The Daily Agenda: School board roundup

More than 50 people are seeking seats on Pima County school boards … Let's take a look at the candidates … From unhoused to Housing First.

There are plenty of seats up for grabs on Pima County’s school boards this year, with the nonpartisan races to be decided in November’s general election.

For many candidates, school boards serve as an entry point into politics, but the races also draw a mix of alumni, parents and civic-minded community members. The unpaid positions are usually four-year terms, but there are a handful of exceptions.

With no candidates on the ballot to fill vacant seats in Empire and Redington school districts and the deadline to file as a write-in candidate lapsing yesterday, Pima County Superintendent of Schools Dustin Williams will likely have to appoint people to fill the positions.

We’ll break down some of the more competitive races closer to the election, but here’s a look at who's on the ballot in 12 of Pima County’s districts.

Tucson Unified School District

In one of the county’s more competitive school board races, five candidates are pursuing three open seats on the governing board of Southern Arizona’s largest school district. 

Current members Dr. Ravi Shah, Sadie Shaw and Board President Natalie Luna Rose, who were all elected in 2020, are seeking second terms.

Rose works as the communications and outreach manager for Disability Rights Arizona and joined the board in 2020. She previously worked as press secretary for U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva. Shah is a doctor at El Rio Community Health Center and is the medical director for NaphCare Inc., which provides medical care in the Pima County jail. Shaw is the founder and president of the Sugar Hill Community Land Trust and works as the public art and community design administrator for the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona.

Newcomer Pilar Acosta Ruiz is seeking her first term on the TUSD governing board, as is Esteban Flores, a volunteer and youth pastor with Gospel Rescue Mission.

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Catalina Foothills School District

Four candidates are seeking two seats in Catalina Foothills, with current board members Carole Siegler and Doug Hadley not seeking reelection. Newcomers Jacquelyn Davoli and Tom Logue are running as the “CFSD Students First” team, and Davoli has a child who attends school in the district. Optometrist Bart Pemberton is also seeking a seat, as is realtor Jennifer Repscher, an alumna who has two children in Catalina Foothills schools.

There’s also a two-year seat available. Board President EileenJackson is running for another term on a slate with Davoli and Logue. Newcomer Brooke Arispe, a teacher, is also seeking the seat.

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Vail Unified School District

Five candidates are vying for three spots on Vail’s school board, including incumbents Chris King, Allison Pratt and Callie Tippett. 

King is an Air Force veteran who was elected to the board in 2020 and works as a substitute teacher. Pratt serves as clerk of the board and Tippett works as director of development and community outreach for the Greater Vail Community ReSources. In 2015, Tippett launched Vail Blaze Basketball, bringing club sports to the district.

Newcomers Laura Moore and John Mothershed are also seeking seats.

Marana Unified School District

In Marana, incumbents David Willard and Hunter Holt are facing four challengers for three seats. Willard is lead pastor and co-founder of Gate Church and Holt works as recreation coordinator for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

Newcomers Cathie Raymond, Roy Alexander, Mikail Roberts and Collin Eddy are all seeking a first term on the board. Roberts previously worked for the Institute of International Education in Washington D.C. and is earning his masters in education policy from Johns Hopkins School of Education.

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Flowing Wells Unified School District

Three seats are up for grabs on the Flowing Wells school board, with three incumbents and a challenger seeking the spots.

Stephanie Miller, Wendy Effing and Kevin Daily are all seeking another term, with Effing winning the All-Arizona School Board Member Award at the Arizona School Boards Association Conference in 2023.

Newcomer Joseph Delgado is looking to win his first race.

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Sahuarita Unified School District

Five candidates are running for three seats in Sahuarita. Incumbents Denise D. Reis, a former middle school teacher, and Tony Bruno, grants coordinator for The Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, are both seeking additional terms. 

Newcomers Debra Fettig and Kathryn Zanin are joined in the race by Amy Petersmarck, who previously ran for the board and lost.

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Tanque Verde Unified School District

In Tanque Verde, three incumbents are facing a single challenger in their bid to retain their seats.

Jeffery Neff, a real estate attorney, has been on the board for nearly two decades. Current board members Jeremy Schalk and Anne Velosa, a former substitute teacher and volunteer with the Tanque Verde Band Booster Club, are also seeking additional terms.

Challenging the trio for their seats is newcomer Christy Brent.

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Baboquivari Unified School District

Over in Baboquivari, three candidates are vying for seats. Ella Mae Greasewood is a current board member, as is Annamarie Stevens, who has worked for Tohono O’odham Community College for over 15 years They’re challenged by newcomer Jessica Miguel.

Uncontested races include:

Sunnyside Unified School District

Three current board members are running for three seats in Sunnyside, Ted G. Rodriguez is the current board clerk and used to be chief building inspector for the town of Sahuarita. Beki Quintero is board president and a Sunnyside alumna who founded the Community Peace Garden in Manuel Herrera Jr. Park. Jesus Edgardo Bustamante spent more than two decades working for the district before being appointed to fill a vacant seat on the board in 2022.

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Amphitheater Unified School District

Three candidates are looking to fill Amphi’s three seats this year, with two of the three serving as current board members. Deanna M. Day is an Amphi alumna and teacher and has spent more than a decade on the board. Vicki Cox Golder served on the board from 1987 through 1996 and was re-elected again in 2016. She’s co-founder of the Amphitheater School Foundation and helped form the Pima County School Board and Superintendent Collaborative. Newcomer Patsy Harris works as a counselor at Ironwood Ridge High School.

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Altar Valley Unified School District

West of Tucson in Altar Valley, three current board members are seeking re-election. Dan Tankersley is the district’s director of operations and has held the position since 2002. Martin Hudecek, who joined the board in 2017 after the death of a longtime board member, is an Altar Valley alumnus and has six children who attend schools in the district. Sarah King is co-owner of King’s Anvil Ranch and has served on the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance for the past 13 years.

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Ajo Unified School District

Two current board members are seeking second terms on the Ajo school board, including Eric Krznarich, who currently serves as clerk and as a Pima County constable, and Lonnie Guthrie, who works as Ajo High School’s athletic director.

Meanwhile, in Santa Cruz County: The Patagonia Regional Times is helping Santa Cruz County voters hear from the candidates through a series of forums and zoom interviews. On July 13, Santa Cruz County District 3 Supervisor candidates Bruce Backer, John Fanning and Jesus Jerez answered questions and revealed their differing perspectives on a variety of issues, Marion Vendituoli writes. Later in the month, the Times’ Nisa Stover Talavera conducted recorded interviews with County Assessor candidates Pablo Ramos and Octavio “Tavo” Gradillas.

Lived experience: This is Tucson’s Elvia Verdugo profiled four employees of the City of Tucson’s Housing First program who used to be unsheltered and are now working towards ending homelessness. Verdugo spoke with the women about their pasts, the obstacles they’ve faced and their desire to help others.

“We want them (clients) to still feel that they're human,” said Jeannette Garment. “We're all human beings, even the ones that don't have homes and we just want them to be able to realize we do care.”

On the docket: The Department of Justice is suing a migrant shelter for children that has a facility in Tucson, alleging a pattern of sexual abuse and harassment, Arizona Public Media’s Danyelle Khmara reports. The lawsuit says that Texas-based Southwest Key received complaints from 2015 through last year about “severe, pervasive, and unwelcome” sexual abuse and harassment of children at most of its facilities, and failed to take action. The lawsuit includes details from incidents at Casa Estrella, Southwest Key’s facility in Tucson.

More legal news: The Air Force is pushing back against an order by the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up a large-scale contamination by various PFAS compounds in groundwater beneath two Air Force-owned facilities near the airport. the Arizona Daily Star’s Tony Davis writes. Davis said this could be the start of a prolonged legal battle over the EPA’s authority to require a cleanup plan and whether the Air Force can produce that plan by the EPA’s deadline.

$28,963.10: The amount of money TUSD governing board candidate Dr. Ravi Shah’s campaign has raised as of July 20, according to campaign finance reports.