TUSD Governing Board candidates address budget, other concerns at forum

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Three seats are up for grabs on the Tucson Unified School District's Governing Board this November.

Five candidates for the open seats answered questions at a forum at the YWCA on the Westside of Tucson hosted by the League of Women Voters of Southern Ariz.

Questions for the forum were submitted by members of the Tucson community either online ahead of time or on an index card in the room. They ranged from enrollment numbers to academic achievement to electives to safety in schools.

The biggest focus was the district's budget for the candidates and for those in the audience like third-grade teacher Wes Oswald.

“It’s very hard to work with the budget we got," he said.

He's been with TUSD for about 16 years and currently teaches at Manzo Elemenraty School. He's facing both budget and enrollment issues in his classroom this year.

“I think one of the biggest challenges get we have is lack of funding from the state as well as declining enrollment," he said."We had over-hired teachers, so we had a cut a position just last week. As a result, I took on extra students into my classroom from a classroom being collapsed and a teacher leaving due to budget and lower enrollment than expected.”

TUSD is no stranger to a tight budget. The district has been battling with low funding for years. Former TUSD board member Mark Stegeman said it has always been hard to work with the budget.

“Well, it's tough," Stegeman said. "And you just have to look for ways to make operations more efficient.”

This year, TUSD is facing two major financial issues. Federal funding the district got during the height of the 2020 COVID pandemic runs out Sept. 30. In July, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the state didn't have to reimburse TUSD for what they spend on desegregation.

Candidates agreed that funds are low, but chose different avenues for where that cash should be spent.