GPS board candidates talk about preparations for serving

By Tom Blodgett
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Twitter: @sp_blodgett

This is the sixth 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. 

What steps are you taking to prepare for serving on the governing board? 

Collette Evans, loan originator 

Prior to the campaign I have attended and viewed board meetings and served as a classroom volunteer, with booster organizations, and on multiple district committees and councils. Most recently I have also visited high schools and consulted with members of the district cabinet to gauge our successes and challenges across the district. I have studied the budget, as well as our existing policies to further my education of school issues. The best part of the campaign has been meeting with members of the community to get feedback on what we do well and how we can improve. We have a great community! 

Jill Humpherys, incumbent, homemaker 

One of the most helpful things I did was read "How Not to Be a Bad Board Member" by Richard Meyers. He uses case studies and humor to help people understand the work of a school board member. I attend all trainings by the Arizona School Boards Association to learn about student achievement, community engagement, school finance, leadership, collaboration, and many other timely topics. I keep up on the actions of the Governor and Legislature as well as happenings in Gilbert and Mesa. 

Trina Jonas, small business owner 

I feel very prepared to serve on the governing board due to my unique background, which consists of both post-secondary education, professional experience in the private sector, professional experience in the nonprofit sector, and extensive real-life experience as a GPS volunteer and as a GPS parent. I have a master's degree in Public Administration and have worked professionally in the nonprofit sector. I have three children in the district, run a small business and volunteer extensively throughout the community. This unique combination will bring a fresh perspective to the board, a proven track record of leadership and success, and an organic commitment to the children in our district. I continue to volunteer throughout the district and the community in my normal capacities as booster president, committee member, Vnet vice president, and district site-council representative so that I can continue serving and engaging with stakeholders. While campaigning is new and challenging for me given our very busy family schedule, I am enjoying the process on top of my normal volunteer efforts because I get to meet even more people in the district. I am enjoying the feedback I receive from the various stakeholders and the many suggestions for improvement that I am confident I can help bring to the board. I attend or watch online the board meetings so that I am in the loop with everything facing the board and what decisions are being made each month. I also have a good working relationship with our district leadership and have enjoyed engaging with them to understand any areas of district leadership that I have questions about. I have also met personally with all of our board members to discuss what serving on the board has been like for them so that I could more fully understand what this volunteer position fully entails. Based on all of this, I feel very prepared to join the board and confident that I will be able to make an immediate impact in improving our district and helping us move forward post-COVID. I look forward to being a voice for our whole community by bringing the issues and concerns of our community to the board so that we can problem solve and raise the bar for public education in Gilbert. Similarly, I look forward to engaging with the community and helping them understand the technical and practical constraints and challenges of the board and district. I’ve learned that when parents and stakeholders understand the “why,” they are more likely to participate in constructive problem solving than simply to critique and criticize. 

Chad Thompson, real estate investment franchise owner 

In addition to learning about board protocol, I am learning about school budgets, programs, curricula, board interaction with administration, teachers, and students, and how to be as effective as possible in my role as a governing board member. 

Tom Blodgett
Senior News Editor | Gilbert
@sp_blodgett

tblodgett@iniusa.org

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).