A local watchdog group that critically monitors the Tucson Unified School District will hold a forum with the seven candidates running for three open seats on the district’s school board at 6:30 p.m. tonight, Thursday, Oct. 8.

CARE (Coalition for Accountability, Respect and Excellence,) a group that aims to hold TUSD board members accountable, will give the candidates a chance to answer questions emailed by constituents.

The seven candidates running for three open school board positions include Ravi Grivois-Shah, Natalie Luna Rose, Nicolas Pierson, Adam Ragan, Sadie Shaw, Cindy Winston and write-in candidate Cristina Mennella.

Three volunteer, nonpartisan positions on the school board are opening when the terms of current board members Bruce Burke, Kristel Foster and Rachael Sedgwick expire in November.

The candidate forum will be available live at: youtube.com/channel/UCNxtVlmWkpT8K9NzP8DGy-g?view_as=subscriber

Meet the candidates

Due to an editing error, this post previously reported that Adelita Grijalva’s term was up this year. Grijalva’s term isn’t up until 2022. She plans to remain on the board if she wins a seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors in November.

This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2020.

6 replies on “Learn Who’s Running for Three Empty Seats on the TUSD Board at this Candidate Forum”

  1. I believe your reported information is incorrect information; none of the members you listed are “stepping down”. The following individuals served their four-year term and they chose not to campaign and run again: Ms. Sedgwick and Ms. Foster (not Ms. Grijalva). Mr. Burk was volunteering for the term that Mr. Stegman left (he indeed stepped down) and left his term before he finishing his four years. Please use the appropriate verb, they are not “stepping down” they have completed their agreed-upon term of 4 years and “chose” not to campaign for their positions. You are better than this, why make it sound like these individuals are non-reliable and unwilling to finish what they started by not completing their 4 years of elected service. Please issue a statement of correction and apologize for listing the incorrect board member.

  2. Not seeking re-election are TUSD Governing Board members Rachael Sedgwick, Kristen Ann Foster and Bruce Burke. Adelita Grijalva is remaining on the Board, so your article is incorrect. Also typo in title, should read “seats” not seat.

  3. TUSD is trapped in Trump derangement syndrome. Trump derangement rules demand that schools remain closed until after the election. So, TUSD schools remain closed.

    How many more students will TUSD lose by November?

    Over the last 20 years, while all Arizona schools gained hundreds of thousands of students, TUSD lost over 10,000.

    Now, they may well lose another thousand students this year by remaining closed for so long.

    That will be devastating for the teachers of TUSD. That’s another 50 teaching positions lost. For a year, they will be protected by a formula which says they get paid for students that leave but that is an illusion that will quickly be swept away.

    Students are safer in school than they are at home. At school, they wear masks, at home they don’t. Over 60% of all infections are being caught in homes. Having kids in schools is safer than having them at home.

  5. Students will continue to fall away due to TUSD closures, as many of them cannot thrive in the complete virtual environment. Already struggling academically, not having in-person schooling will lower graduation rates and enrollments will continue downward, while the drop-out rates will increase. Teachers are ESSENTIAL WORKERS who need to have courage, not fear. Let’s put the needs of our students ahead of any fear-mongering, which seem to have reached hysterical levels. Let’s be sane professionals.

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