Tucson Unified School District
Bright Ideas
Celebrate the US!
INFORMATION
Did You Know?
These suggestions, submitted by TUSD staff, parents, students, and community members, can help the district save money and improve services:
- Every cubic yard of recycling costs 40% less for disposal than each cubic yard of trash! Assign a site recycling coordinator to help your site achieve the goal of 50% recycling of waste material.
- PACE provides a mechanism that allows students to work through debilitating factors in their lives while achieving their academic and personal goals. Special programs include school-to-work mentorships and student portfolios.
- Savings to Taxpayers vs M&O: Revenue generated not returnable to M&O must be applied to a reduction of the tax rate for the following year. This applies to the sale of land, excess utility savings and auctioning of furniture & equipment.
- During 2004-2005, 59 million dollars (10% of the budget) were secured in grant funding. Each grant must be used for specified purposes with strict limitations, which rarely include Maintenance and Operations (M & 0).
- Eighteen million dollars were received in Title I funds under the No Child Left Behind Act to be used to help disadvantaged children achieve state academic standards. Some schools have extra staffing through Title I, Desegregation and Magnet funding.
- 301 funds are currently distributed in this way: 60% for TEA certified personnel and remaining 40% for site goals payments, $700 per certified person for staff development, $1,000 stipend for underperforming schools, $650 for School Council Facilitator, and $3,000 for a National Board Certification.
- Food Services receives 70.6% of its revenue from the federal government and 29.4% from sale of student meals and a la carte.
- We have reduced overtime to minimum levels.
- The three principal coaches at TUSD evaluate principal and work on district school issues for all 116 schools. Three principal supervisors work with principals on their administrative skills and to assist with curricular development.
- The Professional Development Department is being restructured to provide more one-on-one assistance with improved delivery of instruction through master teachers and instructional coaches.
- Six elementary schools will be adding sixth graders to offer an alternative to middle school this fall.
- In 2003, TUSD adopted the Early Severance Package, which will take 8 years to pay off. Therefore, it is unlikely that TUSD will offer another early severance package prior to 2011. For more information, see Jim Kiser's article in the Arizona Star.
- State law prohibits schools from receiving funds for sale of naming rights.
- Fundraisers at the school sites must have principal approval and a portion goes to the student activities fund. Student activities monies must not be used to defray any District expense. For more information, see Administrative Regulation 1241 (Available in MS Word | Available in Adobe PDF).