J.O. Combs District Weighs Closing the Combs Traditional Academy Campus
The Proposal
The J.O. Combs Unified School District is considering closing the Combs Traditional Academy (CTA) campus and moving Combs Center for Success (CCFS) into its own building at Combs High School, starting in the 2027-28 school year. Superintendent Toby Haugen presented the recommendation at the Governing Board's Oct. 14 information session. The board has not voted.
Options for CTA
Haugen offered two options: students enroll in other district schools, or the program moves to one elementary campus and operates as a school within a school. Board member Lisa Horne proposed a third: converting an existing elementary school into CTA while keeping that school's principal and staff. The district's other elementary schools are Ellsworth, Harmon, Simonton, and Ranch.
Enrollment
CTA had 187 students in kindergarten through sixth grade as of Oct. 12. The district registered 317 kindergartners in 2021 and 203 in 2026, and 224 seniors graduated in May, compared with 297 in 2021. Most district schools are under half capacity, except Ranch Elementary and Combs High School.
The Combs Center for Success Move
CCFS is an online and in-person alternative school that shares the CTA campus. Haugen believes the target is the “500 building” at Combs High School, which has its own entrance and parking lot. Students who ride the bus home currently leave about 30 minutes early; Haugen said the move would give them a full school day.
Budget Figures
- State funding is $5,215 per student. The district budgeted for 3,470 students, but the state projects funding for 3,329, a 141-student gap worth about $735,000.
- A roughly $350,000 swing from online students leaves a shortfall of about $135,000 this school year, which the district's carry-forward fund can cover.
- CTA salaries and benefits cost just under $1.1 million, while state funding for its 187 students is about $975,000, a gap of just under $120,000.
- A new water fee beginning in January would add about $157,000 a year to a water bill now around $196,000.
- The district has cut 21 positions since last school year (about $1.38 million) and frozen hiring. General education classes average 26 students per teacher, up from 23 or 24.
- Voters rejected a district bond last November, 2,952 to 3,495.
The Campus Property
The district is having the CTA campus appraised, with results expected by the end of that week. Voters approved selling the property in a May 2009 special election. Haugen said there is interest in leasing part or all of the campus, and some talk of buying it.
Other Options Reviewed
Closing Ellsworth would cost about $310,000 more per year; closing Harmon, about $194,000 more; closing Simonton would save about $14,000. Closing any of them would require two to four more buses and drivers for students who now walk. Ranch was excluded because it sits on state trust land under a long lease. Employee contracts allow up to 10 unpaid furlough days, with savings ranging from $7,000 to more than $1 million depending on who is furloughed and how many days.
Board and Public Input
Board President Shelly Hargis asked for a cost breakdown if CTA took over another elementary school and suggested piloting a school within a school for one or two years. Haugen plans to survey CTA families and Harmon-area families, and possibly the whole district. Nine people spoke during public comment; most asked the board to keep the principal and staff together, and several urged moving the school to another campus or expanding it to eighth grade.
What Happens Next
The earliest possible vote is Nov. 4, and any closure action would have to name the campus and the chosen option. Staffing plans for next year begin in December and January, families are asked in January and February whether they plan to return, and March 15 is the earliest the district can issue teacher and administrator contracts. Meetings: Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. (regular); Thursday, Dec. 3 (special); Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 5:30 p.m. (regular), all in the governing board room at the district office, 43371 N. Kenworthy Road. Speakers fill out a speaker form before the meeting and get three minutes. Questions go to the district office at (480) 987-5300.
Source: SanTanValley.com, “J.O. Combs District Weighs Closing the Combs Traditional Academy Campus” (Oct. 23, 2026).