By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – As Tucson Unified School District voters prepare to cast their ballots, governing board candidate Tre’Davon Rhodes is leaning on his lived experience as a recent TUSD graduate to advocate for student-centered reforms across Southern Arizona’s largest school system.
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In an interview with Tucson Now’s Devyn Shea, the University of Arizona student and first-generation scholar made the case that his recent time in local classrooms gives him critical insight that veteran administrators often lack.
Rhodes, who grew up navigating adversity in a single-parent household with an incarcerated father, centered his platform on moving away from rigid standardized testing toward flexible, practical instruction.
He voiced strong opposition to “teaching to the test” to satisfy arbitrary state benchmarks, instead calling for modernized curricula, responsible artificial intelligence guidelines, and expanded student autonomy.
To address enrollment drops and budget pressures, Rhodes argued the district must proactively prove its value to local families rather than cutting programs.
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Addressing the contentious issue of potential school closures and boundary mergers, Rhodes pledged to exhaust every available alternative before voting to shut down any neighborhood campus. He proposed evaluating feeder patterns and repurposing underutilized or closed district facilities into dedicated Career and Technical Education (CTE) hubs. By expanding partnerships with Pima JTED and local employers, Rhodes aims to give students pursuing automotive, culinary, cosmetology, and trade careers robust pathways alongside four-year college tracks.
On staffing and campus climate, Rhodes called for ending third-party recruitment agencies and redirecting those funds directly into higher base pay, enhanced benefits, and direct pipelines with Pima Community College and the University of Arizona.
While supporting school resource officers for campus protection, he cautioned against turning schools into “cold” surveillance environments resembling prisons, urging instead for balanced investments in mental health counselors, support staff, and safety resources like Narcan.
Rhodes closed by pitching his campaign as an energetic alternative to habitual office seekers, promising to fight for the district’s most vulnerable learners.
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Watch the full interview above.
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