Teacher pay and retention rank high among the issues in five metro-area school districts with board elections this year, and in the countywide race for superintendent of schools.
The five districts with elections are Tucson Unified, Vail, Tanque Verde, Sahuarita and Amphitheater. The other 12 districts in Pima County did not have more candidates than open seats, so those running were essentially appointed when the county cancelled those elections.
Retaining good teachers in Pima County schools requires boosting their pay, say the two candidates for county superintendent. Republican Margaret Burkholder and Democrat Dustin Williams want to succeed the outgoing superintendent, Linda Arzoumanian.
Also in this episode of Metro Week:
- Arizona Daily Star reporters Alexis Huicochea and Yoohyun Jung report on the five school board elections in Pima County, the themes among the candidates, and what's at stake in Tucson Unified's seven-person race for three seats.
- Pima County spent 18 years creating a plan to preserve habitat for endangered and threatened plants and animals that still allows development on vacant land in the metro area. Find out what started it all, and how the Multi-Species Conservation Plan works, from Linda Mayro, Pima County's sustainability, conservation and historic preservation director.
- The University of Arizona School of Journalism honors Washington Post reporter Dana Priest with its Zenger Award Oct. 21. The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter talks with Metro Week about her coverage of Russian-government hacking into U.S. election systems, and its role in this year's presidential election.
