Pima JTED Guest Blog: Started an Economic Engine. Now We Must Expand It to Meet Unprecedented Demand
In 2005, I learned something from educator Kathy Prather and then-Superintendent of the Tucson Unified School District Roger Pfeuffer that stopped me in my tracks: Pima County was about the only county in Arizona that did not have a Joint Technical Education District (JTED). Because of that, our local students were missing out on state enrollment funding for high school vocational and technical skill training. Ten other JTEDs across Arizona were receiving millions of dollars each year to enhance career and technical programs, such as automotive and aviation technologies, nursing, construction, welding, robotics and manufacturing, culinary arts, and more, while our youth were left without the same opportunities.
To receive that state enrollment funding, citizens across Pima County’s school districts had to vote to approve the formation of a JTED. Recognizing the critical need, I quickly brought together a committee of community leaders, led by honorary chair Dr. Peter Likins, then-President of the University of Arizona, who believed this was an indispensable investment in our future. The community agreed. In November 2006, voters went to the polls and overwhelmingly approved the formation of the Pima County JTED.
What an extraordinary investment in our community it has been.
Over the past two decades, JTED has grown from an ambitious idea into a vital regional workforce engine partnering with 14 school districts. In just the last five years, student enrollment has jumped by 77%. In 2024, JTED expanded its Bridges Campus with the vision of University of Arizona President Dr. Bobby Robbins to open the Mel and Enid Zuckerman Center for Health and Medical Careers, alongside the expansion of a third location for the JTED Project SEARCH Internship Program for exceptional education students—an initiative I enthusiastically helped fund.
Yet today, the demand for practical career training is greater than ever before—and the need has outpaced our physical space.
Every year, between 600 and 800 high school students who want to enroll in JTED programs are placed on waiting lists and turned away due to a simple lack of facility space and resources to support their education. At the same time, Southern Arizona employers are hungry for skilled talent across healthcare, precision manufacturing, construction, robotics, automotive technology, and more. Leaving hundreds of motivated young people on waiting lists when our local economy desperately needs their skills is an outcome our region cannot afford.
JTED has proven itself to offer a solid return on investment for our community. Now, they are asking us to support their first-ever bond initiative to meet this moment: Proposition 427.
Because Arizona career and technical education districts do not receive state capital matching funds for building or expanding facilities, local bonding is the only avenue to construct the specialized classrooms, workshops, and labs our students need.
Proposition 427 provides the necessary capital to expand both central facilities and satellite high school programs across Southern Arizona. It is an investment in programs that keep our community strong, translating to real jobs for young people in our community.
Twenty years ago, Southern Arizona stepped up to create a district that has changed thousands of lives. Today, our community’s needs have grown, our workforce demands have accelerated, and hundreds of students are waiting for a seat in the classroom.
Please join me in investing in job training for our youth by voting YES on Proposition 427.