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Two appointed incumbents have opted to not run for re-election to Gilbert-area school boards.
Higley USD governing board Vice President Jill Wilson and Gilbert Public Schools governing board Member Bill Parker are not among the candidates who filed signatures to qualify for the November ballot, though both had previously filed statements of interest in running.
Wilson was appointed to her seat in lieu of an election in 2018 when no opposition materialized. She was a longtime district volunteer at that point who regularly attended board meetings.
“It’s time,” Wilson said about stepping away from the board.
However, she indicated she plans to resume attending board meetings from a seat in the audience.
Parker was sworn into a seat Aug. 6, 2021, replacing Reed Carr, who resigned his seat effective June 30 that year.
Because of the timing of Parker’s appointment, the last two years of Carr’s term were to be filled by election this November.
In addition to Wilson and Parker, Higley USD President Amy Kaylor, GPS Board Member Charles Santa Cruz and Chandler USD Board Member Lindsay Love previously had decided not to rerun.
GPS Board Member Jill Humpherys and Chandler USD Board Member Lara Bruner are the only incumbents running for re-election among the three governing boards of districts that serve Gilbert.
The candidates in the three districts are:
Gilbert Public Schools
Four-year seats (2)
Collette Evans
Jill Humpherys
Trina Jonas
Chad Thompson
Two-year seat (1)
Jesse Brainard
Ronda Page
Higley USD (2 seats)
Brooke Garrett
Robert Lilienthal
Roy Morales
Anna Van Hoek
Curt Vurpillat
Amanda Wade
Chandler USD (2 seats)
Lara Bruner
Marilou Estes
Charlotte Golla
Kurt Rohrs
Patti Serrano
Voting will be Nov. 8.
Tom Blodgett Gilbert News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Raised in Arizona, Tom Blodgett has spent more than 35 years in journalism in Arizona and joined Independent Newsmedia in July 2022 to launch the Gilbert edition. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication from 2005-19 and remains editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet.