Letter to the Community - November 1, 2023

Dear Tolleson ESD Families & Community;

We have such great news to share with you!

The state board of education has approved the cut scores for last year’s school letter grades. We are thrilled to announce and congratulate Arizona Desert Elementary School as our first “A” rated school. Desert Oasis, Porfirio H. Gonzales and Sheely Farms Elementary Schools each earned a “B” letter grade. We are so grateful to our entire education community and families for making these letter grades possible for our PK–8 schools. Thank you!

One measure that impacts a school’s letter grade is the school must show three year’s growth in student achievement. As Tolleson Virtual Academy was in its second year of operation when rated, its letter grade is being appealed because it could not achieve that measure. This is the last year of operation for the 5th–8th grade school as it was opened to help students and families as we evolved away from online learning after the pandemic. We are grateful to all the students, families, staff, and teachers who have provided this choice for families.

I sincerely apologize to SRO Mr. Pablo Garcia for stating his first name as Carlos in my letter last week. Mr. Pablo Garcia is our new SRO at Desert Oasis and Sheely Farms Elementary Schools.

Here are a few key dates for November that are just around the corner:

• Tuesday, November 7 is election day. Please be sure to drop your ballot off by Tuesday. There are ballot boxes at our district office and Tolleson Union High School District’s.
• On Friday, November 10 our schools will be closed in honor of Veteran’s Day on November 11.
• The week of November 20 our schools will be closed for fall break and Thanksgiving.

We are very focused on engaged and effective learning in our classrooms, and we are grateful for your support! Thank you!

Sincerely,
Dr. Lupita Hightower