The Tucson Unified governing board voted unanimously last week to extend district Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo’s contract for two years.
Trujillo’s new contract expires on June 30, 2021. He became TUSD’s superintendent in August of 2017. Trujillo served as the district’s interim superintendent for nearly a year before that, after the governing board ousted his predecessor, H.T. Sanchez.
“As an Arizona Native, I am honored to lead and serve the best school district in the state and I will continue to work alongside some of the best employees and educators in Arizona,” Trujillo said in a press release.
Schools chief recognizes 2 Tucson schools
Arizona Schools Chief Kathy Hoffman honored two Tucson schools for their dedication to civic engagement.
TUSD’s Safford K-8 was named an Arizona Civic Engagement school of excellence, while the CITY Center for Collaborative Learning’s Paulo Freire Freedom School was named a school of merit.
The department selected the schools because they implemented the six principles of civic learning, which include discussion of current issues and events and participation in school governance.
Verizon gives 3 TUSD schools iPads, data plans
Verizon’s education initiative, Verizon Innovative Learning, has given every sixth, seventh and eighth grade student and teacher at Lawrence 3-8, Mansfeld Middle and Pueblo Gardens K-8 an iPad and a two-year data plan to enhance their learning.
The TUSD board approved the gift at its meeting last Tuesday. Every campus involved in Verizon Innovative Learning will receive teacher technology training, support and the ability to collaborate with the 150 schools involved with the program across the country, according to a press release.
Students and teachers at the three TUSD schools will begin receiving their iPads after the start of next school year. The tablets will allow them to experiment with emerging technologies like augmented and virtual reality, 3D design and artificial intelligence, the press release said.
The Verizon program has reached nearly 86,000 students and 6,000 teachers since its inception in 2012.
Sunnyside middle school receives 3D printer
Smartforce Development, an arm of the Association for Manufacturing Technology, donated a 3D printer bundle to the Challenger Middle School STEM drafting program.
The bundle, worth nearly $3,100, includes the printer itself, spare parts, printing software and a two-year warranty, according to the manufacturer’s website.
“We make every possible effort to support STEM programs in schools,” Smartforce Development Vice President Greg Jones said in a press release. “We believe that when students gain access to project-based learning in their classroom at an early age, that has a positive impact on the career pathways they choose.”
CITY Center leader gets job in Vermont
Carrie Brennan, executive director of the CITY Center for Collaborative Learning, is departing the nonprofit charter system in June.
Brennan, who was a principal when CITY Center’s City High School opened in 2004, is moving on to lead a private school in Vermont as head of school, according to a press release. Before coming to City High, Brennan taught for 11 years at Catalina Foothills High.
As executive director of CITY Center, the nonprofit behind City High and the Paulo Freire middle schools, “Brennan has expanded the facilities for the schools (and) enlarged the organization’s work in providing professional development programming to the wider education community,” the press release said.
The CITY board of directors has created an executive director search committee to find Brennan’s replacement.
