The Tucson Unified School District has been awarded a $6.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help increase school choice programs and maintain diversity.
TUSD is one of 36 districts across the country to receive this type of grant and the only recipient in Arizona.
The Department of Education awarded the grants in an effort to help school districts bring diverse groups of children together through the use of innovative educational programs and to create more choice for parents.
The funds can be used to establish new magnet schools or expand existing magnet programs that are part of a school district's voluntary or required desegregation plan. They will be disbursed over a three-year period.
"We are proud to be the only district in the state of Arizona to have been awarded these funds this budget cycle," said TUSD Assistant Superintendent Maggie Shafer. "The grants will help desegregate our schools, bring more high-quality programs to our district, and increase parental options in Tucson."
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TUSD's desegregation order was lifted in December. The district is now operating under a court-approved plan that aims to narrow the gaps in achievement and a disparity in discipline between minority and non-minority students.
The district intends to use the grant funds on three schools - Ochoa Elementary School, Safford K-8 Engineering/Technology Magnet School and Robison Elementary School, Shafer said.
Ochoa has been working toward becoming a Reggio Emilia-Inspired school. It's an approach that focuses on exploratory learning and inviting environments.
The Reggio approach is being used in Ochoa's preschool, kindergarten and first-grade classes. It will use the grant funds to continue training to roll out the program to the remaining grade levels over the next couple of years.
Robison Elementary is hoping to offer the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. The midtown school has applied and is awaiting approval. IB schools share a common philosophy - a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education.
Robison Principal Robert Pitts says the grant funding came at the perfect time.
"Without this funding we were going to have to look for other sources of money," Pitts said. "This is going to be an outstanding opportunity to move this school and the community forward into a new phase in terms of education here."
Safford has a focus on engineering and technology. It is also a candidate for the International Baccalaureate Primary and Middle Years Programme.
The downtown school intends to use its portion of the grant to train teachers, for curriculum materials, technology and tutoring to support struggling students, said Sarah Costello, Safford's IB coordinator.
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Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at ahuicochea@azstarnet.com or 573-4175.
