Foothills Focus
December 3, 2003

Gavilan Peak School enrollment to explode
Part I in a two-part series

Alan Richardson

ANTHEM – The Deer Valley Unified School District, in predicting growth in the 367 square mile district, singled out Gavilan Peak School in forecasting enrollment growing from the current 1,237 to over 2,300 for the 2005-06.  Plagued with unexpected growth this school year, the school had several issues, including overcrowded classrooms, no space for its band program except to use a stage in the cafeteria as a classroom, and loud complaints by parents unhappy with the lack of space.

Kent Davis, Associate Superintendent, presented a detailed study in growth and enrollment for the district’s Governing Board during a study session on Nov. 25th.  Davis outlined enrollment history and projected growth for the district’s elementary schools.  And, he presented a possible quick solution to overcrowding at Gavilan Peak.

With the over 31,750 students today, the huge district is expecting to continue to grow by 5 percent per year, with enrollment topping 46,000 within seven years. 

Current total growth projections forecast that the School Facilities Board will approve a new elementary school for 2007, 2008, and 2009.  Those projections are based on a complicated formula used by the SFB to determine a school district’s need for an additional school and takes all available school building space in the district into consideration.

Davis noted that many factors might affect future enrollments, including economics, charter school growth, ratio of estimated students to the price of a home, and the location of any new housing developments.  The district estimates .55 students per home in the district.

The Associate Superintendent predicted that there would be a need for schools in multiple areas over the next few years, with few being authorized by the state formula for funding new schools.  He presented three alternative solutions.

Efficient use of current space is critical to future growth.  Deer Valley may use bond money to build portions of its schools. 

For an immediate solution, Davis proposed building “flexible facilities”, using Modular Technology.  While these buildings may be temporary, they are not the typical portable buildings that are on wheels and can be moved from place to place.  They are, from all appearances, full-sized and permanent facilities.  But, because of modular construction, can be moved and set-up at a new site.  Life span of the buildings, even with the effects of moving and set-up, is predicted at 50 years.  Costs to move the buildings required for a school could run $160,000.

DVUSD’s Chief Financial Officer, Bill Maas, said, “These are excellent buildings.  I built three of them in Peoria when I was there”.  Maas is the retired CFO for Peoria Unified School District.  Davis presented this plan as a quick solution to the overcrowding at Gavilan Peak School.

Davis predicted that the school could be up and running on the west side of the Interstate 17 by the 2004 school year.  His plan includes putting in the infrastructure for elementary school number 4 in Anthem, and putting the modular buildings on the site. This modular school would then be used while the already authorized elementary number 3 is constructed.  When the new permanent school is built in the Anthem community, the modular facility could be transferred to another site where is would be needed.

Costs for this initial effort, not counting teachers, staff, and supplies, are just over $6 million.  Funding would come from the district’s bond money and future SFB reimbursements.