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Workers with Fire Security Electronic Communications work on installing power lines in one of the modular classrooms recently delivered to the Sunset Ridge Elementary school Campus. The four classrooms are being refurbished this week and should be open for use by Tuesday.
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Enrollment strains Deer Valley schools
Sunset Elementary growing by four–classrooms, that is
by Brian DiTullio

DVUSD – Sunset Ridge Elementary school is getting four new modular classrooms to handle the influx of students enrolled this school year.

Jim Migliorino, director of fiscal services for Deer Valley Unified School District, said updated enrollment figures district‑wide had dropped the Aug. 14 second‑day student count of 36,653 to 36,551 by last Friday.

“It’s down a little over 100 kids,” said Migliorino, adding some of the drop comes from kids who were registered but subsequently moved. “That’s not really unusual. It takes to about the third week to completely stabilize.”

However, the growth experienced, now revised to about 2.2 percent, has strained the facilities at Sunset Ridge school, requiring the addition of four modular classrooms to the campus. The Tramonto Elementary School, designed to serve about 1,075 students, now has an estimated enrollment of 1,250, according to Migliorino.

“(The modular classrooms) should be open by the end of the week,” said Migliorino, pointing out the installation and inspection of the facilities probably would take through the holiday weekend, with students occupying the new classrooms after Labor Day.

DVUSD Superintendent Dr. Virginia McElyea said the district expected Sunset Ridge to be crowded this year, but a new elementary school being constructed at Jomax Road and 25th Avenue will alleviate the congestion when it opens next year.

“It’s a problem,” said McElyea. “Schools have to be crowded before you qualify with the state to build a new school.”

Terramar Elementary school, 7000 W. Happy Valley Road., also experienced a little more growth than it was designed to handle, but the overflow at that campus is by only about 12 students. Migliorino noted DVUSD is looking at shifting some classrooms around and determining whether any of the classes qualify for an additional teacher.

“We believe we’ll have to add additional classrooms (at Terramar), but we just don’t have a plan to execute at this time,” he said. “We’re going to keep looking at the problem.”

As for teachers, Sandi Hicks, director of public information for DVUSD, said 25 teachers have been hired since the Aug. 14 governing board meeting, when the board was notified there still were 35 vacancies at the start of the school year.

Migliorino told The Desert Advocate it’s still too early to see how the enrollment numbers affect the district’s $176 million operating budget. “We need more time,” he said. “We’re still seeing some kindergarten enrollments.”

The district plans on doing more forecasting next month, “to see what all this means,” according to Migliorino.

Governing Board President Michael Gregoire indicated at the Aug. 14 meeting the district’s growth would require more teachers than planned for initially.

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