Kyrene School District leaders increase staff wages due to school closures
May 15
Earlier this year, the Kyrene School District board voted to close down six schools and now leaders are pouring that money back into staff salaries and stipends.
The district was able to increase salaries since there will be fewer positions to fill in the coming school year. Kyrene school leaders said they are committed to handling the budget responsibly and managing resources appropriately.
“These investments reflect Kyrene’s deep commitment to the people who make our schools exceptional,” Kyrene School District’s Superintendent Laura Toenjes said in a press release.
“Our teachers, leaders and support professionals are the foundation of student success, and we are proud to prioritize compensation in a way that helps us recruit and retain the very best educators for Kyrene students,” she said.
The Kyrene Governing Board announced during a May 12 meeting the following pay increases:
- A 4% salary increase for teachers and other certified staff
- A 2% salary increase for education support professionals, including bus drivers, teachers aides, custodians and administrators
- Increase salaries for psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists
The Kyrene board approved the following stipend increases:
- Retention stipends of up to $1,000 for eligible staff
- Update stipend structure to offer higher, earlier stipends hard-to-fill teaching roles, including dual language and special education teachers
Superintendent Toenjes asked to remain at her current salary in order to prioritize increasing staff salaries. Her contract was extended through 2029.
Details on Kyrene school closures
At the end of the 2026- 27 school year four elementary schools will be closing: Kyrene de la Colina, Kyrene de la Estrella, and Kyrene de las Manitas. Kyrene Traditional Academy is scheduled to close at the end of the 2027-28 school year.
Two Kyrene middle schools: Kyrene Akimel A-al and Kyrene del Pueblo will close at the end of the 2027-28 school year.
The Kyrene district currently has 12,000 enrolled students and enrollment is expected to fall to 11,000 students within the next five years. The size of the district was originally created to cater to 20,000 students, according to the Kyrene website. The cost of keeping all the schools open meant less resources were available for students and staff.
Other school districts besides Kyrene have faced the same fate due to drops in enrollment.
Like the Kyrene School District, the Mesa Public Schools district, which is the largest school district in the state, is projecting a decrease in enrollment of nearly 5,000 students within the next three years.
Falling birth rates, Arizona’s ESA school voucher program and unaffordable home prices are some of the common reasons schools are closing doors.
Reporting by “Arizona Horizon” Education Solutions Reporter Roxanne De La Rosa. Her role is made possible through grant funding from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund and Report for America.
