Hackberry board directs pursuit of state support after repeated water shutdowns

Hackberry Elementary School District #3’s governing board on Sept. 9 unanimously directed district administration to seek funding from the Arizona School Facilities Division (SFD) to make the district water supply independent and safer.

Superintendent/Principal Christina Ramirez told the board the district has relied on a private source, Petro, and that repeated shutdowns have disrupted instruction and operations. Ramirez said historical testing (2021) flagged contaminants including radium, arsenic and petroleum byproducts, and that contractor testing since has not covered all potential contaminants. The board described the situation as unsustainable.

Ramirez outlined a three-part request for SFD support: funding for a new district well, a 50,000-gallon potable water storage tank for emergencies and a commercial-grade filtration system the district would maintain. As interim improvements, she recommended replacing old bathroom fixtures with modern water-bottle filling stations, funded within existing authority.

Board members expressed support for pursuing state assistance. Pam Adams moved to advance the work and Valerie Grimes seconded; the motion passed 3-0. The board also directed administration to research historical agreements that documented Petro as the water source and to pursue formal requests to SFD.

The district reported that a water-line break at Petro prompted emergency closures Sept. 2–4; ParentSquare was used to notify families, and only two students rode buses home during the closures. The board approved paying employees for those days by treating them as working from home under superintendent guidance.

Next steps specified by the board include continued documentation of historical water-source agreements and submitting formal funding requests to SFD for the well, storage tank and filtration system. No timeline for SFD response was given in the meeting record.