April School Boards Recap

Here’s your quick April wrap-up for Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Peoria, and Tucson school districts: 

School Board Members: Courtney Davis, Lacy Chaffee, Sharon Benson, Marcie Hutchinson, and Rachel Walden  

• Mesa Unified approved a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) to rename and expand the former Mesa K‑Ready program into “Mesa K‑Ready and Beyond,” a broader early‑literacy and kindergarten‑readiness initiative. The expanded program will support families as children’s first teachers and strengthen connections to local human and social services through city and community partnerships. 
• The Board also approved a $550,000 renewal for Social Studies supplemental software for grades 6–12 and a $2 million increase for student technology purchases, allowing the district to buy 6,000 high school laptops early to avoid cost increases and ensure timely summer configuration and deployment. 

School Board Members: Patti Serrano, Barb Mozdzen, Claudia Mendoza, Kurt Rhors, and Ryan Heap 

• Chandler Unified approved a $3.65 million contract with McCarthy Building Companies to begin summer renovations of Chandler High School’s Culinary Arts classroom and long‑lead cafeteria components. The project updates early‑2000s facilities to current industry standards, including new back‑of‑house kitchens and a converted front‑of‑house instructional space aligned to CTE Culinary Arts requirements. 

• The Board also approved an MOU with Gabriel’s Angels to bring registered pet‑therapy teams to selected schools from July 2026–June 2027. 

• Chandler Unified placed the new 7th‑grade OpenSciEd science curriculum into the required 60‑day public review period. While the curriculum is free, the district will purchase $177,421 in materials to support labs and student learning before bringing it forward for final approval. 

School Board Members: Jessie Brainard, Chad Thompson, Dr. Blake Robison, Jill Humpherys, Shana Murray 

• Gilbert Public Schools approved the purchase of Defined Learning as a supplemental inquiry‑based curriculum for K–6 gifted students, offering real‑world performance tasks and project‑based learning to deepen critical thinking and cross‑curricular understanding. 

• The Board approved the appointments of Erica Helfrey as principal of Campo Verde High School and Johnny Stegall as principal of Mesquite Junior High, both beginning in the 2026–2027 school year. 

School Board Members: Sandra Christensen, Anne Greenberg, Dr. Amanda Lim, Jessica Wani, and Tony Pantera 

• Paradise Valley Unified approved the districtwide K–12 science learning materials adoption, following the committee’s full evaluation of materials across all grade levels. The adoption includes Imagine Learning Twig for K–8 and a range of high school resources—CK12, McGraw‑Hill Inspire Biology, OpenSciEd, SAVVAS Experience Chemistry, OpenStax, HMH Dimensions, and Cengage—along with supplemental tools such as AP Classroom, code.org, and the American Modeling Teachers Association. 

School Board Members: Carine Werner, Mike Sharkey, Dr. Matt Pittinsky, Dr. Donna Lewis, and Amy Carney 

• Scottsdale Unified highlighted strong achievements within the Native American Education Program, including students collectively passing AP exams and earning meaningful college credit savings. Check out the full presentation here. 

• Scottsdale Unified approved the 2026–2027 Governing Board meeting calendar, which includes 11 regular meetings and 5 special/study sessions. 

School Board Members: Melissa Ewing, Becky Proudfit, Heather Rooks, Jeff Tobey, Janelle Bowles 

• Peoria Unified approved a resolution to place a 13% Maintenance & Operation Override renewal on the November 3, 2026 ballot, with August 7 set as the deadline for submitting pro and con arguments to the County Superintendent. 
• The Board also voted to place a separate November 3, 2026 Special Election question before voters, seeking authorization to sell, lease, or exchange identified district properties, including the District Administration Center and the closed Kachina Elementary School. 

School Board Members: Jennifer Eckstrom, Dr. Ravi Shah, Natalie Luna Rose, Val Romero, and Sadie Shaw 

• The Board received an overview of the district’s school‑closure, consolidation, and boundary‑review process, including statutory requirements and community‑input steps, with findings scheduled to be reported to the Governing Board in December. 

• Tucson Unified approved override‑funded compensation increases for 2026–27, including a $3,000 raise for teachers on TDR‑A/B and Exceptional Education schedules and a 4% increase for all other eligible employees, funded through the voter‑approved 15% M&O Override. 

Thanks for reading this month’s update! 

If you missed February’s update, you can read it here.

Check out more: