Save Kyrene de la Mariposa: Protect Excellence in Kyrene
- Crystal Hill
- Oct 12
- 4 min read
The Issue
Updates:
Kyrene de la Mariposa has been an A+ school for a record five consecutive years in a row— a culture of excellence that cannot be moved or replaced. With one of the highest levels of enrollment in the district, students are at risk of fleeing the district if this school is closed. Protect what works. Keep Mariposa open.
***PLEASE NOTE: Donations collected via the Change.org petition support Change.org, not Mariposa Together. Click here to make a donation to support Mariposa Together efforts to promote Option A, which keeps Mariposa open. You can also click here for the Mariposa Together store to purchase shirts in support of this effort.
Thank you!
The Issue
We, the parents, students, teachers, business owners, and community members, strongly oppose the closure of Kyrene de la Mariposa, one of the district’s top-performing schools.
We acknowledge the dedication of community members who served on the Long Range Planning Committee. We understand the challenges of declining enrollment; therefore, we are focused on showing the importance of making informed decisions about school closures and configurations, using the full scope of available data.
Kyrene de la Mariposa’s community comes together to recommend that, after further review, East Option A best aligns with Kyrene’s Guiding Principles. We look forward to participating in the Regional Public Hearing process to share our data-driven case for support of this option to preserve and attract students to the district.
Why Mariposa Matters
Kyrene de la Mariposa is only one of 10 schools in Arizona to receive the A+ award of excellence five times in a row.
PBISAz Award: Kyrene de la Mariposa was among the schools recognized in 2024 for its Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiatives, demonstrating the strength of our tenured teachers.
Families chose to attend Mariposa due to the strength in academics, leadership, and school culture. Students will more likely flee to options outside of Kyrene if the school closes, further eroding enrollment in the Kyrene School District.
Kyrene de la Mariposa is located in the heart of Warner Ranch, one of the most densely populated neighborhoods for children in the East side of the Kyrene School District.
A charter school would easily be able to take the place of Mariposa, further eroding Kyrene enrollment, and due to the absence of buses, would cause unsafe traffic congestion for students and families who walk, bike and drive to Corona del Sol, just to the East of Mariposa.
What’s at Stake
If Kyrene removes its strongest magnets for excellence, Kyrene de la Mariposa, Kyrene de la Mirada, and Kyrene Traditional Academy (KTA), the switch to competitors is nearly frictionless.
When we compare Option A and Option B (the map recommended by the committee), the savings are only a matter of margins—just a few dozen students leaving can erase the financial gains.
This isn’t theoretical—our out-of-district enrollment is at 34% at Mariposa and close to nearly 60% at other schools slated to close, meaning these families are choosing these schools in Kyrene deliberately.
The Kyrene School District Governing Board must consider the critical factor of attrition risk when making its decision, as families in the East have close access to the Chandler and Tempe school districts, as well as several charter schools.
Case for East Option A:
After reviewing the hard work of the Long-Range Planning Committee, we have reviewed the demographer’s proposal for the East side of the district and present the following as rationale for selecting East Option A over the committee’s recommendation of East Option B.
Option B looks like higher savings on paper, but new data shows those savings vanish if even 150–200 students leave for Chandler, Tempe, or charters.
Those families will leave the fastest if we destabilize our Blue Ribbon and A+ anchors in the East, where some schools already have 59% out-of-district students, bringing in full revenue.
East Option A still consolidates underused schools, but it protects key school enrollment drivers—keeping operating revenue stable, preserving equity and access, and allowing phased implementation.
Capital savings are identical either way, but only Option A keeps families in Kyrene. If we close our anchors, we accelerate the very decline we’re trying to stop. If we protect them, we stabilize and rebuild.
The committee’s rubric emphasizes equity, excellence, sustainability, and regional balance. East Option A aligns best with these principles:
It protects our flagship schools that attract and retain families.
It reduces border leakage by keeping Kyrene competitive with its neighbors.
It preserves critical revenue streams from out-of-district families.
It balances the short-term operational savings with the long-term capital realities.
Protecting excellence through East Option A is not only about saving schools—it’s about ensuring Kyrene remains strong and sustainable for the next decade.
Our Call to Action
We call on the Kyrene School Board to:
Reconsider the recommendation from the Long-Range Planning Committee, given additional time for data assessment, to select East Option A, retaining Mariposa, as well as other high-performing schools of excellence in the area, Kyrene de la Mirada and Kyrene Traditional Academy (KTA).
Engage parents, staff, and community members in exploring sustainable budget solutions through the upcoming regional public hearings.
Make an informed decision for the future of the Kyrene School District, especially considering attrition, which will retain Kyrene de la Mariposa’s culture of excellence, safety, and stability that our children deserve.
Comments