Three Florence Unified School District campuses in neighboring San Tan Valley will close after the district's Governing Board voted 5-0 on Tuesday night to shut San Tan Mountain Middle School, Copper Basin Elementary School and Skyline Ranch Elementary School.
The board also approved moving Florence Middle School to a site next to the Florence Elementary School campus, Superintendent Chris Knutsen said in a message to families after the meeting. A separate proposal to switch to a four-day instructional week was tabled while district administrators gather more information.
Knutsen wrote that the district's finances and a continuing drop in enrollment meant "difficult decisions could no longer be avoided."
He said a budget steering committee of parents, community members and staff spent months studying options before bringing recommendations to the board, and that families would get a more detailed update next week on what the decision means and how the district will carry it out. The district also plans events later this school year to honor the closing schools.
The numbers behind the vote
District enrollment is down 5% this year and 14% over four years, Arizona's Family reported, and state auditor general data show a $5 million deficit, with the district dipping into capital money for day-to-day operations since 2023.
KJZZ reported the district needs to trim $5 million to $7 million, while Arizona's Family said district leaders expect the closures and the Florence Middle move to save about $4 million.
Voters in the district approved selling two unneeded properties in November 2025 but rejected a bond for building repairs, according to Arizona's Family.
Debate over which schools
Board members weighed closing Circle Cross Ranch Elementary instead of Skyline Ranch. Board President Roger Biede told the board he worried that closing Circle Cross could push more families to a neighboring district, which he guessed would cost more than it saved, KJZZ reported.
