Carson Middle School gets reprieve from TUSD board

CREATED May. 18, 2011

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Reporter: Joel Waldman
Web Producer: Layla Tang

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Students, parents, and teachers cheered after the Tucson Unified School District board voted to keep Carson Middle School open.

The school had been on the chopping block as a result of low enrollment. However, after a lengthy discussion on Tuesday night, board members decided not to go ahead with the decision. TUSD board president Dr. Mark Stegeman said the board does not take school closures lightly.

"This is a huge decision, and it's also a decision that's hard to reverse. And that's why closure decisions are one of the biggest things that we do," Dr. Stegeman said before the vote.

The discussion over Carson Middle School lasted so long, other items on Tuesday night's agenda were tabled--including one titled "Board Leadership Requested by Board Clerk Judy Burns." No one could confirm what that item entailed, but some speculated to KGUN9 that it may have something to do with board president Dr. Mark Stegeman and some of the Ethnic Studies protests that have recently disrupted board meetings. That item has been pushed back to a later meeting.

Speaking of Ethnic Studies, there has still been no confirmation on when a public forum on the subject might take place. TUSD board members promised to hold a forum before taking action on the highly contentious issue. However, they have not yet named a location or a date. Luci Messing with the Tucson Education Association told KGUN9 she believes the school board is working to bring together several parts of the community for the meeting.

"I've heard that they're trying to work with some community groups to try and organize that. Obviously that's going to stall the process when you try and get more people involved. And unfortunately, we're going to run out of time," Messing said, referring to the end of the school year.