MESA, AZ — Mesa Public Schools is planning to cut hundreds of full-time positions amid declines in enrollment enrollment and funding.
The job cuts will impact 194 teaching positions, 187 staff members, and four administrators, according to a recent Governing Board meeting.
Employees impacted by the cuts began to be notified earlier this month.
School officials say those impacted by the cuts will have the opportunity to move into other jobs within the district which includes certified staff. The district said certified staff members would be able to move to other schools if they choose and have jobs available for them at other schools next year.
Last month, ABC15 checked in with Mesa Public Schools, learning that they would be assessing their needs and budgeting based on enrollment decline.
Mesa Public Schools’ enrollment has been declining for the last few years. Currently, for K-12, they have more than 55,200 students. In 2019, the district had about 61,500 students.
The district estimates enrollment will continue to decline next school year, so, they are budgeting for that.
Superintendent Dr. Andi Fourlis attributes the decline to a few factors, and one is that Mesa is ‘landlocked,’ while other districts in the Far East or West Valley are growing exponentially with the need to build more schools.
“These landlocked school districts throughout the county are seeing declining enrollment just be based on an aging population and less and less families having large numbers of children,” Fourlis said.
Mesa Public Schools is not the only Valley district making changes as student enrollment declines.
Weeks ago, Paradise Valley Unified School District announced the closure of three schools and rezoning of others.
