Tucson Unified School District will host its third and final community meeting on school closures and consolidations Saturday morning at Tucson High School.
The interactive meeting aims to outline why the changes are necessary and gather community concerns and feedback in breakout groups, according to the district. The superintendent and reconfiguration committee, made of 31 Tucson community members, will use the feedback in shaping its plan moving forward.
TUSD has not publicly announced any schools up for closures or changes, but Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said Monday the district will likely make changes to 10 schools.
Saturday’s meeting, which runs from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the high school gym, has about 200 sign-ups, TUSD spokesperson Karla Escamilla said Tuesday.
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Common threads of concern at Monday’s Sahuaro High School meeting included fear over larger class sizes, concerns about exceptional education programs, the need for district transportation and worry about losing the school-based relationships and identity that come with a neighborhood campus.
Bill de la Cruz, a contracted consultant of De la Cruz Leadership Solutions, told the Star at the first meeting that once all three meetings are finished, the advisory committee and Superintendent will review the similarities and differences in concerns from each meeting as they build the final proposal.
Trujillo said the district will name schools up for closure or consolidation in mid-October after one-on-one meetings with school staff and families. A November governing board meeting will feature a state-mandated public hearing and a final vote is expected Dec. 8.
Analysis: These 9 TUSD schools are at highest risk of merging or closing
