Ochoa school on Tucson’s southside getting long-overdue upgrades | Local News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – Students and staff at Ochoa Community School on Tucson’s southside are looking ahead to major campus improvements as part of TUSD’s bond-funded projects.

Several improvements will soon be underway at Ochoa Community School. School officials say they’ll benefit both students and staff.

Ochoa Community School, near Sixth Avenue and 22nd Street, is one of many Tucson Unified schools set to receive campus improvements. Plans are now moving forward for new flooring, roofing and fencing.

The projects are funded through TUSD’s $480 million bond approved by voters in 2023 to fund improvements across the district. Staff members say the projects have been needed for years, and they’re looking forward to seeing the results.

“They are excited, especially with areas where we do need that new flooring. The teachers are very excited to get to see the new flooring, because we need it,” Duarte Raub said.

Chuck Peralta, an ecology teacher who has been at Ochoa for more than 30 years, says he can’t remember the last time the school received improvements of this scale. “It’s long overdue, it’s long overdue for our school, especially our school,” Peralta said. “Sometimes it gets put to the side.”

School leaders say the upgrades are about more than appearance. They believe improvements like new flooring, roofing and fencing will help create a safer, more welcoming environment for students and staff.

“I love it when I walk into a building, a classroom that has a shiny floor. It is uplifting, it’s bright, and it does help with learning,” Duarte Raub said.

“Ochoa needed it, Ochoa deserves it, and it is going to make our school more beautiful and safe,” Roybal said.

The projects are expected to be completed by next summer.