Five candidates are seeking a seat on the Tucson School Board this election year, with just three seats open. 

Incumbents Dr. Ravi Shah, Sadie Shaw, and Natalie Luna Rose, are seeking reelection. Newcomers Esteban Flores and Pilar Acosta Ruiz are also seeking seats in the non-partisan race.

Last year voters approved $480 million in bonds to fund major repairs and improvements across TUSD campuses. And with a hectic first month of school that included threats at districts across Pima County, whoever wins the seats will have a long road ahead.

Tucson Spotlight contacted all five candidates to ask about their concerns and priorities if elected. Shah was the only candidate to respond. 

The candidates attended a public forum on August 29 hosted by the League of Women Voters to discuss pressing topics facing the district. 

Who’s on the Ballot

Shah is a dad and family physician. He is the first member of the LGBTQ+ community to openly serve on the board. 

Shaw decided to run for the school board in 2020 because her daughter’s school did not offer art classes. She's the president and founder of the non-profit organization Sugar Hill Community Land Trust. 

Rose is the current Board President and was elected in 2020. She is a mother and graduated from Rincon High School. She works as the communications and outreach manager for Disability Rights Arizona. 

Former pastor Flores has a six-year-old daughter who influenced his desire to serve on the board. He wants to be an advocate for parents. 

Ruiz is a member of the Teamsters labor union and a founder of TUSD's Clinical Assessment Resources Engagement program.

Universal Concerns

The main concern shared by all of the candidates for TUSD is enrollment, which they said seems to be dropping year by year. 

Tucson Spotlight reached out to TUSD to ask about enrollment figures for this school year and the 2019-20 school year. .A spokeswoman initially said they’d have the information by Monday, but later saidwe’d need to file a public records request.

We have done that, and will report back on our findings.

Shah told Spotlight that he wants to combat the enrollment issues by “improving marketing, continuing to innovate such as expanding our K-6 model, expanding technical education, and other programs that help our schools stand out, and listening to parents and students.” 

One of Shaw’s biggest concerns, besides enrollment, is proficiency scores. Shaw said she wants to “raise the expectations of all K-12 students, aiming for a goal of at least a 5% increase per year for student proficiency in ELA and Math,” according to Shaw's campaign website. 

“​​Our children’s educational experience will impact families, generations, and communities not just in Tucson but in the United States of America,” Flores said in his candidate statement submitted to the Pima County Superintendent of Schools.

Gender-neutral bathrooms & pronoun changes

While at the forum the candidates were asked how they feel about the installation of gender-neutral bathrooms and pronoun changes for students. Rose, Shaw, Shah, and Ruiz were on board for both. 

“We all use gender-neutral bathrooms at home,” Rose said.

Ruiz said, “teachers and parents have to OK” the pronoun changes. Flores was against pronoun changes and gender-neutral bathrooms. 

Standardized Testing

Another pressing issue at the forum was the motion to remove standardized testing. Rose, Shaw, and Flores all agree that standardized testing is no longer a necessity for students. Shah believes in a balance between standardized testing and helping the students who need extra help. Ruiz wants to keep standardized testing for older grades and remove it from younger grades.  

Money & fundraising 

As of the primary election, Shah has raised the most money out of all of the candidates with $29,400, according to campaign finance reports. Rose and Shaw have raised just under $4,000 and Ruiz has $3,600. No fundraising information could be found for Flores. 

Voting Information

Election Day is November 5. The last day to register to vote is October 7 and early voting begins on October 9. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is October 25 and the last day to mail in your ballot is October 29.

Abbie Andrus is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at asandrus@arizona.edu.