Valley district votes to close another school

CAVE CREEK, Ariz. — Cave Creek Unified School District will close a school that board members previously voted to keep open. 

A vote to close and re-boundary Lone Mountain Elementary School did not pass in early February, with three board members voting against the motion. However, the governing board has changed its mind and voted 3-2 to close Lone Mountain on Monday, effective July 1. 

The one board member who reversed course said she made the decision after learning of the consequences of not closing Lone Mountain. The district would still have to make up about $1.9 million in funding. That would mean programs like art and music would have to be cut from all district schools. Teachers and counselors would also be laid off.

Still, parents like Carrie McCulloch were frustrated that the board reconsidered the measure after they all breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t going to happen.

“It’s just heartbreaking because it is an amazing school,” McCulloch said.

Benjamin Petru who has two kids who attend Lone Mountain is also disappointed with the governing board’s reversal. He said it creates distrust between the community and the board.

“Unfortunately, we’re touring other districts because we had just lost trust.”

Those who were for the closure said they didn’t want to see programs at the district’s other schools to be cut. During public comment said tough decisions need to be made to make sure not all 3,800 students within CCUSD would be impacted.

That includes 8th grade English teacher Chris Hazeltine. While he didn’t want to see any schools shut down, he believes the district really had no other option.

“To do less is going to sink us,” Hazeltine said.

The board also voted 5-0 in early February to close Desert Sun Academy.

Students from Lone Mountain Elementary will attend Black Mountain Elementary School in the next school year. 

On Monday night, several people brought up placing a bond or override measure on the ballot that would bring in that additional funding if approved by the voters. 

However, voters within CCUSD have denied several of these measures in the past. Since 2008, there have been six of these measures on the ballot. In only one case, it was approved.

The closure comes after months of discussion as the district, like many others in the Valley, grapples with declining enrollment and budget shortfalls.

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