Parents and teachers urge Queen Creek board to restore buses for EVIT CTE programs amid dispute

At the June regular meeting of the Queen Creek Unified School District governing board, multiple parents, students and educators urged the board to restore district bus transportation to EVIT career-and-technical-education campuses and to accept a proposed intergovernmental agreement from EVIT rather than continue a standstill that, they said, is harming students.

The remarks, delivered during the public-comment period, centered on access to multi-year CTE programs that students said require reliable AM and PM transportation. "You are failing them if you give up on them," parent Maria Salas said, describing her son's progress in an EVIT EMT course and saying she relies on district buses as a single working parent. Michelle Dillard told the board it had "chosen to put money first and students last" and criticized EVIT's proposed 81% pass-through rate and low continuation rates for satellite students in Queen Creek.

Why it matters: Teachers and community members said satellite CTE programs on home campuses provide career exposure while letting students remain involved in athletics and other extracurriculars. Students and parents said losing transportation effectively forces some to forgo EVIT programs that shape career plans and that alternatives offered by school counselors may not match the program variety available through EVIT.

Speakers pressed several concrete points. Michelle Dillard cited internal figures and comparative pass-through rates (she cited West-MEC at 46% and Pima JTED at 64%) and noted a Fund 596 balance of $2,878,004 as evidence the district has local resources. Renee Toledo urged the board to "stop this lawsuit nonsense" and referenced Arizona Revised Statute 15-393, arguing the district may be unlawfully discouraging students from attending CTE-district courses; that allegation was presented as a public claim and was not resolved during the meeting.

Board response and next steps: Under the board's public-comment rules (ARS 38-431.01(H)), members may not discuss items not on the agenda except to direct staff to study the matter or schedule it for future consideration. Later in the meeting during budget discussion, finance staff told the board there is currently no transportation funding in the proposed 2026-27 budget because no IGA is in place; staff said the budget could be revised should the board reach an agreement with EVIT. The board took no formal action on the public comments during the meeting.

The district will consider any IGA with EVIT separately; the proposed FY2026-27 budget is set for publication and a public hearing prior to final adoption in July.