Seven candidates for two Mesa Public Schools governing board seats have filed signatures to be on the ballot at the Nov. 8 election.
According to the Maricopa County school superintendent’s website, the candidates are: Ray Deer, Chris Hamlet, Marcie Hutchinson, Jacob Martinez, Ed Steele, Rachel Walden and J. R. Wright.
MPS is the largest public school district in Arizona and has six high schools, nine junior high schools, 50 elementary schools and 17 choice and success schools.
As the election nears, the Independent is conducting Q&As with each candidate to get their opinions on various topics.
In this, the second in the Q&A series, we ask candidates, “What are your hopes for Mesa Unified School District?”
As the election gets closer, keep an eye on yourvalley.net/mesa-independent and the print edition of the Mesa Independent for more from the Q&A series.
For the following, candidates Jacob Martinez and Ed Steele didn’t respond to emails.
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Chris Hamlet
Chris Hamlet, 47, is a contract courier. He is an Arizona native, born in Phoenix and raised in Globe. He left Globe at 18 years old and spent five-plus years out-of-state serving in the U.S. Army as an airborne medic and orthopedic specialist. Once back in Arizona after service, he moved around the west valley for a few years until he permanently moved to Mesa in 2005 and has been in the district for 17 years now.
He has an associate degree of applied science in electronics and computer technology from DeVry University; and a bachelor of science degree in technical management from DeVry University.
What are your hopes for Mesa Unified School District?: My hopes are that we can eradicate the politics in the schools and get back to putting our children’s education first. That the district starts implementing common sense curriculum and policies. That we create an environment that is so workable and appealing, that the staffing shortages almost fix themselves. That we create an environment where parents and board members are working harmoniously together and greeting one another at board meetings because the parents are brought back into the conversation and have developed a trusting relationship with district-level personnel.
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Marcie Hutchinson
Marcie Hutchinson, 68, is a retired teacher from Mesa Public Schools (28 years); and a retired director of K-12 Initiatives, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at ASU (seven years). She has a bachelor of arts degree in secondary education from State University of New York at Oswego; and a master of arts degree in history from Arizona State University.
What are your hopes for Mesa Unified School District?: Public education is not a cost; it’s an investment – an investment in our economy, our democracy and in each other. We ensure our investment by keeping our MPS Promise: Every student in Mesa Public Schools is known by name, served by strength and need, and graduates ready for college, career and community. Keeping this promise to every student and their family drives my work and the work of the district.
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Rachel Walden
Rachel Walden is currently a homemaker and volunteer, but her previous career was at Vanguard where she managed the institutional business for some of the largest and most recognizable employers in the country. She attended Mesa Public Schools and graduated from Mesa High School. She went to ASU for both a bachelor’s degree and graduate school.
What are your hopes for Mesa Unified School District?: Mesa is the largest school district in the state and one of the largest in the nation. I would love for Mesa to also be the best in the state and one of the best districts in the nation.
We have an historic budget from the state legislature. We have a fiduciary duty to be responsible stewards of the taxpayer money and work to ensure that money funds the classroom, especially with our most at risk populations.
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J.R. Wright
J.R. Wright, 49, owns Larry John Wright Advertising. He has a bachelor of arts degree in communication and an MBA from Arizona State University.
How are you better prepared to be a school board member than your opponents?: My biggest strength is the fact that I’m a personal byproduct of Mesa Public Schools. I graduated from Westwood in 1990. Four of my children have graduated from MPS and I still have three enrolled at Emerson Elementary and Westwood. My business degree — an MBA from Arizona State — as well as running and owning my own business gives me a lot of experience in financial matters, looking at and evaluating budgets, and making sound decisions that will maximize our taxpayer dollars.
My marketing/advertising background will help me promote all the great things that are happening in Mesa Public Schools.
What are your hopes for Mesa Unified School District?: No answer listed.
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Ray Deer
Ray Deer, 49, is an associate judge for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, presiding primarily over civil court and civil family court.
He has a bachelor of arts degree in political science from California State University at Long Beach; and a master of arts degree in education from National University.
He is on Facebook at Ray Deer for Mesa Unified School District Governing Board 2022.
What are your hopes for Mesa Unified School District?: I would like to see Mesa Unified School District as a model school district in Arizona and beyond. I would like to see Mesa Unified School District as a conduit for our students to be life-long learners and towards a career path. Finally, I would like to see our schools to be safe learning institutions equipped with the latest technology and student resources.
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Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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