PHOENIX — One of Arizona’s largest high school districts announced it will cut staff positions over the next two years due to declining enrollment, resulting in a budget shortfall.
The district projects it needs to make up a roughly $35 million deficit over the next two school years.
In a letter to staff on Friday, the Phoenix Union High School District’s (PXU) superintendent said the district will start a reduction-in-force, or RIF, process soon.
In the letter, Superintendent Thea Andrade said the district saw a decline of about 1,800 students this school year. Last year, they saw a decrease of about 1,200 students, totaling around 3,000 students in the last two years. The letter said it’s a loss of about 10% of the overall student population since 2022.
Arizona funds districts on a student count basis; high school students cost more than those in K-8.
PXU is grappling with a decline in enrollment, much like other districts, meaning they also lose state funding.
Like other districts that have faced this issue in the past few years, PXU says the decline in enrollment is due in part to the lower birth rate, lack of affordable housing in the area and the expansion of school choice.
Some Valley districts facing this issue had to close schools or are currently in discussions of doing so. Mesa Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, has been cutting staff positions for the last two years due to declining enrollment and funds.
“This reality, coupled with declining enrollment trends in our partner elementary districts and the population forecasting from our demographic study, forces us to act now,” Andrade said in a video to staff.
Next year, Andrade said they’ll have to cut about $20 million in the budget and then an additional $15 million the school year after that. The district says it’s already reduced its budget by $14 million in the last two years, cutting positions in the district, getting rid of vacant positions and through natural attrition.
As a result of the shortfall, the district will be cutting about 6% of its workforce in the next two years, adding that 90% of its annual budget is used for employee salaries and benefits. The district’s website shows there are roughly 3,000 employees.
Andrade said they will go to the school board in December with a list of positions that may be eliminated.
