Sedona Charter School’s Governing Council voted at its Tuesday, Jan. 21 meeting to close the school’s middle school program at the end of this school year. The vote was unanimous, but with two abstentions by Samantha Malinski and treasurer Julie James. Board member Mark Antin was absent. 

SCS Executive Director Amy Fultz said that the school’s kindergarten to sixth grade classes — split into two classrooms for upper elementary and lower elementary students — will be unaffected by the decision, and those grade levels have been consistently fully enrolled. The middle school program only includes seventh and eighth grades.

The meeting minutes stated that the decision followed more than a “year of dwindling attendance and leadership conversations.”

“I was shocked at first because I have a daughter in sixth grade who was planning to attend SCS through middle school,” Governing Council president Ricky Cobban said. “Outside of my own personal desires, though, I understood the decision was right for the school in the long run and would allow us to more productively serve more families in the community. Once all of the background and data surrounding the topic was produced, I was much more comfortable with the result.” 

Cobban said that the factors leading to the decision included regional staffing issues, discussions of how to best use the available classroom space and increasing competition for students.

“The demographic data on this area does support that this decision is timely, and shows us that waiting another year to consider this decision would not benefit in any way, and would likely be a moral and financial detriment, both for the immediate student body, and for the community at large,” the minutes stated.

Fultz said the decision was driven by a drop in middle school enrollment from “roughly” 35  students in the previous year to21 at present, while “about” 40 students were enrolled in that program five years ago.

“We weren’t accepting any students for our lower grades because our classrooms are full,” Fultz said, adding that SCS currently has 120 students enrolled in its remaining seven grade levels.

SCS’ two middle school staff members, Samantha Malinski and Carianna Liefland, have both been offered other jobs at SCS; Fultz said they have not yet decided if they will stay.

“This decision was not made lightly, and I understand that it may come as a surprise and cause concern,” Fultz wrote to parents the following day. “Also, this is in no way a reflection of the performance of either [Malinski] or [Liefland]. These talented teachers work tirelessly to teach and support our students. I want to assure you that we are committed to supporting every student through this transition and providing them with the resources and guidance they need to thrive in their educational journey.”

Fultz said SCS has been in contact with other area schools, which have also dropped off enrollment information.

“I have met with and spoken to [Fultz] a couple times and have provided registration packets and an invitation to Future Scorpion Night,” on Tuesday, March 4, Sedona Red Rock High School Principal Heather Isom said. “Parents have been notified that they can come in and schedule a tour at any time. My team is also going to their campus on March 12 to register incoming students. We will work together to make it an easy transition.”

“Removing the middle school now doesn’t mean we couldn’t switch it back, or build additional classroom space with a more appropriate learning environment for that age group at any point in the future if district enrollment numbers were to change,” Cobban said.

Fultz said that discussions so far about using the middle school classroom space have explored creating a preschool program or expanding space for other classes.

“Middle school is hard to teach for many students,” Fultz said. “It is the most difficult time in their educational journey. For our students, they’ve been fortunate to have great teachers who help them through that difficult time, and encourage them to do their best and encourage them that they will get through it.”