On Thursday afternoon, the Tucson Unified School District recommended closing Magee Middle School and consolidating it with Sabino High School — the seventh and eighth schools named as part of recommendations to right-size Southern Arizona’s largest school district.
The two schools are among the eight so far, of the district’s 88 schools named this week for reconfiguration, pending approval by the Governing Board in December.
— Magee was built 1963. Last school year, it had about 267 students and its capacity is 965, according to state education data. It earned a B grade last school year and has 49 staffers, its website says.
— Sabino was built in 1971. Its capacity is about 2,500 students and had nearly 800 students as of last school year, the state says. It earned an A grade last school year and has 109 staffers, according to its website.
Both schools are on Tucson’s far east side — think Speedway Boulevard and Houghton Road — and would combine to create TUSD’s first 6-12 grade middle/high school. They are about eight miles apart.
Through Wednesday, six other schools have been affected — all preschool through fifth grade:
• Hudlow Elementary closing and merging into Sewell Elementary
• Dunham Elementary closing and merging into Marshall Elementary • Cragin Elementary closing and merging into Blenman Elementary
The changes are recommended for next school year. Here’s how they’ve rolled out this week:
On Wednesday:
— Cragin Elementary was built in 1950; about 180 students in 2025 and capacity is about 600; 44 staffers; Grade: D.
— Blenman Elementary was built in 1942; Capacity is about 440 and had about 270 students as of last school year; 45 staffers; Grade: B.
Cragin and Blenman Elementary schools are in central Tucson near Country Club and Grant roads and about two miles apart.
On Tuesday:
— Dunham Elementary was built in 1973; About 130 students last school year and has a capacity for 388; 38 staffers; Grade: A.
— Marshall Elementary was built in 1963. Around 222 last school year and has a capacity for 488; 57 staffers; Grade B.
Both Dunham and Marshall are on 29th Street on the far east side — less than a mile apart.
On Monday:
— Hudlow Elementary was built in 1959; Capacity about 400 students and had about 138 last school year; 44 staffers; Grade: D.
— Sewell Elementary was built in 1959; capacity is about 400 students and had 138; 40 staffers; Grade: B.
Hudlow and Sewell are about a two-mile commute, near East Fifth Street and Wilmot Road.
The schools are listed with the year constructed, the student capacity number and the average daily membership all from the Arizona School Facilities Portal. The membership is a projection of enrollment and is reported by school districts to the state. The letter grade posted last April is the most recent for the state accountability model used to annually measure school performance by the Arizona Department of Education. Staffing numbers are sourced from the TUSD webpages of each school for this school year and include part-time and full-time workers.
Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said two weeks ago he would first meet in person first with principals, then faculty at each school recommended for the changes. On Monday, Oct. 19, the district began rolling out a plan to close or consolidate schools over the next two years to save money, district officials say.
Last year, TUSD lost nearly $8 million in state funds because of lower enrollment. The decline is due to lower Pima County birth rates and families using Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to homeschool or attend private schools have cost the district revenue and caused the need to close, district officials say.
Families at affected schools will receive a letter with more detailed information about the recommendations, including an invite to meet with Trujillo at an on-site school meeting, the superintendent said earlier this month.
At Tuesday night’s special board meeting via zoom, the board approved the following timeline 4-1 with board member Jennifer Eckstrom opposed. The Oct. 27 governing board meeting will include a longer public comment section and will be at Palo Verde High School to accommodate an anticipated larger crowd. A Nov. 10 governing board meeting will include the final two realignment proposals. And a legally-mandated public hearing is Nov. 17. The board will vote on the realignment proposal on Dec. 8.
The district approved closing 10 elementary and middle schools and one high school in 2012. Cragin, Manzo and Sewell Elementary schools were all on that list and spared 14 years ago.
The district, with about 35,000 students, held four community meetings over the last five weeks to get feedback on TUSD demographics, enrollment and financial data. More than 300 people, including staff and community members attended the three in-person and one virtual meeting.
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