Schooling Booklet: Federal Funding Comes To Tucson, UA In the direction of Clear Power – Arizona Public Media

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Federal dollars from COVID-19 aid packages are arriving in the school districts of southern Arizona.

The largest school district in the region, Tucson Unified, receives over $ 70 million from the Primary and Secondary School Emergency Fund. Some of the money will be used to buy a fleet of new school buses that come with quality air conditioning and more space for social distance, said district manager Gabriel Trujillo.

The funding is also expected to be used to provide each TUSD student with their own study device, upgrade teachers' equipment, and improve student WiFi access as needed.

In the meantime, the University of Arizona is moving towards more sustainable energy.

From May 1st, the university will receive 100% of the energy it purchases from renewable sources. The energy comes from a solar storage system south of the city and a wind farm in New Mexico under a contract with Tucson Electric Power.

TUSD plans to replace buses with federal aid

AZPM

The Tucson Unified School District plans to use federal funds to retire 26 obsolete school buses and introduce 57 new ones. According to District Manager Gabriel Trujillo.

“This will help us drive more routes, put fewer students on each route, and have buses with state-of-the-art air conditioning with MERV 13 ratings,” said Trujillo.

MERV 13 is the highest rating for air filtration. Trujillo said the new buses will allow for greater social distancing

The district will receive over $ 70 million in federal aid from the second round of emergency funds for elementary and secondary schools.

The TUSD Board of Directors will vote on the ESSER plans in the coming weeks.

The school board ends the session as the parents protest against the mask mandate

AP

VAIL – A Tucson area school board ended a study session and then canceled a scheduled regular meeting after numerous parents protested the district's refusal to lift its COVID-19 mask mandate.

After Arizona Governor Doug Ducey lifted a statewide mask mandate for schools on Aug. 19, the Vail Unified School District retained its mandate and the district planned to review its guidelines on Tuesday.

An afternoon study session was under way as protesting parents, many of whom were not wearing masks, pushed their way into the boardroom.

The sheriff's deputies were called in to keep order, but the board adjourned the study session and canceled the scheduled regular session.

Find out more here.

Sunnyside celebrates 100 years as a district

Arizona Daily Star

The Sunnyside Unified School District celebrated its 100th anniversary as a district by launching a new tree-planting initiative, reports the Arizona Daily Star.

The district plans to plant 100 trees in its locations. The first trees of the initiative were planted at Sunnyside High School on Thursday.

The district is the second largest in Tucson with over 14,000 enrolled students.

Find out more here.

Kathy Hoffman announces offer for re-election

Republic of Arizona

Arizona Public Education Superintendent Kathy Hoffman announced this week that she will be seeking a second term in her position, the Republic of Arizona reports.

Democrat Hoffman said in a second term she would focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools, including addressing student learning losses.

Find out more here.

UA is ready to have all renewables purchased in May

AZPM

Within a week, the University of Arizona can say that 100% of the energy it purchases is from renewable sources.

May 1st marks the beginning of an agreement with Tucson Electric Power to supply UA with power from a wind farm near Roswell, New Mexico, and a solar plus storage system southeast of Tucson. Trevor Ledbetter, the director of the UA Office of Sustainability, said about 60% of the university's total energy will come from TEP.

The university uses enough energy to power about 22,000 average American households, and Ledbetter estimates that the energy drawn from this agreement is equivalent to that needed to power about 13,000 homes.

Find out more here.

Body positive initiative is growing at UA

AZPM

The coronavirus pandemic has heightened body image concerns.

COVID-19 disrupted fitness routines and caused some people to feel more pressure to lose weight or improve their appearance. Lisa MacDonald, a nutritionist at the University of Arizona, says more and more students are joining an initiative on campus that focuses on self-esteem and positive body image. It includes a monthly series of discussions called Courageous Conversations.

Guest speakers, teachers and students take part in the discussions. The talks are part of Body Positive Arizona events and activities at the UA's Campus Health Service.

Find out more here.

UA takes COVID-19 vaccines onto the streets

AZPM

The state vaccine capsule at the University of Arizona has delivered nearly 200,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine since mid-January.

As demand slowed at the UA site and across the state, the university is using its mobile health units to deliver vaccines to underserved areas.

The university's mobile clinic will be in Nogales, Arizona on Wednesday to vaccinate truck drivers driving back and forth across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Vaccine inequality between ethnic groups is a continuing concern of state health officials.

Find out more here.

Hurricane predictors predict a busy 2021 season

AZPM

A research group at the University of Arizona, reputed to accurately predict the number of hurricanes each year, has released its latest forecast. The team expects eight named hurricanes to hit the North Atlantic this season, four of which will be Category 3 to 5.

UA atmospheric researcher Xubin Zeng says there is a pattern of stronger storms but more annual data needs to be collected before heightened hurricane impact is attributed to climate change.

The group has accurately forecast hurricanes almost every year since they began their studies in 2014.

Find out more here.

2 private schools in Sonora are partially reopened

Frontera's desk

Two private schools in neighboring Sonora are the first to be partially reopened.

As part of an effort to slowly and safely reopen schools, government health workers were on site at two Hermosillo private schools this week to monitor the return of a maximum of 150 students to third grade. According to a press release, several more private schools will soon join the first group.

The effectiveness of security measures is closely monitored, according to a statement by Sonora Health Minister Enrique Clausen.

According to Clausen, public schools will not reopen until the relevant authorities approve the return and the school staff have been vaccinated. Vaccinations for educational staff are not due to start until early May in Sonora.

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