Residents, educators voice concern about proposed district office and resource gaps at Tolleson meeting

Multiple public speakers at the Tolleson Union High School District meeting on Sept. 19 urged the board to prioritize spending on classrooms and student services rather than a proposed new district office or large capital projects.

Catherine Lopez, who identified herself as a local parent, said moving the district office and opening a new campus would estrange the community and leave current student needs unmet. "How will expanding or enlarging the district help or benefit the students? It makes no sense to me to also build a new school in Wendell when you haven't met the needs of the students we already have in this district," Lopez said. She described unfilled special education positions and said nonverbal students have waited years for iPads used for communication.

Faye Brakes, who described herself as an educational consultant, criticized the use of the consent agenda to move large capital items without broad community input. She cited district enrollment figures from the capital plan and the district website and questioned the timing and specificity of proposed construction: "With their capital plan... the district will not exceed capacity until 2030 with projected enrollment of 15,760 students," she said, and asked why a large new district office was included on the consent agenda.

Melissa Grimshaw, president of the Tolleson Union Education Association, responded to other speakers by urging the community to bring issues forward to administration earlier so they can be addressed. "When you see things that aren't happening, I wish I knew that we had an ESS classroom that needed those communication devices. We would have been all over that," Grimshaw said, and described the union's role in advocating for resources.

Michael Connor, who identified himself as chair of the Tolleson Union Education Association, urged cooperation between residents and the district and warned that losing bond and override measures would hamper services parents and students rely on.

Several public speakers also questioned timing and notification of agenda materials, and at least one speaker called for the resignation of the board president — an allegation that was raised during public comment but not acted on by the board during the meeting.

The board did not take immediate legal action on matters raised during public comment; the board president read district public-participation rules noting that matters under legal review will not receive a response at the meeting and listing board policies KD, KDB, KDC and KBT for complaint disposition.