By TRACY BENSON
ASBA Director of Communications
PHOENIX—Hundreds of school board seats in Arizona will be up for election this November, and the deadline for submitting materials necessary to run is just a few months away. To assist those who are interested in running for a seat on their local governing board, the Arizona School Boards Association, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that provides leadership and assistance to public school governing boards statewide, is hosting free informational webinars in March and April on the basics of board service and what it takes to run.
Individuals who are considering running are encouraged to participate in one of the three webinars. They are scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 12 to 1 p.m., Monday, March 31, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 26, from 10 to 11 a.m.
Topics to be covered in each webinar will include:
• Why Serve?
• What School Board Members Do (and What They Don’t Do)
• Eligibility and the Basics of Running for Office
• Commonly Asked Questions about Board Service
• Support Available to Board Members Once Elected
Participants will also have the opportunity to submit questions to be answered live during the webinar.
Karen Loftus, director of leadership development for the Arizona School Boards Association, and Chris Thomas, ASBA’s general counsel and director of legal and policy services, will lead the webinars.
Thomas is a former school board member. ASBA Director of Communications Tracey Benson will host the webinars.
Those interested in participating can register online at www.azsba.org/becoming-a-board-member <http://www.azsba.org/becoming-a-board-member> .
ASBA offers additional resources for those considering running for school board. A 20-page publication titled “School Board Service in Arizona” will be available in late March through the offices of most county school superintendents and also by contacting ASBA at 602-254-1100.
The information contained in the booklet also is available online on the Becoming a Board Member page of the ASBA’s web site (www.azsba.org/becoming-a-board-member).
The following La Paz County district governing board positions up for election in the fall General Election
Bicentennial Union High School District: Three four-year terms;
Bouse Elementary School District: One two-year term and one four-year term;
Parker Unified School District: One two-year term and three four-year terms;
Quartzsite Elementary School District: Three four-year terms;
Salome Consolidated Elementary School District: One two-year term and three four-year terms; and Wenden Elementary School District: Three four-year terms.
