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Parents and teachers press TUSD to fund bigger fence for BortonBell; board includes security projects in plant-fund plan
Summary
After community testimony about trespassing, drug paraphernalia and vandalism at Borton's outdoor learning space (Bell), the board included security work and a Borton fencing project among plant-fund recommendations it adopted for FY2019–20.
Parents, teachers and local students urged the Tucson Unified School District governing board to prioritize fencing and security upgrades for Bell, the outdoor learning laboratory at Borton Magnet Elementary.
Erica Carter, a neighbor and parent, described repeated trespassing and instances of campfire remnants, drug paraphernalia and human waste near Bell, and asked the board to replace five-foot chain-link fences with more secure barriers. Outdoor-learning teacher Stephanie Pedersen and several parents and students told trustees that the safety concerns have reduced use of the outdoor space and harmed instructional opportunities. Multiple speakers said they had documented incidents with photos and asked the board to fund a larger project through plant funds.
Staff presented the districtplant-fund project list for 2019-20, showing deferred-maintenance needs totaling roughly $275 million across multiyear horizons. The superintendent and interim operations staff flagged immediate needs for security-related work (intercoms, gate access control and fencing) and noted that some projects are approved by the state facilities board but not yet funded. Trustees asked for the full project list and for specifics about site-level priorities.
The board voted unanimously to adopt the presented plant-fund spending plan and to draw down up to the boardself-imposed 20% target for plant-fund expenditures; staff said specific project scoping and timing would follow and reiterated that they will continue to pursue state funding where available. Superintendent Trujillo and trustees singled out Borton for prompt attention, noting that the Borton fencing project was already on the plant-fund recommendations list that night.
Board members asked staff to circulate the full list of candidate projects and to provide more detail on the timeline for Borton fencing and other security items.
