Focus on TUSD - March 2008

Board President's Message
In light of a $20 million budget shortfall for next school year, Superintendent Roger F. Pfeuffer has recommended a series of difficult and controversial cuts including school closures; changes in the allocation formula for class size; and school staff reductions. While this runs counter to what we understand every school needs, Tucson Unified School District is compelled to take these steps. Arizona law requires all school districts to balance their budgets annually.

In 1998, TUSD's enrollment was more than 62,000 students. Today, enrollment is under 58,000 with the district losing over 1,000 students in the last 100 day count. Clearly, this steady decline in enrollment over a long period has caused TUSD to lose funding from the state. In turn, District operating costs for items such as employee health care benefits and funding for student bus routes, have gone up significantly in recent years and are projected to increase yet again next year. The District is taking steps to assure financial accountability to maximize dollars earmarked directly toward student learning, but enrollment loss has hampered our ability to sustain current staffing and programs without sacrificing the quality of education for our students.

If you were to take time to read the headlines from other cities across the nation, including in Phoenix, you would discover that TUSD is not alone in its challenges of budget deficits and loss of student enrollment to charter schools. In fact, our peers from Mesa Public Schools and other large districts are faced with similar circumstances and are dealing with difficult budget cuts as well.

On March 25, the School Board was briefed on the results of the performance management audit by MGT of America, Inc. The firm was retained to independently evaluate TUSD's strengths and weakness with the idea to improve overall performance and help the district realign resources for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

MGT of America "commended" TUSD for a variety of topics that are handled well by the school district and provided 74 specific recommendations that, if implemented fully, could save TUSD nearly $18 million over five years. The board and superintendent invite all stakeholders to review and evaluate the report and recommendations. You can download the report online. The "Facilities Use and Management" chapter (4.0) was pulled temporarily at the request of the consultant for further review of the cost savings information regarding school closures. This chapter will be made available immediately after the school district receives it.

Despite the challenges we face today, one thing is certain as we move forward, the District will get through this difficult budget season and continue to focus on our core mission of student learning and achievement. So on behalf of a grateful Governing Board and community, thank you for all you do to ensure our students succeed in their K-12 education.

Go TUSD!

--Alex Rodriguez
President, TUSD Governing Board

Photos in the March issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations, unless otherwise noted.

The deadline to submit material for the April Focus is Friday, April 11. The Focus will be published Monday, April 21. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the online Tip Sheet.