- Tempe Union High School District
- TUHSD Newsroom
Teacher Walk-Out Updates
This page will have the most up to date information on school closures related to teacher "walk-outs." The newest information will be at the top. You may follow us on Facebook @tempeunion or Twitter @TUHSD_News. Please ensure that your contact information is up to date on ParentVue.
All seven high schools in the Tempe Union High School District will be open on Friday, May 4, 2018.
This includes: Compadre Academy, Corona del Sol, Desert Vista, Marcos de Niza, McClintock, Mountain Pointe and Tempe High. Please reveiw our Frequently Asked Questions Document for additional information.
Thursday, May 3, 2018 - 2 pm
Dear Tempe Union Families:
All seven high schools in the Tempe Union High School District will be open tomorrow Friday, May 4, 2018.
We know that the last several days have been uncertain. In a free society, a single issue can have many points of view. It is one of the many things that makes our county great. However, the leadership of this district wants you to know that the decisions we have made related to closing schools over the past week have been focused on ensuring the safety and security of students while on a Tempe Union campus.
As I mentioned in an earlier communication, the TUHSD school year will not be extended. Our campuses will however, be individually developing plans to provide students with additional voluntary instruction, outside of the school day, to take place between now and the end of the school year. Please look for emails from your principal at the beginning of next week for additional information.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. We look forward to welcoming teachers, students, and all staff back to school tomorrow.
Best,
Dr. Kenneth Baca
Superintendent
May 2, 2018 - 6:30 p.m.
Tempe Union Families:
All seven of our high schools will be closed tomorrow Thursday, May 3.
We apologize for the delay in this announcement. We did not want to close schools unless it was absolutely necessary, however at this time, there is not sufficient staff available to ensure the safety and security of students while on campus and therefore, schools must remain closed.
We will notify families tomorrow as to the status of school openings the following day.
Please continue to visit www.tempeunion.org for information.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - 2 pm
Tempe Union Families:
All seven of our high schools will reopen on Thursday, May 3. Schools will reopen for all students at their regularly scheduled time.
As we have said from the beginning, the safety and security of students has directed our decisions to close schools. Based on absence levels for tomorrow, all seven high schools in the Tempe Union High School District will remain closed for Wednesday, May 2, 2018.
Moving forward, we know there are still many questions regarding the school year. Here are answers to some of the questions we have received:
- We do not need to extend the student calendar; and students will not need to make up days missed. State law requires that high schools provide either 180 days of instruction or 720 instructional hours and as a high school only district, we exceed the required instructional hours.
- Graduation will not be impacted by the school closure.
- Teachers will be required to make up days missed for the closure but this will take place without students present.
- AP, IB and SAT testing will continue as scheduled and many of our students have organized study groups during the school closure and have been meeting off campus. Teachers will also be dedicating extra time to ensure our students are prepared for these activities.
We look forward to welcoming students and teachers back to school on Thursday, May 3, 2018.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kenneth Baca
Superintendent
Monday, April 30, 2018 - 4 pm
Tempe Union High School District Families:
All seven high schools in the Tempe Union High School District will be closed on Tuesday, May 1.
We are making closure decisions based on staffing levels, on a day-by-day basis. We will notify families tomorrow by 5 pm if a closure is to be in place the following day.
Please continue to visit our website at www.tempeunion.org for information.
Monday, April 30, 2018 - 11:15 a.m.
Tempe Union Families:
First of all, let me thank you for your patience and understanding during these uncertain times. As I have said in prior emails, decisions have been based on our ability to provide your child a safe and secure environment. We will continue to honor this priority.
At this time we do not have enough information to determine if schools will reopen tomorrow or remain closed. We will notify families this afternoon by phone and email, before 5 p.m., if schools are closed tomorrow Tuesday, May 1. Please continue to monitor our website and social media accounts for information.
Many of you have questions about how these school closures might affect the school calendar. State law requires that high schools provide either 180 days of instruction or 720 instructional hours.
We are fortunate that, as a high school only district, we exceed the required instructional hours. Therefore at this time, we do not need to extend the student calendar; and students will not need to make up days missed.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kenneth Baca
Superintendent
Friday, April 27, 2018 - 1:00 p.m.
Dear Tempe Union Families:
We have assessed our staffing levels and determined that all seven Tempe Union High School District High Schools will be closed on Monday, April 30.
With a limited number of staff available, we are unable to guarantee the safety and security of all students on campus during the school day, as well as, provide a quality educational experience.
After school activities and athletics will continue unless otherwise notified by your school.
Graduation ceremonies will take place on their scheduled date.
We continue to post updates to our website at www.tempeunion.org/walkout and will confirm Monday’s closure with an email and phone call on Sunday night.
Please review our Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kenneth Baca
Superintendent
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 - 3:30 p.m.
Dear Tempe Union Families:
Good afternoon. I want to remind everyone that all seven Tempe Union High School District schools will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27. We are assessing staffing levels and currently plan to have schools reopen on Monday, April 30.
Our schools have worked with staff to ensure that after school activities and athletics scheduled to take place on campus during the closure days or this weekend will continue as planned. Several of our schools have prom this weekend and the closure does not impact this activity either.
We have heard from many of you asking if graduation will be rescheduled due to school closures. Graduation ceremonies will not be impacted and will take place as planned on May 24 for Tempe High, McClintock, Marcos de Niza, Corona del Sol, Mountain Pointe, and Desert Vista. Compadre Academy will have their graduation, as planned, on May 23.
Please continue to look for communication from us on this issue. Information is also available at www.tempeunion.org/walkout.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kenneth Baca
Superintendent
Monday, April 23, 2018 - 12:45 p.m.
Dear Parents,
I wish to inform you that schools will be closed Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27. This decision was made based on the number of staff, both classroom teachers and support staff, who will not be in attendance on those two days. With limited staff, I cannot guarantee a quality educational experience along with ensuring the safety and well-being of students and employees.
The Tempe Union High School District values and respects our students, parents, teachers and support staff. We are committed to making sure seniors graduate on time, ensuring students can continue to participate in after-school athletics and activities, and minimizing the impact of possibly having to make up days for families who already have made plans after the last day of school. We will continue to communicate with you if we believe school closures will extend beyond these two days.
Please refer to this attached Q&A that I hope will answer many of your questions. If you have specific questions that are not addressed in the attached document, please contact your school administration directly. I ask for your patience if we do not immediately respond to emails and/or phone calls.
This is not an easy time for any of us. I hope a resolution can be found sooner rather than later. As superintendent, my pledge is to do all that I can to minimize the disruption to your child’s education.
Respectfully,
Dr. Kenneth R. Baca
Superintendent
Friday, April 20, 2018 - 5:46 p.m.
TUHSD Families:
Based on feedback received from TUHSD teachers and staff, we believe that some employees will be participating in the statewide movement referred to as “teacher walk-outs,” which are slated to begin on Thursday, April 26.
It is our intent to keep schools open, as long as we have adequate staffing to ensure the safety and security of students.
We will notify families and our community by 5 pm on Monday, April 23rd as to the status of each of our schools and whether they will be open or closed on Thursday, April 26.
An email will be sent to families, and robocalls will deliver the message as well. We will post the message on our website and via social media.
For families with seniors, graduation will take place as scheduled.
Additional information will be provided on Monday about any impact to clubs, extra-curricular activities, and athletics in the event of a school closure.
Should additional information become relevant over the weekend, I am committed to sending additional communication.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kenneth Baca
Superintendent
Thursday, April 19, 2018 - 9:33 p.m.
TUHSD Families:
Arizona public school teachers and staff have voted in favor of holding a “walk-out” to bring awareness to the issue of salaries and funding public education.
However, we want all families to know that all schools in the Tempe Union High School District will be open tomorrow, April 20, 2018.
Our teacher leaders have committed to providing notice of a walk-out to ensure the safety and security of our students.
We will be in communication with our parents daily as to the status of the work stoppage and if any of our schools will close. We have created a webpage that will have the most up to date information for parents. It is www.tempeunion.org/walkout.
There are a lot of unknowns and I want to assure you that we are going to do everything we can to minimize the negative effect a work stoppage might have on your child. We are committed to ensuring seniors are able to graduate. We will continue to communicate via email, phone messages, our website and social media and appreciate your patience and partnership as we face this historic event.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kenneth Baca
Superintendent
Thursday, April 19, 2018 - 8:34 am
Dear Tempe Union Families,
Statewide efforts to bring attention to school employees’ salaries and funding for public education in Arizona have been taking place for several weeks. For the past two weeks, staff, students, and community members participated in peaceful walk-ins at all seven of the Tempe Union High School District high schools to show support for these efforts.
The walk-ins were done in a thoughtful and responsible manner. From the beginning, Tempe Union teachers have been extremely cooperative in their efforts to raise awareness while stressing their commitment to our students. I have personally met with the site leaders of the RedForEd movement. I am impressed with their commitment to students and advocating on their behalf.
Several legislative actions are currently under consideration at the state level, but at this time, we do not know how negotiations with state elected officials and public education representatives will conclude. Tonight we will know the results of how school employees throughout Arizona voted regarding a walkout.
I do not know what the outcome of the vote will be, but I do know that everyone in Tempe Union is committed to minimizing the impact of a potential teacher work stoppage on students. Administration and teachers are working together to ensure that seniors are prepared to graduate, important exams still take place, and students who rely on special programs are not affected. While I am unable to provide specifics about a plan at this point due to many unknown variables, should teachers in our district decide to participate in a work stoppage, please know that planning and coordination are taking place based on a variety of scenarios. You will be informed should there be any impact to our schools.
To ensure you receive accurate and timely information, I encourage you to update your contact information in Parent VUE. We will communicate via phone and email, as well as post messages to our website (www.tempeunion.org) and social media pages (Facebook & Twitter) should we anticipate a work stoppage impact any of our schools.
Finally, I wish to share with you the resolution (Board Resolution.pdf) unanimously approved by Tempe Union’s Governing Board. Together, we will work to ensure that our schools receive the funding necessary to provide “Excellence in Teaching and Learning.”
Sincerely,
Dr. Kenneth Baca
Superintendent
