Southern Arizona’s largest school district faces school closures, consolidations, a state financial-risk label and will also elect two governing board members in the coming month.
The five candidates vying for two Tucson Unified School District board seats range from incumbent board members seeking second terms to an educator and a 20-year-old Sabino High School graduate. The Nov. 3 general election will feature incumbents Jennifer Eckstrom and Val Romero and three challengers: Pilar Acosta Ruiz, Skye Fernandez and Tre’Davon Rhodes.
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Before the Nov. 3 election, TUSD says it plans to announce which 10 schools it will close and consolidate over the next two years. The board says it will study data and listen to community feedback over the coming month before holding a public hearing Nov. 17. It’s scheduled to vote Dec. 8. New board members will take office in January.
The district is projected to see about a 4% decline from last year to about 35,000 students, according to Arizona Department of Education data — a drop district officials attribute to lower Pima County birth rates and families using Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to homeschool or attend private schools, which has cost the district revenue.
Tied to that are district budget challenges: TUSD was one of nine school districts statewide named as highest financial risk earlier this year by the Arizona Auditor General’s office. Under Arizona law, the State Board of Education can place a district in receivership if it finds it insolvent or grossly mismanaged. TUSD was last on this list in 2020 and removed the following year.
Those vital issues are big reasons why candidates say they want to run, make crucial decisions and do this unpaid work. It’s also a chance to give back, to support their kids and grandkids and to be a community watchdog, they told Arizona Luminaria.
School board races are nonpartisan, meaning political parties are not listed on ballots, and voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote for any candidate in the general election. Board members must live within district boundaries, the state says.
Responses are compiled from one-on-one phone, in-person and text interviews with Arizona Luminaria, board meeting transcripts and a Sept. 29 candidate forum. We include their voices and illuminate some answers to the top questions facing the board in the coming year. Their responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
What inspired your run for school board?
Pilar Acosta Ruiz, 62, bookkeeper, challenger, last ran in 2024: “I know that my school experience was really good and we had a great education. Looking back on it, it feels good. And my daughter was able to get a good quality education. Our proficiency rates are really low now and the biggest thing we’re facing is the potential for the state auditor general to take receivership of the district. The budget has been an issue for a really long time and I have been around long enough that I have seen the different kind of things that have happened and how they try to do new fixes and we end up in the same spot because we’ve already been there, done that. And I really want the kids of the future to be able to have the kind of experience that I did.”
Jennifer Eckstrom, 49, program coordinator, Pima County community and workforce development, former South Tucson mayor and council member, incumbent in first term: “I am running for TUSD Governing Board to strengthen our district and because I am a strong community voice,” she told Arizona Luminaria. “Over the past four years, I have been dedicated to our students, teachers, and families. I am committed to equity and ensuring our students have the best education possible. We have accomplished many great improvements. I believe I am the candidate that can make more positive change.”
Skye Fernandez, 37, former public school teacher, now private educator, challenger running for first-time office: “Education has been my whole life. I don’t mean just the obligatory years I spent as a student. Those years were absolutely formative to who I am now as a person because I was one of those kids who going to college and having all the success was never guaranteed for me. I come from really humble backgrounds. And I attribute me being able to break cycles, to my education. I love school but when I became a teacher I started to realize why everyone else hated school basically and I said ‘oh man it’s like a battleground in here’ — essentially happening at these schools. I went into teaching because I wanted to make a difference. I’m here looking for results. I’m trying to do something tomorrow, not five years from now.”
Tre’Davon Rhodes, 20, University of Arizona student, challenger first time running for office: “I felt it kind of had to be done and I wasn’t really seeing anybody else taking on the fight to advocate for students, for teachers. I think, you know, I see somebody like Sadie Shaw who’s been doing wonderful work in the advocacy space and really been fighting for things. I think some members on our board really haven’t been doing enough to make sure that things are successful and have put a stopping block to the progress of the district. I have two siblings that are currently enrolled and two more that will be future TUSD students. Maybe it’s a little bit selfish, but they’re a large part of my motivation. I think I got a great deal within TUSD and my education and I want them to have the same opportunities that I did.”
Val Romero, 55, owner of Arizona Grill & Hearth, incumbent in first term: “Most people don’t remember or maybe don’t realize, this is a volunteer position. We’re all taking part of our lives to do something for our community. There’s a lot of issues that we have like, how do we get ourselves off of the high risk with the auditor general? Is a school not closing or consolidating schools going to push us over? So we’re under that receivership and now the board loses its autonomy. Those are some of the serious discussions we have to have. Again, we need to do better for our students. One of the things that I’ve learned by visiting every school, visiting with many faculty, is learning the system. I’m learning and taking the information that I got to help make it a better place. Again, my priority is our students. Their safety, our staff, and our families.”
What are three important factors when discussing school closures?
Acosta Ruiz: Enrollment, proximity of other schools and building age. “Growth is exploding on the west side of town and birth rates are part of the equation,” she said at the candidate forum. “Also, what is the population of the neighborhood? Closing and consolidating schools is a very complex topic. I don’t think that anybody can just name three cut and dry answers to that. I think they all are intertwined.”
Eckstrom: Community impact, required infrastructure, any cost savings. “Why and how will closing schools make things better and easier? They say we are going to save money and provide better services. But how?” she said in a text to Arizona Luminaria. “Are we creating a hardship to get these students to another school? What will happen to the closed school? Will it be boarded up? What will take its place? Do we have the ability to make improvements and the required changes necessary to accept new students? Do we really save a significant amount in our budget year after year or is it a one time deal?”
Fernandez: Enrollment, facility size and what magnet or specialty programs are offered at campuses. “If we absolutely have to work the scenario to shut down a school, it should be those schools that are actually smaller in size in terms of their facility,” she said in the candidate forum. “We can turn a potential high school into a (grades) 7-12 campus and still be able to attract students in that way. We also need to make sure that they have the programs to do so because making sure that we have something that’s competitive, that you can get students to college or prepared for the workforce is absolutely key.”
Rhodes: Enrollment, financial aspects, other pathways. “We want to look at and see if it’s a school that is costing us more to keep open than it’s generating,” he said in the candidate forum. “But we’re looking at alternatives. Is it a school that we can look to increase some other programs to bring enrollment in or do we want to make the effort and try to expand where population is growing?”
Romero: Enrollment, school location, compatibility with other schools. To be consolidated, schools need a community bridge to become higher performing schools, he said. “I think people overlook how much community plays a part,” he said in the candidate forum. “Again, we have to look at the numbers, logistics.”
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