The Peoria Unified School District governing board at its June 25 meeting saluted the service of longtime district employee and outgoing superintendent Linda Palles Thompson.
Ms. Thompson has been …
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The Peoria Unified School District governing board at its June 25 meeting saluted the service of longtime district employee and outgoing superintendent Linda Palles Thompson.
Ms. Thompson has been employed by Peoria Unified since 1990. Prior to serving as superintendent, she held the role of Executive Director of Elementary Education for the district.
She served as superintendent for the past three years, during which time some 7,800 graduates passed through the district, PUSD chief communications officer Danielle Airey shared at the June 25 meeting, which took place remotely.
“The impact of her career on the countless staff, community members and, of course, students, is immeasurable,” Ms. Airey said.
Ms. Thompson’s official last day was June 30.
“She has had the courage to make tough decisions and the heart to make the right decisions,” governing board member Judy Doane said during a pre-produced video tribute in honor of Ms. Thompson’s contributions.
The district presented pieces of artwork to salute the outgoing superintendent, to be placed in the Sunrise Mountain Art Center, also known as SMart Center, for students on the campus of Sunrise Mountain High School, 21200 N. 83rd Ave, Peoria. Ms. Thompson was instrumental in launching the SMart Center, which opened earlier this year to serve about 200 students in five separate classroom spaces with art, ceramics and basic and advanced photography.
Former deputy superintendent Jason Reynolds assumes the role of district superintendent as PUSD plans for an override and/or bond measure for the November election.
The district’s video tribute to Ms. Thompson is available to view at youtu.be/awQNYgxrjOE.
The Peoria Unified School District is the fourth-largest in Arizona with some 37,000 students.
Steve Stockmar has been with the Independent Newsmedia team since 2017. An NAU alum and Peoria resident, Steve’s community journalism pursuits focus mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference. In his spare time Steve plays in a vintage baseball league using uniforms and rules from the 1860s, and also acts (badly) in community theater. In addition, he has an unhealthy obsession with baseball and the Chicago Cubs.
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