Three candidates seeking to shape the future of public education in Southern Arizona spoke at a Tucson education town hall yesterday to warn that declining enrollment, chronic underfunding, and Arizona’s runaway voucher program are pushing Tucson Unified School District toward difficult decisions, including possible school closures.
Key Takeaways
1. TUSD leaders say Arizona’s ESA voucher program and declining enrollment are creating a financial crisis that threatens neighborhood schools and educational services.
2. Three prominent education advocates are on the ballot this year: incumbent TUSD Governing Board President Jennifer Eckstrom, state Rep. Nancy Gutierrez, and first-time TUSD candidate Tre Rhodes.
3. Panelists warned that school closures could devastate neighborhoods, particularly in working-class communities where schools serve as community hubs.
4. All four speakers called for greater investment in public education.
The discussion brought together TUSD Governing Board President Jennifer Eckstrom, Arizona House Assistant Minority Leader Nancy Gutierrez, TUSD Governing Board candidate Tre Rhodes, and Save Our Schools Arizona organizer Shelly Hartman. The forum focused on the mounting financial pressures facing Arizona’s largest school district.
TUSD operates 90 schools, has 3,000 full‑time classroom teachers and serves roughly 40,300 students, but enrollment has been steadily declining. TUSD has a $45 million budget, but is facing a projected $33 million deficit because of:
- Declining enrollment. TUSD expects a 3.3% decrease in enrollment from the previous year, bringing the total to about 35,000 students.
- Rising payroll costs
- Growing special education needs
- Competition from charter schools and homeschooling
- Lower birth rates
- The loss of students to private schools supported by ESA vouchers. Those factors have contributed to a projected budget shortfall and renewed discussion of school consolidation.
Eckstrom: “Neighborhood Schools Matter”
Eckstrom, the TUSD President, is seeking re-election to the TUSD Governing Board, and argued that protecting neighborhood schools while maintaining educational quality is among the district’s greatest challenges.
Elected in 2022 as the top vote-getter in the TUSD race, Eckstrom has spent more than three decades in public service. Previously, she was the Mayor of South Tucson, becoming the youngest person elected to public office in Arizona at age 18.
During her current board tenure, she has championed a district Climate Action Plan, paid family leave, school safety initiatives, and voter-approved bond and override measures.
“I’ve seen what it’s done to communities where schools have closed,” she said, warning that parents often lose trust in the district when neighborhood campuses disappear. TUSD is considering closing 5 to 8 schools.
She also argued that TUSD has failed to adequately promote its strengths, including dual-language programs, STEM schools, arts education, and career pathways.
“We’re not doing a very good job of promoting ourselves,” Eckstrom said.
Donate to: Jennifer Eckstrom — TUSD Governing Board – https://www.jennifere4tusd.com/donate
Gutierrez Targets Voucher Expansion
Gutierrez, who is seeking re-election to the Arizona House representing Legislative District 18, said the state’s universal ESA voucher program has become one of the greatest threats facing public education. Vouchers cost public schools an average of $300,000 per year.
A former Tucson Unified teacher and current Assistant Minority Leader in the House Democratic Caucus, Gutierrez has built much of her legislative agenda around public education. She has sponsored legislation supporting school funding, nutrition programs, and expanded access to school meals.
Gutierrez told attendees that Arizona continues to rank near the bottom nationally in per-pupil spending while simultaneously sending billions of dollars into the voucher system. Arizona is the worst state in the country for public education, ranking 51st.
“School vouchers are a billion-dollar program,” she said, arguing that the state is diverting resources, causing public school facilities to deteriorate. The AZ Auditor General found that 34% of school voucher transactions were fraudulent, including unallowable transactions.
She also criticized the Legislature’s unwillingness to increase school funding, citing her unsuccessful efforts to expand free school meals for low-income students.
“That’s all I do every day that we’re in session, is fight for money for public schools,” Gutierrez said.
Donate to Nancy Gutierrez — Arizona House, LD18 – https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nancyforaz24
Rhodes Brings a Gen Z Perspective
The youngest panelist, 19-year-old University of Arizona student Tre Rhodes, is running for the TUSD Governing Board and would become the youngest member in board history if elected. Born and raised in Tucson, Rhodes attended TUSD schools, served on the Board of the Democrats of Greater Tucson, interned for Tucson Councilmember Paul Cunningham, and was an after-school teacher at La Paloma Academy.
Rhodes framed many of the district’s challenges through the eyes of current students, arguing that disengagement, absenteeism, and mental health struggles are increasingly common.
His campaign priorities include:
- Modernizing the curriculum
- Expanding career and technical education opportunities
- Increasing dual enrollment programs
- Investing in student support services
Rhodes said, “We should see our middle schoolers visit high schools, and elementary schoolers go to see our middle schools. That way, we make sure that we’re constantly having that cycle of community in the district.”
“We need to really show students the value of public education,” he said.
Donate to Tre Rhodes for TUSD Governing Board – https://secure.actblue.com/donate/tre-rhodes-for-tusd
Hartman Pushes Voucher Reform
Hartman, the Pima County regional coordinator for Save Our Schools Arizona, devoted her remarks to a proposed ballot initiative, the Protect Education Act, that would put a leash on Arizona’s ESA program.
The initiative would establish income caps, academic accountability standards, and background checks for teachers and staff at private schools. Hartman argued that public schools face extensive oversight while voucher-funded private schools do not.
“This is more than a challenge. It’s a crisis,” Hartman said.
Drawing on her experience as a former principal, Hartman also described the damage caused when schools close, recounting how one Phoenix-area elementary school served as the center of its neighborhood before being shuttered.
Public Education at the Center of 2026 Elections
The town hall repeatedly returned to one theme: who voters choose this year will influence not only school budgets but the future direction of public education in Tucson.
In their closing remarks, Eckstrom highlighted literacy, reduced screen time, and expanded career education. Rhodes emphasized long-term planning and student engagement. Gutierrez urged voters to evaluate candidates based on their commitment to public schools. Hartman encouraged residents to support voucher reform efforts and prioritize candidates who put students first.
As TUSD confronts declining enrollment, rising costs, and the prospect of additional school closures, the issues discussed Friday are likely to remain at the center of both the TUSD Governing Board race and legislative contests throughout Southern Arizona.
The message from Saturday’s town hall was unmistakable: Tucson’s public schools are approaching a crossroads. The decisions voters make in 2026 will help determine whether Southern Arizona invests in strengthening public education—or watches more classrooms go dark, more campuses shutter, and more resources drift away from the students who depend on them most.
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