Tolleson Union High School District Under Fire for ‘Luxury Getaway Paid by Taxpayers’

By Matthew Holloway |

The Goldwater Institute has unveiled a striking report concerning the financial practices of the Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD). On Tuesday, the organization disclosed that the district accrued expenditures totaling $76,969 on extravagant retreats for school board members and administrators, as revealed by public records.

In just two days, the TUHSD paid out $42,000 in hotel costs, with catering alone costing approximately $22,000 for a group of only thirty people. This staggering expense equates to around $700 per person, per day.

Christopher Thomas, the director of legal strategy for education policy at Goldwater, emphasized that these funds could have been directed toward teacher salaries and vital programs for students. He expressed concern that the retreats, termed “Board and Administrator Retreats,” operate without adequate taxpayer oversight, despite Arizona’s Open Meetings Law.

Goldwater’s analysis indicated that many meetings during the costly retreats failed to achieve board quorum. This raised legality concerns, as they did not constitute lawful meetings under Arizona law. Thomas highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding these gatherings, which dealt with significant public matters.

The report noted that critical issues such as strategies for increasing student participation, graduation rates, and budget priorities were discussed without public input. Notably, the expenses documented did not account for transportation or the salaries of those involved, many of whom were still clocked-in during these events.

In 2023 and 2024, TUHSD hosted these retreats at two four-star hotels: JW Marriott Starr Pass in Tucson and Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock. Interestingly, the requested financial records took several months to surface, only emerging after the approval of new bonds and budget overrides by Tolleson Union voters.

At the JW Marriott, TUHSD reportedly spent $33,969 for the two-day retreat, which included $22,061 for catering. The subsequent three-day event held at Hilton Sedona Resort ran the district $42,154 for 36 participants.

Thomas criticized the district leaders for not recognizing the responsibility associated with managing public funds, urging a focus on maximizing benefit to taxpayers while fulfilling their educational mission.

This situation echoes previous controversies, such as the Creighton Elementary School District’s Governing Board, which faced backlash for a $4,000-per-person expense for a three-day “diversity, equity, and inclusion” conference in Napa Valley last July.

Matthew Holloway is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest updates or reach out via email at Matthew@azfreenews.com.