Letter to the Community - September 17, 2024
Dear Tolleson ESD Families & Community,
As we move forward in our transition, I want to take a moment to highlight for you our gratitude for your support of Tolleson ESD. Led by our award-winning governing board, with your hard work, support and enthusiasm for our mission, we have accomplished so much as outlined below and will continue down this path with more successes for our students, families, teachers, and staff.
- Our entire community came together to develop a five-year strategic plan anchored in our core belief – All Children are Capable of Success: No Exceptions! This is not a plan that sits on the shelf. It is truly a working plan that is progress-monitored and guides our decision-making from the governing board throughout the entire organization. With this plan in place, we have accomplished all the points outlined in this letter.
- Our schools have ‘A’ and ‘B’ ratings as designated by Arizona Department of Public Instruction.
- We stopped the decline in student enrollment and are thrilled to welcome more than 25% of our student population from beyond the district boundaries. We are a destination district of choice thanks to our great staff, teachers, programs, letter grades, campuses, and more!
- Our preschool school programs are five star (far exceeding the standards) as designated by Arizona’s First Things First Quality First Program. A great education starts in preschool, and we offer high quality preschools.
- Our Welcome Center provides numerous support services for our students and families including parent education, eligibility for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment Center (AHCCCS), family and social support, food distribution, student uniforms, and Banner Children’s Community Clinic free for uninsured student health needs. Our team at the center can also connect families to immigration services, counseling, domestic violence support, emergency utility service, healthcare, housing, and vision and hearing needs. We do all we can to support our community to ensure All Children are Capable of Success: No Exceptions!
- We want to be sure our teachers and staff are well rewarded. Again, thanks to our governing board, we are so proud to be positioned as one of the highest-paying elementary school districts in the west valley and Arizona. Our students deserve the best teachers and staff, and our staff and teachers deserve the highest rewards!
We are highly focused to maintain and elevate these accomplishments. With your support and the leadership of our governing board, we are highly confident in our ability to do so!
Thank you, and be well!
Sincerely,
Dr. Lupita Hightower
Treasure Hunter & Superintendent
Tolleson Elementary School District