Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-4_74-cv-00090/USCOURTS-azd-4_74-cv-00090-39/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Federal Question: Other Civil Rights

---

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 

Roy and Josie Fisher, et al.,

 Plaintiffs 

and 

United States of America, 

 Plaintiff-Intervenor, 

v. 

Tucson Unified School District, et al., 

 Defendants, 

and 

Sidney L. Sutton, et al., 

 Defendants-Intervenors, 

No. CV-74-00090-TUC-DCB

Maria Mendoza, et al., 

Plaintiffs, 

and 

United States of America, 

 Plaintiff-Intervenor, 

v. 

Tucson Unified School District, et al. 

Defendants.

No. CV-74-0204-TUC-DCB

ORDER 

NARA to add grades 6-8 at Borman K-5: Approved 

Case 4:74-cv-00090-DCB Document 1939 Filed 06/06/16 Page 1 of 4
- 2 - 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

 In its Order regarding TUSD’s Notice and Request for Approval (NARA) to open 

new middle schools and, correspondingly, move students from one school to another, this 

Court called for a report on efforts taken, and which could be taken, at Roberts-Naylor K8 school to make it a more attractive sixth through eighth grade option for students 

attending Borman K-5 school, which is located on the Davis Monthan Air Force Base 

(DMAFB). TUSD has filed the Roberts-Naylor report, and the Special Master has filed a 

Report and Recommendation (R&R). He recommends that this Court now approve the 

addition of grades six through eight at the Borman K-5 school. There is no objection to 

this recommendation from the Mendoza Plaintiffs or the United States Department of 

Justice, but the Fisher Plaintiffs continue to object to this reconfiguration. 

 The Fisher Plaintiffs reiterate the Court’s past expressions of concern regarding 

Roberts-Naylor, which has an approximately 90% minority student body and is a C 

school, with the majority of the minority students being Black. In comparison, Borman 

Elementary School serves a predominately Anglo student body and is an A school. 

TUSD proposed adding the sixth through eighth grades at Borman to retain these students 

rather than see them move to the on-base charter school, Sonoran Science Academy, or 

move out of the district to parochial or charter schools, or the A-rated Vail School 

District. The Court asked two questions: 1) whether any measures have been or could be 

taken at Roberts-Naylor to transform it into a viable K-8 program capable of competing 

with the middle schools now attracting the Borman students, and 2) explain why it is, or 

is not, feasible to implement any such identified measures at Roberts-Naylor. Upon 

further review of TUSD’s Roberts-Naylor report and the Special Master’s R&R, the 

Court finds that Roberts-Naylor is not a viable option to adding grades six through eight 

at Borman because the Borman school is on-base and students attending Borman want to 

remain on-base. 

 First, it is important to note that 70 percent of the Borman Elementary Students 

will transition to the on-base charter school, Sonoran Science Academy. This leaves 

approximated 17 students in play. School year 2015-2016 reflects that of the 17 students 

Case 4:74-cv-00090-DCB Document 1939 Filed 06/06/16 Page 2 of 4
- 3 - 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

that will not attend Sonoran Science Academy, one enrolled in Roberts-Naylor and two 

enrolled in Alice-Vail, a TUSD school in equally-close proximity to the base as RobertsNaylor, and Alice-Vail is a B school, with a self-contained GATE program. (SM Supp 

R&R (Doc. 1937) at n.1 (reflecting the transitions made in SY2015-16)). The proposed 

improvements at Roberts-Naylor would make it the equal to Alice-Vail, but for the racial 

concentrations at the two schools. Alice-Vail has an Anglo student population of 32%, 

Hispanic students are 49.2% and Black students are 11.2%. (TUSD 2014-2015 Annual 

Report, Entry Grade Enrollment by School for Last Three Years.) As explained by the 

Special Master, there is a tipping point where students of one race will not choose schools 

that have few or no students racially akin to themselves. He suggests the tipping point has 

been breached at Roberts-Naylor where Anglo students are only one out of nine. (SM 

R&R (Doc. 1937) at 5.)1

 

 There is no reason to believe that if Alice-Vail cannot attract more than two 

Borman students, a new and improved Roberts-Naylor school would succeed where 

Alice-Vail has failed. Additionally to make Roberts-Naylor academically competitive 

with Alice-Vail and the Sonoran Science Academy, it would require substantial 

improvements in the quality of teaching which could not be accomplished without 

significant financial incentives and would undermine teacher morale there and in other 

schools in the District. Id. at 4. 

 Second, it is important to note that the addition of grades six through eight at 

Borman will be financed by Arizona’s per-pupil funding allocation which follows these 

students. Because 70% of the Borman students will move to the Sonoran Science 

Academy without the Borman addition, the per-pupil dollars associated with them will 

 

1 See also TUSD Roberts-Naylor report explaining that 20% of the student population are refugees from around the world, including the Congo Republic, Iraq, Syria, Bhutan, etc., and 34% of the student population is English Language Learners (ELL) with languages beyond English and Spanish, including Arabic, Somali, and Nepalese. Of course this diversity comes with attendant academic challenges, but it also has the unique potential to offer insights into an array of international cultures similar to 

advantages cleaned in student foreign exchange programs-- here, instead of abroad. Hence, Roberts-Naylor might someday see academic weakness become strengths. 

Case 4:74-cv-00090-DCB Document 1939 Filed 06/06/16 Page 3 of 4
- 4 - 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

follow them to the Sonoran Science Academy and, therefore, are not available to make 

improvements at Roberts-Naylor. If, however, the grades are added at Borman, these 

students will be retained there and, corresponding, the per-pupil funding allocation for 

them will flow to Borman to finance the addition of grades six through eight. 

 The Court finds that military families have a unique desire to have their children 

attend on-base schools, which is related to safety concerns and on-base support resources. 

(April 27, 2016 letter: Col. Rodger G. Schuld, USAF.) This reality is reflected in the 

current choices being made by the majority of parents to send their children to the charter 

on-base school instead of Alice-Vail. The Court is confident that improving RobertsNaylor to the same standing as Alice-Vail would not result in drawing Borman students 

off-base. Adding middle-school grades at Borman will impact the Sonoran Science 

Academy, including stripping away that charter-school’s per-pupil allocations for the 

benefit of improving a TUSD school, Borman. Simply put, further study reflects that 

because Roberts-Naylor is not on-base it is not a viable alternative. 

Accordingly, 

IT IS ORDERED that the Court adopts the Special Master’s recommendation 

(Docs. 1933, 1936, 1937) and approves the addition of grades six through eight at 

Borman Elementary School. 

 Dated this 6th day of June, 2016. 

Case 4:74-cv-00090-DCB Document 1939 Filed 06/06/16 Page 4 of 4