By Philip Haldiman
Twitter: @PhilipHaldiman

The Peoria Unified School District governing board unanimously voted at a public meeting this morning to appoint Deputy Superintendent Jason Reynolds as the new superintendent.

Pending the result of successful contract negotiations, the board is expected to officially appoint him in January.

Following the decision, a full room of attendees gave Mr. Reynolds a standing ovation.

RELATED: VIDEO: 4 Peoria Unified superintendent finalists have their say

Mr. Reynolds said he was overwhelmed and thanked current superintendent Linda Palles Thompson.

“This isn’t about me coming to Peoria, this is about me becoming a part of your family. The way you have welcomed me says so much about you, this community ... Having an opportunity to share with the board and share your vision to move forward, this is an amazing place, I shared with you the moment I got here,” he said. “When you talk about the Peoria family, when we talk about the community here, it is real and it is different, and I am so excited to be a part of it. Thank you so much for this opportunity, and I can’t wait.”

Mr. Reynolds will start in the position, July 1, 2020, filling the seat of long-time PUSD employee Ms. Palles Thompson.

Mr. Reynolds served as assistant superintendent of leadership and secondary instruction within the Paradise Valley Unified School District from 2015 to 2019. He started his career in the Paradise Valley Unified School District in 1997, where he has also held positions of director of curriculum and instruction, principal, assistant principal, and teacher.

PUSD President Monica Ceja Martinez said the selection could not have been done without the high level of input from the whole community.

“We are so grateful for the level of interest from all the candidates who applied for the position in the Peoria unified district family,” she said. “On behalf of the board, the level of engagement from our staff, parents and guardians, our community and especially our students was so imperative to make such an important decision, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

PUSD is the fourth largest district in Arizona with more than 37,000 students and 4,000 staff, serving as one of the largest employers in the West Valley

Philip Haldiman can be reached at 623-876-3697, phaldiman@newszap.com, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.

Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria
@PhilipHaldiman

phaldiman@iniusa.org

Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.

Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater. 

Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.

Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.