Newcomers to the TUSD Governing Board are, from left, Natalia Luna Rose, Sadie Shaw and Ravi Grivois-Shah.

Natalie Luna Rose, Sadie Shaw and Ravi Grivois-Shah are projected to win seats to the TUSD governing board, beating out four other candidates.

As of Wednesday, Pima County still had upwards of 44,000 votes to count.

The governing board for Southern Arizona’s largest school district, Tucson Unified, makes decisions that control a $500 million budget and affects the lives of about 42,500 children and their families.Β 

LATEST:Β Live 2020 election results from Arizona, Pima CountyΒ 

The three newcomers, to be seated in January for the volunteer positions on the five-person board, will be responsible for seeing the district through educating students during the COVID-19 pandemic, an enrollment loss upwards of 2,500 students, a possible $15 million budget shortfall, a continuing statewide teacher shortage and TUSD’s ongoing desegregation order, already in place for more than 40 years.

Board president Kristel Foster and board members Rachael Sedgwick and Bruce Burke all declined to run for reelection, leaving three seats open. Luna Rose, Shaw andΒ Grivois-Shah would join board members Adelita Grijalva and Leila Counts.

Natalie Luna Rose

LunaΒ Rose, who garnered more votes than any other candidate, is a TUSD parent and founding member of Tucson Unified Parent Advocacy Council.

She works as community and outreach manager at the Arizona Center for Disability Law. She has been doing grassroots organizing for almost 20 years, participating in the public process at all levels.

Sadie Shaw

Shaw is an artist, art educator and community advocate. She volunteers in TUSD schools, currently as part of an art program at Catalina High School.

She serves on the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee for both the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona as well as the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson, where she is the education program co-chair.

Ravi Grivois-Shah

Grivois-ShahΒ is a TUSD parent and involved member of the Tucson Unified community. He is a parent member of the TUSD Audit Committee, and last year he served on the district’s Family Life Curriculum Committee to revise the sex education curricula.

He has been a family physician for the last 15 years, and he recently became CEO of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation.

The three winners are projected to beat out candidatesΒ Adam Ragan, Cindy Winston, Nick Pierson and write in candidate Cristina Mennella.

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Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223. On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara