Santa Cruz Valley Unified board opposes proposed Pima JTED bond over allocation and timeline concerns

The Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District governing board voted Dec. 9 to formally oppose the Pima Joint Technical Education District’s proposed special bond election in its current form, saying the plan would raise local tax rates and send a disproportionate share of proceeds to the JTED central campus.

Superintendent Mister Verdugo told trustees that JTED officials described a proposal that would increase the tax rate by about 0.45 and allocate roughly 15–20 percent of bond proceeds to the 14 satellite districts — an amount Verdugo said equates to about $30,000,000 for satellites while the central campus would receive roughly $200,000,000. “It does not make sense proportionally,” he said during the presentation.

Board members raised three consistent objections: the relative share of funds going to the central campus compared with the number of students attending satellite campuses, a compressed timeline for public outreach and vetting, and a lack of clarity about what individual districts would receive. Trustee comments described the proposal as rushed and urged additional transparency. One trustee said meeting attendees felt the JTED leadership “was just not listening.”

After discussion, a motion to approve an opposition letter was made and approved by the board. The board’s motion directs the superintendent to communicate formal opposition to the bond in its current form and to continue meetings with JTED leadership; Verdugo said district staff and a JTED representative would meet the following day to review concerns and possible changes.

The board emphasized that its opposition is specific to the bond as presented; Verdugo said the district would reassess if JTED alters allocations or timeline. The motion passed with the board’s assent.

What’s next: Verdugo said staff will continue meetings with JTED and return to the governing board with updates should the proposal be revised.