Governing Board Elections
Governing Board Elections
- Interested in School Board Service?
- 2026 Governing Board Elections
- 2026 Election Candidate Statements of Interest
- 2024 Governing Board Elections
- 2022 Governing Board Elections
Interested in School Board Service?
2026 Governing Board Elections
Information/Timeline/Forms/Deadlines
ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3, 2026
2026 School Governing Board Jurisdictional Elections Timetable
2026 Candidate Checklist & Guidelines
2026 Notices of Election Filed (COMING 2026)
Candidate Nomination Petition Procedures & Challenges
Interactive School Districts Boundary Map
To see the Union School Districts, click on the layered paper button in the upper right and check the box that says 'Union School Districts'.
School Governing Board Qualifications
Pursuant to ARS 15-421 (C), a person is eligible to run for a school governing board seat in Arizona when they meet the following qualifications:
- Registered voter in the state of Arizona
- Resident of the school district for at least one year immediately preceding the day of election
***School governing board members cannot be an employee of the school district or be a spouse of a school district employee, including a person who directly provides certified or classified services to the school district as an employee of a third-party contractor.
2026 Nomination Paper Declaration of Qualification
Statement of Interest
According to ARS 16-311 (H), candidates must file a Statement of Interest Form with the Pinal County School Superintendent's Office before collecting nomination petition signatures. You can file your Statement of Interest at any time up to the candidate filing deadline of 07/06/2026.
Statements of Organization (Campaign Finance) - Now Filed With Elections
• Must be filed ONLY when a candidate receives contributions OR makes expenditures – in any combination including their own monies – of at least $1,400 for the 2026 General Election Cycle (a biennial adjustment took place in 2023 increasing the threshold to $1,400.00; this includes the use of the candidate’s own monies (ARS 16-905 and 16-931)).
• Candidates who will NOT reach the $1,400 threshold are NOT required to file a Statement of Organization.
• If a candidate reaches the threshold, the Statement of Organization must be filed with the Pinal County Elections Department Office located at 320 W. Adamsville Rd.| Florence, AZ 85132 or emailed to the Elections Department at elections@pinal.gov.
• Candidates are no longer required to file this form before circulating petitions.
Filing Petition Signatures
The candidate filing period for the November 4, 2026 election begins Saturday, June 6, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. and closes Monday, July 6th at 5:00 p.m. However, because the first day of filing occurs on a Saturday, our office will actually begin accepting election documents on Monday, June 8, 2026. The filing location is the Pinal County School Superintendent’s Office located at 75 N. Bailey St. Florence, AZ 85132. Petitions presented before or after the established filing period CANNOT be accepted (ARS 16-311 (B)).
Candidates must file the following original documents with our office in order for their name to appear on the ballot:
- Nonpartisan Nomination Paper Declaration of Qualification 2026
- Nonpartisan Nomination Petition (view a SAMPLE of the nomination petition)
2026 Nonpartisan Petition Signature Requirements (Coming 2026)
2026 Nonpartisan Petition Signature Requirements
Interactive School Districts Boundary Map
(ARS 15-422, ARS 16-321, ARS 16-322, ARS 16-314)
2 Year Term Candidates
**Candidates for Two (2) Year Terms MUST designate the term expiration date following the name of the office on the petitions prior to gathering signatures, as well as on the nomination papers (ARS 16-314 (D)).**
Write-In Candidates
A write-in candidate must file the following original document with our office NO EARLIER THAN June 6, 2026 at 8:00 AM and NO LATER THAN 5:00 PM on July 20, 2026. However, because the first day of filing occurs on a Saturday, our office will actually begin accepting election documents on Monday, June 8, 2026 and the deadline is Monday, July 20, 2026. Write in candidates are not required to file signatures. In accordance with ARS 16-645; the Write-In Candidate must receive as many votes as signatures they would have needed to get on the ballot (ARS 16-312 and 16-410 and 16-645). A certificate of election shall not be issued to a write-in candidate for precinct committeeman or a write-in candidate for a nonpartisan office unless the candidate receives a number of votes equivalent to at least the same number of signatures required by section 16-322 for nominating petitions for the same office. Write-In candidates must still file a Pinal County Committee Statement of Organization form if they raise & spend monies totaling $1,400.00 (money in/money out/raised/donated/candidate's own). THIS GETS FILED WITH THE PINAL COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT.
Write-In Candidate Nomination Paper 2026
Write-In Candidate Checklist & Guidelines
Candidate Withdrawal
School Board candidates who decide to have their name removed from the ballot must submit a notarized Statement of Withdrawal to the Pinal County School Superintendent's Office. Once a candidacy is withdrawn, if the candidate has registered a campaign committee, the committee is required to continue filing campaign finance reports until/unless the committee is terminated. Candidates who withdraw their name from the ballot cannot run as a write-in candidate for the same office.
Candidate Withdrawal Form 2026
Candidate 10-Day Challenge Period
Immediately following the candidate filing period, candidate's filing for candidacy (qualifications, nomination papers, petitions, etc.) can be challenged with the Pinal County Superior Court. The 10-day (business days) challenge period for the 2024 School Governing Board Elections is July 7, 2026 to 5:00 PM on July 20, 2026. Please click HERE for more details.
Public Records Records Request
2026_Candidate_Nomination_Petition_Procedures_and_Challenges
(ARS 16-351, ARS 16-351.01, ARS 16-311, ARS 16-312, ARS 16-341)
Cancelation of School Governing Board Election
If only one or no candidate files qualified nomination papers for a school district governing board member position by 5:00 PM on July 21, 2026, our office will recommend cancelation of the election to the Pinal County Board of Supervisors (BOS).
Under these circumstances, the candidate who has filed in a timely and appropriate manner may be appointed as if elected by the BOS to fill the school district’s governing board position (ARS 15-424 (D)). If no candidate files and the BOS opts to cancel the election, the vacancy shall be filled through the appointment process conducted by the County School Superintendent (ARS 15-424 (D) and 15-302).
Candidate Website Statements - This is Optional
Pursuant to ARS 15-421 (F), each candidate whose name has been certified to appear on the election ballot/write-in list may submit the following:
1. A recent photograph.
2. A typewritten or electronic statement, not to exceed 500 words.
3. A disclosure of any relationships by affinity, by consanguinity or by law to the third degree that exist between the candidate and any current governing board members or other candidates for election to the same governing board.
Certified Candidates may begin submitting the information described above NO EARLIER THAN Tuesday, July 7, 2026 and NO LATER THAN Thursday, September 10, 2026.
A signed hard copy of the candidate's statement can be delivered to our office or may be sent via email to nobrien@pinalcso.org from the candidate's email address on file with the Pinal County School Superintendent's Office.
Political Sign Statutes and Guidelines
2026 Election Candidate Statements of Interest
| Click Here to Look up the School District of Residence - Follow directions below |
Once you click on the link you will be directed to the Pinal County Parcel Search page. Type in the property address in the property address fields. Select the correct owner in the list that comes up in the list below the address. Under the parcel details section, click on Tax Information. Click on the dollar amount listed in the "Billed" section. The pdf of the tax bill shows you what school district you pay your taxes to, therefore, that is the school district of residence.
| Apache Junction Unified School District #43 | Dena Kimble, AJUSD |
| Casa Grande Elementary School District #4 | Lorenza Martinez, CGELEM |
| Varela Blanca, CGELEM | |
| Casa Grande Union High School District #82 | Stephen Hayes, CGUHSD |
| Micah Powell, CGUHSD | |
| Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology (CAVIT) #80 | |
| Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District #840 Rep | |
| Casa Grande Union High School District #82 Rep | |
| Cobre Valley Institute of Technology #81 | |
| Superior Unified School District #15 Rep | |
| Coolidge Unified School District #21 | |
| Eloy Elementary School District #11 | Sonnette Cherry Federico, EESD |
| Florence Unified School District #1 | Andrew Pioske, FUSD |
| Megan Weagant, FUSD | |
| J.O. Combs Unified School District #44 | Dianne Taylor, JOCUSD |
| Ella Wright, JOCUSD | |
| Brenda Rhoads, JOCUSD | |
| Jennifer Schwartz, JOCUSD | |
| Michael Goldstein, JOCUSD | |
| Mammoth - San Manuel Unified School District #8 | Melissa Zazueta, MSMUSD |
| Maricopa Unified School District #20 | Patti Coutre, MUSD |
| Oracle School District #2 | |
| Picacho Elementary School District #33 | |
| Ray Unified School District #3 | Tino Flores, RUSD |
| Red Rock Elementary School District #5 | |
| Sacaton Elementary School District #18 | |
| Santa Cruz Valley union High School District #840 | |
| Stanfield Elementary School District #24 | Jadee Rohner, SESD |
| Superior Unified School District #15 | |
| Toltec Elementary School District #22 |