Scottsdale Unified still $6.5 million short after December closures

SUSD Eyeing Two to Three More School Closures

If you thought closing Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon was Scottsdale Unified's endgame, think again. The district is back at the budget drawing board with a $6.5 million hole still to fill, and more school closures are now squarely on the table.

At Tuesday night's governing board meeting, district officials confirmed that shutting down two or three additional campuses is being actively considered as part of the next round of financial triage. The December closures of Pima and Echo Canyon saved around $2.5 million against a projected $9 million shortfall, which, by anyone's math, still leaves a lot of red on the spreadsheet.

Board member Amy Carney, who voted against the first round of closures, urged patience with the process and called for community surveys to go out sooner rather than later. Board member Matthew Pittinsky countered that he does not see closures as a last resort but rather as a necessary tool to protect educational quality across remaining campuses.

In the meantime, the board heard pitches Tuesday for who might move into the soon-to-be-vacant Echo Canyon building near 62nd Street and Camelback Road. Three groups made their case: Polaris Academy, a school serving students on the autism spectrum; the Jones Gordon School, which specializes in students with dyslexia and ADHD; and the Arcadia Sports and Performance Complex, a nonprofit proposing courts and community programming. No vote was taken on any of the proposals, with the next meeting set for April 7.

The district also approved a one-time incentivized retirement program offering eligible employees $7,500 to retire, framing it as a long-term cost-saving measure. Enrollment now sits below 20,000 and is projected to keep sliding.

Sources: KTAR | AZ Family | Fox 10 Phoenix | 12 News | East Valley Tribune | KJZZ