PPAA’s 2020 Candidate Endorsements: More School Board Endorsements + Invest in Ed!

Every district in the country has a board of education. Nationwide, school board members make up the largest group of elected officials in the country. They are the essential decision makers in determining curriculum for schools which stipulates how educators teach the state-determined standards, including sex education. Planned Parenthood Arizona’s vision includes creating health equity for Arizona’s youth through improved access to high-quality sexuality education. In order to do this, we need school board members who will advocate for honest and accurate, age-appropriate, sex education.

In these final 55 days leading up until election day, there is still time to learn about the candidates, and initiatives, running to help shape Arizona’s public schools. We are excited to share some of our 2020 endorsed school board candidates running in Pima County and a ballot initiative that will take action for students and teachers across Arizona.

Adam Ragan is a classroom teacher in Tucson teaching senior English and dual-enrollment classes for high school and college credit. He understands what board decisions mean in the classroom, how they affect students, and how they could build up the community that makes a school. Regan has spent years working with leadership in TUSD, including serving on superintendent-appointed Bond and Family Life Curriculum committees. He is proud of his Family Life Curriculum work and believes in providing accurate comprehensive, age-appropriate inclusive sexuality education to students. Ragan’s vision for TUSD, found on his website here, reveals his advocacy for teachers, students, working families and social justice.

Lisette Nuñez is a proud alumnus of Sunnyside High School and a 2020 SUSD Governing Board candidate. She is an educator and involved parent that recognizes the changes many students and families need. As a parent of a child in the district, as well as having years of experience working with high-risk children, Nuñez knows that families, educators, and community members face many challenges in today's culture and climate. It is her goal to build stronger relationships between the community and the school district. Nuñez believes in equitable education and the opportunity to thrive for all children. She currently works for TUSD as a Restorative Practices Facilitator. Visit her website here.

In addition to our numerous endorsed candidates running for city, county, or state offices, PPAA is proud to endorse the ballot initiative, Invest in Education. This Act, Arizona Proposition 208, adds a tax for wealthy Arizonans to increase education funding. Voting “Yes'' on Prop 208 enacts a 3.50% surcharge for individuals who make more than $250,000 a year and couples filing together who make more than $500,000 a year. This means that 99% of Arizonans including average small business owners, lawyers, doctors, dentists etc. will not be subject to paying this surcharge. Instead, only the top 1 percent of Arizona earners will contribute, and this contribution will result in hundreds of millions of dollars raised for K-12 education. Arizona’s public schools would get the funding they deserve if this initiative passes. For more information on how the Invest in Education initiative works, and why to vote “Yes on 208,” visit https://investined.com/.