Peoria Unified announces process, timeline to replace Hill

Peoria Unified School District announced the process and timeline for the appointment of a new member to its governing board.

The appointment will fill PUSD governing board member Rebecca Hill's seat, who announced her resignation, effective Aug. 24.

The district seeks interested individuals who meet the minimum requirements and are willing to serve on the board through Dec. 31, 2024.

To be eligible, candidates must have lived in the boundaries of the Peoria Unified School District for at least one year, be 18 years old and be registered to vote in Arizona.

Prospective candidates will need to complete the application and deliver it in-person to the Peoria Unified School District Office, 6330 W. Thunderbird Rd., Glendale, during regular business hours by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023.

The list of applicants will be available publicly by close of business on Tuesday, Aug. 29, and the community will have an opportunity to provide feedback via an online form.

Comments will be provided to the PUSD governing board.

Consideration will be given to all applicants meeting the minimum criteria, and then the governing board will submit three names to Maricopa County Education Service Agency.

According to ARS 15-302, the district has 30 days from the notification of the vacancy to submit up to three names to MCESA and the final appointment is made by MCESA Superintendent Steve Watson.

To view the application and timeline, visit www.peoriaunified.org/GoverningBoard.

During Hill's nearly three years on the governing board, she has received opposition from some parents and community members for her deliverance of Bible scripture from the dais and a recent notice of claim from a PUSD teacher over alleged discrimination.

Earlier this year, teacher's union Peoria Education Association asked Hill to resign because of public statements she made at the dais encouraging Peoria Unified parents to pull their students from the district, among other reasons.

“(Hill's) actions are viewed as an attempt to cause distrust in not only public education, but the Peoria Unified School District,” the union said in a statement. “As a board member, (Hill) was elected to support all our students, schools and district. She is no longer capable of fulfilling that commitment."