Scottsdale district approves plan for Pima Elementary School, considers options for Echo Canyon

The Scottsdale Unified School District has started planning for the future of two campuses that are set to close at the end of the school year.

In December, the governing board voted to repurpose Pima Elementary School and Echo Canyon School due to declines in enrollment.

At a meeting Tuesday night, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Lea Mitchell said so far, a majority of the students displaced by those closures are enrolled at different SUSD schools for next year.

“We have counted 18 students that have indicated — their families have indicated — that they’ll withdraw for the ‘26-’27 school year, which reflects 3.5% across both campuses," she said.

SUSD is sending transitioning families age-appropriate books about change to help students cope.

"Letting them know that great adventure awaits, but also stories that are really meaningful and support transitions that can be tricky, going to new schools and making new friends," Mitchell said. "We want families to have access to literature that can also support students as they're making those transitions."

The board is considering several options for the Echo Canyon site like leasing it to private schools that serve students with autism or dyslexia, as well as a community sports complex.

The district also approved plans to repurpose Pima as a Level D special education program. It will serve K–12 students who require specialized instruction.

That raised concerns from board member Carine Werner about the district’s ability to run it.

“I appreciate the sentiment and the intention behind this, but we also know historically this has been a challenging area," Werner said. "Even at Pima before, their special ed department was challenged. There was high turnover. This is uncharted territory for SUSD.”