Coward: Only 2 of 5 candidates at AJUSD Governing Board forum

[Editor’s note; School board candidate Dena Kimble said in an email that she was not invited to the forum. “I was never invited to the forum at the board office . I never received a phone call, email or text about it,” she said. “I emailed Mr. Coward and he had the wrong email address.”]

A candidate forum for the Apache Junction Unified School District Governing Board, sponsored by Friends of AJUSD, took place Oct. 12 at the District School Board meeting room.

The superintendent stated that the district was not endorsing any candidate or sponsoring the event. The district offered its meeting room as a service to the public and the election process.

Only two of the five candidates invited were present for this public forum. Making their case to the public were incumbent Chelsea Connolly, seeking re-election; and recently retired AJUSD teacher Barbara “Ms. K” Kanzler seeking election to the board.

The hour-long forum was moderated by Justice of the Peace Douglas Coleman.

The two candidates spoke about their qualifications and their shared commitment to bringing and sustaining the best educational experience to make sure the students of AJUSD reach their full potential.

They both spoke earnestly about supporting and listening to teachers and parents in collaborative efforts to engage the entire community in support of the students and staff.

Questions from the audience probed the candidates’ views on some of the challenges facing the board, the district, and what is needed to help our students recover from the recent disruption of the learning environment due to COVID.

John Thornbeck, a former AJUSD Governing Board member in the audience, expressed his disappointment at the absence of the three missing candidates and urged voters to support the two candidates Chelsea Connolly and Barbara Kanzler who clearly demonstrated their serious commitment to serving the students of Apache Junction’s public school district.