Recommendation for School Closures

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Chyrl Lander, (520) 225-6437, chyrl.lander@tusd1.org
Posted on: February 6, 2008

Four elementary schools will be recommended for closure by Superintendent Roger F. Pfeuffer at a regular meeting of the Governing Board of Tucson Unified School District on Tuesday, Feb. 12. He also will recommend consolidating two alternative high schools into the District's alternative high school offerings.

Pfeuffer will discuss the District's financial situation and his recommendation for closures and consolidations at a public meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 6, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Catalina Magnet High School, 3645 E. Pima St.

The elementary schools are:
Corbett, 5949 E. 29th St. (enrollment of 593 including 100 GATE students; capacity of 700)
Ochoa, 101 W. 25th St. (enrollment of 249; capacity of 320)
Rogers, 6000 E. 14th St. (enrollment of 263; capacity of 410)
Wrightstown, 8950 E. Wrightstown Road (enrollment of 155; capacity of 230)

The same four schools were recommended for closure by Pfeuffer at the Jan. 29 meeting of the Governing Board. Members of the board voted 3-2 not to move forward with the process to consider closing schools.

Now, the superintendent also is recommending the consolidation of Downtown Alternative High School and PACE Alternative High School. Downtown Alternative, 39 N. Sixth Ave., has an enrollment of 46 students. It is an alternative to long-term suspensions or expulsions. PACE, 594 S. Campbell Ave., has 28 students who participate in school-to-work mentorships. The recommendation is not to consolidate Downtown Alternative and PACE but to move the schools into other settings. "We're putting kids into better education environments," said Pfeuffer.

TUSD's budget for 2007-2008 is approximately $363 million, which includes maintenance and operations and desegregation funds. District officials estimate that between $2.4 million and $4 million would be saved from closing four elementary schools.

The District started the school year with a $9.5 million deficit that has been reduced to approximately $4.5 million. The District is projecting a budget deficit of between $15 million and $18 million for the 2008-2009 school year.

If a majority of Governing Board members approves the latest recommendation to consider closing schools, the legal process begins. Legally, 30 days must go by before holding a public meeting, and another 30 days must pass before the board can act. The 60-day time frame is mandated by state law.

"Our recommendation is to redirect resources to better serve students and enhance teaching and learning in TUSD," Pfeuffer said when he initially recommended closing schools.

At least one community meeting will be held at each school involved.

If the recommended schools are closed by the Governing Board, students from those schools will be assigned to a school that has an equal or better performing label. Corbett is a performing school; Ochoa has an underperforming label; Rogers and Wrightstown are labeled highly performing.

Criteria used in deciding upon these four schools included enrollment, academic performance, and their capacity for growth.

District officials propose that Erickson, Kellond and Reynolds elementary schools receive students from Corbett; Safford Magnet School is slated to receive all of Ochoa's students; Sewell and Wheeler elementary schools will receive Rogers students; and Bloom and Henry elementary schools will receive Wrightstown students.

The Governing Board meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. in the board room of the Morrow Education Center, 1010 E. 10th St.