Amphitheater Public Schools is planning on closing up to five elementary schools by the start of the next school year, according to a letter sent out Thursday to staff and parents by Amphitheater Superintendent Todd A. Jaeger.

Jaeger said in the letter that the district has been facing several challenges in recent years, including declining birth rates, expansion of private school vouchers, growth of charter and private schools, rising housing costs and sustained underfunding by the state.

"Enrollment in Amphi schools has declined nearly every year for the past decade," Jaeger said in the letter. "Last year, however, we saw a sudden $4.3 million loss due to a particularly steep decline. The trend of declining enrollment continued into this year, with a projected enrollment loss of about

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