Finalists for Chandler Unified superintendent emphasize safety, fiscal stewardship and partnerships

Three finalists to lead Chandler Unified School District spoke to parents, staff and community members at a public forum, each emphasizing student safety, fiscal stewardship and stronger community partnerships while offering different emphases on how to protect programs amid falling enrollment. John Bash, a representative of the national search firm Hazard Young Attea & Associates, organized the event and said the district’s governing board will review public input collected during the forums before making a selection.

Lana Berry, introduced by the moderator as a finalist and the district’s chief financial officer, told the audience that her first months would focus on listening to the governing board, staff and community and on assessing academic data. “We need to make sure we’re good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Berry said, calling financial stewardship…