School districts in Phoenix and El Paso are approaching critical votes on proposals for school closures, as they face significant budget deficits and declining enrollment. The Roosevelt School District in Phoenix has disclosed a plan that recommends shutting down five schools due to a roughly $5 million deficit, according to a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix. School superintendent Dr. Dani Portillo said that without consolidating campuses, the only other option would be “to cut existing academic programs for all students and teaching positions across all Roosevelt schools,” a move they consider detrimental to students.
Similarly, the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) has revised its initial proposal, now aiming to close schools in two phases, potentially saving the district millions in operational costs while they battle a substantial budget shortfall. The EPISD board is set to vote on the updated proposal that suggests shutting down six elementary schools the incoming school year, with two more slated for closure in the 2026-27 academic year, and El Paso Matters reported that trustees Leah Hanany, Jack Loveridge, and Alex Cuellar remain opposed to the plan, calling the initial process flawed. In a news release cited by El Paso Matters, Superintendent Diana Sayavedra stressed the importance of these closures for the future of public education in El Paso.
The Roosevelt School District’s outlined closures would affect 1,364 students, with a plan to reopen one campus as a magnet school and repurpose another into an early childhood center. However, the El Paso ISD school closure proposal, updated ahead of the vote, still anticipates the reassignment of nearly 270 employees, filling the majority of these roles with existing vacancies, and only a fraction awaiting role assignments as they emerge, promising that every employee from a closed school will be placed in a role for the next school term…