GILBERT, AZ — East Valley school districts say they no longer have the resources to bus students to campuses belonging to the East Valley Institute of Technology without a new intergovernmental agreement, leaving students and families uncertain about the next school year.
District leaders warn that absorbing those transportation costs would drain funding from career and technical education programs already running on their own campuses. EVIT leaders push back, pointing to more than $50 million that it says districts already have access to and could use for transportation.
Tessah Sims, a sophomore in the Chandler Unified School District, wants to study to become an EMT at the EVIT main campus. Without a bus to get her there, she says the program may be out of reach.
"So frustrated when I heard the news, all I did was cry all day because I knew the outcome. Of not being able to go because it would take a little bit longer to get where I want," Sims said.
District leaders say students could still enroll in EVIT programs, but without district buses, many families would be on their own to figure out how to get there. For some, that means daily drives across the East Valley. For others, it could mean dropping out of the program entirely.
Mathew Geething, a Chandler Unified School District parent, said the uncertainty is devastating.
"Like totally devastated, you know, like, this is her last week of school, like she's, this is the last week of school. If she can't do this, we have no idea what next year is even going to look like," Geething said.
Gilbert parent, Dani Jennings, urged both sides to reach a resolution quickly.
"Let's come to an agreement sooner than later so these kids are prepared because these can be our next doctors," Jennings concluded.
