On Tuesday night, the TUSD Governing Board convened a public meeting to vote on closing 8 schools. A few members of the Board made a show of their reluctance to close the schools.
On Wednesday, those same members were contacted by the District’s superintendent in his effort to ascertain whether he had their support to place Santa Rita on the chopping block at the next public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, November 27. According to district sources, Drs. Stegeman, Sugiyama, and Miguel Cuevas offered their support or consideration of his request.
The move surprised everyone, including board member Michael Hicks who has fought against the closing of schools while demanding that the District evaluate its budget and institute austerity measures before closing neighborhood schools.
Hicks and staff should not be surprised as it has long been rumored that Pedicone was gunning for Santa Rita for some time. JTED and Pima Community College have had their eyes on Santa Rita for a while and just recently Pima Governing Board member Scott Steward called on Pedicone at his office.
Pedicone’s latest wish list, which includes Wakefield Middle School and Santa Rita High School, is expected to be presented to the full Board next Tuesday.
Hollinger, Cragin, Brichta, Menlo Park, Manzo and Pueblo Gardens were spared temporarily this week because the Board members said they need more time and information. Those schools will be discussed on Tuesday night also.
The District has been claiming that the cuts must be made due to cuts in education funding by the State Legislature and the failure of Prop 204, the 1 cent sales tax initiative. However, on Wednesday evening, Senator Frank Antenori told James T. Harris, of 104.1 “The Truth,” that the Legislature fully funded education for the next two years in anticipation that Prop 204 would fail. The Legislature has raised education funding the past two years in response to the deep cuts that were made during Arizona’s budget crisis. Antenori, who is an expert on the State’s budget and school finance, said that “no other district in Pima County was closing schools in response to alleged funding cuts.”
Mark Stegeman says that the Distric has been running in the red this year, and “we are covering it by running down our cash reserves. That is part of the reason for the budget problem next year: we have used up the cash reserves.” Stegeman says that the District, under Pedicone’s leadership has not employed “prudent budgeting.”
Stegeman says that the District “had a major revenue drop from fy12 to fy13.” The District lost many students has a result of school closures, rumored school closures, and the growing dissatisfaction with the schools’ performance. Stegeman say that he wished the District would spend less money on promoting the district and more money improving the schools.
The District is attempting to close the high values schools in order to make some money according to Stegeman. Though the monies from school sales can be used only for capital improvements. However, one Governing Board member is concerned that the sale of Fort Lowell/Townsend is intended, in part, to serve Pedicone’s friends; reportedly one is desiring to expand his organization and the Fort Lowell/Townsend property is ideal for that purpose.
The District attempted to get the plaintiffs in the desegregation case to endorse the move on Tuesday, but they refused the request. The District is racing to close the schools before the Court issues its finding in the desegregation case.
The District will hold public hearings in December on the closure of Sewell, Corbett, Lyons, Schumaker, Fort Lowell, Carson, Hohokam, and Howenstine.
In a letter sent to District personnel, Pedicone outlined the closing and “consolidation” plan:
• Carson Middle School (Receiving Schools: Secrist Middle School and Dietz Elementary, changing to Dietz K-8)
• Corbett Elementary School (Receiving Schools: Wheeler, Hudlow, and Kellond Elementary Schools)
• Fort Lowell/Townsend K-8 (Receiving Schools: Grades K-5 to Whitmore Elementary, Grades 6-8 to Doolen and Magee Middle Schools)
• Hohokam Middle School (Receiving School: Valencia Middle School)
• Howenstine High School (Receiving Schools: The home high schools of students)
• Lyons Elementary School (Receiving Schools: Erickson Elementary School and Ford Elementary School)
• Schumaker Elementary School (Receiving Schools: Bloom Elementary School and Henry Elementary School)
• Sewell Elementary School (Receiving Schools: Bonillas Basic Curriculum Magnet School and Kellond Elementary School)
Pedicone advised staff that “as we have said since the beginning of the School Master Plan process, closing schools only provides a partial solution to overcoming our budget deficit.”