Mesa Community College hosts public forum for the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board election
Four candidates seeking election for two open seats on the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board will share their perspectives on district issues during a public forum Wednesday at Mesa Community College (MCC).
The event will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Navajo Room at MCC’s Southern and Dobson campus and is free and open for anyone to attend.
The forum is sponsored by Mesa Public Schools and the Educators Rising Club, which is made up of students who are majoring in education.
Civic engagement is an integral part of the event, where individuals can learn the values of the candidates running in the local election and better understand how governing boards affect the community.
The candidates include Josh Chilton, Jennifer Echols, Jason Smithson and incumbent board member Rachel Walden.
Members of the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board are elected by district voters and serve a four-year term without pay.
The Board members hold various responsibilities, such as establishing district policies, overseeing the superintendent, and engaging with the community about education. The board also adopts an annual budget for the district, which totals $515 million for the 2026-2027 school year.
Tawn Hauptli is the program director of the MCC K-12 Education Program and the advisor for the Educators Rising Club. She said the experience allows students studying education to actively participate in civic engagement and learn of its role in local elections.
“When I look at education majors, they can gain a better understanding of the importance of civic engagement,” Hauptli said.
Governing board elections and votes matter because of their influence on public education, and as individuals reflect on their values regarding its governance, they can determine which candidates best align with their perspectives, Hauptli said.
Two students from the Educators Rising Club will be moderating the forum along with an ABC15 Arizona reporter, offering them an opportunity to ask questions and bridge the community to the candidates.
Jazmin Romero, an MCC student studying education and a member of the club, will be one of the moderators for the event. As a person with a physical limitation, she plans to discuss special education, which was requested by one of the panelists.
“Special education isn’t taken seriously as other fields of education,” Romero said. “So just hearing that request, it felt nice that someone’s willing to gain a different side from education that’s not what’s mostly important as in intellect or maybe athletics.”
Other faculty members who have participated in preparing students for the forum include Eddie Webb, the director of the New Media Lab and a professor in the English department, and Brian Dille, a professor of political science.
