ASBA board set

Linda Lyon, ASBA President Elect

Lawrence Robinson and
Stephen Chapman

The Arizona School Boards Association selected their Executive Committee today at the Annual Business Meeting during the 59th  Annual Conference. Two of the three officers elected were not recommended by the Nominating Committee, but were nominated from the floor.

Linda Lyon from Oracle Elementary School District was elected president-elect. But Lawrence Robinson from Roosevelt Elementary District, nominated from the floor, was elected treasurer and Stephen Chapman of Tolleson Union beat out two recommended candidates for secretary.

Lyon is the current treasurer and the Pinal County Director. She joined the Oracle School Board four years ago, following a career as an officer in the Air Force. She defined her leadership as getting people what they need, setting an example and doing the right thing.

Robinson is the current secretary, and the director for Maricopa County. In his floor speech, he stressed that he “ does education policy for a living. It is what I do.”

Chapman is in his third term as a Tolleson Union board member, and has served as county co-director.  

The elected officers will join Julie Bacon (Paradise Valley USD); 2017 president of the ASBA Board of Directors, and Kathy Knecht (Peoria USD) immediate past president, to form the executive committee of the ASBA Board of Directors.

Eighty-seven delegates cast their votes this morning.

ASBA Executive Director Dr. Tim Ogle reported that all six bylaws failed to pass, because none received the required 149 votes, which is two-thirds of the 224 active member districts. Since electronic voting was implemented last year, the participation has gone from 63 to 98 to 125 district voters this year. Four of the six measures had positive votes, including Proposal B, which would have amended the two-thirds vote to only apply to those districts that vote, but the 98-27 vote did not have the required 149 votes representing two-thirds of all districts.