When the Tucson Unified School District governing board meets on Thursday, Dec. 20 to make a final vote on school closures and consolidations, board member Michael Hicks said he plans to vote no on all school closures.
At a meeting last night at Brichta Elementary, Hicks was asked to address the school closure issue and the fact that the board recently approved 14 schools to consider for closure. There will be public hearings on Dec. 8 and 10, with the final vote Dec. 20.
“The district should have dealt with this years ago,” Hicks said. “I’ll accept part of the blame.”
During the past two special meetings last month in which the board determined schools based on staff recommendations and the development of what the district calls the “school master plan,” Hicks and other board members have barely spoken out against the district administration.
But last night, to a group of almost 100 parents in the school’s cafeteria, Hicks said TUSD Superintendent John Pedicone works for the board, not the other way around. He also added that he does not agree with the criteria used by the administration in determining closures. Hicks described it as “politics.”
“I don’t believe the criteria was good and sound. At times its seemed like they picked a school out of their back pocket,” he said.
As an example, Hicks mentioned Santa Rita High School, which was brought before the board at the final special meeting, but not chosen for closure. Hicks said it was completely unexpected. But so is the selection of schools that are highly performing.
When asked if he’s looked over the district’s latest budget and has identified cuts that could help the district save $17 million, he said he wasn’t a money person, but was turning to people to help him better understand those figures. Despite that, he’d rather look at the budget and other ways to save money or create revenue rather than close schools.
Hicks said TUSD should look at the development of more district-run charter schools, adding two more kids per classroom throughout the district and changing the school year to year-long.
The purpose of the meeting was to gather Brichta parents and organize for the upcoming public hearings. Brichta parent Stephanie Hamilton said parents have gotten together to form BCAN—Brichta Community Action Network to develop alternatives for the district. They also started a petition and a letter-writing campaign to the board.
Hamilton said most parents want to keep neighborhood schools open, and the general feeling is that the school closures came out of nowhere.
Hamilton proposed other ways TUSD could bring in additional cash—the sale of Maxwell Middle School’s 18 acres zoned residential, or a TUSD-owned parcel by Ironwood Hills that could bring in additional revenue. She also thinks the Brichta parents need to remind the board that their school’s utility bill is one of the lowest out of all TUSD schools.
“We need to work together to give the district other alternatives,” she said.
Hicks later reminded parents that any revenue brought in from the sale of property goes back to facilities and not the management and operation side of the budget—where the deficit exists.
See the list of schools being considered for closure after the jump.
TUSD school closures list:
Below is the list of schools for which closure has been initiated. In parentheses are schools that the district has recommended to receive students transferring from the originating school:
Brichta Elementary School, 2110 W. Brichta Drive (Receiving School: New K-8 with Menlo Park at Maxwell, and Tolson K-5)
Carson Middle School, 7777 E. Stella Road (Receiving Schools: Secrist Middle School and Dietz Elementary, changing to Dietz K-8)
Corbett Elementary School, 5949 E. 29th St. (Receiving Schools: Wheeler Elementary, GATE program students to Hudlow or Kellond Elementary Schools)
Cragin Elementary School, 2945 N. Tucson Blvd. (Receiving Schools: Blenman Elementary School and Davidson Elementary School)
Fort Lowell/Townsend K-8, 2120 N. Beverly Blvd. (Receiving Schools: Grades K-5 to Whitmore Elementary, Grades 6-8 to Doolen and Magee Middle Schools)
Hohokam Middle School, 7400 S. Settler (Receiving School: Valencia Middle School)
Howenstine High School, 555 S. Tucson Blvd. (Receiving Schools: The home high schools of students)
Lyons Elementary School, 7555 E. Dogwood St. (Receiving Schools: Erickson Elementary School and Ford Elementary School)
Manzo Elementary School, 855 N. Melrose Ave. (Receiving School: Tully Elementary Magnet School)
Maxwell Middle School, 2802 W. Anklam Road (Receiving Schools: Mansfeld Middle School, Robins K-8, Safford Middle School, and Valencia Middle School)
Menlo Park Elementary School, 1100 W Fresno St. (Receiving Schools: New K-8 with Brichta at Maxwell, and Tolson K-5)
Schumaker Elementary School, 501 N. Maguire (Receiving Schools: Bloom Elementary School and Henry Elementary School)
Sewell Elementary School, 425 N. Sahuara Ave. (Receiving Schools: Bonillas Basic Curriculum Magnet School and Kellond Elementary School)
Wakefield Middle School, 101 W. 44th St. (Receiving Schools: New K-8 at Hollinger and Van Buskirk K-5 Elementary School)
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2012.
It’s going to happen…we can all stand up and fight for our schools, but in the end, politics always wins. Now it’s just a matter of preparing for the inevitable: Crowded classrooms, lack of resources, facilities issues, and transportation troubles. There is always fall-out. Question is: How tolerant and resilient are the teachers, students, and their families? Only time will tell.
No, it is not going to be politics as usual, at least as far as parents and teachers of Sewell are concerned. Sewell is a top rated school, the best school on the closure list with an ADE rating of B, (and they came close to an A rating). Sewell is overcapacity, with two portables in use, makes sense to save a good/great school by moving portables to Sewell.
City Council Paul Cunnigham talked to the TUSD and they said that if Sewell had two more portables it would be kept open, can’t believe that TUSD isn’t looking at how well schools perform.
The battle is far from over, TUSD will have to hold a special bond election to secure perhaps $5-$10 million just to move students to new schools by refurbishing old facilities. I say we organize and to defund this school closure process by asking folks to “Vote No” on this special bond, so that TUSD won’t have the funds to close schools and make these “super schools”, like Pedicone wants.
Great schools that deserve to stay open shouldn’t go down without a fight!
I hope you are right. If enough people stand up, there may still be a chance. It just looks pretty bleak right now, and history seems to have a way of repeating itself where Tucson schools are concerned.
Good luck in your fight!