Res 2628 City of Tolleson’s Opposition to Relocating the TUHSD District Offices Outside Tolleson 12 04 25

RESOLUTION NO. 2628 
 
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TOLLESON, 
ARIZONA, OPPOSING THE PROPOSED RELOCATION OF THE TOLLESON UNION 
HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES OUTSIDE THE CITY OF 
TOLLESON, AND DIRECTING THAT THIS RESOLUTION BE TRANSMITTED TO THE 
TOLLESON UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD. 
 
WHEREAS, since its establishment, the Tolleson Union High School District (“TUHSD”) has 
been physically, culturally, and historically rooted in the City of Tolleson; and  
 
WHEREAS, Tolleson Union High School was the first school within the District, and the 
District Office located beside it has long served as both the operational center and symbolic home 
of the District; and  
 
WHEREAS, the proposal to relocate the TUHSD District Office outside the City of Tolleson 
would not constitute a mere administrative shift, but rather the end of a historical era and the 
severing of ties foundational to generations of families who built and sustained this community; 
and  
 
WHEREAS, the City of Tolleson's identity is deeply tied to the agricultural heritage of the 
West Valley, and its early settlers, shaped by the irrigation works beginning in the late 1860s, 
built the community around the belief that education must be at the heart of growth; and  
 
WHEREAS, Tolleson became a critical agricultural hub, famously known as the "Vegetable 
Center of the World," and the District grew alongside the City in mutual partnership, from 
farmland to family to future; and  
 
WHEREAS, Tolleson is home to one of Arizona’s most significant civil rights milestones. In 
1951, concerned Tolleson residents successfully secured a federal injunction ordering the 
integration of Tolleson Elementary School, three years before Brown v. Board of Education, 
demonstrating Tolleson’s longstanding commitment to justice, inclusion, and protection of its 
students; and  
 
WHEREAS, the City is deeply concerned that the proposed relocation is not motivated by 
educational need, operational necessity, or economic prudence, but instead by political friction 
among individual members of the Governing Board and the City of Tolleson; and  
 
WHEREAS, the District already possesses sufficient land at its existing Tolleson campus to 
expand administrative operations, and the City of Tolleson has repeatedly expressed its 
willingness to collaborate on shared improvements, including the joint development of playing 
fields and a public park adjacent to Tolleson Union High School; and  
 
WHEREAS, relocating the District Office outside Tolleson would unnecessarily increase 
costs, diminish accessibility for families who rely on proximity, undermine local partnerships, and 
convey to the public that political disputes, not student success, drive governance decisions; and

CITY OF TOLLESON RESOLUTION NO. 2628 
DECEMBER 4, 2025 
PAGE 2 
 
 
 
 
 
WHEREAS, the TUHSD Governing Board has both a fiduciary and moral obligation to 
safeguard the interests of taxpayers, families, and students, and must ensure that decisions are 
made in alignment with community history, fiscal responsibility, and student well-being; and  
 
WHEREAS, the City of Tolleson remains committed to partnership with the District and 
urges reconsideration of an action that threatens over a century of shared identity, collaboration, 
and community progress. 
 
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF 
TOLLESON, ARIZONA, as follows:  
 
Section 1.  The recitals above are hereby incorporated as if fully set forth herein. 
 
Section 2.  The Mayor, City Manager, City Clerk, and City Attorney are hereby authorized 
and directed to take all steps necessary to transmit this Resolution to the Tolleson Union High 
School District Governing Board and to advocate on behalf of the City’s position opposing the 
proposed relocation. 
 
Section 3.  The Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson formally and unequivocally 
oppose the relocation of the Tolleson Union High School District administrative offices outside 
the City of Tolleson and urge the Governing Board to maintain the District Office within the 
community where the District was founded, built, and historically rooted. 
 
Section 4.  This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its passage and adoption. 
 
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Tolleson, Arizona, on this 
4th day of December, 2025. 
 
 
____________________________________ 
Juan F. Rodriguez, Mayor 
 
 
                                                   ATTEST: ____________________________________ 
 
Crystal Zamora, City Clerk 
 
 
       APPROVED AS TO FORM: ____________________________________ 
 
Justin Pierce, City Attorney