Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board The Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board is made up of seven members elected by the public to four-year terms of office. Five members are elected from five defined election districts called wards within Phoenix Union's boundaries. The other two members are at-large, meaning they represent the entire school district. The ward representatives must live in the wards they represent. All five ward representatives have terms of office that are concurrent; that is they each commence and expire at the same four-year intervals in alignment with gubernatorial elections. The two at-large members can live anywhere in the district. At-large representatives' terms of office are staggered with the five ward terms by two years, coinciding with presidential election years. The board holds a regular meeting once a month, usually on the first Thursday, at 6:30p.m. in the Governing Boardroom at the Center for Educational Services, 4502 N. Central Avenue. Board Mission - We believe that the Governing Board is responsible to the people of the District, and, therefore, should be aware of opinions and attitudes in the community. As representatives of the people who own and support the schools, the Board accepts the responsibility to identify District needs, to be responsive to those needs, and to plan short and long-range strategies to meet them. |
Board Meeting Schedule/Agendas/Notices
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Governing Board Members
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 Amy Kobeta is the Governing Board President for 2009. She was elected to her first term in 2006 representing Ward 3. Kobeta’s ward includes Central and Camelback High Schools. Kobeta is a vice president for the Arizona Children’s Action Alliance. She has also served as a public affairs director for the Arizona Human Rights Fund and Foundation. She has been an advocate and lobbyist for non-profit organizations much of her career. She has worked for Central and Northern Arizona Planned Parenthood, managed an emergency shelter for homeless women and children, served as press secretary for Senator John Kerry and was communications director for PFLAG, a national organization that provides information, support and peer counseling for parents, family members and friends of lesbian and gay people. A graduate of Penn State University, Kobeta also attended the University of Massachusetts-Boston for graduate work. Her term expires in 2010. |
 Linda Abril is the Governing Board Clerk for 2009. The longest-serving current Board member, was appointed to the Governing Board in May of 1994 and won elections in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 to represent Ward 5. Abril’s ward includes Trevor Browne and Maryvale High Schools. She was Board President in 2002, and was most recently Board Clerk in 2005-2006. After working for the State of Arizona for 24 years, Abril retired as child support enforcement officer with the Arizona Department of Economic Security in 2000. She attended Phoenix Union High School as did her four children. Her term expires in 2010. |
 Lela Alston was elected to her first term in 2008 as an at-large member. A Phoenix native and product of Phoenix Union High School district, Alston also taught Family and Consumer Science in the District for 34 years at West, Maryvale, Alhambra, Metro Tech and Bostrom high schools. Alston was also an Arizona State Senator for 18 years. Among her career highlights and recognition, she was instrumental in working with a team to establish the ASU West Campus. She was honored by having the Lela Alston Elementary School in the Isaac District named after her. Alston earned a Bachelor of Science at the Univ. of Arizona, and received her Masters from ASU. She has received the U of A Distinguished Citizen Award, is an Honorary State Firefighter and won the Girl Scout World of Children Award. Her term expires in 2012. |
 Dr. George Brooks Jr. was appointed by the County Superintendent of Schools Don Covey, August 20, 2009 to fill the vacant Ward 2 seat. Ward 2 includes South Mountain and Bioscience High Schools. Brooks is an environmental scientist and consultant specializing in sustainability. A native of South Phoenix, he is the son of the late Rev. George Brooks, Sr., a civil rights leader in Phoenix. He has followed in the family’s tradition of public service, serving on a number of boards and committees, including the City of Phoenix’s South Mountain Village Planning committee, Central Arizona Project, and Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on African American Affairs within Governor Janet Napolitano’s administration. Two of his interests, science and education, were piqued when he was a board member of the Elementary Institute of Science in San Diego. Brooks attended Phoenix Union’s East High and his youngest of four daughters is a student at South Mountain High School. His term expires in 2010. |
 Dr. Cristy Lopez was elected to her first term in 2006 representing Ward 1. Dr. Lopez' ward includes Carl Hayden, Cesar Chavez, and Betty Fairfax High Schools. Dr. Lopez earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley, and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of Missouri at Columbia. As a psychologist, she works to improve the well-being of children, adults, families, and communities. Dr. Lopez has appeared on the Dr. Phil show, is a published author, and has been quoted in numerous national and local publications. She currently owns her own private practice providing psychological services in the Phoenix metro area. Dr. Lopez also teaches psychology courses for a local university. In addition to her work in the psychological field, Dr. Lopez has worked in the financial industry as a financial advisor. She is active in a number of professional, business, and community service organizations. In 2008, she was appointed by former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to serve on her Latino Advisory Council. Her term expires in 2010. |
 David Lujan was elected to the Board in 2002 and re-elected in 2006 to represent Ward 4. Lujan’s ward includes Alhambra, Bostrom, Metro Tech and North High Schools, as well as small schools Franklin Police and Fire and Suns-Diamondbacks. He served as Governing Board President for two years-2006 and 2007. Lujan, an attorney, was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives (District 15) in 2004. He was re-elected to his third term in 2008, and was selected as minority leader of the House for the 2009 session. He has been staff counsel for the Arizona State Senate Judiciary Committee, served as a state assistant attorney general from 1999 to 2003, and was an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board. Lujan received a B.A. in marketing and a law degree from Arizona State University. He attended Washington High School, a Phoenix school located in the Glendale Union High School District. Lujan is active with the Valley of the Sun Big Brothers, Big Sisters and serves as a mock trial coach for Central High School. His term expires in 2010. |
 Ben Miranda was elected to his first term in 2008 as an at-large member. Miranda is a lawyer and has been a member of the Arizona House of Representatives since 2002. He was re-elected in November of 2008. Miranda attended Phoenix Union High School, served in the U.S. Army, and resumed his education at Phoenix College, ASU and ASU Law School where he graduated with the Dean’s Award. He received the City of Phoenix’s First Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Living the Dream” Award in 1994 as his law firm contributed over $100,000 toward immigrant legal services. Miranda has been the Chair of the Arizona Latino Caucus of the State Legislature, and was awarded the John S. Martinez Award by the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators in 2007. Miranda has also served on the Roosevelt Elementary School District Governing Board. He is married to a school administrator, has two daughters and is a grandfather. |