Tucson Unified School District’s Governing Board unanimously approved two major capital investment projects: bathroom renovations for four high schools and improvements to Borman K-8 School.
The two projects for the 2022-2023 fiscal year were part of a much larger capital investment package the district proposed at a board meeting Tuesday, but the board delayed considering the rest of the package until April due to funding questions.
The proposal included restroom renovations for all high schools within the district. But after seeing how the total estimated cost of $11.5 million for that project would affect TUSD’s overall budget, the board voted to break the renovations into phases, beginning with Tucson, Pueblo, Rincon and Cholla high schools.
Those renovations will include improvements to toilets and urinals, sinks and faucets, interior building structures, hand dryers and minor plumbing repairs. The combined estimated cost for the four schools is $5.3 million.
Responding to concerns from board member Sadie Shaw, the district’s project coordinator Damon Ballesteros said TUSD is also working on a separate initiative to build gender-neutral restrooms.
The second capital investment project the board approved will match 20% of a U.S. Defense Department grant the district received to make improvements to the Borman K-8 campus at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
That project includes adding a new main entrance, gym, cafeteria and kitchen area, and a wing with new classrooms. Other improvements will include redesigning and renovating existing classrooms, building security gates and fencing, and adding cameras.
The estimated total cost is about $26 million. To secure the federal funding for 80% of the costs, Ballesteros said TUSD had to commit investing $5.3 million, $2 million of which the district approved previously.
The investment during the 2022-23 fiscal year, he said, will be $3.3 million.
More projects being weighed
Other proposed projects include pavement repairs to school parking lots, improvements to fine arts facilities and renovations to fields and sports facilities.
“Literally anything that you vote for tonight is going to address an area of high need, whether it’s basic parking lots that people are tired of tripping over, or the bathrooms that the students are tired of crowding into … or taking a look at the needs of Borman,” Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo told the board.
But citing a lack of information about how each project would affect the district’s maintenance and operation budget, board member Ravi Shah said the board wasn’t ready to vote on the full package. Instead, the district staff was told to prepare a more comprehensive report before the board revisits the wider investments in April.
Board member Leila Counts did not attend the meeting.
