Ducey visits Tucson charter school

Gov. Doug Ducey visited a Tucson charter high school as part of his tour of six Arizona schools.

Tuesday’s visit to Alta Vista High School near Irvington Road and South Campbell Avenue was the governor’s 10th visit to Tucson.

The tour is part of his effort to hear feedback on “what’s working and what’s not” from school administrators, parents and students, he said.

He also visited: Phoenix Collegiate Academy, Metro Tech High School and Vista College Preparatory in Phoenix, Puente de Hozho Elementary School in Flagstaff and Peoria High School.

Alta Vista was chosen because of its Post Secondary Education Initiative, which helps students prepare and plan for the future after graduating.

He went on a closed tour of the school and visited remedial reading, economics, history and English classes. He said he liked Alta Vista’s focus on results and teachers’ investment in students.

“Education and K-12 education are one of the reasons I ran for governor,” Ducey said to hundreds of Alta Vista students and staff.

He also presented the school with a $500 check, which Alicia Alvarez, principal of Alta Vista, said was going to be used partially to provide financial assistance to students applying to colleges or taking exams.

The school revitalized its post secondary education initiative in the past year, assigning staff members to specific roles in counseling students, including military recruitment, volunteer opportunities and college preparation exams, Alvarez said.