Basic biographical information:
- Name:ย William R. Soland
- Office they are seeking:ย TUSD Governing Board
- Age: 41
- City of residence:ย Tucson, AZ
- Occupation:ย Public Defender
- Education:ย JD from University of Arizona
- Previous elected office: None
- Other relevant qualifications:ย William has served Arizonaโs most vulnerable residents for over 14 years as a legal aid attorney and as a public defender. He has experience speaking up for people who have no one else to speak for them. He is a proud public school grad and dad.ย
1. What do you see as the most important issue to address and how would you address it?
The most important issue facing our schools right now is the safety and bodily autonomy of our children. Children should not have to worry that, when they go to school, they are in danger of being reported to law enforcement simply for living their lives. Nor, for that matter, should teachers and staff. With the Attorney General trying to ban all abortion, this is a genuine concern. It should be the policy of TUSD that student and employee reproductive health care is a private matter, and that no employee of TUSD at any level is permitted to share studentsโ reproductive health status with law enforcement. No student or employee should fear that they may face prison time for showing up to school pregnant one week and not pregnant the next. We should have similar policies surrounding gender and orientation issues, for much the same reasons.
2. Why should voters choose you, rather than other candidates?
I have the legal education to stand up to the State government when they attack our schools, our teachers, and our students. Sometimes, when you do what is right, the establishment pushes back. The State Legislature in Arizona has been hostile to public education for as long as I can remember. The State Attorney General is trying to resurrect a zombie law, criminalizing abortion. Extremists are trying to ban books, ban trans kids from sports, and track peopleโs menstrual cycles. TUSD should take a stand to protect children and teachersโ bodily autonomy, to protect trans kids, to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. And that stand may require legal action. I have the knowledge and skills to help guide the board through potential litigation.ย
3. Could you please provide a list of the people and organizations that have endorsed you?
Save Our Schools Arizona
Planned Parenthood
