Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor

Every Tucsonan needs to graduate from high school with the skills to pursue job training or a college degree. Here are some programs the Mayor’s Office is working on to help.

Steps to Success reenrollment walks

So far, we’ve held six Steps to Success walks with Tucson Unified School District. Working in teams that included the mayor, TUSD Superintendent Dr. H.T. Sanchez, local celebrities, University of Arizona athletes and TUSD staff, we knocked on doors of recent high school dropouts, with the result that 541 students reenrolled—and 93 have graduated! Stay tuned for more Steps to Success walks in the future.

Attendance awareness

Missing just two days of school a month—18 days a year—can knock students off track, making them less likely to graduate. In 2014, Mayor Rothschild launched an attendance awareness program, Count me in!, with TUSD and others to get the message out about the importance of school attendance, asking students and their parents to take the attendance pledge. In 2015, the program expanded to include four area school districts. Read more…

Arizona School and Charitable Tax Credits

Donate to an Arizona public school and/or qualifying charitable organization and you could receive tax credits that reduce your tax bill by as much as $200 for an individual or $400 for a married couple filing jointly. Starting January 1, 2017, donations that are received or postmarked by April 18, 2017 can be applied to your 2016 or 2017 tax bill. Read more…

My Brother’s Keeper

My Brother’s Keeper is a White House initiative to expand opportunity for boys and young men of color. Mayor Rothschild is leading this initiative locally, and has worked with many community partners to create a plan of action aligned with the president’s initiative.

STEM internships

The Mayor’s Office worked with the University of Arizona STEM Learning Center to increase STEM internships locally. Obtaining an intern has never been simpler, with one-page process and timeline sheets—complete with contact info—for the University of Arizona, Pima Community College and various Tucson high schools. Read more…

Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge

Children can lose reading gains over the summer when they’re not in school. The Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge, which ended September 5, 2014, encouraged summer reading with certificates and prizes for participating children up to grade 12.

Reading Seed and Literacy Connects

Reading Seed is a program of nonprofit Literacy Connects. In 2013, the Mayor’s Office and the Arizona Daily Star helped recruit and raise funds to support more than 600 new volunteer reading coaches to work with struggling readers in grades K-3. Learn more about becoming a Reading Seed or other Literacy Connects program volunteer. Visit literacyconnects.org.

Teach the Parent, Reach the Child

This 8-week course, part of Pima Community College’s Family Literacy Program, teaches parents how to help their children learn to read. After completing the course, students teach other parents what they’ve learned. Our thanks to the Helios Education Foundation for providing support for this initiative.

Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable

Consisting of 10 Arizona mayors, the roundtable meets to share local education initiatives and strategies. A founding member, Mayor Rothschild is an active participant. With a grant from the Helios Education Foundation and technical assistance from WestEd, the roundtable released a report in June 2014 on the economic impact of high school dropouts in Arizona. It’s estimated that, over a lifetime, each dropout costs government and society more than half a million dollars. Read the full report here.