At a March 7 PTO meeting at Thornydale Elementary, parents discuss what they can do after finding out Marana Unified School District may opt to close the school.
Marana Unified School District on Tuesday will hear what parents of students at Thornydale Elementary have to say about plans to shut down the school.
One parent wants answers from the governing board about what will happen to a special-needs program centered around individualized instruction.
"There has been phone calls to the board, no answers, no phone calls returned. There's nothing. We have nothing," said Kitt Settlemeyer, a parent of a 9-year-old who has been part of teacher Cori Bravo's special-needs program for two years.
Settlemeyer's son, Shepard, was diagnosed with autism. He originally attended Quail Run and was transferred when its special-needs program was shut down. Settlemeyer said her son wasn’t making much progress, but that changed when they were introduced to Bravo's teaching style at Thornydale.
"It has been two years. My son is talking. He's not combative. He's actually typing short stories," Settlemeyer told Arizona Public Media. "Ms. Bravo incorporated us into the school. If it wasn’t for Cori, I don't think, personally, I would know my son so well."
She and other parents say they are worried Bravo's program will end if the school closes.
Thornydale Elementary School.The school notified parents by email in early March saying the governing board was considering closing the school due to a decline in enrollment over the years.
Bravo told the MUSD Governing Board earlier this month that low enrollment, the reason the board wants to close the school, is also the reason her program is special.
"We're a force, and the irony in this situation is what makes us so great is also what caused us to be in this position," Bravo said in front of the MUSD board. "There is something that happens at our school that I honestly don’t think that we can replicate anywhere else."
In the only statement released announcing the possibility of closure, the board said it was worried by costs of maintenance and utilities for a school that only has 313 students.
"We need to take fiscal responsibility seriously and look how we can sustain our school," said Tamara Crawley, a spokesperson for Marana schools.
The public hearing will be held at the school's cafeteria tomorrow night at 6 p.m.
Crawley said people who want to share their thoughts but cannot attend can use the district's 24/7 communication tool, called Let's Talk, or send an email to MUSD6@maranausd.org.
MUSD's governing board is scheduled to vote on the closure at its April 12 meeting. If the board opts to shutter the school, it will take effect June 2019.
Follow Brandon Mejia on Twitter for continuing coverage with parents and teacher reaction or contact him via email at BMejia@azpm.org.
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