This is the third in a series of questions asked of Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board candidates. Voters will decide among these four candidates for the two open four-year seats on the board.
Under what conditions would you support overrides or bonds?
Collette Evans, loan originator
As a district, we should manage every taxpayer dollar wisely by being deliberate with our spending and prioritizing our funds to align with our educational goals. It is critical that we account for and are transparent about our spending and that we take to the voters only those initiatives that support our stated priorities. If we have built this trust, when it comes time to request a budget override or a bond, the community can have confidence that we are efficiently utilizing our funds and are asking for only the funds necessary to reflect their educational goals and values. I will support an override and bond if we, as a district, have met these requirements.
Jill Humpherys, incumbent, homemaker
Our GPS voters have been very supportive of district override and bond elections, an essential part of district finance. The district must bring to the school board and the community a transparent and effective plan for how those taxpayer funds will be spent. As a school board member, I always work for consensus before I vote to put anything on the ballot. I believe that these ballot referrals have the best chance of passing when all school board members are in support.
Trina Jonas, small business owner
My overall hope is to limit and/or lower taxes whenever possible, however, there are occasional times when bonds or overrides are needed due to how the Arizona Legislature funds public education. I would support a bond or override if it was for something that is really needed and cannot be funded through the primary budget. It also needs to be very specific in scope, have a clear plan for implementation, outcomes that can be measured and reported on to the public, and there is transparency throughout the process. I also think it’s important that the bond request is for just the amount needed, not for excess. Asking for taxpayer money should never be taken lightly. I have done and will do substantial research before deciding to support a bond request.
Chad Thompson, real estate investment franchise owner
I do not support bonds and or overrides. It is easy to track the trend of money in school districts and falling test scores. It seems the higher our budgets go the lower student achievement gets. The additional money our school districts have received in the last few years has not gone to teachers and classrooms as advertised but has instead gone to immense district personnel growth and added distractions to education that negatively impact our students. A conservatively managed budget by a board focused on education, attracting and retaining excellent teachers, and reducing top heavy district oversight, would raise academic achievement among our students and eliminate the need to continually ask taxpayers for more money.
Tom Blodgett Senior News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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