Mesa Public Schools is set to cut dozens of jobs to address a projected budget shortfall as student enrollment declines.
This latest announcement follows staff reductions made earlier this year. In February, 42 certified staffers were laid off and 147 district level positions were set for elimination ahead of the new school year.
Now, an organizational redesign is also underway. Superintendent Matt Strom said in a video that “this is not a decision we take lightly.”
He said 43 administrative and certified specialist jobs will be cut to help save more than $3 million.
“In the last three years, our student population has decreased by nearly 3,400 students,” Strom said. “Projections for the next three years show a further decline of approximately 4,900 students.”
He says that, coupled with the low state funding and uncertainty in federal funding, there’s now a projected budget shortfall of $9 to $18 million for next school year.
-
Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, a reporter for the Arizona Mirror, found use-of-force incidents at Arizona ICE facilities — including a pepper spray incident at Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport — are up 333%. -
About $1.5 million in restitution could be coming to residents of two apartment complexes in Mesa and Gilbert as part of settlement deals announced by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. -
The list includes a Latter Day Saints church, a Fry’s, a Target and several restaurants. Anyone who may have been exposed to measles should watch for symptoms for three weeks. -
Mesa Gateway Airport Authority’s executive director wants answers following media reports of overcrowding at an ICE facility there. -
Arizona Democratic Reps. Greg Stanton, Yassamin Ansari and Adelita Grijalva are proposing a bill that would codify a 12-hour time limit for detainees at ICE temporary holding facilities. That would include the detention center at Mesa Gateway Airport.
