Superintendent’s Office
Message from Our Superintendent
Superintendent’s Message: December 2024
Dear Parents, Students, and Community Members,
It’s that time of year when people have to scrape ice off their windshields, shovel snow out of their driveway and endure slick roads before they can even make it down the street for a cup of coffee. At least that’s what I hear from people who moved here from other parts of the country but for us, it’s the best time to get outside and do something fun.
While enjoying time with your family is the top priority, we do have some important work going on that I want to make sure doesn’t get lost in the holiday shuffle. We are actively working on improving our school district, and we are partnered with Hanover Research and West Ed to help move us in the right direction quickly. We need the voice of parents, students, and staff to help make this happen. We can schedule time for our staff to provide us with their opinions and insight, but we really need more help from parents. We need parents to fill out our surveys and to sign off on our permission slips so their students can participate in our surveys and focus groups. Please check your email, and invest a few minutes letting us know what you think so we can make sure we best serve your needs.
Another important update is the status of our new school at Dysart and Broadway. Unfortunately, the School Facilities Oversight Board (SFOB) has informed us that they are not recommending the approval of our new school. The SFOB will act on the staff recommendation on Friday, December 13, 2024. Our team has been working tirelessly this past year to explain to the SFOB that we are currently overcrowded at our Tolleson and West Point campus with a lot of new construction nearing competition across the district. There are projects across all campuses that are being impacted by this decision since we are unable to build any student square footage until the new school is approved. If you would like to reach out to the SFOB to share how this impacts you, then you can share that feedback with callie.tyler@azdoa.gov.
I want to take a moment to thank our voters for supporting us once again at this past election. Commitment Day was just the beginning and with the support of our voters I am confident that we are going to create a school system that ensures post-secondary success for all of our students. I also want to congratulate Mr. Steven Chapman for successfully being reelected to our Governing Board and welcome our two new members, Miguel Ortega-Romero and Leezah Sun who will begin in January. They will be sworn in on December 16th at the Tolleson Union PAC (Performing Arts Center) and it is an open event for anyone that wants to congratulate them.
During this festive season, I encourage everyone to take time to rest, rejuvenate, and spend quality moments with loved ones. This is a special time to reflect on the past year, celebrate our successes, and set our intentions for the year ahead. I know that the holidays can be stressful, so I also want to remind everyone that we have many free services available for staff and students when you need someone to talk to.
On behalf of the entire Tolleson Union High School District, I wish you a joyful and peaceful holiday season. May the new year bring you happiness, good health, and success. Please note that our district has the following days off in December:
- Winter Break – Week of December 23 and December 30 (No School)
Be sure to follow our Linktree page to see all of our social media platforms.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Calles
Jeremy Calles
Superintendent
Tolleson Union High School District