diminish the district's academic profile and send the wrong message to families that performance and partnership are not rewarded. Kalina also shares a campus with this wonderful school centennial. They share parking, infrastructure and maintenance which simplifies transportation for the families who have children at both schools. Closing Kalina will leave the district

043with a property that can't be clearly divided, leased or sold. Kalina also represents one of the most diverse communities within our district. That's racially, culturally, and socioeconomically. This would consolidate diversity into fewer campuses and cluster affluence into others. This reverses the progress toward equity. The school also houses the most CCD classrooms on the west side. This includes sensory rooms, specialized patios, and nature centers supporting students with development and sensory needs. It also hosts the Arizona Game and Fish Wildlife Habitat, a living classroom that enriches science and educational instruction for our students. Keeping Kalena open isn't about emotion, it's about stewardship. school exemplifies diversity, innovation, and community that this district needs. I'm going to hand these out. There's also a letter from a wonderful fourth grader at Coiner. Thank you. All right. Thank you, Mr. Sparks.

044Our next speaker is Felicia Sparks, who will be followed by Garth Kupp. Good evening. I'm here tonight asking you to reconsider the closure of Kalina. Kalina is a shared campus with Centennial Middle School, and it is centrally located within every Northwest boundary proposal. That location matters. It gives families access to their neighborhood school without long commutes and uses existing parking and infrastructure efficiently. But beyond location and logistics, Kalina represents something much more important, true diversity. Our school brings together students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. That diversity is not a challenge to solve. It's one of our greatest strengths. It's what helps our children grow into empathetic, open-minded, and well-rounded learners. The district's newest boundary plan threatens that entirely. It consolidates the most diverse schools into one middle school while funneling the most affluent

045and highest performing schools into another. That's not equity. That's segregation by income and opportunity. It sends a message that contradicts Kyrene's own mission and values. We know from decades of research that diverse schools are the best environments for all students, not just those from underrepresented groups. Kalina already embodies that success. Closing it and redrawing boundaries that divide communities by class is not just disappointing, it's inequitable. Finally, I want to speak about trust. The district said it would listen to community feedback, but has also said that ideally changes in school swaps are off the table. That contradiction leaves families feeling dismissed and powerless. We're not asking for special treatment. We're asking for our voices to be truly heard and for equity to mean something more than a talking point. Keeping Kalina open is about more than

046saving one school. It's about preserving a community that reflects Kyrene's best values, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and excellence. Thank you. Our next speaker will be Garth Kupp, who will be followed by Alyssa Kelly. Good evening Superintendent Denyus, Governing Board and community. My name is Garth Gupp and tonight I am speaking as a parent and a community member. None of this is easy and I applaud everyone. I applaud our board for having the courage to face these conversations head on. Our schools are more than buildings. They are places where our children have learned, grown and been shaped by incredible teachers. While I have deep compassion for my friends and my neighbors facing these proposed recommendations, I also see this as an opportunity to bring our communities together and to build a stronger future for generations to come.

047These conversations are painful. They really are. But they are critical for the future of our kids. And we owe it to them to be good stewards of our community, but we also owe it to them to remember that they are watching. They are watching how we handle this moment, how we handle tough conversations, and how we respond to change. Change is hard, but we have to be responsive to the realities before us. I have a third grader at Kalina and a sixth grader at Centennial. I know firsthand how hard this is. I want to thank our amazing educators who give their all every single day for my girls and everyone in their care. the impact that they've made reaches far beyond the boundary, reaches far beyond any boundary lines that might change. For my sixth

048grader, learning has never come easy. My wife and I dreaded the day that she would start middle school. And I wanted to say thank you to the incredible CMS staff for making this experience truly life-changing for her and for our family. My hope is that our community can come together and focus on understanding. It wouldn't be me if I didn't throw a sports quote in there. So I'm going to say, as Andy Reid says, don't judge. Let's look for the positive first. We've all got our deals that we've been through. So let's keep that door open, and we've got to give people a chance. The spirit of courage and learning is before us in our community, and we need to do what's best for our kids. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Kupp. Our next speaker

049is Alyssa Kelly, who will be followed by Jacqueline Sumter. ELISSA KELLY, PROUD KYRENE PARENT FOR ALMOST A DECADE. LOOKING FORWARD TO FOUR MORE YEARS IN THE KYRENE DISTRICT REGARDLESS OF BOUNDARIES AND CLOSURES. I HAVE A STUDENT WHO GRADUATED FROM COLENA AND IS THRIVING AT CENTENNIAL AS WELL AS A STUDENT WHO TRANSFERRED FROM COLENA TO MONTA VISTA FOR THE GIFTED PROGRAM. AND I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR THE LOCATION CONSOLIDATION PLANS THE BOARD IS BEING ASKED TO APPROVE REGARDLESS OF HOW THEY MAY IMPACT MY CHILDREN. My spouse and I chose public education for our family because we believe in public education and the Kyrene promise. We believe in the education of every single student enrolled in Kyrene, not just our two kids. The proposed school closures impact each Kyrene kid in different ways, and over

050the past month, we've heard about those impacts. We haven't heard enough about the positive impacts, how consolidation of staff, programs, and locations will result in better education for a larger population of students and a better experience for teachers and administrators who won't be stretched so thin. Change is hard, but this is not about one school. If you believe in Kyrene, you believe in all Kyrene schools and each Kyrene kid being educated in our district. Public education was created to serve the greater good. And in order for that service to continue in our community, the board has to make tough decisions that will have many ripple effects. And Kyrene can remain strong. Despite living in a state where we rank 49 out of 50 in national funding and where we divert nearly $900 million from public

051schools with vouchers that subsidize the wealthy, as community members, we each have the ability to do something. First, use your voice to champion Kyrene to friends and neighbors. Ask them to use their education tax credit to support Kyrene schools. Vote for legislators who support public education funding. Vote yes on the M&O budget override continuation. There is still time to turn your ballot in. While these closure decisions are not easy, we are a community, and each one of us has to give in order for the community to build a better future. Let's build that future together. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Kelly. Our next speaker is Jacqueline Sumter, who will be followed by Brandon King. Is Miss Sumter here? All right, we can come back to her. Our next speaker will be Brandon King, who will

052be followed by Delia Lighting. Good evening, board. I want to actually start with Horizon Honors. Over fall break, they went from having dozens of openings to a wait list. Parents are moving their kids now. Not next year, but now. We are all trying to tell you what's coming with this West map, but it doesn't feel like you believe us. That is why we put forward the Lakewood proposal. We are trying to address that. In last night's study session, I was listening to it, you ended it with, it's not appropriate at meeting two of seven to give direction to redo maps. But you already set a precedent after just one meeting when you drew Murata's campus back. What makes Marada's families more important than ours? Their case was strong enough after just one meeting, but our

053bar is seven meetings? I also want to address the Lagos. enrollment numbers. Superintendent, she said that the pathway would add 100 non-dual language kids. But in the West Option A that was presented by the demographer, they were zoning that already at 181 additional students using very narrow boundaries. They weren't factoring open enrollment. So the 100 number that you mentioned, that's just a zoning choice. It's not a fact. The kids are there. That number is only true if you bust those kids away to fill other schools. That same choice can be talked about for teacher isolation. Again, there are English-only teachers at Lagos. You have enough to put 200 or more kids if you want to make that zoning choice. That is plenty to have two English... Track classes per class per grade level and you're

054able to do that. You just have to make that choice Finally real quickly Laura you you also ended that meeting with saying that you don't want to run a school at 40 to 50% capacity But you are zoning Lagos to do that. You are zoning it to basically die Thank you. Please don't Our next speaker is Delia lighting who will be followed by Kat Schaefer Good evening board members. Tonight I get to speak just as myself, a teacher who's been at Kalina for 17 amazing years. My colleagues are some of the best we have in Kyrene, from our front office staff to our classroom teachers, our student support educators, our special area teachers, our special education teachers, and our admin, and our very own Mr. Paul, who has kept Kalina running for over 30 years.

055We jump in with both feet to ensure our students get the best opportunities in their education because they deserve nothing less than that. We have a saying at Kalina, once a coyote, always a coyote. I feel the belief in this statement transcends location. no matter where we are. Kalina is a fantastic place because of the people, not the space. The work ahead of us is in this possible consolidation of our school and merging with Lomas, that community, it will be a huge task. What I ask is this, please plan thoughtfully and carefully when we are ready for that next step. It will be imperative that we do this right for all of our students, our Kalina Coyotes and our Lomas Eagles. We also need to keep the staff front and center for such a big

056change. When we do right by our staff, we do right by our students. Lastly, I would like to highlight CMS. CMS shows up for students. The educators there work just as hard as any of the other Kyrene educators in the district. Day in and day out, they are there to ensure opportunity, access, and success for all. I've been sending my students there for nearly two decades, and I've always been confident that they thrive in their middle school years, and they do. CMS, we see you. We appreciate you. Keep rowing together. Thank you, Ms. Leiding. Our next speaker is Kat Schaefer, who will be followed by Christy Wolford. Hi, I'm Kat Schaefer. I am a mom of a student at Lagos and a student at Akimol. And I would like to thank you all for being

057here and for Centennial for welcoming us. We see your beautiful community. And I want to say that the division that is happening is because we don't have strong guidelines of how these decisions were made that seem fair and just. On the meeting on the 19th of September at 3 hours and 53 minutes, Laura, you mentioned for Norte, we joked about how terrible. And it wasn't a good fit. And so that dot on the map didn't make sense. But then you mentioned that the language mattered. So what happened? We brought Norte back. I'm asking for that same thing for Akimol. It is close to Lagos and that proximity matters. It also came up in that last meeting that there was one, and we all know who he was referring to. It was Mr. at Akimol. I

058want to bring up what wasn't mentioned was that Mr. Jones is working and has created a program with student teachers at GCU and ASU to make it not be one person dependent. That just started this year. the classrooms at Hockey Mall have been altered to fit all of those 65, not 50, students into a classroom so they can be together with Mr. Jones for an hour. Then they're split into groups with these student teachers and the aides. But then those student teachers can learn how to teach dual language, be invested into Kyrene, and build Kyrene strong so that that dual language can continue. It's one person dependent, and it's being fixed. by Mr. Jones. I ask the board to please look at other things we've done and parents are saying what we want you to

059look at. The numbers, the test scores, the programs. Be our voice. We voted for you to be that voice. Please. Thank you, Ms. Schaefer. Ms. Wolford, before you come up, I'm just going to make sure our mic's working. All right. Thank you. Our next speaker will be Christy Wolford, who will be followed by Aaron Nelson. Alright Laura, it has been an entire week and none of us have received an apology yet from you. We want a public apology from your inappropriate behavior last Tuesday. I see you shaking your head. It was in front of students and staff and volunteer parents and it was bullying to get to what you want. We've heard from parents here tonight saying that our students are watching. We had lots of students watching last Tuesday. If you are to be

060the leader of our district, We demand an apology because what you did was absolutely unacceptable. But you know what? You both get to what you want and something else that you wanted and you got was Murata. And I'm fine with that. I'm fully in favor of Murata coming back. I think it's a fabulous school. But I want to discuss your logic on this. Because in the retreat meeting, you made an excellent point about not moving students from larger populated schools. Your exact quote on September 29th at 49 minutes and 14 seconds was, it makes more sense to move 100 kids than it does to move the 300 kids. Awesome. So let's use that exact same logic. Hockey Mall must stay open. It would not make sense to move 845 families, 845 families uprooted, the largest

061school in the district, proving again that, yes, enrollment does matter. This has been a choice school with a high enrollment. Don't move that many families. You're in for a... Make it make sense, please. Also using yesterday's point of focusing on district-wide optimization and utilization of all assets, how do you set up the district to have schools strategically located across the district? I'll tell you how. Highways matter. My goodness. It only takes, get this, I've done the Google Maps. It only takes two minutes longer to bus kids from the northern part of the district, just south of baseline, to bus them over to Akimaw than it does to Centennial. You were saying that that was going to be so much of a difference. It's not. It's two minutes. Highways matter. Also, that same northern district of

062schools, basically in that area, it's a lesser drive for them if they were to come to Akimaw now than we currently have from our Maricopa counties or Maricopa students to Akimaw. Make it make sense. The whole argument of convenience with traffic, it's not an argument. It's just it has no merit. Akimaw wins again. I'm also baffled as to why you as a district have not been accepting, you have been accepting so many schools with declining enrollment over the last 10 years. It can't all be about vouchers. Why hasn't anyone interviewed families over the last five years to understand why families are leaving? It's not all vouchers, people. Our next speaker will be Erin Nelson, who will be followed by Renee Angelero. Good evening superintendent and board members tonight. I would like to address the community

063rather than the board directly I want to express my deep disappointment with our community has responded to the school closure conversation Since the long-range planning committee shared its recommendations each school has gone to its own corner advocating only for itself The most vocal and well-resourced communities have dominated the conversation, pushing narratives to protect their own schools while disadvantaging others. At public forums, I was appalled to hear community members attack Centennial Middle School's teachers, leaderships, and students, even inferring that CMS is unsafe. That's not only false, but it's a harmful narrative to spread in a public hearing. As a CMS parent, I found those comments divisive and hurtful. While others stigmatize CMS, its leadership has focused on unity. When I spoke with Principal Martin at parent-teacher conferences, he told me CMS staff has been actively planning

064ways to welcome families from across the community. That is the kind of leadership our district should embody, and that is the very leadership that is being attacked in these meetings. Public education isn't just about test scores. It's about building strong communities and raising good human beings. At CMS and Kalina, I have seen students buy lunches for classmates that have none, invite peers sitting alone to join them, older students mentoring younger ones, and teachers comforting crying parents in parking lots. This is the kindness. These acts of kindness show the truth. true strength of our schools, yet these are the very communities being marginalized. To everyone in our district, your words and behaviors matter. Our children hear them and they carry these messages into the community. Every student and family will be affected by these decisions. Let's

065stop dividing ourselves and start moving forward together. Thank you. thank you mr nelson our next speaker is renee anglero who will be followed by heidi helverson thank you um hello everybody um i am actually here to speak on behalf of carolyn morris who is a fifth grade kyrene parent who has toured 15 different arizona schools recently so Superintendent Tenyes, I know last night and throughout the process, enrollment has come up a lot where enrollment is not a big factor in this whole process. And Carolyn wanted to share with all of you today that retention should be the primary focus and enrollment has to be one of the main criteria considered, not risked. You have a middle school that claims to have increased enrollment for the past five years that is closing. How does this help

066Kyrene's long-term success? Dismissing concerns to defend the approach is upsetting. Funding directly. correlates to enrollment. A continual increase in enrollment combined with strong programming and successful retention shouldn't be closing. True, if it's not about enrollment, it's about shown long-term success. Buildings and assets are not risks to retention, accessibility, strong programs and culture are. You have many schools thriving, market them. Touring should be readily available. Currently, families are directed to call the front office at each individual school. Families are put on hold, sent to voicemail, told to call back. Our competition has electric inquiry forms and a calendar sign-up, a zero point of contact system, and lotteries with wait lists full of students. Tours conducted during the school day allowing families to see programs and culture of the school. While some Kyrene schools have stated this

067goes against policy, Principal-led tours, student-led, program-led, large groups, individual tours, open houses, presentations, showcases, all differ throughout the district, and many are limited to own filters. In a choice state, why are we limiting our reach? I received an email from your executive director of marketing, Team Lead, who said, much of what you expressed, I've said that myself many times. So my question is, why isn't this being addressed? Can we strive for better? Thank you. Our next speaker will be Heidi Halverson, and then we're going to take a quick break after her and then pick back up with the rest of our speakers. Ms. Halverson. Hi, my name is Heidi Halverson, and I'm here to continue the discussion about keeping Aki Mall AOL open. My sixth grader wanted to be here tonight for Aki Mall and

068told me to tell you that I said no, and I made him go to the fall festival, but he just won the pie-eating contest, so I think he'll be okay. At the last meeting, I got cut short, so I want to revisit the importance of existing community support for our schools. The diverse partnership between families, teachers, and an administration is what is making Aki Mall thrive. That's not something you can replicate by redrawing lines on a map. It's a culture built on trust, consistency, and shared purpose. And once you break that, it's incredibly hard to rebuild. our kids can't go through that rebuilding process. Let's send them somewhere where it's built. At yesterday's study session, there was discussion about the middle school dual language program, and my neighbor Kat did an amazing job describing that.

069Mr. Jones is running it, but he's building something. It's in its infancy. Please let it grow. It's a great program with the cohorts and the student teachers, and it needs a chance. It's a model for the future. And as the results came out today too, I just want to say that Akimol Ayal just received an A rating from the Arizona State Board of Education and shows the highest academic growth of any of the middle schools on the chart. That's not just a success. That's momentum of a school ready to carry the district through this difficult transition. This is what a thriving school looks like. This is what our families have chosen. And this is what we stand to lose if we tear it apart. Hockey Mall isn't just performing well, it's leading the way for

070what's possible in Kyrene and its future. Thank you so much. Thank you, Ms. Halverson. We're going to take a very quick break. We'll be back in just a few minutes with our next speaker. Please take your seats. All right, welcome back. We are reconvening our public hearing. It is 7.14 p.m. We will begin with our next speaker, who is Tammy Begay. Good evening again. Superintendent, board members, staff, family. I come tonight to say, listen to our kids. We had an individual this evening standing here crying tears. What if that was your child? your kids listen with your heart. I also ask that they're crying for a reason for their school. We bring our kids to the schools to get an education and then we let them go on to another school and then we let

071them lead on. We let them continue to climb the ladder to get a better education and one day sit where you guys are sitting. They are our leaders to come within down the years. So I ask that you listen with your heart and understand what these kids come here to say. So with that, just what I said to him, told him to stand by me. That's Mariposa. Mariposa did this. And I'm thankful for Mariposa. A plus school, and we have that on several schools, Kyrene School District. We've got to also think about that as well. Please consider the schools. Reconsider what's going on here. Our kids is what matters. Our kids are our life. Please understand. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Begay. At the break, we had a request from another student to speak, and

072she asked to go second. She didn't want to go first. So please give a warm welcome to our next student speaker, Ms. Bria Holden. You can pull that mic down, Bria. Hello, everyone. I am Bria. I have been at Kalina for three years, and I really don't want it to close because there are so much good teachers and students and my friend. And once a college, always a college. Thank you. Thank you, Bria. You did a great job. Our next speaker will be Nancy Diggs, who will be followed by Mary Ann Lucan. Hello, I am Nancy Diggs. I had three children at 10 Centennial, though the youngest is now 17, so I really don't have a dog in this race. However, Ahwatukee is my small town, and I was interested enough to read about the

073community meeting held at Alcamal last week in the Foothills News. Many of the comments from the Akamal families reported in the paper revolved around what a friendly community and nurturing spirit they found at Akamal. So we should not close that school is what they were saying. That really speaks wonderfully for their school, but I must admit to feeling a little offended. What makes them think that Centennial would be so much worse? A school spirit derives from the administration the teachers, and especially the families that inhabit the school. That community feeling, the vibe, as the kids say, is what you make it. Centennial has dedicated, talented administrators and teachers, as well as enthusiastic, committed families. The involved and invested families coming over from Akamal could serve to strengthen what has the potential to be Kyrene's best

074middle school. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Stiggs. Our next speaker is Mary Ann Lucan, who will be followed by Rhonda Richardson. Good evening. My name is Mary Ann Lucan. I'm a former Kyrene parent to four children who went to Sierra and Altadena, but I am a proud centennial teacher. Centennial Middle School is so much more than a building. It's a family. It's a community rooted in care, dedication, pride. The people here are students, teachers, staff, families. That's what makes CMS extraordinary. We know that the decision to close schools is never easy. It brings emotion, uncertainty, and change for everyone. It'll bring change to us. But through this, our focus must remain on what truly matters, the emotional, academic, social growth of every student. And that is exactly what this school does. Here at CMS, we

075are ready to welcome anyone, new students, open arms. We are ready to help all students thrive, no matter their background, no matter their starting point. This is a school that has learned to pivot. to grow and to put kids first every single day. In my six years teaching here, I've witnessed something truly amazing. Teachers who care deeply, go above and beyond. Students who now rise to that challenge. Leaders who make sure everyone feels included. Administrators who are visible. They are out on campus. They are in my classroom. They are throwing the football with our students and our staff. This place feels like home because of all of those people. If you step onto our campus, you'll see it. You'll feel it. It's a place that I and all of us are pride. We have purpose,

076and there is so much possibility if you join us. Centennial is not surviving. It's thriving. Thank you, Ms. Lucan. Our next speaker is Rhonda Richardson, who will be followed by Augusta Sloan. Is Ms. Richardson here? We can come back to her. Our next speaker then will be Augusta Sloan, who will be followed by Angela Fautenolay. Hello, my name is Augusta Sloan. I introduced myself in Navajo. I am the mother of a fourth grader, Bria, and a first grader at Kalina Elementary. I am an active PTO member and an active member of our community. As saddened as I am about the long-term planning of not just our school, but many other schools, I stand firm as an optimist, focusing on the bigger picture. As someone who comes from a small reservation in northern Arizona, caught in

077the middle of two completely different worlds, just striving for a safe environment for us to be great in, I do not take support, education, or kindness for granted. Despite what changes may lie ahead, I hope we all continue to support all of our families and all of our children in the midst of change. Help rise up low-income families who cannot find the means mentally and financially to support their children in extracurricular activities, sports, or even transportation to schools. Families and children with disabilities, the families with different cultural backgrounds who have also found a second home in our communities. Our other staff and employees who also help keep our school safe, clean, organized, and fully supported, I hope that as a community, not only do we all continue to lift up our educators, but also I

078hope we all continue to do the work at home also. I'm very proud to be a part of the Kyrene District, and I know that I speak for my partner and I as I express our gratitude to the district members who... educators and the many, many people in our school and community that help contribute to the greatness of my children and many children in the future and now. I just want to remind everyone of the greatness around us and continue to be great, but also see the value in strengthening our communities through this tough process, especially as there's many fires around us. Thank you again for letting us speak. Thank you, Ms. Sloan. Our next speaker is Angela Fautenolet, who will be followed by Mariah Monson. Hello, friends. Uh-oh. Don't start my clock yet. Hold

079on now. I need every second. I timed myself. Okay. So, my friends, go. In the spirit of collaboration. We don't have an enrollment problem. We have a marketing problem. Closing schools doesn't fix it. Kyrene is still managing schools through an antiquated lens, one where every child simply shows up at their neighborhood dot on the map. As unsavory as it sounds, in Arizona, in the age of school choice, this is a buyer's market. The answers are not in your spreadsheets. They are in your marketing. This is the digital age. Following leadership that tells us to close a record number of schools because today's enrollment is as good as it's ever going to get is not something that our community is standing behind. Kyrene isn't actively doing anything to grow their enrollment. Marketing isn't something that you

080should explain to me that you're doing. It's something that I experience every day, and Kyrene's marketing is absent. Charter and private schools have multi-million dollar marketing teams, and they aren't sitting in their boardrooms right now like we are talking about how we're failing. No, they're innovating and actively marketing. aggressively to Kyrene families right now as we sit here. Neighboring districts like Mesa and Chandler are also marketing aggressively to us right now having school choice fairs for their public schools before charter lotteries open. I've learned more about Kyrene schools at these hearings than I've heard through any market initiatives here. As a parent of a gifted Kyrene fifth grader, I'm a target audience for middle school marketing. A few weeks ago, a Kyrene middle school organized an orientation for their gifted program. I didn't hear about

081it from the district. I heard about it the day before the event from a friend who happened to see it on that school's website. The middle school was impressive and really prepared. Kyrene wasn't prepared for that, and there might have been six families in attendance. That's a shame. Not only did you not market this event to the gifted fifth graders in your own district, you didn't market to all those charters and private schools and neighboring district gifted families that somehow are going to magically appear at our gifted academy. When families leave, there's no outreach retention effort or data collected as to why. And we need to be aggressively seeking solutions before we close the school. That is our responsibility. Thank you, board. Let's keep talking. Thank you, Ms. Fountain-Ole. Our next speaker is going to

082be Ms. Mariah Monson, who will be followed by Roxana Armbalua. Good evening, Kyrene Board. My name is Mariah Munson, and I am the KEA Vice President. This statement has been made in collaboration with our officer and exec board teams. KEA leadership has had conversations with you about how our teachers are doing through all of this. No one wants to see their school have to go through consolidation. But many of us understand the reality of our situation in Kyrene and are ready for the next step. What is becoming more and more impossible for our educators to deal with are the ever increasing responsibilities that fall on us when we have to operate at the same high level of expectation with less resources. We are being stretched to our limit. When our schools operate at less than

083full capacity, more is put on the staff to run that school. This means more duty, more meetings, less time to collaborate with our colleagues, less time to plan and prepare for the diverse needs of our students, and less collaboration. With our colleagues, we are unable to operate successfully. We are in teams of two dangerously close to teams of one. That is not a recipe for success. We mention these issues because they will only exacerbate if the choice is made to keep more schools open because we have to cut the funding from somewhere. We would like to remind you of the lever that gets pulled should the choice be made to keep schools open. When you have to cut $7 million from the budget, then people get cut. We will have to have a RIF, which

084will result in higher class sizes, affect our special area programs, our assistant principals, our academic interventionists, full-day kindergarten, etc., etc., etc. This would lessen the hiring experience for all students and make teaching for our educators even harder. We regard each of you with so much respect. Please make the decision with the facts void of emotion when making a decision for all of Kyrene. Thank you, Ms. Monson. Our next speaker is Roxana Arambula, who will be followed by Andrea Chan. Good evening. I come to you today as a parent of a kindergartner at Kyrene De La Colina. My son who has autism has thrived at Kalina since he began in the integrated preschool at just three years old. The small class sizes, dedicated teachers, and supportive staff have created the nurturing, consistent environments he needs to

085grow, both academically and socially, in ways I once thought impossible. I know through my years working in behavioral health and education, research and best practices for all students include those with special needs. Clearly show that consistency, predictability, and manageable class sizes are essential. Kalina provides that. Closing it would take away a model of inclusive education that truly works. Kalina's culture and staff represent more than a building. They embody stability and hope for families like mine. As a rise-up school, Kalina is a model for inclusive small-scale learning. Its current teacher-student ratio enables the focus attention children need. Instead of closing Kalina, I don't know if this has been discussed before, but I urge the board to explore innovative cost-saving alternatives, such as a four-day instructional week now successfully implemented in over 1,700 U.S. districts, including several

086in Arizona. These districts have reduced costs and improved outcomes, particularly for special education students. kalina has given my son and other students the chance to succeed please reconsider the closure of kyrene de la kalina and several other elementary schools and middle schools our children's future and their trust in this district depend on it thank you thank you miss arambula our next speaker is andrea chan who will be followed by belinda russell First, I want to thank all of you for being here today. I know it takes time away from being with your family, and we really appreciate you taking the time to listen to the community. My name is Andrea Chan, and I am zoned for Centennial and Kalina. As we know, times have changed, and there are a lot of choices available. After visiting

087several schools in Ahwatukee, we chose Lagos and Akimel based on the dual language program and the fact that we were able to stay within our community of Ahwatukee. Currently, all three of my boys are enrolled in the dual language program, and I could not be more grateful for Kyrene for giving them the gift of a second language. Based on the current proposed plan, this is actually a win for me personally. My kids still get the dual language program within the community, and then they get to ride their bikes home from Centennial. However, as a community member, I have to point out that the current proposed plans is failing the kids in Lakewood. As it has been brought up multiple times, the Super District has created a concentration of IEPs at Estrella. These kids in Lakewood

088that do not attend Lagos are those the ones that typically have IEPs. This given the support of Lakewood's Support of the dual language this current plan has the same effect and the same group of kids will be the ones that will attend Monta Vista Having them feed into a different middle school compared with their peers at Monta Vista is unacceptable These are the kids that typically have difficulties in school. Why are we making it harder for them? Mr. King pointed out last week that under the current proposed plan, his daughter will have to make five different friend groups and has never moved. I implore you to consider the plan proposed by the Lakewood HOA. I realize pathway schools are difficult to staff, but we're all being asked to do difficult things. And let's not punish

089these kids that need the most support. If a pathway school is not the answer, then rezone Lakewood to an elementary school where the entire school will feed within the same middle school, therefore not further isolating these kids with IEPs. Thank you. Our next speaker will be Belinda Russell, who will be followed by Audrey Neville. Hi. Good evening. For years the district has celebrated and marketed its eight plus schools of excellence. You hear this repeated in so many of our community remarks to the board. This recognition isn't just marketing points along with high enrollment teacher recognition. These were promises the Kyrene promise if you will. This data told families this is what excellence in Kyrene looks like. That's why it feels so disorienting and deeply personal to now hear district leaders say that enrollment numbers, A-plus

090designations, and community reputation were not part of the criteria for long-range planning. To families, that language sounds like erasure. It tells us that the very values we trusted when choosing our schools, they no longer count. The reaction you're hearing from parents, it's not irrational, it's not resistance, it's the sound of cognitive dissonance. For years, we've been taught to value and invest in excellence. Now when we defend it, we're told those factors are irrelevant. Can I just say the thing you're not supposed to say? I and many others feel gaslit, if you will, because you've rewritten the rules midstream and implied that our decision making, the same decision making you have encouraged for years, was somehow misguided. Language matters. When you say A-plus ratings don't factor in, you're not just talking about data, you're talking about

091our identity. You're telling families that what we've built, what we've sacrificed for what we believe in is suddenly out of scope, and that breaks trust. We're not asking for special treatment, we're asking for honest acknowledgement. A plus ratings do matter, enrollment data matters, they are the clearest indicators of what families value and what makes a district thrive. Ignoring them may simplify the spreadsheet, but it complicates everything that builds belonging. If Kyrene wants to rebuild confidence, start with the language of trust. Thank you, Ms. Russell. Our next speaker is Audrey Neville, who will be followed by Audrey McCoy. You can take your time. Fellow Kyrene families. At last night's board meeting, it was discussed that plans are in the works to balance the special education programs across the district and special students needs. to balance and

092not strain across all of the schools when consolidation happens. I'd like to ask about our Title I schools. That means Title I is 40% or more of a campus receive free or reduced lunch. Many are low income families. The current proposal combines four of five Title I elementary schools in our district into two elementary schools and then filters those four schools children into one middle school Centennial I know that Kyrene has amazing teachers That's why we are here and I'm grateful that they will also be part of combining the school But we shouldn't be pushing them past their breaking point with all of the challenges that come with low-income households recently one of the amazing teachers at Kyrene highlighted for me that the Role model students are important for helping to set classroom atmosphere and

093culture and I feel that our title one schools lose many of those Needed students to more desirable programs and schools. Yes Centennial is a great reputation and hopefully the latest proposal of filtering the gifted students and dual language programs will help to change and build the culture and reputation, but open enrollment parents are already driving their kids, so they're gonna drive their kids wherever they desire. The closing of Auckey Mall also further divides our middle schools on this side of the district into the haves and the have nots. The reasoning behind that was that Altadena was going to receive 350 kids. That's 70 students a year, not reason enough. Our next speaker will be Audrey McCoy, who's going to be followed by Jessica Alford. Hello, my name is Audrey McCoy. I am a Kyrene graduate,

094a senior at ASU studying education, and currently an intern right next door at Kalina with the privilege to work with Mrs. Webb in kindergarten. I'm here tonight, though, not just as a student or a future educator, but as someone who believes deeply that every decision we make should serve the students first. Closures are irreversible decisions and once a neighborhood school is gone so are the relationships, programs, and sense of community that took decades to build. Closing schools may look practical on paper but it risks creating a self-fulfilling cycle of lower enrollment and lower funding due to its direct ties to enrollment as families who lose their local schools may leave the district entirely. A 2021 study by UC Davis shows that school closures push families towards alternative providers and consider transferring to charter or private

095schools. How do you plan to address the families that consider these alternative paths? School closures also have an immense impact on students. A 2018 University of Chicago study found that students displaced by closures experienced drops in academic achievement and attendance for at least two years. A 2019 Stanford Center for Education report shows similar effects tied to larger class sizes and longer commutes. These are real lasting consequences that based off of the current enrollment would affect a third of the students in Kyrene. The heart of Kyrene has always been community. Neighborhood schools are where students feel seen, parents stay involved, and teachers make the greatest impact. When those schools close, we lose more than just buildings. We lose belonging. In education, we often teach that the best solutions come from asking the right questions. So tonight

096I ask you this one. Are we truly solving a problem, or are we creating new ones for the students we are meant to serve? Please make the decision that preserves Kyrene's legacy of excellence and community, a decision that keeps the focus on where it belongs, our students. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. McCoy. Our next speaker is Jessica Alford, who will be followed by Crystal Chow. Hello everybody. I am a proud parent of Kalina for the last three years. This is my little guy. We started at kindergarten with Miss Abby Knight, God's gift to us in teaching. And we also had the pleasure of loving Miss Webb as well. I definitely say that the school is a family within the community. You don't necessarily see vice principals and principals like Ms. Piper and Ms. Hunter working

097the cross guard position or opening the gates for the children and greeting them all by name first thing in the morning. You got the Mr. Gary's who are the recess attendant and also a cross guard that he has to say goodbye to every day after school. So it's just like a big family. He is an open enrollment student, so I drive 25 minutes from Arcadia to come over here. I have two sets of nieces and nephews who have gone through Colina and Centennial and are now in ASU. So that's why we make the trip. So I didn't, I wasn't prepared for all of this. One of my friends is in the PTO and I just came to support, but. Here I am. But, yeah, like everybody was saying, you know, that this school is a

098family. And, you know, when you get rid of those things and you lose that sense of family and people start to seek family elsewhere. So I'd just like to save our school. And, yeah, that's all I got to say. What do you want to say? You got anything to say? Nothing. Okay. Thank you, Ms. Alford. Our next speaker is Crystal Chow, who will be followed by Matt Young. So to be continued. She yelled at her parents, students, and teachers to get out of the room, saying we weren't allowed to be there before the board meeting started, that the students were not allowed to participate because it wasn't a school-sponsored event. Her staff then told us we couldn't have the childcare in room D1. I asked respectfully if the kids could sit in the lobby. which

099is a space at a public meeting. I was told no. Instead, I was told to take the kids outside into the parking lot. We're not asking for perfection, we're asking for partnership. We're asking to be treated like we belong in the same room where the decisions about our children are being made. It's not just disappointing, it's disrespectful to the students that showed up to show their school spirit, the parents that volunteered, and the community we're trying to be a part of. You say school pride doesn't matter. Why do we have mascots? Why do we have colors that we represent? Those kids wanted to do it. Those teachers wanted to do it. That's what they do. Any school I've ever been at, any PTO I've ever been a part of, when guests are coming, you get

100out the bling. You decorate. You wash your hair. You put on the good dress. And we did that for you. And you chose to yell at us instead. So please keep that in mind. Now last night there was a comment that was made that we should be grateful that we know about this closure. The gray hair on my head is saying I'm not that grateful right now. But it is choices that are being taken away from us. We choose to go to these schools and that's being taken away. We bought these houses for that reason. But with that also Centennial I want to say that I am so sorry. The community poll that we ran was not meant to be malicious. It was meant to just show them numbers that our community is choosing to

101go there. And I, from the bottom of my heart, do apologize. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Chow. Our next speaker is Matt Young, who will be followed by Alan Earl. Hello again. Thank you for taking time to hear about the public's comments about the long-range plan. I'd like to draw your attention to one of the stated guiding principles that you set out during the long-range plan, and that is advancing equity. I said before my family has deep roots in this community growing up in Kyrene School District and after recently moving back to Arizona after being away almost 15 years I can say that now I'm a proud father of two Menida students We could have moved to Gilbert, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Phoenix, wherever, but we chose to come back here to the Tempe Chandler area

102because we felt that the district celebrated their students and the diversity of the students. So that is why I found it very surprising that after looking at the data, I noticed the demographic data. I noticed that the three schools with the highest percentages of black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students are those in schools that are slated for closure, including Menida's. While well-intentioned, you know, maybe there's, you know, a logic behind it, these maps, as they're currently drawn, create a desperate impact. on these communities. And so before you make your final decision, I ask that you take a step back and you ask yourself, do these maps make sense to leave a three and a half square mile void in the center of the district? Does it make sense to cluster certain schools around the most

103affluent neighborhoods in this district? Are there any other trends that may exacerbate the desperate impact in populations that are already disadvantaged? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Young. Our next speaker is Alan Earl, who will be followed by Emily Yen. Hi again. I was here last week. I'm a dad from a special ed kid in Millennial. Maybe up watching, if he is. Hi, Patrick. Last week, I told you one thing two times. I said, wait, and I said, slow down. And I really think that's the right thing to do. It's very clear there's not one criteria that everybody understands, whether it's a school staying open or a school getting closed. Nobody understands it. You've got to have the criteria right. I think you have the cart before the horse. I think you should have started with

104deciding what's the criteria for the closures, then have your committee decide which ones are going to be closed. You came up with all of it all together all at once and I don't think it works and it's clear the community doesn't think that either. I think what you got to do is go back to where we started from. You're going to hear from all the community. You're hearing a lot of good thoughts. You should take those into consideration. You should tell everybody here to take a pause. Don't have all the teachers and the administrators and all the staff upset and nervous. The parents like me that don't know what the heck is going to happen with my kid. Give us a break tell us look we got we got ahead of our skis We're not

105going to do it this year at least this year and that we're going to tell people with enough time to make plans and Enough time for you guys. Maybe you have a long-range committee that goes through and says here's the criteria Take all these opinions and all the ones you heard last week at Occam Hill and the other places Make a criteria that works and then apply it universally. That's how you get the feelings out of it. You've got to have something that's clear that everybody understands. It's not clear to me. A young lady back there said ask the right question. I don't think we ask the right question. I think the first question should be what's the criteria and then make plans and then do it. And we haven't done that. Try that and

106wait and slow down. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Earle. Our next speaker is Emily Yen, who will be followed by Long Trinh. Hello again, my name is Emily Yen and I'm the proud parent of two Menides students. My husband and I are privileged enough to be able to send our children to any school. But we chose Menides for its innovation academy because its teaming model is preparing them for how the real world works. My husband and I have worked at major corporations our entire careers and we do not sit at our desks waiting for somebody to tell us what to do or how to do it. We work in project teams with our colleagues to identify problems and to solve them collaboratively. Growing up as a racial minority in Arizona also prepared us for the

107real world because we understand that not everybody looks like us or thinks like us or comes from the same background as us. And so we also chose Menides for its racially and socioeconomically diverse student population. The Innovation Academy is touted as the school of the future, and I certainly believe that it is. But today it seems like you are ready to bring that future to a screeching halt and to revert back to a way of education while works for many, doesn't work for many others, and is also very prevalent across the district and in many other schools. A way that is less flexible in its staffing model and less relevant in preparing children for a world that is changing in an increasing pace. But this fight to keep Menides open will also teach my kids

108about how the real world can work. Or at least that's my hope. I hope that they learn that when you see something wrong, that you should speak up. I hope that they learn that their voice matters just as much as others. That people who look like them and look like their friends matter. That speaking truth to power matters. And that Menides matters. And to the other Menides parents who are watching at home, your voice matters too. I know that we are all tired of feeling like the underdog, like our kids are somehow seen as less than, or that we are fighting an uphill battle being the only school changed from open to suddenly put on the closure list. It's not fair, but it's also not over. And so I hope you join me at the

109next board meeting next week. And so I thank the board for showing that you too can be flexible and can have your minds changed. And thank you for your time and continued support in hearing all voices before making your final decision. Thank you, Ms. Yerr. Our next speaker will be Long Chin, who will be followed by Kelsey Wolfe-Dunne. Hi, my name is Long Chin. I'm a proud parent of a Meninist child. Before I picked Meninist, through open enrollment, I did my research. I picked it for the program that they offer. I met the principal and Ms. Taylor. She does a great, wonderful job. One of the things that I wanted to say is that... I had to do a lot of this research myself. I feel that Kyrene does not advertise that well. And if

110a lot of other parents got to know what Kyrene is, maybe more people will enroll. We won't have this issue of closing schools as more parents will come and choose to attend any of the Kyrene schools. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Trinh. Our next speaker is Kelsey Wolf-Dunne, who will be followed by James Macy. Good evening. Thank you to the Centennial community for welcoming us here tonight. I'd like to take this time to speak to those here in the audience and those watching online. So thank you to the board members for being here and I wish the best for Member Collins. So first to my fellow Mariposa community. We've been at this for two months. So I'd like, and I think everybody here, not just the Mariposa community, to take a collective breath. So

111that we have the strength to get up for the next month ahead. We know from our kids not to give up. Corrine shared that earlier today. We have to move forward with courage and compassion. To my fellow Kyrene community leaders and other community schools. It's been a benefit of this process to get to know you. For example, Michelle couldn't be here tonight from Kalina, and it's been wonderful to see the Kalina family showing up and being there for her. And it's universal. I have had support from other fellow schools that are in our same boat right now and are dealing with that. And then I've had other families and people that are willing to welcome us no matter what happens. So I just want to share that really we do feel that support as a

112Kyrene community. My last chance to plug the MNO override. If you are feeling discouraged about this process, if you feel like your voice isn't heard, I want you to think about your children's teachers because this is funding 200 children teachers, 200 teachers every year for our children. So get it off your kitchen counter. Go look online for a Dropbox. It's not too late to have your voice matter. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Wolf-Tonay. Our next speaker is James Macy, who will be followed by Mark Wolf. Oh, Mark already went. And is Mr. Macy here? No, you're good. All right, Mr. Macy's not here. I think we'll then go to Mr. Bill Fail. Is Mr. Fail here? All right, and he'll be followed by Kenny Wolford. So this is the first board meeting I've been to.

113We live in Mountain Park Ranch. We moved here 30 years ago. My children have graduated. We don't have kids at your schools. But it's great to hear how supportive the parents are of the school. My daughter, when she was in fourth grade, smart kid, she didn't do well on exams. No one could figure it out. She's dyslexic. She came to the Kyrene School District. This is before vouchers. We weren't getting paid to go to her school. It's a Catholic school. And received help from your special ed teachers and has thrived. She graduated from ASU, and my fingers are crossed, hopefully she'll find a job. It's really rough out there right now. I am a teacher, or I was a teacher. I teach in college. And the reason I bring that up is I taught at

114GCU, which is the Garfield School District. And it's amazing. I had no idea what the Garfield School District was. I drove by it on the way to school. One of the schools got rid of their superintendent because they were... was 70 million in debt. And it's an unbelievably nice school, but obviously they didn't really care how much money they were spending. So whatever decisions the board makes, I hope it works for all the families here and all the other schools. But saving money and having as much money for the kids to do well in school is important. We did vote for this. I hope you do too. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Fayle. Our next speaker is Kenny Wolford, who will be followed by Shanna Paulson. Well, tonight I need to turn the microphone down.

115I need to address what happened last Tuesday night. Last week, I sent a formal request to the Kyrene Governing Board of Directors demanding accountability for what took place prior to the public hearing at Alkmaun Middle School. What we witnessed was not leadership. It was a public meltdown from our district's top official. Superintendent Tenius disrupted hours of preparation and pride poured in by our parents, our teachers, our staff, without respect and without restraint. That display was unprofessional. Frankly, it was unacceptable. And it was witnessed by our kids, the very kids that we're supposed to be teaching accountability and respect. Ockinball Middle School is proud. We're a thriving community. We will not be talked down to. We will not be dismissed. and we certainly will not be bullied into silence. So tonight, on behalf of Akemon and

116Ahwatukee communities, I am calling on Superintendent Tenius to publicly apologize to the students, staff, principal, and parents for what was displayed and the disrespect. Our children are watching. Let's show them that real leaders, we make mistakes, but we also correct them. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Rulford. Our next speaker is Shanna Paulson, who will be followed by Stephanie Fishman. So I just want to say that I am a Kyrene teacher and a Kyrene parent. I taught... several years ago in Kyrene School District. I taught at Monita's and Sierra, and then we moved to Chandler, and I switched to the Chandler District because of location and just for an easier commute. And I taught there for three years, and I missed Kyrene. So we actually came back, bought a house in the Kalina boundaries, and brought

117our kids back because I wanted them to be Kyrene kids because I saw such a difference between the two districts. I moved my kids back here, found a job, got a job at Collina and my kids have been thriving. We love the administration, the teachers, it's so supportive, it is a family. I'm so thankful to be back. I heard about the long term stuff. Unfortunately, my girls are going to have to move again and I understand that and while it is devastating with impossible decisions, I understand that education is changing and we have to make those choices. and I support what needs to have happen. I also worked with Mr. Reffnery who is fabulous and I would happily put my kids at Loan Miss with her because I know she has such a strong system

118over there. My only concern with doing that is combining two entire schools together. The numbers are going to be so large. I fear that the kids are going to be just another number. Even as a teacher, some of the students that I have need so much support, I worry they're going to get lost with such a large campus. So what I'm asking for consideration is to go back to the original plan of possibly splitting the boundary back into the two different schools. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Paulson. Our next speaker will be Stephanie Fishman, who will be followed by Joan Johnson. Good evening, board and superintendent, community members. My name is Stephanie Fishman, and I'm a community member, parent of Kyrene alumni, and a proud Kyrene teacher. I started my relationship with Kyrene back in

1192003 at Mariposa, where I stayed until 2008 when I had my children. When my children entered public school, Kyrene was an easy choice. At that time, I too came back to Kyrene and ended up at Kalina, where I was for 10 years until last year, and now I'm at Esperanza. My twins are products of Monta Vista, Altadena, Kyrene Digital Academy, thanks to COVID, and Centennial. To say that I love Kyrene is an understatement, and I realize just how special every school... and having very many different experiences at different schools, I know how hard this is on everyone. Two of my schools are closing. I am just here to say thank you. Thank you for doing the hard work you are doing in making these decisions for our district. Thank you for keeping our kids at

120the forefront and doing what you can to disrupt the least amount of people in this process. I thank you for the work you have done and for the information you have provided to both staff and community members. I can't imagine how hard it is for you to make this decision knowing how special each school is and ultimately someone is going to be unhappy. I know you don't hear this enough and I want to be louder than all the negative people. So I just want to say thank you. Thank you for doing this out of the love you have for the Kyrene School District. And remember, there are people out there who do support you. Our next speaker will be Joan Johnson, who will be followed by Emily Steinhoff. Good evening. There are two equally important

121points of discussion that need to be heard, logistics and business. I would like to address the business side of the proposed changes for the projected permanent closure of schools. The district's most valuable asset is the land. There are two very important values of dual school sites and properties, and they are equally important. The monetary value and the operational value. The dual sites should be considered priority assets of the Kyrene School District. Additionally, there are some extremely pertinent operational aspects of retaining dual sites. Dual sites would offer families the convenience of having children of multiple grades located next to each other. Dropping off and picking up and being next to their siblings is something that I know I valued as a parent in Kyrene School District. Keeping the dual sites operational brings comfort in knowing and

122working with your sister neighborhood school. Why would anyone want to subject another Kyrene school with an unknown neighbor if we have other options? Also, why would anybody want to subject another Kyrene school to whatever distractions, types of disruptions, months or years of construction going on next door as they try to teach if it can be prevented? Even if Kyrene schools are permanently closed with or without a plan, how long might those schools sit vacant? potentially pose risk to the entire community please rethink the extensive monetary value along with the safety of preserving the dual sites before any dual school sites are permanently closed thank you thank you miss Johnson our next speaker will be Emily Steinhoff Good evening. I realize this is a very difficult decision before the board. I do ask that the board

123be more deliberate about how they go about things. From a change manager perspective, there shouldn't have been announcements that this school is going to close this date before the board had even voted on it. It's throwing everybody into a tizzy. and it also has the board be very deliberate about the boundaries we have some schools that are going to stay small especially at the dual language because they're not going to be neighborhood schools they're not going to have students that come in after first grade because students don't enter dual language after kindergarten or first grade so kids who drop out of it have to go to another school and those schools stand are 400 whereas we have Two schools on the west side that are proposed to be over 700. And all but one of

124the schools on the east side, Norte is the one that's not going to be over 700, 600, because it's dual language. Reassess the boundaries, decide where they are. The district has publicly said that they have a demographic problem since at least 2016 for 10 years. And now we're, even last year when this. was announced we said hey we're not going to do it next year we're not going to close schools next year we're going to take time it's going to take time but now it's just it's going to be next year and we have no plan there's no plan as to where the CCB and CCD classes will be if they're going to stay in their current schools with the middle schools hey enrollment is in January parents think about where am I going to

125send my kid Do I want to send them to one school for a year? Because they have electives that the other schools don't have that I know my student would do really well in. Where the gate programs, all this needs to be laid out. And voting in December and saying, hey, register in January for school. Maybe you'll know in the fall where you'll be is very difficult. So I just ask that the board be more deliberate about it. Take time. Don't make announcements until you're absolutely ready. Thank you, Ms. Steinhoff. That is all of the comments I have. Ms. Sumter, Ms. Richardson, and Mr. Macy, I don't think are here. So, well, we're not able, if somebody else who hasn't spoken would like to read it, that would be fine, if there's anybody else who

126hasn't. Good evening. And can you please just state your name for the record? My name is Caitlin Whalen. Great, thank you. Okay, it says, I have a deep concern regarding the potential closure of Ockumel School. I believe this decision is misguided, particularly because Ockumel serves as a vital gateway for our Native American students. I recall a bus driver lamenting the journey to pick up those kids, in quotes, highlighting a troubling perspective that undermines the importance of our diverse community. If we cut off access to ACUMEL, we risk pushing our students away, forcing them to remain on the other side, in quotes, and away from a nurturing environment that firmly celebrates their heritage. ACUMEL is more than just a school. It is a cherished institution that embodies the spirit and culture of Native Americans. Let us

127not jeopardize this jewel of a school, for its existence is essential for all Native American students. Thank you. Are there any other individuals who would like to come and speak to the board? Any other individuals? Yes, please. Good evening. My name is Viltrina. I'm a proud parent of a third grader at Kalina. My son has been a part of this school since Hester at age three. It's not just where he learns, but it's where he belongs. This school has been a second home for him and so many other children. It's where he learned to read, to make friends, to believe in himself. It's where teachers know his name, his struggles, and his strength. not because it's their job but it's because they truly care that the kind of connection that doesn't happen everywhere as a

128single mom kalina has been a blessing its location the support of staff and the caring environment have made it possible for me to balance work and parenting knowing my son is safe cared for and genuinely excited to go to school every day that convenience isn't just about location it's about peace of mind trust partnership between parents and school. We're not just talking about a building, we're talking about a community, we're talking about children who will be uprooted, families who will lose their sense of belonging, and educators who have poured their hearts into building something special. Our school is the heart. of this neighborhood. If you take it away, you're not just closing doors, you're closing opportunities, stability, and hope for our children. I urge you, please find it in your hearts to hear our voices

129to keep Kalina open for the students who call it home and for the generations who deserve to grow and thrive in this community. Thank you. Thank you. Any other speakers this evening? Seeing none, I want to thank everybody again for coming and speaking tonight. This concludes the third of our seven hearings. The board is going to continue to get feedback from the community at four additional hearings, plus our electronic comment, plus our regular board meetings. All that feedback is so important to us. Thank you for sharing it with us. And the decision will be made no earlier than December. So please continue to provide your feedback. And thank you and have a good night.