January School Boards Wrap Up

Back from Break & Back to Business

School boards across the state started the year strong with some big decisions that affect our communities, from school closures and budget deficits to new programming and choosing new governing board presidents. We’ve recapped it for you here. 

Now here’s your quick January 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  

• Members elected Courtney Davis as Governing Board President for the 2026 calendar year. 

• Mesa voted to approve a $2,000,000 contract increase to buy new technology, including teacher laptops, before prices go up, ensuring the tech team has time to get them ready for staff this summer. 

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

• The Chandler Governing Board narrowly approved a vote on a complex set of staff cuts totaling $12 million for the 2026–27 budget after multiple long meetings and significant community input. The final plan includes reductions to teachers, media center staff, and district‑level positions. 

• The board approved spending $1,051,498 through an Omnia Partners contract with Daktronics to install new scoreboards and videoboards at Basha, Chandler, Casteel, and Hamilton High Schools as part of the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority grant. 

• The board also approved spending $266,064.20 through a 1GPA contract with Precise Sign Company to remove old units and install new Daktronics scoreboards at Basha, Casteel, Chandler, and Hamilton High Schools as part of the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority grant. 

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

• Gilbert Public Schools governing board members voted to close Pioneer Elementary School at the end of the 25/26 school year due to declining enrollment and budget shortfalls. 

• The board also approved expanding the attendance boundaries of Carol Rae Ranch, Harris, and Val Vista Lakes Elementary to absorb parts of Pioneer’s current boundary beginning in 2026–27. 

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

• The governing board voted to table a measure that would increase pricing for community education programming across the district. Instead, they will host a study session on the issue before voting.  

• The district held its third and final reading of a policy to follow state policy, which requires schools providing routine student health services to share health care credentials and emergency response training information upon parent request without releasing any personally identifiable employee information. 

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

• Scottsdale scheduled a public hearing to gather input on proposed new attendance boundaries for students in the Pima Elementary area following its December 9, 2025, decision to close and repurpose the school, with a final vote set for the February 10, 2026 governing board meeting. 
• The board approved a revision to establish a Planning and Boundary Design Advisory Committee (PABDAC) and waived the second read, creating a formal advisory process to support transparent, long‑range planning for attendance boundaries. 

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

• Peoria Unified School District voted to re-elect Heather Rooks as President of the board for the 2026 calendar year. 

• The board approved notifying Glendale Community College by certified mail that Peoria Unified will relocate its early childhood program to another district elementary school for 2026–27, with the letter reviewed by district legal counsel. 

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

• To fill upcoming vacancies on the Tucson Unified School District Budget Advisory Committee, the board is pushing forward two community members, Corissa Shepard and Krista Millay. 

• The board also voted to extend the current superintendent, Dr. Trujillo’s contract with the district to June 30, 2029.  

Thanks for reading this month’s update! 

If you missed December’s recap, you can find it here.

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