CUSD students head back to school Wednesday, July 15
Independent Newsmedia/Jason W. Brooks
Wendy Sandillo speaks at the Chandler Unified Governing Board’s July 8 meeting about her son’s enrollment in an East Valley Institute of Technology program. She and another parent are concerned about how many of the estimated 250 Chandler Unified high school students and others enrolled at EVIT will get to and from the Mesa sites without district-provided transportation this school year.
Two parents spoke at Chandler Unified’s Governing Board July 8 meeting on the same topic: getting their children to class.
The parents were both upset about the timing of a recent announcement to parents that transportation won’t be provided this year to the estimated 250 Chandler Unified high school students who planned to commute to one of the East Valley Institute of Technology’s Mesa campuses for half-days of instruction.
The district had an intergovernmental agreement with EVIT that has expired and has been tied up as part of a court battle over funding.
EVIT offered to provide transportation itself, though CUSD told parents that idea needs to be studied.
Wendy Sandillo, a CUSD driver, said she doesn’t understand why her child — a Hamilton High School senior enrolled in EVIT’s welding program — and she only learned about the transportation element of the dispute recently.
“My son doesn’t drive, nor do we have a car for him to take,” Sandillo said. “I can’t take him in the middle of each day. Figure it out, please. This isn’t fair for any of us.”
School starts for Chandler Unified students this Wednesday, July 15.
Sandillo said parents across more than one of the nine districts EVIT serves are taking to Facebook to form informal carpool groups.
Elvira Massoud also sounded frustrated. She said her child, a Basha High School junior, wants a career as a pilot and is planning to be part of EVIT’s aviation program.
Even though the vast majority of Chandler’s EVIT students participate in culinary or other satellite programs at CUSD high schools, the lack of action is unfair to students whose career interests lie within programs only available in Mesa.
“This delay is unacceptable,” Massoud said. “Families were notified of this the day before the last day of school. “This doesn’t seem right at all. Families deserve honest answers about what other ways this dispute will affect all CTE (Career and Technical Education) programming. This is deeply concerning.”
After public input, CUSD Board President Patti Serrano gave her first in-meeting directive to newly hired superintendent Dr. Anna Battle: Ensure communications technology and more regular messages are set up to keep CTE parents apprised of ongoing changes.
Lana Berry, the district’s chief finance officer, didn’t say much about EVIT or career and technical-education funding in her presentation at the meeting about the district’s $393.9 million 2026-27 budget. She did reiterate that CUSD had submitted “about 17” agreement proposals to the EVIT board and its director — none of which were apparently acceptable to EVIT.
The board was set to meet only once this month. It’s set to hold two regular meetings on Wednesdays next month, on Aug. 5 and Aug. 19.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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