TUSD announces third school up for closure

Students at Cragin, 2945 N. Tucson Blvd., would be sent to Blenman Elementary School, 1695 N. Country Club Road, for the 2027-28 school year as part of TUSD's proposed consolidation plan, the district announced Wednesday afternoon.

Cragin is near East Glenn Street and North Tucson Boulevard, and Blenman is near East Pima Road and North Country Club Road. The schools are nearly two miles apart.

Cragin has an enrollment utilization rate of 38%, 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 100% classroom utilization rate, the percentage of classrooms that are being used of the total classrooms on campus, and a 40% capture rate for students in its area. The school, designed for 600, had 211 students in the 2024-25 school year.

Blenman Elementary has a 41% enrollment utilization rate, 100% classroom utilization rate and 52% capture rate. In the 2024-25 school year, Blenman, designed for 700, had 319 students.

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

The district announced Monday that Hudlow Elementary School is up for closure and Tuesday that Dunham Elementary also faces being shuttered. 

Next steps

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. TUSD spokesperson 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. 8.

Cragin history

Cragin School, built in 1950, was built for $106,514, according to a TUSD historical essay from 2023.

The school was named after Gertrude S. Cragin, the first full-time nurse in the Tucson Public Schools system. She was hired in 1920 for an annual salary of $2,000. The school board purchased a Ford car for her to use to visit the district's schools.