Linda Don remembers a Tucson without charter schools and just a few private schools.
“Your kids went to the neighborhood school, which could be good or bad. If it didn’t have the resources, it was bad. But if it did, it was good,” she said.
Don was raised in the Sunnyside School District, sent her own kids to the Tucson Unified School District and is now the grandparent of TUSD elementary and middle schoolers.
She sees the emergence of school choice as a positive thing, but she’s now experiencing, first-hand, the downsides of that expansion on public education. TUSD said it could be closing, consolidating or making grade-range adjustments to up to 10 schools starting next year.
“This process could actually damage TUSD with further decreases in enrollment because people now have these options of the private and charter schools that may only be a couple miles away or next door to them,” Don said after attending a community engagement session hosted by the district in the Cholla High School gym.
Before the session began Wednesday night, Don said she was concerned about the potential closures and worried that her grandchildren would be affected. They attend bilingual schools, which Don said is a big reason why her family is staying in the district.
After sharing her ideas and hearing from other families, Don said she’s looking at the district’s reconfiguration as an opportunity rather than something to dread.
“It’s time to reimagine the way we deliver education in the community for our next generation” by expanding access for special programs like Spanish immersion or Fine Arts, she said. Don said she walked away feeling like the district should hold engagement forums beyond the school closure process.
TUSD is southern Arizona’s largest school district, currently home to 88 schools and roughly 37,000 students. It was founded in the 1860s, predating Arizona’s statehood, which makes it one of the state’s oldest districts as well.
At its peak enrollment in 1973, more than 63,000 students attended TUSD schools according to data provided by De La Cruz Leadership Solutions, a third-party consultant now helping the district “reimagine” its schools with significant enrollment loss.
The district says that enrollment decline is largely due to an exodus to charter and private schools as well as falling birth rates. Now, many schools have less per-pupil funding from the state to maintain buildings that were made for greater occupancy.
Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo told AZPM that the aging demographic is especially pronounced on the district’s east side, where schools have shuttered in the past.
East of Pantano Road, there are still nine elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools. Trujillo says they’re more likely to be on the chopping block.
“The most dramatic changes in homeownership are happening over on the east side. And it's a function of the economy,” he said. “They’re staying in their homes longer, which locks out the K-12 age families.”
With two community engagement sessions completed, Trujillo said a few major things have stood out so far. He said “class size matters” to a lot of families; people are concerned about how Special Education programs will be affected; and parents do not want their kids to experience longer car or bus rides if their school is closed and they have to attend somewhere else. He added that participants are looking for solutions to repurpose vacant school buildings.
“It’s a very, very painful moment, and we want to acknowledge that, but it’s for the righteous cause: the pursuit of excellence and educational experiences for all of our students,” he told the crowd at Monday’s session.
The plan moving forward
Saturday’s meeting at 9 a.m. in the Tucson Magnet High School gym is the final one scheduled in the breakout group format. The first was on Monday, where roughly 150 of 300 registered people showed up. On Wednesday, it was around 70-80 despite more than 200 RSVPs.
Trujillo said the district will likely have a finalized proposal for the school closures and consolidations by mid-October. A public comment portal will then open online, with a Nov. 10 special board meeting to follow that will be dedicated to public commentary.
“These sessions are actually the most powerful way to make your voice heard because, here, you’re shaping. You’re talking about what you would like to see,” Trujillo said at Wednesday night’s engagement session. “When you’re doing public comment, you’re kind of commenting on the work that’s already been done.”
Pima County Superintendent Dustin Williams told AZPM that closure decisions can hurt students.
“The best way to combat that is pure communication as early as possible with focus groups, with parenting groups, and really making sure that we can establish what that plan's going to look like when that student is going to have to pick a new site,” he said.
By December, Trujillo’s official recommendation will go to the governing board for members to vote on. He’s said no matter what the outcome is, up to 10 schools may be impacted in some form, and it’s likely that changes will move in phases over the next few years.
Parents can find data and more information on the TUSD Reconfiguration Committee page.
