Arizona school closures: How shuttered buildings impact neighborhoods
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When the Paradise Valley Unified School District decided to close three schools earlier this year, a school board member told concerned parents: "In the end, they're buildings … the community can exist anywhere."
Yes, but: Historically, that hasn't always been the case.
Why it matters: School closures have well-documented impacts on academic outcomes, but more recent research shows they also can lower housing values, raise crime rates and diminish the social fabric of a neighborhood.
- Yet districts rarely consider their community value when deciding whether buildings should close, experts tell Axios.
The big picture: Paradise Valley's closure was the first multi-school closing by a metro Phoenix district in several years — but it may not be the only Valley district to face that fate.
- More districts nationwide may be forced to close schools after pandemic-era funding, which many institutions used to plug budget holes, expires at the end of this year, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities cautions.
Context: Closures are most often driven by district budget shortfalls caused by declining enrollment.
- Americans are having fewer children and parents have more charter and public school options than ever. This means fewer public school students, and ultimately less per-pupil government funding for districts.
Zoom out: More than 5,000 public schools closed across the U.S. between 2017 and 2022, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.
Between the lines: The most severe impacts of closures tend to occur in poor, urban neighborhoods without recreation centers, parks, or other facilities that can absorb the role of community hub forfeited by the school, UC Davis Department of Human Ecology associate professor Noli Brazil tells Axios.
- But communities across geographic and socioeconomic lines have deep-seated connections to their schools — which was evident from the backlash over the school closures in Paradise Valley, one of metro Phoenix's wealthiest enclaves.
Zoom in: Paradise Valley Unified School District spokesperson Mat Droge told Axios "a lot of care was taken to keep school communities as together as possible."
- Upon determining closures were financially necessary, the district assembled a panel of stakeholders to review demographic data and enrollment trends and make recommendations to the district board, he said.
The intrigue: Repurposing closed buildings can mitigate the damage of a school closure, Urban Institute principal researcher Megan Gallagher told Axios.
- A shuttered school in Washington, D.C., was converted to a recreation center last year and a school in the Cleveland area will soon be affordable housing for seniors.
What we're watching: Droge said the Paradise Valley district did not feel it was appropriate to consider the future use of a building when deciding which schools should close, so long-term plans for the shuttered schools have not yet been determined.
- "While vacant, we are committed to maintaining the buildings and grounds to best ensure our buildings remain in good condition," Droge said.