By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Tucson Unified School District announced its fourth possible school closure on Thursday, Oct. 22.
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13 News Education Solutions reporter Isabela Lisco first received a letter sent to Magee Middle parents informing them that the Tucson Unified School District is recommending the school consolidation with Sabino High.
An hour later, the district confirmed that Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo will suggest that consolidation to the governing board. The schools are 7 miles apart, which is around a 15-minute drive.
Magee has been at risk of closure due to low enrollment. 13 News Investigative Reporter Valerie Cavazos found that Magee had lost more than half of its students since 2018. You can see an interactive map Valerie built using data from every TUSD school below.
According to a letter sent to parents, part of the Magee-Sabino consolidation proposal includes plans to keep the middle school and high school students separate.
The district said it plans to create a “secondary academy” within Sabino, and that includes separate buildings, classes, and lunch periods for the middle and high school students.
The district said it plans to transfer Magee teachers and staff to serve the students at the secondary academy.
The district has said for months it may have to close or consolidate up to 10 schools due to declining enrollment and funding.
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This is the fourth consolidation the district has announced. All of the consolidations, pending the board’s approval, would begin with the 2027-28 school year.
The other possible consolidations are:
- Cragin Elementary into Blenman Elementary, which was announced on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
- Dunham Elementary into Marshall Elementary, which was announced Tuesday, Oct. 20.
- Hudlow Elementary into Sewell Elementary, which was announced Monday, Oct. 19.
The district has told 13 News that it will release additional suggested closures and consolidations each day through next week. We will update this story as the schools are named.
13 News Education Solutions reporter Isabela would like to talk to parents and students as soon as they learn their schools will close. You can email her at [email protected].
Isabela has been covering the school closures for months and has reported that all families, staff, and schools should be told if their school is impacted by Oct. 27.
Also on Oct. 27, the TUSD Governing Board will host a 5:30 p.m. meeting at Palo Verde High. During that meeting, the board will give impacted families a chance to speak during a call to the audience. 13 News will be there, and the meeting is expected to last several hours.
On Nov. 17, the district will host a community meeting about the closures.
On Dec. 8, the governing board will host a meeting and is expected to vote on the schools to close or consolidate.
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