Students Come First. EVIT Is Willing To Make Critical Sacrifices To Transport Students And Save Educational Opportunity

By Dr. Chad Wilson, EVIT Superintendent

Compromise and sacrifice for the greater good. That was the thinking behind the East Valley Institute of Technology’s (EVIT) decision to offer $4 million to the nine member districts suing EVIT for the entire cost of transportation, to help ensure high school students can continue accessing our central campuses next school year.

We made this offer because the stakes are too high to do otherwise. EVIT provides students with hands-on, high-quality career and technical education that prepares them for college, careers, and the workforce. For many students, these programs are not available anywhere else. Without reliable transportation, access to these opportunities is at risk. EVIT has stepped forward with a meaningful commitment to take on this expense. We hope our district partners will do the same. Students come first. The bus stops here—hopefully.

EVIT did not create the current transportation crisis. Several school districts involved in litigation against , a service they had provided for years. Those notifications arrived just as students were preparing for final exams, creating understandable anxiety and uncertainty for families who had already committed to attending EVIT next school year.

Last year, nine member districts sued EVIT after negotiations over a new intergovernmental agreement (IGA) reached an impasse. The districts are seeking a larger share of EVIT funding and greater discretion over how voter-approved career and technical education dollars are spent.

The impact falls hardest on families with limited financial resources, many of whom rely on district transportation to access educational opportunities. Without reliable transportation, students may lose access to career and technical education programs that prepare them for high-demand careers as electricians, construction professionals, medical assistants and other skilled trades.

To help provide transportation, EVIT will Admittedly, that money would have better served ALL the students within the EVIT Career Training Education District. But we feel making the sacrifice is worth ensuring all who want to attend EVIT can do so. We hope the East Valley school districts will respond in kind.

Unlike many school districts, EVIT has not asked voters to approve a bond or budget override, nor do we receive state funding for transportation. EVIT cannot solve this problem alone. To keep buses rolling and students learning, our member districts must be willing to do their part to resolve the crisis their decisions created. It is time to put learning ahead of litigation.

The districts suing EVIT have approximately $50 million provided by taxpayers within the EVIT Career Technical Education District and authorized by the EVIT Governing Board for transportation purposes. (The $50 million is based on their most recent Annual Financial Report from June 2025.)

Rather than use those funds to transport students to EVIT, they are choosing to keep the money in district accounts.

Several of those districts have used these dollars for transportation to the Central Campus in previous years as reported in their Annual Financial Report submitted to the Arizona Department of Education.

EVIT believes more of those funds should remain focused on their intended purpose: supporting students and strengthening career and technical education programs. That includes investing in teachers, improving student achievement, enhancing financial oversight, and strengthening data collection and program accountability in district-operated satellite programs. These priorities align with recommendations made by the Arizona Auditor General to ensure taxpayer dollars are used effectively and transparently to benefit students.

It’s a complicated issue. But not when it comes to transportation. Students should not have to suffer. We are willing to make sacrifices. We ask the involved school districts accept our offer, put their differences aside, put the students first, and get those buses rolling next year.

Dr. Chad Wilson is Superintendent of the East Valley Institute of Technology Career Technical Education District. He oversees career and technical education programs at central EVIT campuses in Mesa and Scottsdale and satellite programs in 11 CTED member school districts and American Leadership Academy.