by Madeline Armstrong
Roosevelt School District in South Phoenix is considering closing five schools amid a deficit that a school official blames on universal school choice and low enrollment. District data suggests a different story.
Superintendent Dani Portillo has cited declining birth rates and the expansion of ESA vouchers as the reason for low revenue. The district is facing an almost $5 million deficit with the forecasted $77.9 million expense outpacing the $74.8 million anticipated revenue.
There are 36 alternative non-district schools in the area that parents can use ESA funds to enroll their children in. Roosevelt, by comparison, has 18 schools. According to Portillo, there are approximately 900 students currently using ESA funding within the district’s boundaries to attend other schools.
However, universal school choice wasn’t enacted until July 2022 and the district’s enrollment has increased by more than 300 students since then, breaking a 10-year decline. According to financial reporting from the district, the reliance on COVID-19 pandemic relief funds may be the bigger reason contributing to the budget deficit.
The Roosevelt School District received more than $67 million in ESSER funds, which were awarded between March 2020-21, and have since been tapped dry.
In a public hearing Tuesday evening, board member Lawrence Robinson emphasized that the district knew the COVID money would run out.
“Why didn’t we talk about this during the last two years,” Robinson said. “The funding was already spiraling backwards.”
The 2022-23 school year saw a 4% decline in revenue after increasing by $30 million from 2020 to 2022. However, the expenditures in 2022-23 rose by 17%.
The bulk of ESSER funds were used on instructional costs, more specifically instructional staff. However, a portion was also used on plant maintenance and operations.
Between 2019 and 2023, classroom spending increased by approximately $12 million. Non-classroom spending increased by about $3 million – this includes costs related to plant operation and maintenance, non-classroom administration and student transportation.
Most notable is the $48 million increase in non-operational spending. Factors that make up this category are the operation of non-instruction services, debt service, facilities acquisition and construction and “other financing uses.”
Between 2019 and 2023, the cost of the operation of non-instruction services increased by $1 million, the cost of facilities acquisition and construction increased by about $36 million, debt service costs increased by $7 million and “other financing uses,” which is not described, increased by about $4 million.
There are five schools Portillo is proposing to close which would displace about 1,364 students – Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, Maxine O. Bush Elementary School, C.J. Jorgensen School, V.H. Lassen Elementary School and John R. Davis School. The reason Portillo is emphasizing the need for school closures is because of a report conducted by the auditor general that shows the district’s enrollment doesn’t justify the building maintenance costs – which are high considering that the majority of school buildings are in bad or critical condition.
“The most recent comprehensive auditor general report noted that our district’s cost and square footage utilization is well out of range when compared to districts of similar size,” Portillo said. “The auditor general has said that these discrepancies are due to us operating too many school buildings for the number of students that we have enrolled.”
According to Portillo, closing one school saves about $800,000 to $1 million annually. The plan is to keep the schools functioning normally through the end of the 2024-25 school year and begin operating under the new school boundaries at the beginning of the 2025 school year.
Portillo has suggested that MLK Elementary combine with Percy L. Julian School, transitioning the school to a preschool-8th grade model. In the 2022-23 report card, Percy L. Julian received a “C” grade with 75% of students being minimally proficient in ELA and 76% being minimally proficient in math. This change would ideally reduce the total per-pupil expenditure per student which is almost $19,000 at MLK, but about $14,000 at Percy L. Julian.
Maxine O. Bush Elementary would merge with Cloves C. Campbell Sr. Elementary. This would ideally both improve education quality for Bush Elementary students, who are less proficient than Campbell Elementary students, and reduce the per-pupil expenditure costs which is $18,042 at Campbell, but $16,139 at Bush.
C.J. Jorgensen School students would be relocated to Ed & Verma Pastor Elementary School. Both schools have approximately the same per-pupil expenditure at about $15,000, but Jorgensen received a “B” grade while Pastor received a “C.” Additionally, about 30% of the teachers at Pastor are inexperienced.
V.H. Lassen Elementary would combine with Ignacio Conchos School. Again, both schools have about the same per-pupil expenditure at around $16,000, but Lassen has a slightly higher student proficiency rate.
John R. Davis School would merge with Sunland Elementary. The differences between the two schools are stark as John R. Davis received a “B” grade and had a higher proficiency rate than the district average. However, Sunland saw a “C” grade with 41.44% of students being chronically absent and 40% of teachers having emergency credentials are teaching out of their field. Sunland does have a lower per-pupil expenditure at almost $13,000 compared to John R. Davis’ $14,000
Robinson is circling a petition to stop the closures and has created a website stating that these closures are not necessary and urging the superintendent to pursue other options.
“The district has not fully explored or presented alternative solutions such as leasing unused spaces, implementing energy-saving initiatives or seeking additional grant funding,” reads the website. “The proposed school closures are a disproportionate response to the district’s financial challenges. A more balanced approach that includes exploring alternative revenue sources, cost-saving measures and community partnerships should be pursued to preserve the integrity of our neighborhood schools.”
During the Tuesday evening public hearing, parents and community members called for a delay in the vote which is taking place Thursday night, less than two months after the idea was revealed to the public. Additionally, some parents said it is odd that this vote is being held just one month before the majority of the governing board is replaced.
The vote for school closures will be taking place Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. at the Verna McClain Wellness Center.
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Madeline Armstrong is a reporter at The Center Square.
