When the president of the Arizona Association of the Deaf came to the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board meeting last week to speak on behalf of students with disabilities set to join the district — she had to find her own interpreter to do it.
Katie Sienko spoke in American Sign Language and recruited a friend to interpret as she addressed the board on the issue of incorporating students from the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind into the district next school year.
“I feel to show up here with no interpreter, in a room of hearing people who don’t know Sign, asking a friend to interpret for me, how does that make us feel comfortable,” Sienko said. “That the deaf and hard-of-hearing students that will go to your schools will not feel isolated.”
Although TUSD and ASDB have worked together for years, their alliance is more vital and delicate heading into next school year when some students will switch from ASDB to TUSD schools.
The incorporation of the ASDB students at the cooperative sites of Pueblo High School and Morgan Maxwell K-8 comes as ASDB prepares to close its 56-acre campus on the west side and move some deaf and hard-of-hearing students to Oro Valley on July 1.
The move forces many students, including those who are blind or low vision and those boarding at ASDB, to find a different school.
Last week’s meeting aimed to address a plan for bringing in new TUSD students — including the model, site modifications, services, providers and $815,000 in funding.
“From what I have seen, at its core, this model does not introduce new services. It reorganizes existing ones. What I see is a centralized, site-based approach with limited dedicated space and a shared service structure. While this may increase coordination, it does not, by itself, create a specialized educational environment,” Sienko told Arizona Luminaria via email.
That dedicated atmosphere and access is key, Sienko said. Her own experience is an example: She requested an interpreter four days before the meeting, but the district requires 10 days advance notice. It got an interpreter but that person cited a conflict of interest and dropped out just before the meeting.
“For Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, and DeafBlind students, access is not simply about receiving services. It is about full access to language, communication, and incidental learning throughout the entire school day,” she said. “That requires more than providers rotating in and out. It requires an environment intentionally designed to support those needs.
“This proposal does not clearly define how that will be achieved,” said Sienko, who is also a former ASDB board member.
The current proposed TUSD budget includes $515,222 for additional staffing costs, plus an estimated $300,000 for capital costs related to assistive technology, instructional materials and necessary building renovations, the TUSD agenda item read.
The agenda included an addendum to the existing agreement the two districts have with each other regarding instruction and support that was approved by the board in 2023 and expires in January 2028.
But after Sienko addressed the board, the plan review and vote were moved to the May 12 board meeting, so services, like interpreters, could be present for a clear discussion.
At least three TUSD board members approached Sienko during a meeting break to apologize for the absence of an interpreter and hear her concerns.
“This is the first time that we’ve had a member of the deaf community come and address the board,” said board member Natalie Luna Rose.
“But I do apologize for not having an ASL interpreter. Now that we are going to be working with students from ASDB, we will make sure there’s an interpreter here at every board meeting.”
Luna Rose also addressed the access issue at the end of the meeting, reminding the audience that ASL interpreters are needed and require breaks every 15 minutes.
“It’s a really taxing job. And also, if we can look into making sure that we’ve got CART, which is communication, access, real, time translation so there’s a screen with translation. These are things we’re going to have to think about as we’re getting into this agreement with ASDB,” she said.
Sienko felt heard by TUSD board members, she said, and appreciated the shared values around supporting students and staff.
“That kind of engagement matters. It shows there is a shared commitment to doing right by the community,” Sienko said. “At the same time, we still have a long way to go.
“These next two weeks are really about moving from general support to specific clarity. It’s an opportunity to take a closer look at what this model actually delivers for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, and DeafBlind students, not just in theory, but in practice.
“For our community, this isn’t just about services. It’s about access to communication, identity, and belonging in the classroom,” she said.
The number of new students with disabilities will be available next week after the plan’s public discussion, TUSD told Arizona Luminaria.
“Students who will be placed at Morgan Maxwell and Pueblo High School will receive a higher level of support through daily instruction from a teacher of the visually impaired, orientation and mobility services, and access to braille and enlarged print,” TUSD spokesperson Karla Escamilla told Arizona Luminaria last month.
“These sites were selected based on the capacity to accommodate students’ needs and an enthusiasm to support visual, cultural, and individual student needs,” she said.
ASDB says it supports more than 900 students with its itinerant services: American Sign Language interpreters who typically travel to different sites and work with students.
The school has a few weeks left at its campus built in 1912. This school year, it has 115 students in grades K-12, and about 30 of those learners are blind.
The campus move is prompted by a $3 million deficit, lack of federal and state funds, declining birth rates resulting in lower enrollment, more complicated student needs, and deteriorating buildings and infrastructure, said ASDB Superintendent Annette Reichman.
In addition to the Oro Valley move, over the last five months, the ASDB school Board of Directors has voted to lay off about 60 workers at its campuses and shift to a new teaching salary pay schedule.
In 2026, three board members have resigned, the most recent was Earl Terry on April 14.
Due to the lack of a quorum, board President Brittany Buchanan canceled the monthly meeting, set for May 7 in Phoenix. The next one is July 9.
The Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions is actively soliciting applications for board vacancies, said ASDB’s Maria Murphy, director of government policy and relations.
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