TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Tuesday, the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) Board went over the next project that will be covered by the TUSD Bond 2023.
Of the $480 million, $54 million have already been used on things like cyber security devices, HVAC systems, fields and more.
So what’s next? The district's next focus targets health office upgrades across multiple campuses, according to Dr. Charlotte Carter, TUSD Bond Program Manager.
She said they just upgraded four and in summer 2026, the next five school's will receive a facelift to their health offices.
Those schools include Mission View Elementary, Pistor Middle, Rincon High, Safford K-8 and Santa Rita High.
The estimated price for the project at each school is $75,000, plus an additional $75,000 for contingency.
The $450,000 project will ensure the space is compliant with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), install locking medication cabinets for safety, and update the flooring.
Another item on the agenda is making sure students are using the safest way to get to and from school.
TUSD is proposing to make a small revision to their Student Transportation in School Buses Policy – encouraging families to have their kids use district school buses opposed to public transportation.
Dr. Gabriel Trujillo, TUSD Superintendent mentioned the first grader at Hollinger K-8 that was hit by a car and killed after getting off a city bus and crossing a very busy street.
"We want to do everything we can to create the conditions that will make it as easy as possible for parents to choose district transportation for children, especially as young as K-5," Dr. Trujillo said.
Dr. Trujillo says their transportation routes are pre-spotted, pre-analyzed and pre-assessed by the school safety team to make sure they're in the safest place as possible.
A parent or guardian dropping off and picking up is also preferable.
Jennifer Eckstrom, TUSD Board President, says she would like to extend the revision not only to elementary students, but to all schools K-12.
The revised policy would also include for parents to sign a notice at the beginning of the school year, acknowledging school buses are available to their children and if they allow their child to walk or use other forms of transportation, they are aware of the risks.
“So that parents understand we have a safer mechanism of transportation," Eckstrom said. "So that a second grader does not need to ride a city bus, cross a busy intersection and then end up where we’ve ended up — with a loss of a child."
The board approved the policy revision 4-1 for schools K-12 and intend to get feedback from the community.
You can look over the agenda from Tuesday's meeting here.
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