Superintendent’s Office

Message from Our Superintendent

Superintendent’s Message: July 2026

Dear Tolleson Union High School District Community,

As we begin July, we are greeted with significant milestones. Our nation is now 250 years old and as a proud Army veteran, I am just amazed. We are not the oldest country in the world, but we have been able to become a mix of all of the cultures in the world and move together on one continuous path for 250 years. Our district also celebrates a significant milestone of 100 years and similar to our nation, we are a collection of cultures from all over the world. Other districts can say they have diversity, but I don’t think anyone else is on our level. We have diploma seals in some languages that are not held by any other district in the state. Our diversity makes us strong and has brought us to a point where we are on the verge of becoming an “A” district. As a side note, I’m also a bicentennial baby, so I will be hitting 50 this year. 50, 100, 250…it’s a big year.

How will it be remembered and where will we go from here? That is a decision that we must make collectively. Our planning team is still putting together our celebration events for every campus. There is still time for you to volunteer by reaching out to our public relations director, Joseph Ortiz. We welcome our alumni to come be a part of the planning and to share their stories.

We have a primary race for our legislative district in July, and we have numerous important questions on the ballot in November. The community must set the direction of the district by choosing our leaders and deciding what resources will be provided to support the vision of the district. Education is the economic engine of a community that impacts how we are viewed by those who live inside and outside our community. It drives property values and the willingness of companies to invest dollars into our community. The decisions of our community could put us on pace to replace Scottsdale as the premier Arizona destination. From Phoenix Raceway to the Westgate Entertainment District, we have what it takes to be the place to be if we continue to develop a high-quality education system.

All of this will not be happening someday, it will happen now. We look forward to welcoming freshmen on Friday, July 31, giving our newest high school students the first opportunity to get familiar with their schools, meet staff, and begin building confidence for the year ahead. All other students will begin classes on Monday, August 3. The weapons detectors that were piloted at the end of last year will be implemented with the first day of school. We take the safety of our students seriously and view this preventive measure as another layer of protection.

This is our year and it is time to celebrate and shine! We will be posting information about our 100-year celebration events as the new school year begins.

Thank you for your continued support of the Tolleson Union High School District. We look forward to seeing our students soon and to beginning another outstanding school year together.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Calles

Jeremy Calles
Superintendent
Tolleson Union High School District