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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Inside This Week
395 CUSD kids considered suicide since July BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor
REAL ESTATE................. 18 Valley housing market improving for sellers.
COMMUNITY............. 20 Chandler thespians shine in new Limelight production.
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early 400 students in the Chandler Unified School District have considered killing themselves since
July. And those are the ones that district officials know about, admitting students first reach out for help to their peers before they will go to an adult. Brenda Vargas, CUSD’s director of counseling and social services, disclosed that number during a study session for the Governing Board on Feb. 8. “I want to bring everyone’s attention to that number, 395,” Vargas said. “From July
A big kickstart for girls flag football. REAL ESTATE....................................18 COMMUNITY................................ 20 BUSINESS........................................ 24 SPORTS............................................ 30 GET OUT..........................................32 CLASSIFIEDS................................... 36
of this school year till December, our school counselors and social workers completed 395 suicide assessments this year in one semester – that is, students with thoughts of suicide that in some way, shape or form, shared that they wanted to die. “That’s 395 lives.” Board President Jason Olive had requested the study session to get an update on what the district has done to address student mental health. That became a major issue for the district at the end of the 2021-22
school year after three CUSD students took their lives in a 10-day period in May. Another suicide involving a Chandler Unified student occurred at the start of this school
see SCHOOLS page 4
Chopstick challenge
Chandler plots fiscal future amid economic uncertainties BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Managing Editor
SPORTS......................... 30
February 19, 2023
FREE | chandlernews.com
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he expansion of the Intel Ocotillo campus has filled the city’s bank accounts, as construction workers stay at Chandler hotels, eat at Chandler restaurants, and shop at Chandler stores. But it won’t go on forever. “With the construction starting to stop at the end of the calendar year … you’re going to see the one-time revenue that’s coming in from that project start to slow,” said Dawn Lang, the city’s deputy
city manager and chief financial officer. Lang said economists are having a hard time getting a read on the current economy: Are we headed toward recession? Has the Federal Reserve finally tamed inflation? Are consumers confident enough in the economy to spend money? One thing she said she is certain of: the local economy has fared better than others because of the $20 billion Intel project.
see BUDGET page 6
Tarwater Elementary’s Dual Language Mandarin Immersion Program hosted its ninth annual celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year Feb. 3 with a public event that drew hundreds of people. To prepare students for global citizenship, Tarwater’s dual language program serves more than 300 students from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade who spend half the school day in the Mandarin classroom and the other half in English. Among the Toros who joined in the fun celebration this month were fourth-graders Victoria Clark and Alexa Schicke, both 10, who tried to use chopsticks to move candy from one bowl to another. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
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