Local opinion: Reopening the Amphi Pool is a city responsibility

Tucson City Council Member Kevin Dahl’s recent commentary regarding the indefinite closure of the Amphi Public Pool appears to underappreciate financial realities facing the Amphitheater School District community.

Mr. Dahl acknowledges that Amphitheater Public Schools is navigating steep budget challenges after closing four of our beloved schools, but he then expresses "hope" that the school district will still help pay for the multi-million-dollar repair bill for the city's pool located on the grounds of Amphitheater High School. His "hope" feels even more disappointing — hurtful, really — following our school closures than it did several months ago, when I explained to him that we could not possibly afford to pay for the city pool improvements.

The Amphi Pool has been on District property for almost five decades because our District provided the land, parking, and utility infrastructure in partnership with the city for the pool construction. We have always valued that partnership, and our students do benefit from having the pool on our property. In return, our District pays the considerable utility costs for the pool and allows public entry for recreational pool use. And no one can possibly question the recreational value which the pool has long represented in our 85705 and broader Tucson community. Its closure by the City has been a tragic loss for both our students and our residents.

Our school district stands ready to renew our agreement for city operation of the pool on school grounds, as we have done multiple times before over the decades. However, our K-12 students and educators should not be asked to substantially subsidize city capital improvements for its parks and recreational programs. Tucson’s City Charter charges the City, not the school district, to provide for the recreational, safety, and health needs of the city's residents.

Some important perspective: the city possesses a $2.5 billion budget. Amphitheater Public Schools operates on a much smaller $135 million budget dedicated strictly to K-12 classroom education — and only $12.6 million of our far smaller budget can be spent on capital improvements. So, the city's request for nearly $1 million of District capital funds to repair the city pool would have left our own capital needs grossly unmet.

I sincerely appreciate that the City is facing its own financial dilemmas. When facing a recent $17 million budget deficit, city leaders considered cuts to fire stations and community centers. However, the city also directs significant funding toward initiatives that could be reevaluated — certainly before asking schools to help meet city responsibilities.

These include $68 million for free transit subsidies despite fiscal sustainability warnings, alongside over $160 million for climate programs like the tree canopy initiative. I am not asserting the City should make different choices on these initiatives. Those are their choices to make, but I am simply noting they may wish to consider other options before choosing to ask woefully underfunded school districts to help them supplement the city budget.

So, my own hope is that the City will indeed find the resources within its sizeable budget to reopen the pool by next summer, as Mr. Dahl says he hopes to do.