TUSD delays Magee’s proposed closure to 2028

For families on Tucson’s far east side, Tucson Unified School District’s proposed closure of Magee Middle School would no longer happen next school year. Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo is now recommending that Magee be consolidated into Sabino High School beginning in the 2028 to 2029 school year, giving students, families and staff an additional year to prepare for the potential change. The delay follows concerns and feedback from families at both schools, according to a letter Trujillo sent to Sabino families.

The proposal is part of a districtwide effort to reduce operating costs and address falling enrollment. Magee, near Speedway Boulevard and Houghton Road, had 266 students and was operating at about 35% of its capacity last school year. Sabino, roughly eight miles away, had 767 students and was operating at 42% capacity. Magee received a B under the state’s most recent school accountability grades, while Sabino received an A. Both campuses are on Tucson’s far east side, but the distance between them is one issue families will have to consider as the district works through transportation, programs and campus logistics.

Rather than simply placing middle school students into the high school population, TUSD says it is planning a separate secondary academy for students in sixth through eighth grade. The proposed academy would have its own buildings, classrooms, lunch periods and daily bell schedule. Middle school students would not be mixed into regular high school classes or routines, and middle school teachers and staff would transfer to the receiving high school, according to the district. TUSD has also proposed a similar academy at Santa Rita High School for students from Secrist Middle School, whose closure is proposed for 2028 to 2029.

Trujillo said the extra year would allow the district more time to work out facility improvements and program details. The delay also reflects the response to the original timeline, which would have consolidated Magee into Sabino in the 2027 to 2028 school year. The governing board is expected to review the district’s proposals for 2028 to 2029 at its Tuesday meeting at Catalina High School, 3645 E. Pima St. The public portion is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. and end by 10 p.m.

Magee is one of 16 TUSD schools recommended for closure, merger or other reconfiguration during a 16 day process that district officials said concluded with the recommendation involving Steele Elementary and Booth Fickett K 8. The governing board must still approve the recommendations. For the 2027 to 2028 school year, administrators have recommended closing Hudlow Elementary and merging it with Sewell Elementary, Dunham Elementary with Marshall Elementary, Cragin Elementary with Blenman Elementary, Collier Elementary with Bloom Elementary, and Magee Middle School with Sabino High School.

The proposals scheduled for 2028 to 2029 include Secrist Middle School’s consolidation with Santa Rita High School, Cavett Elementary’s consolidation with Utterback Middle School, and Steele Elementary’s consolidation with Booth Fickett K 8. Steele had 460 students last school year and was built in 1960, while Booth Fickett had 240 students and includes buildings constructed in 1950 and 1960. The two east side schools are about two miles apart, near Broadway Boulevard and Sarnoff Drive. The district says the middle school and high school arrangements would use the same separate academy model proposed for Magee and Sabino.

TUSD officials have attributed the enrollment decline to lower birth rates in Pima County and the growing use of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, which allow families to homeschool or choose private schools. Those trends have reduced district revenue. TUSD lost nearly $8 million in state funding last year because of lower enrollment, according to the district information presented during the closure process. The schools under consideration also have substantial unused capacity. Secrist, for example, had just under 209 students and was at 31.8% capacity, while Santa Rita had 365 students and was at 14% capacity. Cavett had 169 students and was at 32% capacity, and Utterback had 264 students and was at 19.6% capacity.

The district’s current recommendations follow four community meetings held since late September, including three in person and one online. More than 300 staff members and community residents attended those sessions, which focused on demographics, enrollment and TUSD’s financial position. The process has also revived memories of earlier closures. Between 2010 and 2016, the district approved the closure of 10 elementary and middle schools and one high school. Cragin and Sewell were included on that earlier list but ultimately remained open for another 14 years.

The governing board’s review is expected to move quickly. A Nov. 10 meeting is scheduled to examine the three most recent realignment proposals, followed by a legally required public hearing on Nov. 17. The board is scheduled to vote on the recommendations Dec. 8. Until then, Magee families will have more time to ask how the proposed Sabino academy would operate, how students would travel the eight miles between campuses, and what facilities and programs would be ready before any move. The additional year does not eliminate the proposed closure, but it gives TUSD and the affected communities more time to shape, challenge or reconsider the plan before a final decision.