The Scottsdale Unified School District will move forward with closing two of its small, long-struggling campuses after a tense 3-2 board vote Tuesday night, a decision driven by a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall and declining enrollment across the district.
Echo Canyon School and Pima Elementary School — each serving fewer than 300 students — will close at the end of the academic year. Together, the closures are expected to save more than $2.5 million as SUSD confronts a projected deficit that could reach $9 million.
The decision came despite sustained pushback from families, teachers, and local lawmakers who pleaded with the district to reconsider. In recent weeks, parents had packed meetings and circulated petitions urging the board to keep both schools open, arguing that closures would destabilize their communities and disrupt students who have already weathered years of educational uncertainty.
SUSD officials say they will now begin reassigning students and offering transportation and relocation assistance. What becomes of the campuses themselves remains unclear — a lingering question, especially for Pima Elementary, which underwent an $18 million modernization not long ago. District updates will be posted to its school repurposing page, where SUSD outlines its enrollment review process.
Board member Matthew Pittinsky, who voted in favor of the closures, acknowledged the emotional toll in an open letter, writing that the choice left him “saddened, frustrated, even angry,” but that he believed the financial realities left the district with few alternatives. He pledged to focus on ensuring families, teachers and staff receive strong support as they transition to new schools.
The debate over school consolidation, however, is far from over. Six more campuses with similarly low enrollment — Anasazi, Copper Ridge, Laguna, Redfield, Tonalea and Yavapai — will undergo review next year as part of SUSD’s second phase of repurposing discussions. Any additional closures will again require a board vote, setting up another round of potentially difficult decisions for the district and its community.
