Kyrene district parents speak out against merging dual-language schools in Tempe

The Kyrene School District is considering merging its dual-language schools due to a decrease in enrollment. But some parents and community members are trying to stop that from happening.

The district has two dual language academies — Kyrene de los Lagos in Ahwatukee and Kyrene del Norte in Tempe — that teach kids in both Spanish and English to help them become bilingual at an early age.

The district was built to serve about 20,000 students, but enrollment is expected to drop to 11,000 or 12,000 students over the next five years, resulting in a projected $7 million funding loss. That's why the governing board is considering merging the two schools into one central location.

But parents like Christy Wolford say that won’t work for a lot of families.

“No matter how central it is, it’s just going to provide challenges in transportation," Wolford said at a governing board meeting. "Families from either side are not going to want to travel or send their kids on a longer school bus ride."

She said the schools also have different start times that allow parents to choose what works best with their schedules.

Superintendent Laura Toenjes has said the two academies are projected to have fewer sections per grade level, which isn’t ideal for instruction.

At the same time, Kyrene is considering creating a gifted academy to meet a growing demand for those programs.