TUSD announces second school up for closure

The district announced Tuesday afternoon that students at Dunham, 9850 E. 29th St., would be sent to Marshall Elementary School, 9066 E. 29th St., for the 2027-28 school year as part of its proposed consolidation process.

Dunham is near East 22nd Street on the east side of South Harrison Road, and Marshall is near East 22nd Street on the west side of South Harrison Road. The schools are a mile apart.

Dunham has an enrollment utilization rate of 41%, according to district data, which refers to how many students are enrolled in a school compared to the physical capacity or design limit of that school building. It has a 93% classroom utilization rate, the percentage of classrooms that are being used of the total classrooms on campus, and a 33% capture rate for students in its area. The school, designed for 350, had 137 students in the 2024-25 school year.

Marshall Elementary has a 43% enrollment utilization rate, 100% classroom utilization rate and 35% capture rate. In the 2024-25 school year, the elementary, designed for 550, had 269 students.

“I recognize that the closure of a school is a painful moment for a community,” TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said in a letter to Dunham families. “Though difficult in the beginning, the consolidation process also represents an opportunity for our district to provide your children with a more exceptional academic experience, better access to extracurricular activities and programs, and more robust student support services.”

He said he would be on campus Thursday, Oct. 29, as part of his “commitment to personally engage with our affected families on this very important issue.”

“The goals of our upcoming meeting will be for me not only to answer questions related to the proposed consolidation, but also to highlight all the advantages in services, resources, and academic quality that the new consolidation will bring,” he said.

The district is announcing a recommended “sending school and a receiving school” change each day this week. TUSD spokesperson Karla Escamilla told the Star Trujillo is meeting with principals after school ends for the day, then communicating with school staff before sending a letter to school families who would be affected by the change.

The district announced Monday Hudlow Elementary School was up for closure and students would be streamlined to Sewell Elementary School.

The TUSD Governing Board will review part of the district’s consolidation plan at its next meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 27. The meeting will take place at Palo Verde High School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, instead of its normal location at Duffy Community Center, due to high attendance expectations.

During an online governing board meeting Tuesday, Oct. 20, Trujillo said the Governing Board members would review six “scenarios” of school closures and consolidations at the next governing board meeting.

“There are two additional scenarios being recommended for 2028-29 that we want to return to the community advisory committee,” he said. “We’re adding some stuff, so we want to get their feedback.”

Those two scenarios will be discussed in a second part of the study session in a Governing Board meeting on Nov. 10. Escamilla clarified to the Star a “scenario” could include a closure and consolidation, just a closure or a grade-level change.

The Oct. 27 meeting will feature a three-part presentation before opening it up to public comment, Trujillo said earlier this month: a historical analysis of the district's 2012 closures on finances and enrollment; major concerns and recommendations district leaders heard during community listening sessions in September; and school-by-school data and projected impact, including enrollment, class sizes, transportation, program carryover and more.

Any remaining time after the study session will be dedicated to a call to the audience. TUSD Governing Board meetings end by 10 p.m.

The public will have another chance to share opinions with the board on Nov. 17 during a legally mandated public hearing before the board votes Dec. 7.

Dunham history

Dunham Elementary School opened in 1974. The school was named after Alice Fulmer Dunham, a Tucson teacher and principal of 25 years who retired in 1961.