Two seats on the Tucson Unified School District governing board are on the ballot in this year’s election, and the youngest person hoping to win one is just 20 years old.
Tre’Davon Rhodes is a rising junior at the University of Arizona studying political science and economics. He’s spending his summer break collecting signatures to make it onto the November ballot as a TUSD governing board candidate.
“It’s like having representation for any population, right? You want to have somebody on the board that can represent for African-American students in TUSD, somebody on the board that can represent for the parents of TUSD… And I think we haven’t had enough representation for our young people,” he says.
Rhodes says he’s collected more than double the required 400 signatures to put him on the November ballot in a district where more than 278,000 residents are registered to vote.
He’s looking to unseat incumbent Val Romero to unify the board on a progressive front.
“He has voted ‘no’ on things that could really move our district forward,” Rhodes says of Romero.
Romero has served on the board since 2023. He ran as an independent in the 2024 election for the Pima County Board of Supervisors in District 5 and in 2021 for a seat on the Tucson City Council. Board member Jennifer Eckstrom is also running for reelection, though Rhodes considers her one of the members “doing phenomenal work.”
Rhodes graduated from the district himself and now, as his younger siblings face the same challenges he did as a student, he says he wants to have a direct impact on their success and those who come after them.
“What is our district going to look like in the next 10,15 years? You know, I want to have my own kids, I love my city and I plan on staying here for a long time,” he says. “I want to make sure that if they’re going in our public schools that they’re getting a good education and have a decent shot at a successful future.”
One way to do that, Rhodes says, is through resourceful funding strategies like converting closed campuses into affordable housing units.
“The district can collect revenue in the form of rents and use those revenues to reinvest into our students and hopefully keep schools open,” he says.
He sees TUSD’s biggest challenges as insufficient funding, enrollment decline and a rise in absenteeism. To combat chronic absenteeism, Rhodes wants to encourage classroom practices of mastery learning and Socratic models, rather than test-based achievement.
The Gen-Zer also says he would champion the responsible use of phones and artificial intelligence in classes — something the current board discussed at this week’s meeting and failed to come to a consensus on. A 2-2 vote halted progress on proposed policy changes that would have expanded the use of AI in district middle and high schools.
Talks of foreseeable school closures have been circulating among the governing board as enrollment steadily falls and per-pupil spending is lost.
“If I’m being honest with you, I hate a school closure. I think it disrupts communities, it disrupts families, it hurts our district as a whole,” Rhodes says.
If he’s elected and school consolidations come back into question — which district superintendent Gabriel Trujillo says they will — Rhodes says he’ll do his best to avoid closing campuses.
“I can’t promise that during my tenure on TUSD, there will never be a school closure, but I can say that I would look at every single alternative,” he says.
Rhodes describes himself as a “real world experience kinda guy.” He’s been balancing work and school since his sophomore year of high school, having served food at Beyond Bread, sold shoes at Finish Line, worked in a retirement home, a car wash and more.
His counselor at Sabino High School helped him realize the value of a college education, and that’s the sort of resource Rhodes says he wants all TUSD students to have access to because it’s what eventually helped him realize his desire for a career in public service.
“I remember I was like, ‘Man, Dr.K, I just don’t think I’m going to go to college, dude.’ And he was like, ‘You’re trippin’, guy,’” Rhodes says. “He was able to take me into his office and really break down the steps.”
The TUSD governing board typically meets twice a month and members make frequent visits to the 88 district schools. Rhodes says he’s used to the grind and can handle board duties while attending school. “‘It ain’t nothing to it but to do it.’ That’s what my grandma will always say,” he says.
Rhodes has been endorsed by Tucson City Council members Miranda Schubert, Selina Barajas and Kevin Dahl. TUSD board member Sadie Shaw, Pima County Supervisor Jennifer Allen and the Democrats of Greater Tucson have also endorsed Rhodes.
Rhodes could face five other challengers who have filed statements of interest vying for the two open seats.
