Jessica Votipka

Tucson

Reporter at Arizona Daily Star

K12 Education Reporter at the Arizona Daily Star **Tucson peeps: DM me with story ideas!**

Featured in: Favicon

theindependent.com Favicon

usnews.com Favicon

washingtontimes.com Favicon

kentucky.com Favicon

sacbee.com Favicon

thestate.com Favicon

timesunion.com Favicon

kansas.com Favicon

fresnobee.com Favicon

omaha.com + 58 more

Articles

Major vaccine push expected across Tucson at start of school year

1 month ago | tucson.com | Charles Borla |Jessica Votipka

Pima County will launch an aggressive vaccination effort before the start of the next school year to confront a lackluster rate of immunization at some Tucson area schools amid the increasing threat of a measles outbreak, officials say. Supervisors unanimously approved having the county health department develop a plan to deploy mobile vaccination units to county schools that have vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) below 95%, the accepted level for herd immunity.
Space science becoming bigger learning force in Arizona

1 month ago | tucson.com | Jessica Votipka

The final frontier is becoming a more powerful force in the classroom. Astronomy and space science has been part of curriculums for decades. Shiloe Fontes, can remember her first trip to the planetarium, as a second grader at St. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Tucson. “There is something so humbling and so fascinating about seeing the sky in a way you've never seen it before,” she said.
Tucson district's academic recovery bid shows mixed results

1 month ago | tucson.com | Jessica Votipka

Low-income and minority students at Tucson Unified School District are still struggling to close the achievement gap in English and math despite ongoing intervention efforts, data compiled from just before the pandemic until 2024 show. Arizona state test scores and data from the national Education Recovery Scorecard reveal both marginal improvement and longer-term struggles for TUSD’s economically disadvantaged, Latino, Black and native students.
Sixth grade added to 3 more TUSD elementary schools next year

1 month ago | tucson.com | Jessica Votipka

Tucson Unified School District will have three additional elementary schools that will include sixth grade beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Those schools are: Borton Elementary Magnet School, 700 E 22nd St.; Annie W. Kellond Elementary, 6606 E Lehigh Dr.; and John B.
How Tucson-area schools answer call to help fill mining jobs

1 month ago | tucson.com | Jessica Votipka

As the mining industry continues to grow and evolve, companies are working with Tucson-area schools to fill what have been historically hard-to-fill positions. “We’re at a pinch point. It is more critical than ever to figure out, we get students into the right pipeline,” said Tracy Bame, who leads mining company Freeport-McMoRan’s social responsibility and compliance programs in the Americas. On Friday, there were more than 300 Arizona mining job openings advertised on Indeed.
Pima County schools chief says he will help 'connect' district superintendents, ICE

1 month ago | tucson.com | Jessica Votipka

Pima County’s schools chief says he will act as a liaison between Homeland Security and the superintendents of public schools across the county. Superintendent Dustin Williams made the announcement on the same day Tucson Unified School District provided more details about its plans for handling immigration officials coming onto school campuses.
How Arizona students can apply for one-stop scholarships

1 month ago | tucson.com | Jessica Votipka

The Arizona Community Foundation’s general postsecondary scholarship application is now open at azfoundation.org/scholarships. Scholarships are available for high school seniors, current college students, graduate students or adult re-entry students attending accredited two-year and four-year colleges and universities, as well as career and technical schools anywhere in the United States. In preparation for the scholarship season, ACF will host three virtual scholarship application workshops.
TUSD set to tighten policies for on-campus immigration activity

1 month ago | tucson.com | Jessica Votipka

Tucson Unified School District will begin fine-tuning policies this week to help staff deal with incidents of immigration officials showing up at schools, officials say. As reports of increased immigration enforcement are covered more frequently in news reports and social media, the district — for now — is leaning heavily on its existing policies. “We’re just not going to let anybody come inside a school,” says Jennifer Eckstrom, president of the TUSD governing board.
Salpointe High School names new president

1 month ago | tucson.com | Jessica Votipka

Salpointe Catholic High School has named its next President. Jennifer Harris, currently the school's director of advancement, will take the top post beginning July 1, the school announced Friday in a news release. In her current role, Harris leads a team responsible for fundraising, alumni and parent relations, advancement initiatives, communications, marketing, community-building and database management.
Tucson's Flowing Wells school district seeks board member

1 month ago | tucson.com | Jessica Votipka

Flowing Wells Unified School District’s Governing Board has an open spot due to the retirement of longtime member Jim Love. Love has been a fixture at Flowing Wells Unified since 2001, as a board member and a familiar face at events, the district’s website states. The office of Pima County School Superintendent Dustin Williams is heading the process to replace Love.