Collier Elementary community pushes back on closure with K-8 expansion proposal and walk-in

Collier Elementary families are asking Tucson Unified School District to do more than leave their neighborhood school open. As the district considers closing and consolidating campuses, parents, students and staff are proposing that Collier become a K-8 school with an environmental education focus. They are also organizing a walk-in protest to show the governing board that the campus remains an important part of the east side community.

Under TUSD’s current proposal, Collier would close and its students would transfer to nearby Bloom Elementary. The governing board is scheduled to make a final decision on the closure and consolidation plan Dec. 8. Before that vote, Collier’s Parent Teacher Association is circulating a petition supporting the K-8 proposal, which has collected more than 1,000 signatures. The group says the expansion could increase enrollment and create an educational option that is not currently available on Tucson’s east side.

For families connected to Collier, the possible closure is about more than the use of a school building. Alexis Cervantes, the school’s PTA president, said her family has attended Collier for generations and that the proposed shutdown has affected children, teachers and families throughout the neighborhood. She acknowledged that TUSD faces pressure to reduce spending, but said the community does not believe balancing the district’s budget should come at the expense of its students and their education.

Teachers also describe Collier as a place with a strong culture that would be difficult to replace through consolidation. Francisca Maldonado, who has taught for 16 years, said she has not worked at another school where students and staff showed the same level of care for one another. That sense of connection is a central part of the community’s argument that Collier should be strengthened rather than absorbed into another campus.

The PTA’s counterproposal would extend the school through eighth grade and build its curriculum around environmental learning. Supporters believe a distinctive K-8 program could draw more students and help address the enrollment concerns driving the district’s recommendations. Cervantes said families have been presenting ideas to the board and showing that they are prepared to help make the proposed changes work, rather than simply objecting to the district’s plan.

Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said TUSD is reviewing the proposal and will determine whether the idea is financially workable. He characterized the environmental K-8 concept as innovative and potentially unique on the east side. The district’s review is taking place as officials consider a larger restructuring intended not only to reduce expenses, but also to rebuild enrollment and concentrate staff, students and resources in campuses that can serve more children.

The broader plan responds to a long decline in TUSD enrollment. District data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that enrollment has fallen by more than 20,000 students since 1999. Trujillo has said the proposed consolidations would save about $7 million immediately, along with an estimated $17 million to $18 million in bond savings. He has also pointed to underused facilities as a reason the district can no longer continue operating every campus as it has in the past.

The proposed changes include Dunham Elementary joining Marshall Elementary, Cragin Elementary joining Blenman Elementary, and Magee Middle School joining Sabino High School beginning in the 2027-28 school year. For 2028-29, the district has recommended moving Secrist Middle School into Santa Rita High School and combining Cavett Elementary with Utterback Middle School to create a K-8 campus. Trujillo has said additional consolidations could be considered. The district has described the recommendations as part of an aggressive effort to reconfigure TUSD, not simply as a short-term budget response.

District officials have also discussed investments meant to ease the effects of consolidation, including free before and after-school care and express bus routes. Even so, families across TUSD have pushed back. A petition opposing the closure plan says neighborhood schools represent longstanding community partnerships and investments, and that their value cannot be judged only by enrollment or operating costs. At Cragin, PTO President Bridgette Patterson urged board members to visit the campus, classrooms, playgrounds and gardens before deciding its future.

TUSD released its recommendations over several days so Trujillo could visit affected schools and speak with employees. The governing board is expected to receive a finalized reconfiguration plan Nov. 10, followed by a public hearing Nov. 17, before the Dec. 8 vote. For Collier supporters, the walk-in and K-8 proposal are intended to keep the school’s future visible during that process. They are asking board members to consider whether investing in a specialized program could serve the district’s enrollment goals while preserving a neighborhood institution that families say already has a committed community behind it.