Policies Made, Positions Unfilled: Can One West Valley School District Deliver for Students Amid Chaos?

Leadership turmoil, teacherless classrooms, and a superintendent on leave cast serious doubt on whether this West Valley district can deliver—just as it prepares to open a brand-new school.

In the quiet stretches of Goodyear and Buckeye, where desert skies give way to sprawling neighborhoods and the hum of new growth, the Liberty Elementary School District is trying to rewrite its future.

Once known for stability and steady enrollment, Liberty (LESD) now finds itself at a crossroads—navigating the sudden return of a board member who had resigned, the hush around a superintendent placed on leave, and persistent whispers about the district’s finances. But underneath the tension, another story is quietly unfolding.