Board elects officers, approves mission statements, surveys and facilities actions
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
At the first regular meeting of 2026 the Mesa Unified School District governing board re-elected Courtney Davis as president and elected Lacey Chaffee clerk, approved delegations of authority, appointed hearing officers, ratified mission statements for alternative schools, approved survey questions and accepted a consent agenda including a facilities action at Irving Elementary.
At its regular meeting the Mesa Unified School District governing board addressed routine organizational and administrative business in addition to the evening’s substantive items.
Elections: The board opened nominations for 2026 organizational roles. Member Benson nominated Courtney Davis for board president; Davis accepted and the board voted 5–0 to elect Courtney Davis as president for the 2026 calendar year. Lacey Chaffee was nominated and elected clerk by unanimous vote.
Delegations and appointments: The board approved a slate of delegations (signature authority to president/clerk, purchasing-card authority to superintendent and business officers) and delegated settlement authority to the superintendent or designee for claims up to $25,000 pending board approval. The board also approved appointments to the employee benefit trust and designated purchasing representatives and hearing officers per agenda language.
Hearing officers: Legal counsel explained hearing officers are licensed attorneys who serve a fact-finding and recommendation role in employee and student due‑process and Title IX matters; the board approved the recommended list (vote 4–1) after clarification that hearing officers do not represent the district but prepare independent reports for board consideration.
Alternative-school mission statements and surveys: The board approved updated mission statements for East Valley Academy, Mesa Center for Success, Sharp and Superstition High to comply with ADE rubrics; members asked one minor wording clarification to be resolved with school leadership. The board also approved parent and staff climate survey questions to preserve longitudinal comparability while staff plan a targeted high‑school survey for spring.
Facilities consent: The board approved the consent agenda and separately approved a reduction of square footage at Irving Elementary as part of facilities planning.
Why it matters: These organizational actions set leadership and administrative authority for the year and finalize routine governance matters that allow the district to carry out purchasing, personnel and compliance functions.
What’s next: Board members asked staff to circulate proposed survey anchors and to provide updates on the mission-statement wording change; hearing‑officer appointments and delegations will be implemented immediately under district policy.