9 schools in TUSD consider mergers

Wrightstown and Henry elementary schools already have held community meetings to discuss merging with other elementary schools. And Holladay Intermediate Magnet School also hosted a meeting this week for staffers and parents to mull over transforming the third- through fifth-grade school into a fourth- through eighth-grade school.

Merging with Naylor Middle School was brought up at the Holladay meeting, too.

Conversations also have started at Carson Middle School and Santa Rita High School to discuss consolidating the campuses into one seventh- through 12th-grade school at the east-side high school, Tucson Unified School District officials said.

But district officials stress that all discussions are preliminary.

No decisions about consolidation have been made - and won't be - until input is gathered from school staff members, parents and other interested people, said Maggie Shafer, the district's assistant superintendent of elementary schools.

TUSD wants decisions about consolidation to be made by the end of February, so any moves can be voted on by the Governing Board sometime in March and take effect for the next school year, Shafer said.

"TUSD is not making this decision," Wrightstown Principal Jon Ben-Asher said. "They are giving us the opportunity to make decisions for ourselves."

Ben-Asher met with Wrightstown faculty members, parents and others Tuesday to explore the possibility of a merger with another school.

He held a similar meeting Wednesday at Henry, where he also is principal.

Ben-Asher stressed to those at Tuesday's meeting that just because he's principal at both schools, that doesn't automatically mean the two campuses will be the ones merging with each other.

Other elementary schools near Wrightstown include Bloom, Collier and Van Horne.

Wrightstown parents were open to the idea of a merger, but only if another school moves to their campus.

"My preference would be a school coming here," parent Pam Braun said.

Braun bought her home in the Wrightstown area 6 1/2 years ago so her son could attend that school.

She's looking at other schools to send her third-grader to in the event Wrightstown agrees to move to another campus.

Wrightstown was one of four schools TUSD targeted for closure two years ago due to low enrollment. But controversy erupted, parents united, and in the end, none of the schools closed.

Wrightstown parents aren't quick to forget about those days and said they always will rally for their school.

"It would be hard for the Wrightstown family to consider leaving because of the history of the school and the passion from the previous school closures, and the initiative Wrightstown has made to enhance learning with technology," parent Jessica Markley said.

She did say that finding a school to join Wrightstown is an option worth considering.

Markley's daughter, Danika, shares her mother's view.

"I'd like to have another school merge with our school, because we don't have many kids," the third-grader said. "It would be good to have more friends and more teachers."

TUSD proposed its consolidation plan to principals late last year as a way for schools to combine their resources at a time when TUSD is grappling with budget cuts and declining enrollment.

Just four years ago, Wrightstown had a staff that included eight teachers, one full-time principal, two custodians and one instructional coach, Ben-Asher said. It also offered band and orchestra programs, he said.

Today, Wrightstown shares its principal, has a teaching staff of five, operates a library with no librarian and offers no band or orchestra. It also has combined grade levels.

Ben-Asher said a merger would benefit the school.

"I see this as an opportunity to keep Wrightstown solvent," he said.

TUSD plans to reward schools that merge.

Consolidated sites can combine budgets for at least three years, receive up to 35 percent of utility savings from the closed school, and make capital improvements to the consolidated campus.

On StarNet: Go to azstarnet.com/ education for more news about schools.

To Learn More

For more information about what your school is considering, contact the principal's office. Contact information is available on TUSD's Web site, www.tusd.k12.az.us

Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at arivera@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.