The Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) asked voters to authorize a $375 million bond this November as the district weighs additional school closures amid declining enrollment.

Governing board members unanimously approved a bond resolution during the May 12, 2026, board meeting. According to the district website, if passed, the bond would fund “school facility safety renovations, learning environment enhancements…and infrastructure needs that support students and staff throughout [SUSD].”

Although a bond enables SUSD to move forward with capital projects, it doesn’t address whyenrollment declined approximately 23% in 10 years. The largest shifts occurred at Copper Ridge (-66.3%), Laguna Prep (-32.8%) and Anasazi Elementary (-30.0%). SUSD’s 40th-Day report also shows a consistent drop on nearly every campus since 2018-19.

The enrollment decline has unfolded alongside other controversies, including including criticism over a kindergarten BrainPOP video about the Tuskegee Airmen that briefly displayed an “LGBT welcome in military” headline, and criticism from state schools chief Tom Horne and law-enforcement officials over a social studies curriculum they characterized as anti-police, allegations SUSD has disputed. Dr. Scott Menzel, superintendent since 2020, attributes enrollment failures and closures to “increased competition” and “rising costs.”

SUSD has closed two schools, Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon, for the 2026-27 school year.

Shuttering buildings can happen when families choose to leave public schools. However, county and local representatives urge district leaders to exercise extreme caution when considering school closures.

In a statement to Arizona Globe, Maricopa County School Superintendent Shelli Boggs wrote: “Closing a school should be a last resort, not the first solution. Before taking such a permanent step, I believe we have a responsibility to exhaust every reasonable option… Once a neighborhood school closes, it is incredibly difficult to bring it back.”

SUSD school board candidate Jeanne Beasley echoed Boggs’ sentiment: “As a mom and a taxpayer in the SUSD community, I believe closing neighborhood schools should only happen after every reasonable alternative has been explored. These schools belong to the communities they serve, and families and taxpayers deserve to know that all creative solutions have been exhausted before making a decision that cannot easily be undone.”

During the September 8 public hearing, SUSD community members expressed concerns with the school closure process. While many were in favor of keeping Laguna Prep open or implementing Option C, several speakers raised questions about the supporting data for Phase II.

Ellen Douglas, who identified as a Phase II committee member, said, “I am struggling with the disbelief that Laguna families felt [seeing] that they were in six out of the eight models for closure. I’m struggling with the disappointment that the models were created with inconsistent data.”

Nicole Young, who serves as treasurer for the Laguna PTO and secretary of the Scottsdale Parent Council, challenged the board “to make a fiscally sound, data-driven, long-term decision for SUSD.” Young also said the Phase II options don’t represent a “full range of viable solutions” and the district “made key decisions before all relevant information was available or fully vetted.”

The Globe reached out to Superintendent Menzel for comment and received the following response: “Scottsdale Unified School District is planning for the next generation of students, and that means making thoughtful, long-term investments in the schools and learning environments our community expects and deserves. Student achievement is at the heart of everything we do at Scottsdale Unified, and providing students with the right learning environments is an important part of that work…We know families have choices, and we are committed to showing them what makes SUSD special: the breadth of our programs, the success of our students, and our promise to engage all students in world-class, future focused learning.

SUSD’s next public hearing will be September 22 at 6pm in the Desert Mountain High School Auditorium.

The district has planned a final decision on the school closures for October 6.