Jennifer Eckstrom was leading in the Tucson Unified School District governing board race, collecting about 27% of the early votes. She was being followed by Val Romero, at 19% and Rebecca Zapien, at 18%, early results showed Wednesday morning.
Romero and Zapien flipped positions overnight in the race to fill two seats on the governing board, according to early results posted by the Pima County Elections Department.
The other candidates are Luis Armando Gonzales with nearly 15% of the votes, along with William Soland and Brieanna Chillious, who each had collected about 11% of the vote so far.
Eckstrom, former mayor and council member for South Tucson, ran on a campaign of ensuring safer campuses and learning environments. She also said she would focus on addressing the teacher shortage by advocating for better salaries and health-care benefits.
Romero, a local business owner, focused on a campaign for improving students’ academic performance, holding the district accountable in its transparency and communication efforts, and building strong relationships with the community.
Zapien, who works alongside student teachers at the University of Arizona College of Education, has said she comes from a family of teachers and her experience gives her knowledge of the district’s issues. She ran on a platform of working collaboratively with all district employees, advocating for public education at the state level, and encouraging the district to rethink its discipline models.
Gonzales, a former state legislator, also ran with a platform of reviewing the district’s discipline policies, addressing the teacher shortage, and improving students’ academic achievement by ensuring they have highly-qualified teachers in classrooms.
Chillious, a Pima County children's librarian, was previously employed by TUSD as a school librarian assistant at C.E. Rose K-8 School. Her campaign platform consisted of reinstating funding for libraries and literacy efforts, building stronger relationships with staff, and ensuring transparency and accountability at the district level.
Soland ran on campaign promises of trying to dismantle the “school to prison pipeline” that he has seen through his job as a local attorney. During candidate forums, he said he’d make it a task to address the root cause of behavioral issues among students, rather than resorting to punishment, and help protect the district’s most vulnerable children to ensure a safe learning space for all.
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