Seven candidates are competing in the November 2024 election for three four-year seats on the Roosevelt Elementary School District Governing Board: Michael Butts, Victoria Castro-Corral, James Anthony Gonzalez, Sandra Jerez, Hannibal Muhammad, Christianne Ortega and Tatiana Peña.
Though school district governing board races are toward the bottom of the ballot, their outcomes have real consequences for the more than 880,000 children who attend public school districts across the state. The individuals voters select will help create policies, set budgets, choose curricula and educational materials and oversee superintendents. School board races are nonpartisan, and being a school board member is unpaid.
In Maricopa County, candidates are competing for governing board seats in 33 school districts. Some voters may also see other school-related questions on their ballot: Three districts in the Phoenix area are seeking approval to sell district-owned property, and 26 are seeking approval for funding measures.
The Roosevelt Elementary School District is seeking voter approval for a $150 million bond measure to fund safety measures, building repairs and upgrades and technology. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is $0.72 per $100 of net assessed value.
Here are the Roosevelt Elementary School District Governing Board candidates' responses to The Arizona Republic's candidate questionnaire. Jerez and Ortega did not respond. Responses have been edited for clarity.
What will voters decide in 2024?Who will be joining Maricopa County school boards?
Personal and professional experience
What experiences, personal or professional, would inform your role as a school board member?
Michael Butts: Michael attended Arizona State University. After graduating, Michael spent five years teaching fifth grade social studies and 12th grade humanities electives. He completed his master's in educational leadership through Northern Arizona University. He served the students of the Osborn Elementary School District as an administrator for two years before accepting his current role as assistant principal with the Agua Fria Union High School District. Michael is expecting to graduate with a doctorate degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University in the spring of 2025.
Victoria Castro-Corral: I remind myself how empowering it is to have leaders who represent their communities and empathize with the challenges they face. I am an educator with over eight years of experience working with college access and success programs. I was fortunate to start earning college credits in sixth grade through the Jr. ACE Program. This early college program sparked my interest in education and has led me to fight for equitable opportunity at all levels from kindergarten through graduate school. I am a first-generation, low-income, Latina college graduate and grateful for my lived experiences that have allowed me to connect with students with similar backgrounds. Education has opened so many doors for me in my life and I strive to ensure that all students can experience all the opportunities a quality education can provide.
James Anthony Gonzalez: I am an experienced community organizer who demonstrates a commitment to using administrative and programmatic expertise to build power in marginalized communities through electoral advocacy and grassroots organizing.
Hannibal Muhammad: My extensive experience in project management, risk management, compliance and customer service within the financial sector, along with my background in behavioral health, positions me well for a role on the school board. As a former executive director (in) behavioral health, I demonstrated leadership by improving operational processes, achieving significant growth in placements for children, and building strong relationships with key stakeholders like the Arizona Department of Child Safety. My commitment to community service, financial literacy and youth mentorship also highlights my dedication to supporting families and students in my community.
Tatiana Peña: Bachelor’s in multilingual/multicultural education and a master’s in public administration. I am a mother of five young girls. I have worked in helping find creative educative solutions for children with English language learning needs, dyslexia, language impairment, other health impairments, autism, intellectual disabilities, emotional disturbance, developmental delay, multiple disabilities, hearing impairment, orthopedic impairment, visual impairment, traumatic brain injury, in the foster system and emotional/sexual abuse. I have experience working with innovative and competitive academic programs for gifted children. I regularly work with nonprofits — assisting refugees, the elderly, children, crisis pregnancy, low-income, mentally ill and immigrant communities.
Goals for the district
What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
Butts: 1) Improve educational experience for students. 2) Improve teacher retention and satisfaction. 3) Improve parent engagement and satisfaction
Castro-Corral: I look forward to earning the trust of the district and my community. My priorities are to empower early learners, integrate family and community engagement, adopt a student-focused agenda, and maintain transparency. I want to create an inclusive and supportive environment that reflects the students we serve. If elected, I want to be a role model for our students to envision themselves as future leaders and their impact on future generations. I plan to work closely with the current board to further the agenda and identify opportunity gaps to increase student success. I want to bring the school district and community together by offering community resources fairs and opening our doors to the public to engage in our education system.
Gonzalez:My plan for Roosevelt: an excellent education for every student, good pay for teachers and staff, and safe and welcoming schools for all families.
Muhammad: If elected, my goals for the Roosevelt School District include building parent and community engagement, securing education funding, connecting resources and enhancing communicative transparency. These objectives aim to foster a supportive and collaborative environment within the district, ensuring that the needs of students, parents and educators are met effectively.
Peña: I will be a reliable school board member and community advocate for the district to help bring solutions to help attract more families to Roosevelt, better our programs in Roosevelt, attract the best educators, support our dedicated teachers, be responsible with district finances and help our children have better academic futures.
Supporting English language learners and students with disabilities; preparing students for college or career
How would you work to ensure students are college- or career-ready? How would you work to support students learning English and students with disabilities?
Butts: By making academic and nonacademic data to drive my instructional decision-making.
Castro-Corral: As a college advisor, I create pathways for students to obtain life-affirming, difference-making careers and futures. I want to plan field trips to post-secondary institutions where students learn about different fields of study and participate in workshops and panels. I hope to incorporate STEAM programming that encourages creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving. As an ELL student, I empathize with the challenges of learning a new language and hope to bridge the gap between middle school and high schools to ensure a smooth transition and increase graduation rates. I am committed to ensuring accessibility and accommodations and fostering an inclusive environment where all students feel accepted and welcomed. I want to promote empathy by encouraging students without a disability to spend a day with their peers who do have a disability and understand different ways of learning and navigating day-to-day.
Gonzalez: College prep and career readiness need to start in middle school. We must build a pipeline of programming that ensures our students graduate with a plan to go to college or trade school. Also, I would ensure that all students learning English or with disabilities are supported by educators who are trained and certified to teach and care for them properly.
Muhammad: To ensure students are college- or career-ready, I can leverage my financial expertise to enhance financial literacy programs, helping students develop essential skills for budgeting and financial planning. My experience managing group homes for children in the Roosevelt School District, my success in achieving high placement rates, and building strong local organizations' relationships show my capability to support diverse student needs. My approach would involve personalized support and close collaboration with educators to ensure that students, including those learning English and those with disabilities, receive the tailored assistance they need to thrive academically and prepare for their future careers.
Peña: I think we can help better our students to be more successful by having diverse learning programs and strategies. Give children more choices to strengthen their natural abilities. For our language learners, we need to implement ELL strategies not only in classrooms but throughout schools. Language learning is a continual process. We can focus on identifying children who may be in need of assessments to see whether they are in need of a 504 or IEP as well.
Educator recruitment and retention
How would you work to help recruit and retain quality educators?
Butts: Collecting formal feedback from teacher surveys and facilitating meet and confer processes to suggest work culture improvements.
Castro-Corral: As a Governing Board member, I will work to build pipelines with university partners and offer learning experiences to recent graduates through paid internships and volunteer opportunities to recruit quality educators. I will fight for great pay and benefits for our current educators and provide professional development such as training, conferences and further education to strengthen our teacher workforce. To avoid burnout, I will prioritize educators’ mental health by promoting work-life balance, open communication and resources to manage stress.
Gonzalez: Quality educators need proper pay, support and resources. Our educators are at the forefront with our students. Appropriate accommodations are necessary for recruitment and retention. We cannot allow our educators to slip through the pitfalls of burnout.
Muhammad: Drawing from my background in leadership and retention management, I would focus on creating a supportive and collaborative work environment for educators. This could involve professional development opportunities, mentorship programs and incentives that recognize and reward outstanding teaching. My past success in fostering team spirit and achieving high compliance and performance rates in my professional roles demonstrates my ability to create a positive and motivating environment that can help attract and retain talented educators.
Peña: Teachers need support in their work. They need to feel as if the district is working with them for the successes of their students. The culture of the district should be where teachers are valued, including in how to meet the children's needs and approaches to teaching. It is also important to offer a competitive salary for teachers and, where possible, performance-based bonuses.
Behavioral health programming and counselors
What is your position on behavioral health programming and access to counselors in schools?
Butts: Students need access to behavioral health services.
Castro-Corral: Behavioral health programming and access to counselors are crucial in our schools. Our students should have qualified personnel who create a safe space to process and address their feelings. We often hear about adults seeking therapy because they have unsolved childhood traumas and experienced hardship. Students have the right to mental health and social and emotional support. Focusing on the well-being of our students will lead to improving their attendance, setting short and long-term goals, and ensuring a safe and caring environment.
Gonzalez: I will advocate for behavioral health programming and access to counselors in schools. Our students need access to certified professionals to work through any issues going on in or outside of the classroom.
Muhammad: Given my background in behavioral health and my leadership in managing group homes for children, I understand the critical importance of behavioral health programming and access to counselors in schools. I would likely support expanding these services to ensure that all students have access to the mental health resources they need, which is crucial for their overall well-being and academic success. My experience working closely with the Arizona Department of Child Safety and other community organizations further underscores my commitment to addressing the behavioral health needs of students.
Peña: The district needs to focus on academics first. Where children are showing need for additional services, parents need to be part of these conversations and decisions.
Bonds and overrides
Do you support seeking additional funding for school facilities and operational costs via voter-approved and taxpayer-funded bond and override measures?
Butts: Yes!
Castro-Corral: I am confident that seeking additional funding for school facilities and operational costs is an opportunity to hear from our community and foster relationships to create positive change. I am rooted in the community and want what's best for our community. I value family and community integration and believe decision-making should call for transparency, participation and effective communication. I have witnessed the alumni from the Roosevelt School District grow up to be active community leaders, entrepreneurs, parents and citizens who care about our schools. I am grateful for our voters and taxpayers who make it possible for students to follow their dreams and be the first to pave the way for their families.
Gonzalez: I support seeking additional funding for school facilities and operational costs via voter-approved and taxpayer-funded bond and override measures.
Muhammad: While my specific stance on bond and override measures is not explicitly mentioned, my focus on securing education funding as one of my main goals suggests that I am open to exploring various avenues for funding, including those that involve voter-approved measures. My approach would involve transparent communication with the community to ensure that any proposed measures align with the needs and priorities of the district and are clearly understood and supported by voters.
Peña: It depends on the situation, but I believe we shouldn't be asking for more money until we can show that the money is having a return on investment. Our community is also struggling with increases on their properties due to bonds and overrides.
Reach the reporter at mparrish@arizonarepublic.com.
