By Philip Haldiman
Twitter: @PhilipHaldiman

Much of Monica Ceja Martinez’s existence is rooted in Peoria Unified School District soil.

A graduate of Oakwood elementary and Centennial high schools, a 10-year teaching stint at Country Meadows elementary and Centennial high schools -- including seven years of coaching girl’s high school soccer -- she’s now nearing the end of her first term as the district’s governing board president.

Ms. Ceja Marinez has been active on the ground level and invested a hands-on approach in the unpaid position. But it has come at a cost.

After nearly a lifetime connected to the district, she has decided she will not pursue another term and spend endeavors in other arenas. She said the eye-opener came when she attended another child’s concert at a school and not her own child’s.

“I have had marriage problems because I spend a lot of time away. This past year has impacted my children like no other because I have spent more time everywhere else but at home,” she said.

“I was so focused that I want my staff and parents and teachers and students to know I am there for them, but at the same time I was sacrificing my children. They need me.”

Leading and teaching

The marriage of teaching and leadership for Ms. Ceja Martinez started on the Oakwood campus.

Her love for teaching came in 4th grade when a teacher allowed her to stay inside when a group of girls were planning to beat her up because of the color of her skin. She said during her time at Oakwood, there were only three Hispanic students at the school.

At a young age this taught her the powers that educators have as well as the evils of prejudice and the benefits of inclusivity.

Leadership came later when Candace Scholtz, then a teacher at Oakwood, opened her eyes to the leader in her.

Ms. Ceja Martrinez said Ms. Scholtz told her she was a natural leader, and encouraged her to go into student government.

Ms. Scholtz, now a counselor at Cactus High School, said when she taught Ms. Ceja Martrinez she was part of a very athletic and power-filled class, many of whom have continued to lead in their perspective careers.

“What immediately struck me was her determination and desire to stand up for her beliefs, especially in the face of injustice. Monica was unique in this ability compared to many female students who at that age take a back seat to others,” Ms. Scholtz said.

“Monica has an influential voice, combined with a huge heart. Those gifts have led her to be a champion for students, parents and her community.”

Following Ms. Scholtz’s encouragement, Ms. Ceja Martinez ran for 7th grade student body vice president and won. But she wouldn’t always be so successful.

She ran for student council nearly every year at Centennial High School and lost, but finally was elected student body president her senior year.

“I lost every single year. I would call my parents at 2:20 after finding out, and I would cry and it would happen year after year after year.

“But they would support me every year to run. Teachers would say, you can’t measure that. You’re damn straight you can’t measure that. There’s no AzMERIT score that can measure that. It is soft skills. It is perseverance. It is grit. That is what Peoria Unified taught me,” she said.

“And you think about the teachers that encouraged me throughout that whole time. There were so many teachers who made me feel like I was their biggest fan.”

Ending division

Before Red4Ed was a thing, public school teachers hadn’t received raises for years, which was driving many of them away from the profession.

Ms. Ceja Martinez was one of them.

In 2013, frustration over raising her two kids on her own while not being paid what she was worth reached a fever peak.

She qualified for SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the program formerly known as food stamps — and the years of not receiving a pay raise were taking a toll in an economy where prices were going up but wages remained stagnant.

“The last year I ever received a pay raise in PUSD was my first year of teaching. I made less my last year of teaching than I did my first year of teaching,” she said.

In May 2013, Ms. Ceja Martinez moved toward advocacy, attending board meetings and joining Peoria United Parent Council, a district-wide parent group.

Ms. Ceja Martinez said teachers were afraid to speak up and told not to talk to governing board members, and not to talk to the administration.

All sides should not be afraid of feedback or criticism, whether it be a governing board member, administrator or teacher, she said.

“The teachers should be comfortable giving their principals feedback and the parents should be comfortable giving the teachers feedback,” she said.

So like many other teachers in the last decade, Ms. Ceja Martinez left the profession to make more money. After the 2012-13 school year, she got a job in finance, with an intent to advocate for her school district without losing her job or smearing her good name.

Ms. Ceja Martinez’s path toward running for the board became clearer when an administrator told her she couldn’t be an advocate for her sons and be an employee at the same time.

“I was getting in weeds of advocacy and it was impacting my son’s life,” she said. “I learned at that time we were headed in the wrong direction and the leadership team was not being held accountable.”

Once elected she learned a division between the governing board and administration also existed. She said she saw behaviors with the school board and administration that were not conducive to driving the district forward -- a disconnect between the district and the people they were supposed to be serving.

In her first meeting as an elected official, she said board members did not come prepared for in-depth conversations and it was at that moment she vowed to work harder.

“The board was on one side and the superintendent was on the other,” she said.

“Even when I started, it was, ‘you do not talk to any administrator unless you go to the superintendent first,’” Ms. Ceja Martinez said.

But things have gotten better since the appointment of former Executive Director for Elementary Education Linda Palles Thompson as superintendent in January 2018, she said. Ms. Palles Thompson is the first female PUSD superintendent and has worked at the district for nearly 30 years.

“I am proud and very blessed to have a superintendent who is confident in her abilities to lead. And I am proud today my full governing board has leaned into discomfort and challenged each other to do better. Our administration is learning new ways of working and I am hopeful we are headed in the right direction,” she said.

“But work still needs to be done. The responsibility starts with the leadership team.”

Looking forward

Governing board member Beverly Pingerelli, a former PUSD president and now in her second term on the board, said Ms. Ceja Martinez is dedicated to helping the district perform to its highest level.

Her passion is abundantly evident as, at times, she is sure not afraid to rattle the cage to benefit the students, families and employees, Ms. Pingerelli said.

“While I have sometimes had a different viewpoint on a particular topic, Monica always comes prepared to our board meetings and constructs logical arguments expressing her viewpoint that are usually persuasive,” she said.

Since elected in 2016, Ms. Ceja Martinez has helped implement SEATS — Students Engaging with Administrators Teachers and Staff — an annual event to elevate student voices for future planning goals; added social emotional learning to emergency operations and created financial literacy initiatives, as well as collaborated with the administration and the board to re-implement a strategic plan, which Ms. Palles Thompson said has well-positioned the district to move through to its next chapter.

“I have the pleasure of working with an outstanding board,” she said. “Mrs. Ceja Martinez has brought innovative ideas and initiatives that have helped shape our focus on diversity and inclusion, as well as financial literacy.”

Ms. Ceja Martinez said she’s not sure what she’ll do after her time on the board has ended other than try to influence decision making in education and stay connected to kids. But she has about a year left on the board and said she will focus on board ownership, student engagement with students and financial literacy during that time.

“The board has a responsibility to drive change and provide clear direction,” she said. “By establishing board goals we can create measurable outcomes and allocate (budget funds) to prepare our students and staff for success.”

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