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TUSD details override-funded CTE hires, preschool scholarships and compensation plan
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Summary
Superintendent and staff outlined how voter-approved override dollars will fund CTE positions, preschool scholarships and districtwide raises; the board approved a package of salary-schedule changes while some teacher-group details remain under negotiation.
The Tucson Unified School District Governing Board on April 14 heard a series of presentations on how the district will spend recent voter-approved override dollars, and approved a set of compensation and hiring actions that staff said are meant to bolster classrooms and support recruitment.
Chuck McCollum, the districts career and technical education program coordinator, told the board the override will allow the CTE department to hire 14 instructional aides, three systems-integration specialists and two project technical specialists to support more than 60 CTE programs serving over 6,000 students across the district. McCollum said the district budgeted $1.1 million for these positions and submitted deployment plans that seek about $986,000 now with a contingency for potential salary adjustments. "Increasing instruction and hands-on supervision will improve safety and student support," McCollum said.
Early childhood director Reen Kivett summarized the districts preschool approach funded from the override: $200,000 for classroom supplies per preschool classroom and $600,000 set aside to expand pre-K access through a scholarship model rather than building new classrooms. Kivett said the sliding-fee scholarship will prioritize highest-need families and expand eligibility from about 300% of the federal poverty level to roughly 500%, and projected that the initial phase could serve about 50 to 90 students depending on demand.
On compensation, finance and HR staff presented the board with implementation details for override-funded pay increases. The board approved changes that staff said will give a 4% increase for most employee groups and a $3,000 increase for employees paid under certain teacher salary schedules once implementation details with the Tucson Education Association are finalized. Finance staff said the approved schedules will be in effect starting with the next contract year and that payroll will track the override-funded portion separately for auditing and future adjustments.
Board members repeatedly pressed for transparency on how override funds would be tracked and for timelines for posting promised positions (for example, certified school librarians noted by public commenters). Dr. Trujillo and HR staff said open postings and timelines will be provided and that implementation steps (training, pilot schedules for new platforms, and outreach) will be carried out before the next school year.
The board also approved implementation of Phase 1b of the districts investment grade audit (bond-funded facilities and energy-conservation measures) for 14 schools, with staff reporting an estimated construction scope total of $26,562,370 and a 20% contingency that sets the board item total to about $31,874,844. Work includes HVAC upgrades, plumbing, electrical and CTE facility investments at specific sites listed in the board packet.
What happens next: staff will post hiring timelines, continue negotiations on teacher-schedule implementation mechanics with TEA, and begin procurement and pilot work for technology and bond projects as outlined in the packet.
