Voters back Prop. 400 to improve technology training for Pima students

November 8, 2006

By hammersmith

Voters across 11 school districts in Pima County approved Proposition 400, creating a Joint Technological Education District (JTED) that will provide enhanced technical courses for high school students.

JTEDs offer a way for public school districts to collaborate and bolster their technical and vocational education offerings, including bioscience training. They also increase funding opportunities for the districts involved.

Currently, 70 public school districts in Arizona belong to one of ten such districts within the state. Proposition 400 establishes the first such district in Pima Country.

“As the largest school district in Pima County, we’re absolutely delighted that the message was communicated effectively to voters that a JTED, or Joint Technological Education District, will provide another vehicle for middle- and high-school students to achieve crucial and valuable post-secondary goals,” Roger F. Pfeuffer, superintendent of Tucson Unified School District, told the Associated Press.

Pima County’s new district, which is expected to begin next fall, will receive funding from the state based on enrollment, with additional funding from a property tax equal to $10 per $200,000 of a home’s value.

Governing board members from participating districts will act as representatives for the new JTED, making curriculum and procedural decisions together.


For more information:

Smoking, eminent domain take hits from voters,” Tucson Citizen, 11/08/2006

Pima voters OK school tech district,” Arizona Daily Star, 11/08/2006