By Matthew Holloway |
The Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) is preparing for significant budget reductions and potential staff layoffs as enrollment continues to drop, according to a letter sent to district employees on October 24th by Superintendent Thea Andrade.
In a letter to PXU colleagues posted to X by Phoenix Union Governing Board Member Jeremiah Cota, Andrade cites a decline of approximately 1,800 students in the 2025-2026 school year, following a drop of about 1,200 students the previous year. This represents a total loss of roughly 3,000 students, or about 10% of the district’s overall population, since its high point in 2022.
The superintendent attributes the budget cuts to “a significant decline in student enrollment.” In her letter, she explains that “the reasons for declining enrollment are complex,” and pivots to what she says are contributing factors: “the largest expansion of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) in our state’s history,” the continued growth of charter schools, local demographic challenges such as gentrification and low birth rates, and the expiration of several federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.
The announcement drew immediate response from Governing Board Member Jeremiah Cota, who slammed the district for casting blame on ESA families, charter schools, and Arizona’s Republican-led legislature.
In his post, Cota said that as a board member, he has repeatedly requested improvements in school safety and has been “all but ignored.” He also expressed concern that parents are hesitant to send children to district schools due to safety issues and “woke identity politics” in classrooms.
Cota wrote in full:
“Today, Phoenix Union High School District announced an untold number of possible job cuts due to declining enrollment.
It’s unfortunate, this district has chosen to blame ESA families, charter schools, and the GOP legislature for their budget shortfalls.
As a board member for @PhoenixUnion, from day one I’ve asked to make our schools safer and have all but been ignored on EVERY single request.
Parents, don’t feel safe sending their kids to one of our schools and are tired of the woke identity politics being injected in the classroom.
Yet, here we are, big enrollment drops and possibly even bigger job cuts coming.
TRUTHFULLY, I am concerned the present board will not take any corrective action to stem this decline.”
To address the financial strain, the district has already implemented cuts. In the 2023-2024 school year, it reduced district office budgets by $8.6 million and reorganized the executive team, eliminating several administrative positions to shield campus roles. For the 2024-2025 school year, per AZ Family, an additional $5.8 million was cut through district office reductions, unfilled vacancies, and natural attrition.
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) faced major controversy going into a vote to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) to provide substance abuse prevention and mental health services at three high schools. The MOU outlines CPLC’s role as a subgrantee of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) under the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG).
The MOU would also permit CPLC to offer “Health Masculinity Services for Self-Identified Males.”
Looking ahead, the district projects it will need to cut another $15 million in the 2025-2026 school year and $20 million in the 2026-2027 school year to maintain solvency. Approximately 90% of the district’s annual budget goes toward employee salaries and benefits, Andrade noted.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
