MUSD board could close middle school tonight

Members of the Maricopa Unified School District governing board are set to discuss and vote on closing a middle school during their 6 p.m. meeting tonight.

Superintendent Steve Chestnut has recommended closing Maricopa Wells Middle School to save the district $542,000 as it struggles to make up a projected $1 million deficit in the 2013-2014 district budget.

A public meeting will be held prior to the discussion and possible vote so board members can hear comments for and against the closing of Maricopa Wells. Members of the public who wish to speak must fill out a “request to address the board” card on the table in the lobby outside the board room and place the request in the box just inside the door to the board room.

About 25 people attended two community coffees hosted by Chestnut last Wednesday – one at 10 a.m. in the school board room and one at 7 p.m. at Maricopa Elementary School – to get input on the issue.

During those meetings he presented another alternative to closing a middle school, and that is to leave them both open but cut staffing positions for a savings of $300,000 to $400,000. He pointed out additional staffing cuts would be needed districtwide to make up another $100,000.

Parents’ comments ranged from concerns over class sizes and losing the new blended-learning program to not increasing teacher pay to how to keep the two middle schools open. Chestnut assured parents the blended-learning program would continue.

Others could see the benefits of having one junior high school and creating its own, vibrant culture. Still other people at the two meetings voiced concern over the lost relationships with the nearby elementary and high schools if Maricopa Wells is closed.

Chestnut has said throughout the budget talks “you can make a good case for either school closing” referring to Maricopa Wells or Desert Wind Middle School.

“It’s painful, but we don’t have a choice,” Chestnut said of having cut $1 million.

Maricopa Wells is seen as a more viable rental opportunity by the district because of its central location and multi-building complex. A private day school for special needs students already is eyeing the facility, which would allow some MUSD students who now have to leave the district to be schooled closer to home.

Chestnut has maintained Maricopa Wells likely will reopen in several years.

Parent Kat Grover, who attended the morning coffee, said she was concerned closing Maricopa Wells was only a “Band-Aid” approach to fixing the district’s fiscal problem, saying it didn’t make sense to her to close a school only to reopened it in two to three years.

While the district and the district’s budget committee has been focused on how to retain teachers – the district loses teachers to nearby districts paying more – Grover said she believed “those who want to stay will stay” despite what decisions are made, praising many of the teachers in the district.

***ADVERTISEMENT***Click here to see the budget committee’s report on how to retain teachers and what cuts it recommends to fix the district’s budget woes. The public is invited to provide feedback.

Board members already have voted to eliminate free full-day kindergarten to save $480,000. Instead, free half-day kindergarten will be offered along with a tuition-based half-day.

Tonight the board also will have a public meeting on boundary changes following a previous vote to retain sixth graders in the elementary schools.

The school board meets at 6 p.m. in the district office, 44150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway.

For more information on these agenda items and others click here to get to the meeting of your choice.