10-16--2025 Kyrene Long Range Planning Public Hearing

001Good evening, everyone. We are calling to order the public hearing. Item 1.1, convene public hearing. The public hearing is convened at 6 p.m. This is the first of seven public hearings that the governing board is going to be having on the recommendations of the Long Range Planning Committee. There's going to be six regional hearings at each of the middle schools, as well as a seventh hearing at the district office. So this is the first of the seven hearings. In terms of the agenda for tonight. We're gonna have an opportunity for board members to do a quick welcome or statement if they'd like to make some we're gonna do a brief Presentation just to lay out the school closure on boundary changes that are being proposed if you're not familiar with them And then we're gonna

002move right into public comment If you've ever been to a board meeting before, the format of the hearing is going to be a lot like the public portion of the board meeting. You'll get called up. You'll have an opportunity to address the board with one main difference. At a board meeting, if we have 31 or more speakers, we typically limit everybody to one minute so that everybody has a chance to talk. Today and at all of our hearings, it's because of the magnitude of what we're talking about. Regardless of how many people have turned in a blue card, everybody's going to have two minutes. to address the board you don't have to use all two minutes but you have two minutes to address the board if you do wish to speak to the board this

003evening please have your blue card turned in you should have seen that at the sign-in table if you haven't done it already you can do that now um if you're filling it out you can fill it out now and turn it into mr alel who's there in the back collecting those so that will be on the agenda for uh today in terms of the the purpose of today is to hear from you this is the hearing So the board is not going to be discussing anything tonight, but we're not making any decisions tonight. What we're going to be doing is having these hearings. We're going to have discussions along the way. Those discussions have already happened in public meetings and retreats. We're going to continue to have discussions in public meetings and retreats. All of

004those will be publicly noticed. They'll be in the boardroom. They will be live streamed. But tonight, we're here to listen to you for your feedback. So I want to thank everybody who is here, who is coming to speak. to share your feedback and to share your concerns. So with that, I'm going to open it up. Do any board members wish to make a welcoming statement tonight? I'll pass this down to Member Davis. Thank you all for coming. I'm very, very happy to see you all and look forward to hearing from you. I just. To me, I'm looking out at a sea of people. If you heard my opening remarks a few weeks ago where Mr. Rogers said, look for the helpers, I look out at you and I see our helpers. We need your help.

005We want it. And appreciate good, solid suggestions. I look forward to hearing them. I also, if this is just a personal thing, after the meeting, if it's not too late. I'm going to hang around for a little bit if anybody feels that they need to say anything to me. But that's just my own personal thing. I live near here, so it will take me two minutes to get home. So thank you all for coming. All right. With that, I'm going to turn it over to our superintendent, who's going to make a brief presentation on the proposed changes. Thank you. Can you hear me okay? Thank you President Walsh, governing board members. Thank you to everyone who made time to be here tonight, whether to speak or to hear from fellow community members regarding proposed school

006closures and boundary changes in the Kyrene Elementary School District. I am Kyrene Superintendent Laura Tenyas and I have just a short introduction this evening. A year ago, the Governing Board voted to form a long-range planning committee to address projected enrollment trends and maximize the use of schools and facilities. After seven months of study, the committee presented a recommendation to the Board in September. Following 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 timeline. Then, community members who signed up to speak will each have two minutes to address the board. As a

007reminder, 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 proposed changes. Questions can be submitted on the long-range planning webpage and may be answered in future communications or in online FAQs. I do want to acknowledge how difficult this moment is for our community and our district. No district wants to close schools. By consolidating resources, Kyrene aims to preserve the excellence that defines our schools and ensure fiscal stability for years to come. So this slide is the proposed elementary closure and boundary changes. We're going to look at just elementary boundaries first. The elementary closures that have been proposed would close Colina, Estrella, Millennial, and Menides in 26-27 school year. The other elementary closures would close Mariposa and Kyrene Traditional Academy

008in the 27-28 school year. Those closures obviously result in many boundary changes within our district, and so I'm going to just highlight those boundary changes. Lagos and Norte would have no boundaries beginning in 26-27, meaning they are open enrollment boundary-less schools with no transportation. Colina and Lomas will merge boundaries beginning in 26-27, so all of Colina and all of Lomas become one large boundary. Millenio and Esperanza merge boundaries beginning in 26-27. Estrella Lagos Super Boundary, that's what we currently call our Estrella Lagos Boundary, is split between Monta Vista east of 32nd and Sierra west of 32nd beginning in 2627. Menides and Marada will merge boundaries beginning in 2627. Mariposa and Wagner will merge boundaries beginning in 2728. Kyrene Traditional Academy will be split between Breesis Elementary and Paloma Elementary beginning in 27-28. Out-of-district, so we

009transport some students from out-of-district, we call our regions. The Maricopa region students will be offered transportation to Monta Vista in 26-27. And our baseline region students will be offered transportation to both Ninos and Lomas, which is really no change. They're already going to those two. There are a couple other schools that our baseline region have also been transported to, but it will now be limited to Ninos and Lomas. And then Cerritos, Cielo, and Ninos will have no boundary changes. So this slide really just looks at that same information in a little bit of a different way. They are the same changes I shared, just more in a timeline view for the elementaries. So most of the elementary changes will occur next school year, which is the 26-27 school year, including our out-of-district transportation changes and

010our dual-language open enrollment no-boundary changes. The only elementaries that won't see any changes next year... would be Mariposa, which would also include Wagner then, so they won't see their boundary change until that following year. And Kyrene Traditional Academy won't see the boundary change until 27-28, which then impacts Paloma and Bresa. So that's why you see those boundary changes occurring in the 27-28 school year. For middle school, we have a little bit of a different map. And so for our middle school closures, we'd be looking at closing Occemal and Pueblo in the 27-28 school year. And then the middle school boundary changes would be centennial boundaries would change to include Lomas, Esperanza, part of Monta Vista, anything south of Chandler Boulevard, and the Lagos dual language open enrollment students beginning in 27-28. So you can see

011all the blue on that map would then become centennial boundaries. Altadena boundaries would change to include Cerritos, Sierra, parts of Monta Vista north of Chandler Boulevard beginning in 2728. On the east side of the freeway, the Apprende boundaries would change to include Bresas, Cielo, Paloma beginning in 2728. That is our green area up there. And then the Kyrene boundaries would change to include Ninos, Wagner, Murata, and Norte's dual language open enrollment beginning in 2728. For our out-of-district regions, the Maricopa region students would be offered transportation to Centennial in 2728. And our baseline region students would continue to be offered transportation to Kyrene Middle School and Centennial. They'll also continue to be offered transportation in 26, 27, and 27, 28. And just like our other timeline slide, these are really the same changes for middle school

012that I mentioned in the last slide. This is just a timeline view. But all of the middle school changes occur in the 27-28 school year. And so with that, I'm going to hand it back to President Walsh to begin the public comment portion. All right. Item 3.1 is our public comment. So as with a normal board meeting, we're going to call each up to address the board. You can come up to the microphone here. You'll be given two minutes to address the board, regardless of how many blue cards we have this evening. There's going to be a timer that's going to show up on the screen here that will show you how much time that you have left. We do ask so that everybody can speak tonight. You try to honor that timer. We're going

013to have a brief recess at the top of each hour. So 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock, just a quick five-minute recess. So just anticipate that. What I'd like to do, because it's a school night, is if we have students here tonight, I would like them to come and address the board first, if that would be okay with the parents. And we would love to get the students up here first. So I am not, some of you may have seen us do this at the last board meeting. I am not sure who in this pack of blue cards is a student, so I'm just going to invite all the students to come up and line up at the microphone. We will address, you can go each one by one, and then when we go through these blue

014card stack, if I've called a student before, we'll just skip over them. So feel free to come on up. You don't have to come right now, students, if you want to wait, if you don't want to go first, but we welcome you to come up now. So do we have the timer ready? Excellent. Okay. And before we start... I want to make sure all of our students know that we are extremely proud that you are here speaking up. We know that sometimes speaking in front of anybody is kind of nervous, and speaking in front of a big room can be even more, and we know you're going to do a great job. So thank you for being here, and you're going to do well. So we will start it off with our first student. Hello

015Kyrene board, staff, students, friends and family and many many other people. My name is Kyra Lee, I am a former Marauder Monarch and current Pueblo Bulldog. I'm sure most of you, if not all of you, are familiar with the idea of homework. And sometimes they feel like the homework never, never, ever, ever ends. And that's how I felt yesterday afternoon. And then someone came up and said to me, when do you have time for fun? and between extracurriculars and homework and sleep. When do I have time for fun? And that's when I realized school is my fun. I know lots of people don't like school because of the work, but school is a family. Our Pueblo band slogan is Pueblo band family united in harmony. Pueblo band family. We are a family. Someone who I

016know would really like to join our Pueblo family is my little sister, May. Her birthday is actually today, and she said to me, I want you to go to the Murano meeting thing because you can go to my real birthday another time, but you can't go to the Murano meeting another time. My little eight-year-old sister is concerned of the idea of being split up from her best friend based on their intelligence and overcrowded schools. Please don't destroy joy. Please don't split up the family. Please don't take away my second home. Thank you. Thank you, Kira. My name is Kira Sclementi, and I'm in fifth grade at Kyrene Dela Mariposa. I've been attending Mariposa since 2018. That's eight years of my 11 years of life. I love Mariposa. Mariposa staff care about our learning environment and

017making sure that everyone is successfully learning. Mariposa has been an A... plus rated school since 2004 the longest standing a plus school in the district while all kyrene schools are good mariposa is excellent but for i went to mariposa i was sassy rude and disrespectful to others but mariposa changed me they made me kind caring and not as sassy mariposa has been teaching me coding since preschool nowhere else offers young students the opportunity to code which will definitely help me when i'm all grown up mariposa must remain open i need my baby sister to be able to attend and have all the opportunities for learning that i had over these last eight years. If you close Mariposa, what reason should I give her when she asks why she can't attend Mariposa? Don't close Mariposa. Everything

018about the school is working and must remain open for the greater success of all Kyrene. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Hello, my name is Sophia McKeown and I'm an eighth grader at Kyrene Traditional Academy. I've been at KTA since preschool at their Early Learning Academy. So this school has been a part of my life for as long as I can really remember. I'm also an open enrollment student. My family lives close to Chandler and I could have gone to Chandler Traditional Academy, but my parents chose Kyrene because the district's outstanding reputation and strong academic foundation. offered through KTA's traditional academy model. KTA is the only school in the Kyrene District that follows this model using Saxton math and Spalding reading. These programs focus on mastering the basics, going step by step, and really

019making sure students understand what they're learning instead of just memorizing it. The traditional approach has helped me feel confident and well prepared for high school. Being a part of a K-8 campus has also given me amazing opportunities. I was able to start band in fourth grade and continue all the way through middle school. My older brother, who's now a junior at... Corona Del Sol High School has also went to KTA. He's now in marching band and his love for music started right here when he joined band in fourth grade, just like me. I've also planned to join my marching band next year because music has become such an important part of my life. If KTA closes, future students want the same opportunities, not the traditional model, not the early start in music, and not the

020close community that helps students grow from kindergarten through eighth grade. Please keep... carrying traditional academy open so that other students can have the same experiences my brother and I have had. KTA has shaped who I am and I'm proud to be a part of this amazing school and the Kyrene District. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much. Hello President Walsh, Superintendent Tenyes, and members of the school board. My name is Lucia Santoro and I'm a fourth grader at Kyrene Del Norte Dual Language Academy. And I would like to thank you so much for hearing concerns and recommending keeping Norte as an active school and dual language academy. I ask you to consider keeping Norte as it is so my younger siblings, friends, siblings, and many others may have many good years learning Spanish

021and English together. I think we should consider leaving Norte in its current building because of these reasons. Number one, it's in a good location. Many of my friends come from Mesa and Chandler specifically for the Dual Language Academy. The Norte building is close and accessible to their homes too. If Norte moved to another building, I'm afraid they would choose a different school because it would be too far away. Our community, number two, our community made many improvements to the property. Since I was in kindergarten, the teachers, students, and families of Norte put a lot of improvements into the property, including beautiful mosaics out front, a native plant garden, a gardening program, and the city of Tempe recently updated the park next door. These improvements make this space a beautiful place to learn and thrive in

022for a really long time. Thank you so much for hearing our concerns and recommending we keep notaries for our dual language culture contrived, which includes things like ofrendas, fiestas, feria a España, loteria, canciones en español, and many more fun things. Gracias por todo su tiempo. Thank you very much. Hi, my name is Tegan, and I live in Lakewood and go to Ocky Mall Middle School. All my friends that go to Ocky Mall and don't live in Lakewood will go to Altadena while I go to Centennial. And I'm not the only neighborhood, and I'm the only neighborhood that this happens to. When I go to Desert Vista High School, all my Centennial friends will go to Mountain Point. Please keep my friends together. And while we're talking about it, the easiest way to do that is

023don't close Ocky Mall. Thank you, Tegan. Hello, my name is Priya Trivedi. I'm a student at Mariposa. I'm also a No Place for Hate ambassador and National Elementary Honor Society member. I love Mariposa because I get to learn from kids from all different backgrounds. I feel proud of our school and the friends I've made here. If Mariposa closes, many families like mine will have to leave and no longer walk or bike to school. We want to stay together. Learning in a school values everyone, not being separated by programs. Please keep Mariposa open. Please make Mariposa the one more school that you keep open. Thank you. Thank you, Priya. Let's give it up. One more round of applause for all of our students. Any other students that wish to speak? All right. Thank you again to

024our students. And to Kira, wherever you are, happy birthday to your sister. Thank you for being here tonight. All right, we are now going to proceed with the grown-ups who wish to address the board. I'm going to just call them and the names that they appear. If I happen to name a student name who's already spoke, just let me know and move on to the next one. So our first speaker here is Nicole Trivedi. Is Nicole going to be here? Perfect. Nicole will be followed by Ms. Sanghee Kim. Hello, and good evening. My name is Nicole Gordon Trivedi. I'm a mother, educator, former Kyrene student, and a proud Mariposa parent. You're facing a very difficult decision. I know that we all we all know that and I'm here to encourage you to keep Mariposa open

025for the benefit of the entire district and community. Why Mariposa? We are a diverse high performing neighborhood school. 66% of our students can walk or bike to school and live in the neighborhood. 43% of our families are economically disadvantaged. And we operate very leanly and efficiently as a smaller school. Any savings from closing Mariposa would be offset by increased busing costs and community disruption. Arizona's voucher system gives families real choice. And whether we like it or not, performance labels and reputation drive enrollment. Even though all Kyrene schools are excellent, an A-plus rating attracts families. When families lose access to a neighborhood A-plus school, they will explore other options, and many will leave the district. And as to the idea of a separate gifted school, pulling students out of neighborhood schools risks segregating children. disrupting communities

026and reducing diversity. Students benefit academically and socially when they learn alongside peers from all backgrounds. Closing Mariposa risks a self-fulfilling prophecy. Low enrollment, more families leaving, and reputational harm. Let's instead invest in Mariposa as a model of what Kyrene can be. Excellent, diverse, inclusive, high performing and neighborhood based. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Trivedi. Our next speaker is Sanghee Kim, who will be followed by Alex Bradley. Good evening. My name is Sanghee Kim, and I'm a Kyrene parent and a school administrator in another public school district. I recognize that long-term planning is difficult and that declining enrollment exists, and that makes these types of decisions complex. I'm deeply discouraged by how this process has unfolded. In one of the superintendent's messages, families were told that community feedback would be gathered and that no decisions would

027be made before December. However, one message was even quoted by a parent stating, less vocal communities have long carried the weight of being labeled less than or other than. The board must take extra care so families from these schools are not further stigmatized during an already difficult process. Those words gave me and others I have spoken with confidence in a fair process, but what followed told a different story. The plan was revised once after a board meeting, apparently in response to pressure from certain communities creating confusion, eroding trust, and leaving families like mine disheartened. We live in Chandler, but we chose to come to Kyrene, and specifically, Menides. For its teaming model and personalized learning, our son Mateo is accelerating, and Menides creates a learning environment that pushes growth. Sorry, through rigor and relevance, not

028separation. Every student deserves that same opportunity for challenge and connection, not just those in specialized programs. And the reason I'm sharing this is on August 27th, there was a presentation listed with data and percentages. However, there was no numbers that were totaling with those percentages, which reduces transparency in my eyes. Yet the board moved forward with changes tied to specialized programs without data and full community input, undermining, I feel, the district's stated values and trust. I respectfully propose returning to the original long-term plan or avoiding the plan and completing a full inclusive review before making any revisions. True engagement means decisions follow community input, not preceded. Promises must be lived through actions and not just stated. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Kim. Our next speaker is Alex Bradley. He'll be followed by Michaela Decker. Hi,

029good evening. I'm Alex Bradley, Ameriposa parent. I advise executive teams on growth, long-range planning, and premortems, and I've seen troubling missteps in this process, as well as mixed receptivity to longer-form community input. So I'll do my best in two minutes to flag the most obvious drivers of critical execution risk here. First, in strategic planning, key decision frameworks must be clearly defined from the start. Shifting goalposts and criteria post-talk invites bias. breaks models and kills trust. I haven't seen a uniform standard applied nor evidence that Mariposa fails it. Many criteria seem overlooked including the district level halo effects of A plus schools, the geo relative charter flight risk and birth rates, et cetera. Inconsistent postures have read as susceptible to nepotistic and confirmation biases and favoring loudest voices. Cautionary case studies are available to you. See

030the protracted process in Denver, where seven plus closures have not stemmed its precipitous enrollment decline, and a four year moratorium on additional closures resulted from the community outcry for clarity in decision making. While 20% of these displaced students are being lost to charters, 50% will flock to schools with higher state ratings. It would be foolish to underweight this key enrollment driver where Mariposa excels. Second, transparent pressure-tested modeling assumptions are key. Change in the demographer's outputs have been opaque and inconsistent, and many generalized assumptions appear to have been applied across sites in the economic modeling, despite untapped finer data. This unnecessarily results in a knife-edge output with limited dynamic range and comparative value. I still haven't seen the keep Mariposa scenario, but without appreciating site-to-site variability in dimensions like operational efficiency, where Mariposa also excels, modeling

031could steer us into a worse economic trajectory. This wouldn't pass muster in a corporate boardroom, and it shouldn't pass for our kids. Please thoughtfully consider the significant risk of botched execution and community backlash here. At a minimum, inviting audit of the modeling and its key assumptions would be wise. Our next speaker this evening is Michaela Decker. She'll be followed by Katie Tovsprink. The Long Range Planning Committee identified eight criteria to guide the demographer, and I want to speak to how keeping Mariposa open meets everyone. Number one, increased school utilization. Mariposa is operating at 75% capacity, close to the target, and a 229-unit affordable housing apartment complex just broke ground within Mariposa's boundaries. These future families need to be accounted for. That's why we've urged you to not cut too deeply. Number two and three, maintain

032a balance of schools across the district and consider proximity. One look at the proposed map reveals a cluster of schools all located next to each other. This then leaves a large geographic desert in South Tempe. Number four and five, minimize boundary changes and advance equity. Keeping Mariposa open allows 423 students to remain at a school that already exceeds their needs. Number six. Consider potential for facility repurposing, sale, or lease. Leaving a large geographic desert on the map opens the door to private or charter school encroachment, which could have long-term consequences for our public school system. Number seven, reduce student travel distance. Under the current proposal, Wagner would cover six square miles, over double the average size of other school zones. This would force many more students to travel much farther to attend school. Number eight,

033account for shared infrastructure and dependencies. While we are a standalone school, we house CCBS classrooms and the preschool evaluation team, maximizing every square foot of our facility. I urge you to ask the demographer to provide an additional map for your consideration. It is important to remember that the demographer kept Mariposa open on the very first recommendation he provided based on these guidelines. Thank you. Thank You miss Decker our next speaker this evening is Katie Tosburn she will be followed by Emily Yen I began attending Mariposa as a child in the 1980s as it is now Mariposa was a safe and welcoming place for all students my teachers protected supported and challenged me I felt loved thus I love to learn I was inspired to teach I completed my student teaching at Mariposa with the greatest

034exemplar of kindness the world could imagine, Mr. Brian Rock. Teachers and leaders like him, who stayed for years, decades even, have shaped Mariposa's legacy. When my children reached school age, I was living and teaching in Gilbert. Instead of keeping them at my school or in my district, I brought my kids all the way to Mariposa. Challenging, but worth it because of their teachers. possible because of the caring, positive community united at Mariposa. My four children from age 20 to age 8 all share the same Mariposa teachers like Kim Scheitlin because the teachers remain at Mariposa, dedicated, growing, thriving along with their students. Years later, I returned to teach at Mariposa, dream come true. Back to the place I met my lifelong friends from childhood. Back to the place I befriended fellow parents of kindergartners who

035have since graduated high school. Back to the place where my daughter, currently a third grader, introduced me to her bestie, whose mom happens to be a fellow Mariposa alum. Back home. Because families stay. Generations stay. Teachers stay. If Mariposa closes, hundreds of families will be forced elsewhere, not to where we are told, but to where we choose. We choose Mariposa for its culture, inclusivity, technology, and teachers. As a proud Kyrene resident, Kyrene student, Kyrene teacher, Kyrene mother, my whole world is tied to Mariposa. and it cannot simply be replicated in another building. In December, please consider voting that Mariposa, our trusted pillar of academic excellence, remains open to serve this generation of diverse and capable students. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Tosburn. Our next speaker is Ms. Emily Yen, who will be followed by Raquel

036Ellis. Hello, my name is Emily Yen and I am a proud Monitas parent. When I first read that Kyrene was going to be closing schools due to low enrollment and lack of funding, I thought, good. I hope it's not my school, but if it is, I understand that it has to be done. I was born and raised in Arizona, a proud product of public schools and with many public educators in my family. But having lived in Oakland in recent years, I saw the slow implosion of their public school system due to some of the same factors at play here. Schools remain under capacity for far too long, but they were paralyzed from closing any of them because of passionate and well-meaning parents like ourselves. And they didn't have to contend with ESA vouchers. And so

037I was extremely encouraged when it was announced that you would be using a demographer to provide an objective assessment on school consolidations based off of population data and trends. I trusted the process. So why are you going against that process and the data? What was the point of using the demographer if only to overrule it after one round of community feedback? What is the process now? Is there one? Or are you waiting to see which parents are the noisiest? Who can create the most AI-generated videos begging you to save our schools? Or maybe you are banking on Monita's parents to not put up a fuss, to take advantage of our pragmatism. Maybe you are relying on us being too busy working to be involved and vocal about our children's futures. And maybe that is why

038you announced the shift in closing Monita's on the first day of fall break. You say that you aren't making any decisions tonight, but yet you did after the last hearing. So who will be on the chopping block after tonight's forum? Which one of these schools will be left holding the grenade and have to fight it out at the next session? Or maybe you have already decided that it is Menides and these forums are all a force. For the parents threatening to move to charter and private schools if their school is closed, I implore you to not worsen this crisis for those children remaining in public schools. We are a community and Kyrene is community education. And for those parents who denigrated Menides, how dare you? How dare you disparage other schools and other children? That

039is not passion, that is pettiness. And that is the lesson that you are teaching your children. All the same, I wish your children only the best in whatever school they end up because I will not engage in mudslinging amongst our community to fight over the scraps while others drain our public education system. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Yen. Our next speaker is Ms. Raquel Ellis, who will be followed by James Rivera. Good evening, Superintendent Tenias, members of the board. Many of you know me. I'm the early literacy person here in Kyrene. I'm here to show my support of our district and the changes that need to happen to ensure our longevity. And with that, I just wanted to take this opportunity to express my concern about the proposal to end busing from the South Mountain

040community to our amazing dual language school, Kyrene Del Norte. We have a strong reputation within that community, a community that's quickly growing with new housing developments that have many young families. I have a four-year-old who's in the audience who attends a pre-K in that area, though we don't live there. But I cannot tell you how many parents there know who. we are and have heard what an incredible school district we are. The busing has been described as a game changer and in selecting Kyrene above the many charters in the area as well as Tempe Elementary, working parents would not have to worry about that drop off and that horrible traffic down baseline. I want to make sure that we can provide a viable alternative to the basis that's currently out there, as well as the

041great hearts that is currently being built in that community. If we end the busing to our flagship program, it's likely that many young families will not choose us, hurting our enrollment in the long run. With Norte being so close to Ninos, which is also a great school that students from South Mountain can get a bus to, it seems only logical to offer transportation to those students, and this would make us more marketable in a choice state. And now I understand. that the number currently taking the bus is low, but I believe this is due to the fact that many families aren't aware that this is an option. If I lived there, my husband and I would take that option to make it easier on us as working parents and educators. And in closing, I know,

042I want us to reiterate that I love Kyrene. We are the absolute best. There is a reason this has been my home for 12 years. My daughter will be a kindergartener here next year, and I just want to increase access to our amazing programs to more kids here in the Valley. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Ellis. Our next speaker this evening is James Rivera. He will be followed by Carol Burrell. Good evening. My name is James Rivera. I'm a parent of a first grader at Manitas and of two older children that went through the dual language program and graduated from KMS. I'm also an educator with over 20 years in public education. As a parent, educator, and administrator, it's not lost on me the gravity of the decision to close schools, displace teachers, and bring

043upon many students heartbreak as friends and faces will change. Hard decisions are made, and you should do the best that you can. However, I'm not sure we are seeing your best. Governance is transparent, data informed and collaborative. It builds trust through early communication, inclusion of diverse voices and consistent follow through. It is not reactive decisions that shift after public pressure. I am disappointed in you all and the lack of leadership and sensitivity. The superintendent's September 30th email stated, at the guidance of the Kyrene Governing Board, Kyrene has modified the long range planning committee's proposal. Community voice is highly valued and modifications reflect our commitment to engagement. Those words are nice, but actions surrounding this process have not reflected that commitment for all families. The sequence of events and new communication did not model shared governance.

044It modeled selective responsiveness. Transparency isn't about announcing a plan and revising it after backlash. It's about engaging communities before the plan is public, ensuring that every voice, not just the loudest or the most connected, is part of the process. Do not close manitas. Moneta's embodies and values what education should be, forward thinking pedagogy, multi-age learning environments, project based instruction, and teacher collaboration that prepares students for the future. It's a school built on innovation, inclusion, and courage, the very qualities our district should be expanding, not closing. True governance is proactive, not performative. It respects process as much as outcome. I urge you to lead by example to show that Kyrene stands for excellence in academics. and for excellence in how we lead, listen, and communicate with everyone, not just the select few. I urge you to

045be better. Be better for the community. Be better at how you communicate. Be better at how you make decisions. Be better because our kids deserve better. Thank you, Mr. Rivera. Our next speaker this evening is Carol Burrell. She'll be followed by Brandon King. Good evening. My name is Carol Burrell, a parent of two Kyrene kids, and I'm here tonight to ask you to keep Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School open. My twins are sixth graders there this year, and with the new timeline of proposed closures, they would not be able to finish their eighth grade year there. This is a community they have been in since age three. At Murata, they were two years the integrated preschool program, then kindergarten where it was interrupted by COVID. a full year of distance learning on Zoom for first

046grade, and then back in person to the gifted contained classroom where they finished fifth grade, one was in need of twice exceptional supports. They have just finished their first quarter at Pueblo and already feel at home there. With this proposed plan, they would be uprooted for their final year of middle school from Pueblo to KMS, a much bigger school. With half of their new friends and classmates they just spent two years getting to know zoned for Apprendi. These kids are resilient, but moving them will have real academic and emotional consequences, and we can do better for them in their last year. Please slow down this process. Take a stronger look at all the ideas, data, new information that the grassroots teams of parents and families from all the schools have uncovered. When closures were first

047proposed by the Long Range Planning Committee, a rigorous follow-up committee should have been created to gather deeper data and independent cost-benefit analyses. Please obtain second and third opinions and options from external consultants and explore partnerships with the City Councils to support enrollment. As an idea, could we find a way to make Pueblo a smaller open enrollment arts middle school with strong band, music, theater, choir, and art programs alongside with a gate pathway and a place for those twice exceptional students to be supported? This district has a chance to listen to the needs and ideas of the community and show what true innovation really means. I know you all feel this as much as anyone else, but this huge decision affects everyone's lives, futures, and mental health. Please take your time and begin with the end

048in mind. Thank you for listening. Thank you, Ms. Burrell. Our next speaker is Mr. Brandon King. He will be followed by Kevin Bird. Can I move this up? There we go. Hello. I'm gonna try to keep this quick. I am here, I'm gonna talk a little bit about the West Side District and I understand right now we are on the East Side where they have a lot to say and I respect that they have a lot to talk about over here. However, I am a parent of a student at a school that's being affected. I am also representing the Lakewood Homeowners Association and so I do need to be able to get this in place because next week you guys will be over. and we'll be talking over there. Earlier today, I emailed it as

049well, but earlier today I handed the secretary a proposal, one for each one of you. If you haven't gotten that, I'll be glad to stay afterwards to talk. The Lakewood HOA would like to support you taking a review at the maps that you guys are drawing. We are going to respectfully request that you take a look at adding a map option for a one middle school west configuration. That one middle school would consolidate the West District into a single campus at the Ocumel campus. You are closing Ashraea down that is on campus. We can repurpose that for a sixth grade campus. We also are very concerned obviously for Lagos, which is directly in our community as well. We would like to have you reconsider moving it back as previously approved on August 27th to include

050both dual language and English pathways. There is more in that proposal. It's a lot more detailed than that, and next week we will speak a lot more of that. But I do, I need to formally request you guys take a look at that. Right now, you're gonna roll into December here, and you have effectively two maps drawn on the west side. Both of those maps are the same maps for us. They both include two middle schools, which is Altadena and Centennial, and they both close Akamal. That's okay to discuss that. I think it's great to have that community input. We should also look at a different option. We should look at one option that gives us a chance as a community to talk about one middle school or the other option as well. It's fair.

051It's a conversation we should be having. You're going to have a tough choice. I understand that come December. Please make a decision. Don't choose the do nothing option, but please let us engage. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. King. Our next speaker is Kevin Bird. He will be followed by Kelsey Wolf-Denay. We're going to have to stop meeting like this. So the Mariposa community is truly special. It's a school with the highest percentage of students who live within its own neighborhood boundaries. Kids walk and ride to their bikes every day, even when it's 100 degrees outside, because they love being part of the community. Throughout this process, the Mariposa community and I have tried to share data showing why Mariposa represents the very best of the Kyrene experience. That is why it's so heartbreaking to still

052be fighting for the future of such a close, connected community. Mariposa just isn't another school. It's a home for our children and for our neighbors. It's a computer science academy that uniquely integrates coding into everyday learning, giving students skills that prepare them for the future. But what makes Mariposa truly special are the people. Our teachers have an average tenure of 10 years, and many grade-level teams have worked together for the same amount of time. You can't just recreate that. As a former teacher, I can tell you how rare and powerful it is to have that kind of consistency. My own family has experienced it firsthand. I have four children. Together, we work with the teachers because they know my kids. They've been identified their needs they've encouraged their growth and they've partnered with us as

053true partners every step of the way We have argued we have challenged we have tried to provide Ultimately the ask here is that we consider opening and keeping open Mariposa because it is a strong community Because it matters and because parents there matter and so do the children so that is my request. Thank you Thank you, Mr. Byrd. Our next speaker is Ms. Kelsey Wolfe-Denay. She will be followed by Michelle Eng. Good morning, Karen, Kevin, and Bert. Good morning. Good evening, Kyrene Recovery Board members. My name is Kelsey Wolf-Dawney, and I am a Kyrene kid. I went to Mayor Post. I also went to KMS. I don't think I've been back here since the 90s. And I want to just start out with gratitude. All of the people here in the audience that you may

054not be able to see online, but it really is inspiring how many people since August 27th have been focused on this effort because we all love our schools. plural all of our schools, as well as we all love Kyrene as a whole. I also want to shout out our incredible teachers who are here and who have been working throughout this challenging time. And our leadership, we have our principal here tonight, and our staff, we have Ms. Bernice, our awesome building manager. So again, I am here representing the Mariposa PTO. We have many families who are not able to be here tonight. And so I always like to just say that I'm here representing all of our families and communities, especially as noted, our 43% of families who are economically disadvantaged. My question for you tonight

055is to, as we start, this is our first of many meetings that we'll have together. And question about making sure. that we all understand that you are open to making changes, that we are going through this process in good faith, and that we really have the opportunity to make a change before that December timeline. I appreciated the email today, the newsletter for the board about the new timeline for enrollment of moving that to February so that we do have time to have a new map be presented. Finally, I want to share. My personal vote for yes for the M&O override, my ballot is sitting on my kitchen table. And, you know, as we've gone through this process, especially in our community in Warner Ranch, we've been saying, yes, we need to do two things at

056the same time. We need to work on saving Mariposa and saving Kyrene. Thank you so much. Have a great day. Thank you, Ms. Walthonany. Our next speaker will be Ms. Michelle Eng, who will be followed by Delia Lighty. Hi, I'm Michelle Ang. I'm a teacher at Kyrene Traditional Academy. I'm also a community member. And my phone just closed. Okay. I know many tonight are advocating for their school. I'm not here for that, but rather to say thank you to all of you for being a governing board member, making this difficult decision. I know you all want to make the Kyrene community stronger, not select schools, but the community. And I appreciate all the time that you've taken out of your life to make this decision. I know some of you might not be sleeping. Some

057of you are doing extra meetings or visiting schools or whatever, but it's taking a lot of your time and I appreciate that. I know not everyone will be happy with your decision, but I know that you are doing what's best for all of the Kyrene community. So thank you very much for your time. Thank you, Ms. Ang. Our next speaker this evening is Delia Lighting. She'll be followed by Scott Hardish. Good evening, Kyrene Board. My name is Delia Lighting, and I am the KEA president. I would like to take a moment to thank you for the work you are doing for our Kyrene community. You all show up every day to learn, listen, ask questions, think, and reflect. That is what you are doing right now. For some of our community, this process is moving

058way too fast. And for others, it's moving way too slow. That just proves the point that there will be times when you cannot please everyone. There will come a time when the only thing left to do is act. When that action takes place, my hope for all of us is that we as a community stop to realize just how transparent this whole process has been. Kyrene has gone above and beyond to keep us all aware of where we are in terms of consolidating our schools. From the first board voting to create an LRP committee, to each of these LRP meetings being live streamed with the slideshows being available, to multiple forms of communication with every update that's occurred, to our board retreats, and finally to these public hearings. We are seeing districts from all over

059our state having to make the difficult decision of closing schools. and the community only being informed through emails. The community in those cases is completely left out. That is not us. That is not how we operate in Kyrene, and I'm so very thankful for that. I have had multiple conversations with you as the KEA president about how our teachers are doing through all of this. No one wants to see their school have to go through consolidation. We make our classrooms our home for our students and for us. We grow as a family, which means we bicker and we celebrate. We have created special places that will be very difficult to replicate. Difficult, but not impossible. What is becoming more and more impossible for our educators to deal with are the surmounting responsibilities that fall on

060us when we have to operate the same high level that Kyrene expects with less and less resources. We are being stretched to our limit, which has already led to many teachers leaving Kyrene and the education profession altogether. When our schools operate at less than full capacity, more is put on the staff to run that school. This means more duty, more committee work to ensure the implementation of programs that we have promised to our Kyrene community, more meetings, less time to plan and prepare for the diverse needs of our students. Thank you, Ms. Lighting. I'm sorry. Our next speaker this evening is Mr. Scott Harnish. He'll be followed by Veronica Fahner. I just take the time to say thank you very, very much. Something I'm quite sure you have not heard recently. It's very, very easy

061to banter around the word family, but we forget you're a part of our family too. And what kind of broke my heart today was hearing that some of you didn't feel safe coming out and around into the audience because you didn't feel safe physically, mentally, emotionally. And I have to tell you that being part of a family is also knowing that you're with that family. through thick and thin. That when it's not an easy time, that's when family counts. It's easy when, and I can say that now, my school was closing and now we're not, and after 33 years I don't want to move out until it's to my home on the ocean. But I don't see that happening anytime soon. When the chips are down that's when family counts Somebody's heart is going to

062be broken here and my heart breaks for them and mine isn't at the moment But it could be again. I love Norte I love Kyrene 33 years proves it but you need to hear it from us now that we appreciate you we respect you and It's never going to be an easy job and we can sit out here saying you need to do this And if I were only there and if we were only there we could have run for the position But we didn't I couldn't because I don't live in the district but I will say thank you again because it's not an easy job. It's easy to just arm chair and be a quarterback the next day, but you're doing the job now. So I thank you for doing that because that's not

063easy. Thank you, Mr. Harnish. Our next speaker this evening is Ms. Veronica Foner. She will be followed by Christy Wolfe. Hi, I just wanted to say thank you. I know you guys haven't seen me before, but I just wanted to say thank you. At the last retreat, you guys said that you were going to take into consideration the traditional model and that we appreciate that you're listening to our voices for that. The only thing I wanted to ask is that maybe before... January you guys can discuss it again because our families have to make choices on what's going to happen with our kids if we don't have the traditional model so if that's another Kyrene homeschool that our boundary is changing too but if you guys can maybe I don't know have another retreat and

064discuss the traditional model because if we wait until January other schools like that are competitors to traditional model, they're already gonna have their wait list full. So if you guys could help us with that, we'd greatly appreciate that. Just so we have an opportunity to know what our choices are. And then... I'm also a staff member at Kyrene's traditional Academy and I am the health assistant there. And you guys have not really talked about what's going to happen to the staff that besides the teachers that we, we know the teachers are going to go with our students, but support staff hasn't really been spoken about. Like what's going to happen to us and the schools that are staying open, have the upper hand advantage because their staff is going to stay there, but we just

065really need to discuss. instead of getting roundabout answers like what's going to happen to the rest of the staff that's not going to be part of Kyrene anymore do we need to start looking or what that looks like the other thing is the switching from two years to from three years to two year closure that really does affect our kids for, I know there's a couple of middle schools, but we have sixth graders that will now, when we close in a year, will have to go to another middle school and then high school. So if you guys could reconsider switching it back to the three-year closure planning instead of the two, that would give our students the opportunity not have to switch to schools before high school. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Foner. Our next

066speaker and our final speaker before we take a quick recess will be Ms. Christy Wolford. That will be followed by a brief recess. Ms. Wolford. Hey, guys. Whoa, hey now. That is loud and proud. I know that we are on the east side, and I mostly represent the west side with Akimol, the signature middle school on the west side. So I'm not going to say too much. You guys all know where I stand on that. But I will say that this new proposal that... I was made aware of yesterday about one middle school, potentially one on each side. I know that's going to ruffle a lot of feathers, but oh my gosh, it shocked me at first, but it's so intriguing. And I look at cities like New York or Indianapolis or Chicago with these

067master middle schools, and I think we're on to something. Maybe sort of. It's another way to keep kids together. I just want to throw that out there. I'm still processing it, but I really like what I've seen so far. And I'm, yeah, we can talk more about that later. One thing also I think all of us need to be fully aware of is this override coming up. We are here because high funding. It's not in our favor. This override on the 4th of November, please vote for it. We all voted for it already in 2021. If we don't vote for this, it's going to start to phase out in 2027. And that means our arts, our music, our teachers, our smaller classrooms that we all crave. buh-bye. Guys, you need to get your neighbors on

068board to vote for this override. We need the override because these closures are happening because of lack of funding. The override is going to make things 10 times worse. So just want to get that out there and Occamaw rocks. We're going to take a quick five-minute recess. We're going to start sharply at 7.06. Our first speaker back will be Jen Pratt. Thank you. In the hearing. All right. Thank you again. We are... reconvening our hearing it's 7 13 p.m. again I want to thank you all for being here for our first of seven hearings and just as I mentioned earlier this feedback is part of the process for the board to come to its final decision in December so again nothing has been decided or approved by the board we are going to continue to

069have discussions throughout the hearing process and the earliest the decision would be made would be in December and if a decision were to be made that would change this map in any way it would require a single additional hearing that we would have at that time but none of that would be discussed at the earliest until December so I just want to make sure everybody was clear on that timing we'll start back up with our next speaker who will be Miss Jen Pratt she'll be followed by Jeff Brichta sorry John I thought it said Jen Okay, thank you. Just so you know, Jen Pratt is my wife, and she is on the PTO at Mariposa, so good call, no worries. I am the father of two Kyrene kids as well, one at Mariposa and one

070at Pueblo, potentially to be displaced. I speak tonight as a believer in public education. Indeed, we are reminded of this value it brings when we moved our daughter, our oldest daughter, from a charter school to Mariposa. Because of its exceptional leadership, a strong sense of community and academic excellence. On reflection, it was one of the best decisions that we made as a family. Our daughter Sabrina is now a proud Mariposa alum. You may remember her at an earlier board meeting speaking in support of her former school. I also understand that the school district must think strategically about how it allocates its resources. In many ways, this is a business that serves a community in an increasingly competitive landscape. And any good business must ask, does it make sense to close one of your top performing

071businesses? What would it look like displacing existing customers to which those students go? What does the market analysis say? In terms of performance, as you all know, Mariposa has been an honor as an A-plus school of excellence for five consecutive times, and there's only one of ten in the entire state that is prominently displayed on the Kyrene District website as a symbol of pride and success. From a business perspective, Mariposa is your flagship school in that sense, that you showcase to attract families and build confidence in the Kyrene brand. Regardless of how easy... Some may believe it is to earn the A-plus designation. The truth is that families pay attention to this. Even on KTAR radio last month when board member Bonnie Davis spoke thoughtfully about the difficult choices ahead, afterward the producer remarked he

072was so proud of the AZ public school system he was in coming from an A-rated excellent school break back in the day. That comment resonated with me because of it reflected how families feel about these schools. Speaking of families, Mariposa serves a diverse family population, 43% of which are on free or reduced lunch, 27% is district average. From a socioeconomic standpoint, is it more greatly impacted by school closures? Have you considered how these students will be impacted in that closure? Thank you, Mr. Pratt. Thank you very much. Appreciate your time. Our next speaker will be Mr. Jeff Brichta, who will be followed by Kathy Mindeman. Hello. Thank you for actually pronouncing my name correctly. So I'm a parent of kids who go to Menidas. When the first plan came out, I was kind of relieved

073because, oh, look, Menidas is staying open. But then I know there was a lot of noise made by other parents, rightfully so, but their school's closing. And then the second round, second draft came out and Menides is now closing. Of course, I was upset and confused. Like what happened? You just caved to the pressure from parents? I mean, if that's the case, it looks like Mariposa is going to stay open after tonight. I mean, I hope they do. It just seems like there's no plan. You're just kind of knee-jerk reactions here. I mean, I think. The plan needs to be more transparent. This has been said a million times tonight. I don't need to belabor that point, but I mean the plan needs to be transparent. and let us know what you're thinking. Why are

074we closing this one? Why is this one staying open? I don't understand the process. If we'd be more open about that, that would be great. Just to advocate for Menides, I mean, it's a wonderful school. It has a different model than many of the other schools. My kids struggled a bit in the traditional school, starting at Wagner and then moving over to Menides, have done phenomenally well. I don't know of any other school that has a model like that. Perhaps others do, and I just don't know that. I think closing that would just be a huge loss to the community. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Brichta. Our next speaker is Kathy Minderman, who will be followed by Alvin Hamilton. Good evening members of the board and the community. My name is Kathy Mindeman and I

075am the parent of three Kyrene kiddos currently with a sixth grader who is thriving in the dual language program first at Kyrene de los Lagos and now at Aki Mall. In 2019, my family moved from Indiana to Arizona because of a corporate relocation. Coming from a state where excellence in education is a top community value, we absolutely researched every district before moving. And we chose Kyrene specifically because of the combination of Kyrene de los Lagos for the dual language program, Ocky Mall Middle School and Desert Vista High School, and... the Lakewood community, which is a family-based neighborhood. It reflects the very foundation of what Kyrene stands for. Akimol has the highest enrollment in the entire district. Sixth and eighth grades are at full capacity and a waiting list for families eager to join. More than

076200 families living within the Centennial and Altadena boundaries chose Akimol instead, and even teachers have transferred from Centennial to Akimol for years because of Akimol's leadership. culture and student engagement. OccuMall is the only language immersion middle school on the west side supported by the most diverse elective offerings and established infrastructure. Operationally, it's efficient. Easy freeway access reduces transportation costs and OccuMall's athletic fields generate revenue through hosted championship and they don't generate as much expense. OccuMall is a success story. academically strong, operationally efficient, deeply tied to the community. Please keep it open so we can continue setting the standard for Kyrene excellence. And I have 15 seconds, so thank you. Thank you for hosting these open sessions and genuinely considering the feedback of parents, teachers, students. Your willingness to listen to the community means a great

077deal to all of us who care deeply about Kyrene's future. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Vinderman. Our next speaker is Alvin Hamilton, who will be followed by Crystal Chow. Good evening, and I want to thank you all for having these meetings. I learned something. I thought this was a done deal, but it sounds like you're still in the tweaking process, so that's good. My son went to Kyrene from kindergarten through eighth grade. I worked for Kyrene for 20 years. We still live in the area, so I can still consider myself part of the Kyrene community. And I believe local schools are very important. And again, it's a hard decision, but if there's any way possible to keep them open, I think you should look into it. I know it comes down to money, and we

078can hope a legislative change will free up the money that schools should get, public schools. But in the meantime, I don't know the finances now, but when I was an employee, the Kyrene board was very, I'll say, thrifty or ultra-conservative on spending a dollar here and a dollar there. The rainy day fund went up even during economic downturn. And I don't know the... level of the rainy day fund now, but then it could have funded the shortfall for a year or two. So I hope you're looking into using that because it's kind of a rainy day for some of these people. And again, I don't know the finances. I haven't been involved in a long time. So I hope you'll look at that because it's important. And on the plus side of the do get

079the money, the smaller classroom. teacher to student ratios will go down, which would be a very good thing, because when I was working, a lot of the teachers were having close to 30 students or more in the classroom, and it was a tough job for them, but they still did a great job, so thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hamilton. Our next speaker is Crystal Chow. Is Ms. Chow here? All right. Our next speaker then will be Ms. Karen Seelock, who will be followed by Mark Wolf. Good evening. I'm a proud parent of two KTA students and an involved community member as KTO's PTO vice president. We chose KTA out of boundary and out of district for the stellar scores and reputation that KTA has held as the only traditional model and K-8 school in the

080district. You've focused on closing one of the most unique programs in the district. And you've focused on removing a choice model, and parents really want choices. Tonight though I want to focus and express my concern that the board and the long-range planning committee may have overlooked and undervalued the benefit of the uniform environment I'm confident that this is a focus for all parents and everyone in the community in sending our kids to a safe environment every day. It does help increase safety as it makes it easier to identify students on campus, helps staff spot outsiders or intruders more quickly. It promotes equality by reducing visible socioeconomic differences between students and minimizes peer pressure related to brands and trends. It improves focus on learning by reducing distractions related to fashion and shifts the focus from appearance

081to academics. It saves time and reduces stress for busy families by eliminating daily decisions about what to wear and easing morning routines for both students and working parents. That's a big factor in our house. It can be cost effective for family as well by reducing the need to buy trendy or expensive clothing. And uniforms are often durable, long lasting, and can be passed down. We always donate our uniforms to our neighbors next door because their kids are younger than ours. It promotes discipline by setting a professional tone and encourages respectful behavior. And it helps prepare our students for dress codes in the future in their workplaces. It enhances school identity and pride by encouraging a sense of belonging and school spirit and makes students feel more connected to their school and community when they see

082others dressed the same as them. A big part of what we want to understand is why the traditional model, why the educational benefits that go along with that are being overlooked in this environment, and we just want to have a better understanding of why some of those components are not being factored, including the uniform environment. Thank you. Thank You miss Enoch our next speaker this evening is Mark wolf will be followed by Katie Burke out in 2007 my family moved to Tempe the decision on where to live was driven by finding the absolute best school for my older daughter and we moved into the district bounties for Mariposa my older daughter attended Mariposa and then Pueblo my younger daughter is a first grader at Mariposa I worked at the office of the Maricopa County Superintendent

083as an analyst. We can use a data-driven approach to determine which schools should remain open by looking at the schools that are currently attracting the most students. That is, we can use the occupancy rate, the number of enrolled students divided by capacity, to determine which schools are attracting the most students. The demographic and enrollment study of the February 26, 2025 Planning Committee presentation shares the 2024-25 occupancy rate. for the 19 schools that offer elementary education in the district. Of the 19 schools, the occupancy rate varies from 75% at the top down to 39% at the bottom. The school with the highest occupancy rate, the school at 75% is Mariposa. If Mariposa were closed, you'd be closing the school within the district that is performing the best at attracting students. Mariposa attracts a high percentage of

084students within its boundaries. 66% within the boundaries, within district 18%, out of district 16%. If Mariposa is closed, less families will move into Kyrene District. You wouldn't even need to change the school boundaries. Mariposa would grow by attracting students from the closed schools. Family from the closed schools would select Mariposa over leaving the district. By keeping Mariposa open, you would keep families from leaving the district. Closing Mariposa would make the problem of declining enrollment much worse and calls into question the school consolidation plan. I urge the board to consider the data. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Wolf. Our next speaker is Katie Burkell, who will be followed by Jeanette Olguin. I want to thank you all so much for being here and continuing to spend your time and your effort and continuing to listen and

085engage with us. I am Katie Burkle. I'm a prevention scientist. And so what that means is in comparison with treatment, when you think about you might want to be you're stopping the bleeding, you're putting a bandaid or maybe a tourniquet on the problem. Prevention focuses on upstream risk and resilience factors to prevent harmful experiences or consequences. So prevention is often a hard sell. We want immediate results. We want to delay making investments as long as possible. But unfortunately, we find ourselves now in crisis mode because our predecessors have not taken this prevention orientation. And the result, as you've heard, is just extreme harm to our students, our communities, our families. Public education is the cornerstone of American democracy, and it is the heart of our communities. and especially in neighborhood schools like Mariposa. I thought

086I might get to the end, I cried, but no. So, you know, it must be saved. It must be saved for future generations. And as you have heard, we do not foresee that our current plan is gonna achieve those goals. So it is time to get hungry and scrappy. You know, ASU where I work is number one for innovation, 11 years in a row. partially because great people, but also that pressure of financial challenges has forced us to be that way. And that's where we are now. So there are effective approaches to revitalizing the funding situation for public schools. It takes some creative partnerships, leveraging resources. I mean, you have a force to be reckoned with here in this room that could be leveraged for keeping all of the schools open. So it is not

087too late to. think about other strategies and get creative, please don't give up. We are clearly not giving up. Thank you all. Thank you, Ms. Burkle. Our next speaker will be Jeanette Olguin, who will be followed by Samantha Smith. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Jeanette, and I'm a proud Mariposa parent from Levine. We make the drive every day because Mariposa isn't just a school, it's family. When you walk onto campus, you feel it. sense of belonging, smiles, and the quiet confidence in the students. I'd like to share that my family participates in the Mariposa World Fair Day each year, where students and their families travel the world through their classmates' cultures. With 40 countries represented, it's a beautiful celebration of unity and learning. As a Head Start teacher, I've seen firsthand

088how much the right environment matters. Mariposa is that environment. It's diverse, high performing, and led with heart. Mr. Fahlgatter and Ms. Tucker even know my daughter by name, and I'm sure they know most of their students, if not all the same way. That kind of connection is rare, and it shows that at Mariposa, every child matters. Mariposa runs above the district target utilization. It holds both A plus and blue ribbon recognition and continues to draw out of district families for its exceptional quality and true reflection of Kyrene's promise of world class learning. Moving Mariposa wouldn't just close a building. It would destabilize and anchor in this community. In 2013, Chicago showed us that moving high performing schools doesn't work. For many students, especially those who face social and learning challenges, losing mariposa stability would be

089heartbreaking and a complete setback. Keeping Mariposa open is what's best for our children. It's where they thrive, where families feel supported, and where their educators pour their hearts into every day. My youngest starts kindergarten next year, and we want her to have the same incredible experience. We drive from across the valley because Mariposa is worth it, and I hope you'll see that it's worth saving, too. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Olguin. Our next speaker is Samantha Smith, who will be followed by Mark Renato. I'm a little taller, so I'll go up a little bit. All right. Hello. First, thank you for all your time. We know you're volunteers. And we all know that as volunteers, all the time we spend doing things. But thank you for your extra effort for our district. I am a

090community member, a parent of two Kyrene students and also a spouse of a Kyrene teacher. I am representing the Kyrene Traditional Academy demographic. We have a high demographic that is single family homes or parents that work in the evening, so it's hard for them to come to evening things. That's why we have to have a lot of things after our school day, right after, so students can attend. We are a school that is not fully known about our curriculum are standing. So getting more information on this would be wonderful, just asking. An idea for you, because that's what we're here for, for you to hear things, is possibly, since we've kind of changed up the map and the repurposing, since no one's listed as a repurpose anymore, is making the KTA campus a half gifted,

091half traditional. I am 100% pro uniforms, just like Karen talked about. I see the benefits. My kindergartner wore her uniform half a break because that's what she's most comfortable in. A THOUGHT FOR YOU, ANOTHER IDEA BECAUSE OF THE CHANGES THAT WERE MADE IN THE LAST PROPOSAL OF CHANGING FROM KEEPING MONITAS OPEN TO KEEPING MORADA OPEN AND CLOSING MONITAS SO THE EAST SIDE ONLY HAD OUR SCHOOL BEING SPLIT UP BETWEEN TWO CAMPUSES IS POSSIBLY CLOSING BRACE'S SUPPLOMA AND MOVING THEM ALL TO KTA. SO WE ARE JUST A MERGE SCHOOL INSTEAD OF A SPLIT SCHOOL. SORRY, I'M DEFINITELY SHAKING AS YOU CAN TELL. This will also from the numbers given to us by Ms. Tenos prevent 477 students that would now have to be bused from our boundaries to the other schools, which we all know busing

092is a problem. Plus you're taking away a cluster of schools because right now you're keeping three schools in neighboring neighborhoods and keeping a school on the Kyrie or the Chandler border, which with the new proposal, they'd all be taken away. You just put a lot of money into our campus too. So it's a beautiful campus. Keep us open, thanks. Thank you, Ms. Smith. Our next speaker is Mr. Mark Renato. He will be followed by Mike Blaschel. Hello, I'm a Mariposa parent to a current first grader and 2026 kindergartner. My wife and I choose Mariposa specifically because of its academic and social success. Mariposa is a culturally and economically diverse community where I trust that my students or my children will be safe and benefit from the Kyrene promise. I have two questions for the board

093tonight. One, what is the criteria for evaluating options in the process? Beyond the parameters given to the Long Range Planning Committee, these have not been identified. In the discussion of closing KTA, its low home boundary utilization was mentioned as a data point to note. Is this approach being applied across all schools? Mariposa has 74% of its inboundary students who reside in the boundary, one of the highest in the district. Why would we risk disrupting this community and possibly losing some of these students? Two, how are we ensuring the choices we are making are going to meet our financial goals and more importantly, assess if we have capacity to retain more schools? Has there been an evaluation of building condition as it relates to the long range plan? Mariposa has a relatively new building, recent updates

094and small footprint. Our capital and M&O costs are minimal. Why would we close one of the schools that has one of the smaller financial impacts on the budget? Meanwhile, the... Demographer noted that Norte is the poorest condition and just the school that universally basically people would like to see to go. While we support the retention of Norte and its dual language program, why are we keeping a building that will be a drain on financial resources? I encourage you to consider these questions and the others posed tonight as you make decisions that will impact not only the future of our district, but the immediate well-being of our students. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Reynaldo. Our next speaker is Mr. Mike Blackshell, who will be followed by Melissa Spate. Good evening, everybody. Thank you for allowing us

095to speak. I'm here tonight as a frustrated and concerned parent. I have two daughters at Kyrene-Monte Vista currently. The proposed redistricting plans are decisions that will disrupt the lives of our children in ways that can't be measured by enrollment numbers or transportation logistics. These aren't just school assignments, they're friendships, support systems, and emotional anchors that kids rely on during some of the most critical years of their development. Our children form lasting bonds with their classmates and teachers. You are asking them to tear those bonds apart in the middle of their academic and emotional journeys. This isn't just frustrating, it's heartbreaking. We live in the Lakewood community, and with the latest in many possible changes, for some reason, My children are getting alienated from continuing to a middle school journey with their friends. I fail to

096understand how you can change the kids slated to this school, the new boundaries for Monta Vista, but the majority of their friends will go to Altadena and then we will now go to Centennial. I would like to see surveys put out for the families. If we could slow down this timeline, that would be great. Surveys maybe even to teachers in reference to the gifted programs and the changes that are going to happen if we do have a gifted academy. if there would be more information. I know decisions haven't been made about that, but for some of us, we would like to know what the future holds or what at least the board is thinking about those decisions. We understand that change is sometimes necessary, but this redistricting feels rushed, poorly communicated and disconnected from the

097real emotional impact it will have on our kids. I urge you to talk to the families and the teachers and conduct surveys and allow Kyrene families a say in the huge changes that will impact our children. Thank you so much. Thank you. Our next speaker will be Melissa Spate, who will be followed by Belinda Russell. Good evening, and thank you, Governing Board, for listening to community input and adjusting accordingly. My name is Melissa Spate, and I am a Mariposa parent. Mariposa is nestled between two parks in Warner Ranch. This wasn't an accident. It was planned this way because public schools aren't just buildings to learn in, they're communities. And this community is thriving. We have 279 Mariposa students living in neighborhood. That's 66% of our total school enrollment. Anyone walking around our neighborhood can see

098that new families with young children are moving in in noticeable numbers. But you don't have to take my word for it. I have connected with 27 adorable children, and I'm going to tell you their names. These are all future hopeful Mariposa challengers. Paige, JJ, Wyatt, Kylie, Kinsley, Max, Miles, Cameron, Peter, Miles again, Josie, Scarlett, Summer, Alina, Hudson, Walter, Ava, Ellie, James, Alice, Sammy, Lily, Luca, Lucy, Brynn, Vincent, George, and Pharaoh. And that's just the ones I know of. If Mariposa is not an option for these neighborhood families, then all options are on the table for them. That includes charter, includes private, anything that's drivable because they're no longer walking. Finally, to further impress upon you the resurgence of families coming to Mariposa's current boundaries are two new projects. South Tempe Square is opening next year

099with retail and restaurants at Mariposa's Crossroads. Their press release described its location as highly desirable for families. Which brings me to another new development, Cabana Kyrene, which includes 229 attainable housing rental units, is in current Mariposa boundaries, and is priced to be perfect for workforce families and single parents. Mariposa is already at 75% occupancy, highest of the Eastside elementary schools, and more students are coming in. Closing Mariposa goes against common sense and leads to unnecessary attrition. Keep Kyrene strong and keep Mariposa open. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Spate. Our next speaker will be Belinda Russell, who will be followed by Diane Wolf. Hi, good evening and thank you to our board and superintendent. My name is Belinda Russell and I'm a parent at Kyrene De La Mirada. First, I want to acknowledge the families here

100tonight, whether your school remains on the closure list or was recently removed. Every single person who has spoken, written, or shown up represents the same truth. We all care deeply about our children, our teachers, and the future of Kyrene. Many of us have spent... weeks analyzing data, attending meetings and writing letters, not to protect one school over another, but to make sure this process reflects the district stated values of equity, inclusion and transparency. While my own school Murata is now slated to remain open, that outcome doesn't mean that our work is finished. It means that we have an even greater responsibility to advocate for a more measured data-driven and equitable path forward. one that strengthens every community in this district. The data shows that Kyrene's biggest challenge isn't just declining birth rates, it's poor legislative

101action from our Arizona state representatives and lack of funding, but it's also family retention. I want to focus on a couple of factors that we can control today. We lose students when families lose trust. The solution isn't simply closing schools. It's ensuring families have strong reasons to stay. So as this process moves forward, I urge the board to one pause implementation to allow current sixth graders to complete their eighth grade year at their existing campuses. This cohort began their education in the middle of the COVID pandemic, the most disrupted learning period in modern history. They deserve stability and continuity to finish strong. Create a district-wide retention task force that includes parents, teachers, and community partners to identify programs and supports that keep families in Kyrene. Center equity in every decision so no single group of

102students bear a disproportionate burden. And tonight I stand not just for Murata, but for Colina, Mariposa, Pueblo, Akimaw, and every school community that deserves to be part of the long-term solution. Let's move forward united in one goal, keeping Kyrene strong, not through closures, but through smart, community-driven planning. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Russell. Our next speaker is Diane Wolfe, who will be followed by Matt Young. Good evening. I'm a grandparent. and I'm a parent of Kelsey Wolf Darnay. We live in Tempe Royal Estates, which is that other percentage, 400 homes, that we moved to in 1987 when Kelsey was just nine months old. And we found out that we were connected to the Mariposa Elementary School District. elementary school and we were thrilled that she was going to be going to that school and it

103was an experience that was very positive um you know she did not get to walk to school she had to take the bus or we had to drive her um and when she grew up and got married one of the cheapest areas to purchase a home was in North Phoenix, so that's where they went. And then they had our grandson, Bennett, and I think that what they realized right away was how difficult it was to get into Tempe, where she had had such positive experiences. That development... that the other speaker just mentioned, the cabano, was part of a initiative that the state of Arizona started to try to bring in more economical housing so that we can support schools and support the existence of these communities. Tempe is landlocked. Our community was not thrilled about

104three level. apartments. You know, a lot of them are looking into houses on the main streets. There's going to be increase in taxes and traffic. So, you know, we were concerned about it, but I do feel that it was a positive thing to do based on the fact that they cared about the kind of company that was going to come in and build it and et cetera. So I think that, oh, where's my time? Lost it. Thank you very much. Thank you, Ms. Wolf. Our next speaker is Mr. Matt Young, who will be followed by Liz Hatch. Hello, Matt Young. I'm a former Mariposa and Pueblo alumni and a proud father of two students over at Menides. I just want to first say thank you for allowing me to say my piece and express some...

105My deep frustration with how the long-range planning process has been playing out, it's not lost on me why we're talking about school closures. I think that it's a fact of life where we're at right now. You have a very difficult decision among you, and I would not want to be in your shoes, but I know it needs to be done. Initially, I felt reassured, though, that the process would be fair after hearing that you would be using an independent demographer tasked with providing solutions to increase school utilization, reduce distance for school travel, advance equity, among other goals. At least the process would be fair. What is upsetting is that you have abandoned what you said you were going to do and instead placating to a select few communities who are well resourced, privileged, and parents

106who have threatened to leave the district if you could not save their school. They were also given preferential treatment and had ample time to organize ahead of the 9-16 board meeting. However, when change was announced to close Menidas. That occurred during the fall break and gave us little time to organize as we just returned three days ago. This is not equitable. By abandoning all objectivity and making changes after one meeting of hearing from a select few, this decision feels deliberate and preordained. How can I trust that the process if our voices don't matter at this point. I ask you to take back the original map and also give all communities a shot for making their voices heard. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Young. Our next speaker is Liz Hatch. Good evening. My name is Liz

107Hatch, and I'm a Mariposa parent of a kindergartner and a third grader. I want to first thank you for providing accessible ways for us to voice our thoughts and a public thank you to our amazing PTO and everyone organizing our efforts to save Mariposa. It truly shows the love we have for our school and the strength of our community. Mariposa isn't just a school to us. It's been woven into our family for decades. My husband attended Mariposa. My children's aunts and uncles went to Mariposa. When it was time for our oldest to go to kindergarten, we were disappointed by our assigned school in our home district. We knew that Mariposa was where our children belonged. Now our kindergartner and third grader walk the same halls their father did. Our connection to Mariposa shapes our life.

108It informs where we shop, where we work, and where we look for a new home. When I opened my therapy practice a year ago, I chose my location on being within a mile of the school. Mariposa is the anchor that drew us to this community, and we're not alone in that. Like us, 67 other Mariposa students live outside the Kyrene District. These are families who actively choose Mariposa over their assigned schools. If Mariposa closes and these families must make a change, how many will take this opportunity to take the easier route and return to their home districts rather than transition to Wagner? If those 67 families leave, Kyrene would lose more than half a million dollars in funding. And when schools reach higher occupancy rates after closures, how much additional out-of-district funding will Kyrene miss

109out on due to lack of space? Beyond the numbers, I have to ask, if Mariposa closes... Will families be drawn to South Tempe the way that we were? What unknown economic ripple effects will our community experience? I know this is an impossible decision, and I'm grateful for your time and consideration. I hope the Mariposa does have a future for my kids, for our community, and for my one-and-a-half-year-old daughter at home who would continue in our family's Mariposa legacy. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Hatch. That is all the blue cards that I have here. Does anybody here in the audience still wish to make a public comment? Please Senator Epstein. Good evening. I'm Mitzi Epstein state senator, and I want to thank you This is an exemplary process. I think that you've been reaching out in

110a great way and to have six meetings At a regional way is better than I have ever seen at any other kind of a school district in the state and I've been doing parent advocacy and public education advocacy for going on 30 years here so kareem continues to be a very inclusive school district the leaders really do want to know what do you think and i appreciate that look at this is a good good turnout of people saying what do you think and none of this works if you don't show up and you are showing up so i can you give yourselves a round of applause so we need each other We've heard requests for please explain the criteria to us. I know that you're going to get back to everybody just to explain the

111criteria a little more. And in the meetings I've had with each of you, you have explained that criteria a little further to me, and I think parents want to understand what that is. So I know you'll come back to them. And I just want to say thank you to everybody for this opportunity. And also I'm recognizing as state senator. Yeah, this is the legislature's fault. 100%. When I first started running for the legislature, I said, we've got to restore education funding. And for a little while, it was ticking up. And now recently, it's down again. And this is what happens when that happens. And it is honestly part of, I get to go all partisan because I'm a partisan elected official and say, My Republican colleagues are actively putting in places policies to end public

112education to end public schools So you've got to be here. You've got to show up. Please also show up at the legislature But I understand you've got kids and how do you find the time? So keep on speaking up to me keep on speaking up to your friend to your friends and neighbors to Demand your elected officials listen to you and support public education. So thank you to everybody Thank you our school board members. You are awesome Thank You senator Epstein Would anyone else like to make a comment this evening? All right seeing none again. I want to thank everybody for coming and speaking tonight You have given us and you continue to give us a lot to think about Your thoughtful feedback is so appreciated and we're taking it all into consideration Thank you

113for giving of your time We know you could be anywhere else but you're here with us to try to make sure that we get to the best possible result So thank you for this again. We will have six more hearings and conversations along the way So we look forward to collaborating with you. Thank you and have a good night. Yes With that item 4.1 adjournment our public hearing is hereby adjourned at 7 54 p.m. Have a good night