TOLLESON, Ariz. — All of the roughly 14,000 students in Tolleson Union High School District are heading back to school Thursday.
Jeremy Calles was the chief financial officer for the past six years and he's recently officially moved into the role of superintendent.
Calles is pulling from his background to lead the district. He grew up in the West Valley and he hopes to use the lessons learned through his own schooling. One of his main focuses: How technology can improve schools.
"We’re looking at leveraging technology as a way to improve what we’re offering to our community," said Calles.
He's interested in seeing how artificial intelligence, or AI, could improve their schools with everything from safety to scheduling, to making sure the air conditioning is working.
For school safety, he said he's been reaching out to tech companies to learn how far along they are in their development and to learn if AI cameras can improve school safety. One way they can help is by monitoring the grounds.
"No matter how many security guards we hire we would not be able to watch as many areas at one time as an AI camera can do for you," said Calles.
He said these types of cameras can monitor a perimeter and notify security guards if a boundary is crossed or if something is passed through a fence. He said these high-tech cameras can also monitor crowds and help to detect an issue like a fight before it happens.
"Instead of using cameras as a reactive tool to then assess what happened, and how did the fight start, and who was involved in the fight, we want to prevent the fight. We want to stop the fight from ever happening on a campus," said Calles.
He also said AI can also work around the clock and assist with student scheduling making sure each student's schedule fits their unique needs and interests.
He said the technology can also monitor their facilities. He said AI can help to alert them if an air conditioner is about to go out and what the issues are.
"AI will help be that extra set of eyes for us that’s constantly watching so we can keep our school as safe as possible," said Calles.
Calles said their district has been growing for a number of years and it's something they continue to monitor.
The Tolleson Union High School District has high schools in four municipalities, including Phoenix, Avondale, Glendale and Tolleson.
Calles said part of the growth they are watching includes keeping an eye on the addition of new housing developments being built in the area.
"We’re tracking every neighborhood, so we know where the growth is going to be seen at. It helps us determine when we need to adjust boundaries, add additional square footage and plan and try to stay a step ahead of that growth," said Calles.
Calles said they have so much growth they are hoping to build another school near Broadway and Dysart.
"We’re currently working with the Schools Facilities Division and trying to get approval on that new high school so we can begin construction," he added.
The Arizona Department of Administration - School Facilities Division oversees capital needs of K-12 school districts and administers funding. Calles said those decisions are expected at the School Facilities Division's Dec. 15 meeting.
"As all the new homes keep popping up in the West Valley I think you're going to continue to see our district grow and continue to need additional school space to accommodate all those new students," said Calles.
For Calles in his role as superintendent is just the beginning. He said this year will focus on discovery and exploring new ideas.
"We’re going to spend this year studying, surveying parents, surveying students, getting their feedback, their thoughts, their concerns on some of these things we’re looking at implementing, and then by next year we’ll be able to start implementing some changes," said Calles.
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