Q&A: Mesa USD Governing Board candidates on what parents say about the district
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Early voting
Early voting for the General Election begins on Wednesday, Oct. 12, and ends on Friday, Nov. 4. In-person early voting at Mesa City Plaza is not available this election year; however, the City Clerk’s Office will be providing a secure ballot drop box in the Mesa City Plaza lobby, 20 E. Main St., 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday beginning Oct. 12 and 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8.
Maricopa County Election Department will offer “vote anywhere” Vote Centers, which allow voters to choose from any open location, instead of one assigned location. Voters can go to https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/where-to-vote.html to find the nearest location.
The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 11. For information, contact the Mesa City Clerk’s Office at 480-644-4868.
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 fourth installment, we ask candidates, “What are parents and their children saying about the district and how can the Governing Board help them?”
As the election gets closer, keep an eye on yourvalley.net/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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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 parents and their children saying about the district and how can the Governing Board help them?: Parents want to see their children demonstrate academic abilities that match their grade level. They also don’t want to see revisionist history and political agendas in the classroom. The Governing Board can help by adopting curriculum with a proven track record of success and focusing on the fundamental building blocks of education.
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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.
What are parents and their children saying about the district and how can the Governing Board help them?: There is some mistrust in public education and we’re not immune to that in our district. The past two years have been challenging for kids, parents and educators. As Governing Board members, we can communicate better how the district is restoring this trust through transparent budget decisions as well as the major advancements in teaching techniques that are happening in schools. There is a real feeling of teamwork in the district and among the high schools in collaborating together to make our schools better.
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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 parents and their children saying about the district and how can the Governing Board help them?: Quite frankly, parents and their children are fed up with all the strife and fights at school sites within the school district. The Governing Board can assist by providing high-quality school personnel. The Governing Board can provide proper training to all school personnel so that each school site can be free of fights. There must be a paradigm shift throughout the school district as pertained to each school site to be totally transformed to learning institutions with no room for strife and fights.
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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 parents and their children saying about the district and how can the Governing Board help them?: The parents I speak with overwhelmingly want another parent on the board, someone who has skin in the game. Some parents have concerns about the motivations of others running for the board that do not have children in the district, which gives the appearance of purely political motives. Most parents I have spoken with are diametrically opposed to social emotional learning, any CRT components like what is being ushered in by Mesa’s Portrait of a Graduate, and opposed to the nearly non-existent dress code. The parents want to get back to the basics of educating our children and want nothing to do with all the politics that have infiltrated the schools. The children say it’s fun, it’s a place to see all their friends, and some say it’s a joke. The Governing Board can start putting focus on children-first policies and decision-making processes that will eliminate politics in the schools. The board could also start building trusting relationships with the general public and parents by inviting them into the conversations and decision-making processes and maintaining 100% transparency.
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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 parents and their children saying about the district and how can the Governing Board help them?: It’s early in the school year, but parents are enthusiastic about their child’s teacher and their neighborhood school. While attending school and community events, kids, parents, and grandparents share their positive experiences and ideas with me. In emails, parents and students share concerns and suggestions. Board members are the elected representatives of the public. We are the link between our vibrant community and the schools to keep Mesa Public Schools a relevant and vital force in the community.
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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