Tucson Unified School District addresses potential school closures in a public meeting

Families connected to several eastside Tucson schools are facing the possibility of major changes to their children’s campuses after Tucson Unified School District leaders presented a preliminary closure and consolidation plan at a public meeting. Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo spoke publicly for the first time since the recommendations were announced, telling residents that declining enrollment and a multimillion dollar budget deficit have left the district under pressure to act quickly.

The first set of recommendations would close Hudlow, Cragin, Dunham and Collier elementary schools at the end of the current school year and consolidate their students into nearby campuses. The district is also proposing changes for two middle schools during the following school year. Magee Middle School students would move to the Sabino High School campus, while Secrest Middle School would relocate to Santa Rita High School. TUSD describes the package as six recommendations, organized into five possible implementation scenarios that would require governing board approval for the 2027 to 2028 school year.

Most of the campuses named so far are on Tucson’s east side, particularly an area east of Craycroft Road. District officials say that part of Tucson has an older population and fewer children of kindergarten through 12th grade age. Declining birth rates and lower enrollment have compounded the district’s financial problems, leaving some schools with fewer students and fewer resources. Trujillo said the district’s goal is to strengthen the campuses that remain, improve support for students and staff, and persuade families to stay in TUSD rather than leave the district.

Magee is the first middle school identified as a potential closure in the current consolidation process. The school, on Speedway Boulevard between Pantano Road and Camino Seco, serves about 270 students in sixth through eighth grades and has a B rating. Sabino, an A rated high school serving grades nine through 12, is roughly a 15 minute drive north near Snyder and Harrison roads. Under the proposal, middle and high school students would share the Sabino property but have separate day to day operations. The district also says the arrangement could create opportunities for teachers across grade levels to work together.

The plan would revive an earlier use of the Sabino campus. When Sabino High School opened in 1972, it served as a junior and senior high school. The junior high portion was closed about a decade later as part of a desegregation settlement agreement, according to district spokesperson Karla Escamilla. Secrest would similarly join Santa Rita High School, with TUSD saying the campuses would be organized to distinguish middle school and high school activities while still allowing collaboration.

At the meeting, Trujillo acknowledged the emotional toll of identifying schools as possible closure candidates, particularly for employees who learned that their workplaces could be eliminated. He said the district is not facing these conditions alone and argued that delaying action would make it harder for TUSD to recover. The district says it considered childcare access, services for students with special needs and disabilities, alternative education, transportation and bus routes, and class sizes while developing the recommendations.

Parents from affected schools made clear that the proposals will face opposition. Kathleen Shooshtari and Bridgette Patterson, whose children attend Cragin Elementary, said their families have considered the school community home for 13 years. They told district leaders that Cragin has more capacity and updated facilities than the proposal appears to recognize, and invited officials to visit the campus before making a final decision. Their comments reflected broader concerns among families who say the value of a school cannot be measured only through enrollment totals or financial calculations.

District officials said the first recommendations are not the end of the process. Four additional potential closures or consolidations are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. TUSD held community engagement sessions last month with families, employees and residents, and another public hearing for comments was scheduled for Oct. 27. The governing board is expected to receive the full proposal on Nov. 10 and vote on the recommendations Dec. 8. Any sale of a school building identified for closure would also require voter approval. Trujillo said possible future uses could include community assets such as affordable housing, while the savings could help TUSD create a new alternative or special needs school. He said the larger objective is to put the district in a position to grow again without losing the families it currently serves.