Kyrene School District is a K-8 school district that serves parts of Tempe, Chandler, Guadalupe, and Ahwatukee, Phoenix, Arizona as well as portions of the Gila River Indian Community within Maricopa County. Kyrene School District operates a total of 26 schools, consisting of nineteen elementary schools, six middle schools and one online school. The District Office Administration Building of the Kyrene School District (known as the Ben Furlong Education Center) is located at 8700 S Kyrene Rd, Tempe, Arizona 85284.
In 1888, the Kyrene School District was founded at the request of nine families who wanted a school district for 17 children. The original boundary area was far smaller than currently; though the north boundary is unchanged, the Kyrene district confirmed its east boundary at Price Road and has since extended west from its 56th Street/Priest Drive boundary and south from Pecos Road to include much of the Gila River Indian Community. The district built a small school that was destroyed in a windstorm; until 1920, the Kyrene School site was at McClintock and Warner roads, two miles due east of the Furlong Center (a 1990 build).
Many teachers who received their educational certificates from Arizona State University, originally called Tempe Normal School, taught in one of the two-schoolroom buildings. Mr. Earl D. Willams graduated from Arizona State University and began teaching Industrial Art at the Kyrene Junior High K-8 on Warner and Kyrene Rd. Mr. Williams built the first Industrial Art Shop-Class, the Library and the Administration Building. He also built a replica of the original school house for the Kyrene Bicentennial Parade. Mr. Earl Williams taught Industrial Art for thirty years at Kyrene.
Kyrene approached the early 1970s with 600 students in the entire district, mostly Hispanic students from a small area named "Sende Vista", just south of Guadalupe, an area of South Phoenix called "Highland Terrace", and the Hightown neighborhood of Chandler. Five buses transported the districts to school.
Resources in the '70s were concentrated on building classroom space for the district that would grow fourfold by 1980. C.I. Waggoner elementary was expanded, and the District completed Lomas and Norte elementary schools. (C.I. Waggoner Elementary School, est. 1969, is the oldest operating school facility in the district.)
The 1980s brought another wave of new schools, built in mostly the same designs. Nine elementary and middle schools were built in the 1980s, and thirteen more followed by the late 1990s, bringing the District to a total of 25 schools.
In August 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the district launched its 26th school (Kyrene's first completely on-line school) known as the Kyrene Digital Academy. The Kyrene Digital Academy is a K-8 school serving students from all over Arizona (not just within the Kyrene boundaries). Instruction is delivered one hundred percent online using live certified teachers.
Organization
Governing Board
The Kyrene School District is governed by a five-member board. As of December 2025, the members are[3]:
President, Kevin Walsh, term expires December 2026
Vice President, Triné Nelson, term expires December 2026
Member, Amy Satre, term expires December 2028
Member, Bunny (Ruth) Davis, term expires December 2028
Member, Cedric Collins, term expires December 2028
Executive Director of School Effectiveness - Carrie Furedy
Executive Director of Talent Management - Lisa Gibson
Chief Technology Officer & Executive Director of Emergency Management - Damian Nichols
Executive Director of Curriculum and Assessment - Dr. Christie Mc Dougall
Executive Director of Accountability & Performance Management - Dr. Susie Ostmeyer
Executive Director of Inclusive Student Services - Dr. Sandra Laine
Executive Director of Communications & Marketing - Erin Helm
District Directors
Director of Business Services - Brian Lockery
Director of Community Education - Josh Glider
Director of Professional Development- Dr. Jo Shurman
Director of Research and Evaluation - Dr. Rebecca Bolnick
Director of Facilities - Mason Meade
Director of Exceptional Student Services - Tzipi Turner
School Closures
On December 16, 2025, the Kyrene School District Governing Board voted unanimously 5 to 0 to close six schools in a phased consolidation plan. The decision was driven by long-term financial pressure resulting from declining enrollment, which had dropped from a historical peak of approximately 20,000 students to about 12,000 [4][5][6]
Financial Justification and Cost Savings
The district stated that the school closures were necessary for "right-sizing" the district to ensure fiscal stability, avoid significant position cuts, and preserve high-quality programs for all students [7]. The closures were framed as a necessity to cope with limited state funding, with the district having already reduced expenditures by $24 million over the preceding decade due to the continuous decline in enrollment [8]. This restructuring effort coincided with the successful renewal of the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) Override on the November 2025 ballot, which provides approximately $14.6 million in additional annual operating funds to support teacher salaries, smaller class sizes, and student services [9].
Closure Timeline
The six schools are scheduled to close over two consecutive school years [5][6][7].
Closures in the school year of 2026-2027:
Kyrene de la Colina
Kyrene de la Estrella
Kyrene de las Manitas
Closures in the school year of 2027-2028:
Kyrene Traditional Academy
Kyrene Akimel A-al Middle School
Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School
Alternative Proposals Considered
The final six-school plan was a compromise among several options considered by the Governing Board and the Long-Range Planning Committee. Initial proposals recommended closing or repurposing up to nine schools, later revised to eight schools, before the board requested two alternative options in December that involved fewer closures [7]. The vote approved the six-school plan, which was one of the alternative proposals considered, in an effort to balance fiscal needs with community impact [7].
Background and Public Reaction
There are a number of factors driving the committee to recommend school closures including reduced enrollment caused by declining birth rates, rising real estate cost of living within district boundaries, and school choice (private schools, charters, microschools, online or home schooling).[10][11] Other factors include reduced budgetary spending at the Arizona state and federal Department of Education levels.[12][13]
Centennial and Pueblo opened as junior high schools and were converted to full 6-8 middle schools in 1990. Kyrene MS opened as a junior high and was converted to a full 6-8 middle school in 1989.
Elementary schools
C. I. Waggoner Elementary School, est.1969[Notes 2]
Kyrene del Norte Dual Language Academy, est. 1974
Kyrene de las Lomas Elementary School, est. 1976
Kyrene del Cielo Elementary School, est.1982
Kyrene de los Ninos Elementary School, est. 1982
Kyrene de la Paloma Elementary School, est. 1985
Kyrene de la Colina Elementary School, est. 1987
Kyrene Traditional Academy-Sureño Campus, est. 1987
Kyrene de los Lagos Dual Language Academy, est. 1988
Kyrene de la Mariposa Computer Science Academy, est. 1988
Kyrene Monte Vista Elementary School, est.1989
Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary School, est. 1992
Kyrene de la Esperanza Elementary School, est. 1993
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