Arizona school district takes huge blow to enrollment as parents choose other options

Arizona's second-largest school district cut staff after losing enrollment due to "competition with charter schools."

Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) Superintendent Franklin R. Narducci on Wednesday cited declines in enrollment since 2023, a year after lawmakers passed universal school choice to give parents options to choose schools outside of neighborhood public schools. 

Narducci further cited several factors driving enrollment loss, including "competition with charter schools," escalating costs of homeownership, and declining birth rates.

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CUSD's governing board on Wednesday voted to cut around 60 positions in administration, deans, and coaching roles. 

Lana Berry, chief financial officer for the district, said that enrollment dropped to over 4000 students since 2022 and is projected to continue dropping. 

After all the staff cuts, CUSD remains the second-largest district in Arizona and the second-largest employer in the East Valley.

"Arizona public school districts are in an unfortunate and critical position due to the state legislature's historical underfunding of public education," the president of Chandler Education Association, Laurel Miller, reportedly said in an email.

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Miller reportedly attributed the nearly $3 billion in taxpayer funds allocated to Arizona's "fraud-ridden" ESA voucher program, which, she claimed, led to "unnecessary enrollment declines - forcing districts to make dire decisions like cutting beloved staff and closing community schools."

Arizona became the first state to offer universal school choice for all families in 2022, launching an $800 million program that gives parents $7,000 to put toward their children's tuition. Several other states followed, indicating a trend of parents seeking alternative options to traditional public schools.

According to local outlet KPHO, a teacher spoke during the school district meeting on Wednesday that teachers are being spread too thin.

"I feel like what they're going to be asked to do is too much for a single person to do because they're going to be doing essentially the work of three people in the time of one. And I'm very concerned about the sustainability of that," the teacher said. "I also worry that some families will say, I want a librarian at my school, and they'll leave and go to charter schools."

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Most states restrict parents to schools within their ZIP code or school district, but charter schools allow families to choose alternatives.

Charter schools compete with traditional public schools for students and per-pupil funding. Concerns include that the money taken away from traditional public schools could be used to boost teachers' salaries, invest in public school facilities and recruit more teachers.

Charter schools often face criticism from teachers unions because they compete with public schools for per-pupil funding, as parents are allowed to opt out of their neighborhood public schools.

Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), based in Tucson, Arizona, experienced similar losses last year. The district faced financial and enrollment struggles after universal school choice passed in the state in 2022. 

CUSD officials did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.