![]() ![]() The district is going to leave all alarm systems in place and hire 24-hour security staff for each empty building. It could cost TUSD $20,000 to $35,000 to close and secure each school, Pedicone said. Teachers will fill out surveys with their qualifications and preferred schools and the district will consider those as teacher positions open up, she said. Principals at receiving schools do not have to compete for their jobs, but all principals are on one-year contracts, so Laird said she must wait to see how many principals retire or depart TUSD in May. The team is making sure the schools that are closing and the schools that are receiving students are prepared for the closures, he said. To handle the closures, TUSD has created a team to oversee the transition, said John Pedicone, the school district’s superintendent. ![]() The district is under a federal mandate to provide racial balance, and shutting down schools could affect that, according to parties in the initial desegregation case from 1974. District Judge David Bury is expected to make a decision soon on the closures. In addition to Schumaker, schools on the closure list are Howenstine High, Carson Middle, Corbett Elementary, Cragin Elementary, Fort Lowell/Townsend K-8, Hohokam Middle, Maxwell Middle, Menlo Park Elementary, Brichta Elementary, Lyons Elementary and Wakefield Middle. We know that this is a wonderful school.” “I have to say to them I’m not choosing to close Schumaker, and it’s not closing because it’s not a wonderful school. “I have had several kids come up to me and say, ‘Why are you closing Schumaker?’ and that breaks my heart,” she said. ![]() The issues behind the closure are adult issues, Laird said, and most 7-year-olds can’t understand them. She is planning field trips to the two receiving schools and is setting up pen pals to make the transition less painful on the young kids, she said. Laird has been meeting with parents and her staff to talk about what will happen to Schumaker and its students. Schumaker's 400 students will be divided between Henry and Bloom elementary schools next school year if the school closes and depending on open enrollment and changes in attendance boundaries. “Initially there was a lot of sadness because every school is the cornerstone of the community, and everybody looks at the school as a special place.” “I knew there needed to be cuts when we found out about the deficit but I didn’t really expect us to be on the list,” Laird said. ![]()
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