SchoolsThursday, November 12
TUSD's superintendent wants a Dec. 8 vote on closing or merging schools
The Tucson Today team
If your kid goes to a TUSD school, Tuesday night's meeting added detail. About 100 people attended the Governing Board meeting at Catalina High School as the district maps out how to close or merge 14 schools. Dunham Elementary has been spared. Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said the package would cut TUSD's $20 million deficit to $14 million, with $8 to $10 million more in cuts still needed.
The package would trim TUSD's deficit from $20 million to $14 million
Sources: AZ Luminaria, KVOA
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Deficit now | $20 million |
| If the package passes | $14 million |
Cavett Elementary could become an alternative education center for students with autism and those facing academic or behavioral challenges. The district wants to keep the property if Cavett merges into Utterback, which would become a K-8 school in 2028-29.
- Savings: roughly $6 million a year
- Enrollment: down 5.6% from fiscal 2024 to 2026
- State funding: nearly $8 million lost last year
- Causes cited: lower Pima County birth rates, Empowerment Scholarship Accounts
The closure plan moves toward a board vote
- Nov. 10TUSD's Governing Board hears public comment at Catalina High School.
- Dec. 8Trujillo wants the Governing Board to vote on the proposals.
- 2027-28Six schools are proposed to be merged or closed.
- 2028-29Utterback would become a K-8 school if the Cavett merger is approved.
Sources: AZ Luminaria, KVOA
Trujillo wants a vote by the Dec. 8 meeting. “We need to bring finality to our families,” he told reporters. Jim Byrne of the Tucson Education Association floated splitting up the seven proposals so the board could give some more time.
Sources: AZ Luminaria, Arizona Daily Star, KVOA