The somewhat tropical, yet metallic sounds of steel drums opened the Tucson Unified School District Board meeting Tuesday night.
As the Tucson High steel drum band, Jovert, played — its members alternately spinning for a beat within a song — hundreds came outside to the Duffy Community Center courtyard for a melodic slice of the golden hour.
Four hours later, six people remained in the audience and the performing arts that started the meeting were now discussed instead of played.
Nearly 40 Tucson Unified School District departments — from fine arts to exceptional education — submitted almost $4.4 million in budget cuts at Tuesday night’s Governing Board meeting. The cuts include 3% for fine arts, interscholastics (sports), exceptional education, facilities, school safety and 9% for all other departments.
The district says it needs to cut $10 million next fiscal year and $27 million by 2030.
The reduction target heading into Tuesday was $4.7 million, Chief Financial Officer Ricky Hernández said Tuesday night. That’s after a $2.4 million proposed reduction last month.
“The hard part is going to be this,” Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo told the board of the Tuesday cuts, adding that the main thrust of the cuts package has been revealed.
Total reductions will go before the board at its next meeting on March 31. Before that, the recommendations and details will be posted on social media and the district website for community input.
Student voices lead way on petition
An hour of public comment on Tuesday night was led by five student voices who touted a petition signed by thousands of TUSD staffers regarding potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on campuses.
The board is now examining the petition. The district-appointed task force will meet today to discuss next steps and make recommendations.
“Our students are coming to school scared and with a fear of ICE activity in our community. This is real,” said Pueblo High School sophomore David Salvador. “Families are afraid, students are distracted and some are not coming to school at all. I am asking to take a public stand to clearly state that campuses are safe zones, that there is no cooperation with immigration enforcement on school grounds and that this message is community created directly to families.”
Staffers at about 40 of the district’s 88 schools signed the petition, which asks for guidelines including a plan similar to a lockdown or fire drill, funding for training, a script for front-office workers and grade-level training for students.
This follows last month’s mandatory staff ICE training, prompted by staffers and the district says it does not have any more ICE-related staff training planned, spokesperson Karla Escamilla said. As of Tuesday afternoon, the district says ICE has not been on a campus this school year. Yet, the training and preparation is imperative in a district where about 65% of its 35,000 students identify as Hispanic.
After an hour of public comment including more than a dozen speakers, most of whom talked about ICE training and its impact, at least three board members addressed hundreds in the packed room.
“I do believe that we do need to make a change. I believe the community as a whole needs to understand what TUSD is doing and what protocols are in place,” board member Jennifer Eckstrom said,
“We need more communication and we need to offer these trainings if they are asking for them.”
Read the white board
🧑🏽🏫 Teacher experiences wanted: To participate in an educational psychology study at the University of Arizona, go here. Find out if you qualify and about compensation. About 80 teachers are needed.
🏀 Pueblo High School senior America Cazares is now Arizona’s all-time high school girls basketball leading scorer with 2,932 career points. Cazares set the record on a free throw during the 5A state quarterfinals earlier this month when the Warriors lost 63-62 to Phoenix North. For those of us who remember, the previous record was held by Catalina Foothills star Julie Brase Hairgrove who played for the Falcons from 1994-98, then went on to play for the University of Arizona.
🚌 TUSD revealed 10 new electric buses last week. Check out the fleet here.
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