The final bell at Kyrene de las Manitas in Tempe wasn’t supposed to be temporary.
After closing last month as part of Kyrene’s school consolidation plan, the campus was expected to sit empty this fall.
Instead, it will reopen July 22 to house hundreds of former Manitas students and their counterparts from neighboring Kyrene de la Mirada in Chandler after a hidden water pipe flooded much of the latter’s building.
It is the second major emergency relocations in less than a year for the district, which last August was forced to temporarily split its Pre-K through fifth students at Sierra Elementary in Ahwatukee across three different schools because of strong odors from a roof replacement project.
Such are the problems that can crop up for a district with buildings that are mostly three decades old.
This time, the relocation of the Mirada school community is necessary so crews can repair water damage that stretched from Mirada’s front office through classroom Pod A and several major corridors.
District officials say students and staff should prepare to remain at Manitas through winter break, although they could return sooner if repairs are completed and the campus is deemed safe for occupancy.
The flood was discovered around 7:30 a.m. June 15 after a domestic water line concealed inside a wall failed, sending water throughout portions of the campus before the damage was discovered.
Facilities personnel were notified at approximately 7:30 a.m., and within 30 minutes the district’s Emergency Management Team had convened to assess the damage and begin planning its response. Restoration contractors were on site within an hour, beginning emergency water extraction and drying operations.
District administrators quickly realized the damage extended well beyond wet carpet.
“It was quickly determined that repairs were not going to be completed by the first day of school,” Assistant Superintendent/CFO Chris Hermann told the Governing Board last week.
Officials considered three possible responses: repairing the school while students remained on campus, installing portable classrooms or temporarily relocating the entire school.
Because of the extensive remediation required and a lack portable classrooms, administrators concluded moving the entire campus was the only practical option.
A second life
The relocation carries an irony not lost on district officials.
Manitas had only recently completed its final school year after the Governing Board voted last December to close the campus as part of a districtwide consolidation plan driven largely by declining enrollment that shuttered two other elementary schools last month.
Two middle schools and the Kyrene Traditional Academy are slated to close next May.
Now, Manitas is becoming a lifeline – for the very school its students were supposed to start attending next month.
Instead of scattering Mirada students among several schools, the district has access to a fully equipped elementary school capable of accommodating an entire student body while repairs continue.
Although Manitas officially closed at the end of the school year, district staff are now preparing classrooms, reconnecting technology, relocating furniture and instructional materials and readying the campus for students once again.
“It’s really been exceptional,” said Kelley Brunner, executive director of school effectiveness, of the collaboration among district departments preparing the campus.
She said classroom assignments have already been finalized, while facilities, technology, curriculum and academic staff are coordinating the movement of everything needed to recreate Mirada’s learning environment.
Teachers will receive access to their new classrooms before school begins so they can prepare for the year, and the district plans to hold its traditional Meet the Teacher event at the Manitas campus.
Extensive repairs ahead
The presentation to board members illustrated just how extensive the damage has become.
Water inundated Mirada’s front office, hallways connecting the administrative offices to classrooms and Pod A.
Photographs depicted standing water throughout corridors, flooded office areas and extensive damage requiring demolition.
Facilities Director Mason Mead said the district immediately notified its insurance provider, known as The Trust, which now oversees major restoration decisions.
Environmental testing found no asbestos-containing materials, allowing restoration contractors to begin removing cabinetry, baseboards and sections of drywall to accelerate drying.
Containment barriers have been erected throughout affected portions of the building while industrial air movers and dehumidifiers continue removing moisture.
Approximately 90% of classroom and office contents already have been inventoried and relocated.
The next phase includes electrical inspections, environmental clearance testing, evaluation of flooring replacement options and development of a detailed restoration schedule before rebuilding can begin.
More than moving desks
Relocating an entire elementary school involves far more than transporting furniture.
District officials are coordinating transportation routes, redesigning pickup and drop-off procedures, reconnecting classroom technology, relocating curriculum materials and ensuring teachers have everything needed before students arrive.
Families also have sought assurances that student services will continue uninterrupted.
Brunner said special education, speech therapy, counseling and related services will all continue at the temporary campus.
After-school offerings, including Kids Club and youth enrichment programs, also will be available at Manitas.
“We are continuing to work together to ensure that everything is ready to go prior to the start of the school year,” Brunner said.
The district also has launched a dedicated webpage to provide updates, progress reports, photographs, environmental testing results and frequently asked questions as repairs continue.
Officials have notified neighboring residents that traffic around the previously closed campus will increase once school resumes.
Community rallies
Mirada Principal Michelle Anderson was vacationing in New York when she learned of the flood.
“I was about to paddleboard on the Hudson River,” she recalled.
She immediately joined district officials by Zoom before returning to Arizona to begin planning the relocation.
Anderson praised facilities crews for their rapid response and said she never sensed frustration despite the enormous task ahead.
“I just have to say it has been so smooth and responsive that I just don’t think I could ever show my appreciation for you and your team,” she told district facilities staff.
She also credited Mirada families and teachers for embracing the unexpected challenge.
“My community, the families have been so kind, supportive. ‘Let us know when you’re ready to move, and we will be there.’ My PTO is just so amazing and fantastic.”
Teachers, she said, have displayed similar flexibility.
“They’re like, ‘You let us know’ — first of all, when we can get into Mirada and get our stuff and go to Manitas — but I am just so thankful for the team that we have.”
District officials said the financial impact to Kyrene itself is expected to be limited because the damage is being handled as a no-fault insurance claim.
The district’s deductible is $5,000, with insurance covering the remaining eligible restoration costs.
Meanwhile, facilities staff are cataloging every damaged item, separating furniture and equipment that can be salvaged from items considered total losses.
Mead said the district may also reduce replacement costs by repurposing furniture no longer needed at other campuses.
“We may be able to consolidate furniture from other sites to decrease the cost of the claim,” he said.
For now, district officials are planning as though Mirada students and staff will remain at Manitas until after winter break. Once it dries off and is repaired, Manitas will house about 680 students, district spokeswoman Erin Helm said.
That timeline, however, could change if repairs progress faster than anticipated.
“We advised the Mirada community that students and staff may not return to Mirada until after winter break,” Hermann said.
“However, if repairs and remediation are completed sooner, if that’s possible, and the environment is deemed safe, then the Mirada community could return to campus sooner.”