Amanda Steele

Amanda Steele

Nonpartisan

Tempe Union High School District, At-large

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

---

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Amanda Steele is an at-large member of the Tempe Union High School District in Arizona. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Steele ran for election for an at-large seat of the Tempe Union High School District in Arizona. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Steele completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2022

See also: Tempe Union High School District, Arizona, elections (2022)

General election

General election for Tempe Union High School District, At-large (2 seats)

Amanda Steele and incumbent Andres Barraza defeated Stephan Kingsley in the general election for Tempe Union High School District, At-large on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amanda Steele (Nonpartisan)	40.9	49,750
✔		Andres Barraza (Nonpartisan)	31.5	38,245
		Stephan Kingsley (Nonpartisan)	26.8	32,620
		Other/Write-in votes	0.8	918

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 121,533
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Margaret Pratt (Nonpartisan)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Amanda Steele completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Steele's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Amanda Steele and I am an Arizona native with a passion for change. My husband and I are raising our young adult son, who is diagnosed with autism and I/DD. I am a Speech Language Pathology Assistant and the Director of Communications, Co-Founder and President of EPIC Disability Advocacy. In May 2021, I led a team of advocates through the grassroots movement #FundAzSPED. This movement led to the creation of EPIC Disability Advocacy, a non-profit in the making; with a vision where all persons with disabilities will have access to the resources, programs, and services needed to reach their full potential. I am a 2019 graduate of AZ Partners in Leadership program, through which I, along with other participants, successfully advocated for the passage of Dignified Changes. In March 2021, I completed the Leading for Change Candidacy training and in May 2022, I graduated having completed my Personal and Professional Leadership Plan (PPLP) with the Leading for Change Fellowship Program. I currently sits on the Chandler City Merit Board, RAD board member, and as the Secretary for the districts YSOS PAC. I am an advocate for the community, igniting changes both locally and statewide.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need solutions that will inspire students and those guiding them. Solutions start when we include those we wish to represent. Currently student representation at district level meetings needs to be diversified and expanded upon. When someone feels included, new ideas are created, the lens of what is happening widens, and deeper discussions can bring solutions worth change. I listen to those I represent in order to best accommodate and provide for each individual learner. Student success and well being will be two of my main priorities if I win a seat on the board.
• Teachers are extremely valuable people within our community. Their pay, support, and resources are not justified when given the responsibilities bestowed upon them. Accessing funding is currently daunting with multiple layers that would benefit being looked at through an accessibility lens. Utilizing untapped funding would assist our students and the educators supporting them. Bringing educators to the table and ensuring all teachers and staff have equitable access to the resources within the district is a priority to me. Educators ignite the brains of our future, through their work our students' potential is fostered. Placing me on the board will spark conversations that are long overdue.
• We have a need to diversify and educate our future. Students need to know what is out there, whether it's jobs or certificate programs, trade opportunities, and other post-secondary options, our future graduates need to know what is available to them. It is time we expand conversations and open doors that include more students, educators, and partnerships. Community collaboration will lead our students into their own neighborhoods and ready to start their next chapter.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The district I am running in, like many others, is experiencing casualties from gun violence and lack of education on how to safely store, handle, and use guns. I would seek to educate the community at the district level on how to properly store, use, and handle the guns in the community.

Reproductive rights are being taken away bit by bit and that is not okay. At the school board level, education through comprehensive sexual education and access to the necessary healthcare and protection to support the students will be a priority. Go with the Flow was created out of the need in AZ to have adequate supplies in the classroom and school setting, allowing students who have menstrual needs in in the classroom to have access to the tools and the education they need.

As a society, collectively we are in need of picking up the pieces caused by a global pandemic which impacted all students' educational experience. Students across the district and state were facing disproportionate achievement scores when assessing at a national level, prior to the pandemic. Today more students are showing delays and/or falling further behind in their academics, social emotional well-being and overall development. Teachers are struggling mentally and emotionally from the trauma consumed over the last several years. Fostering an environment where all students and educators feel like they belong requires a district-wide commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Growing up in Tempe, it was fitting for my first job to be at a landmark location nestled right near the Mill Bridge. When I was a freshman at Tempe High School, our high school marching band worked at the Red River Opry to raise funds for our annual band trip. Enjoying the opportunity, I stayed with the Red River Opry through a name change (Red River Music Hall), learning several roles during the four years I worked there. Starting as a door usher, I moved on to managing the gift shop and working the concessions. I turned 18 prior to leaving, which led me to working ticket sales for the TicketMaster Box Office. Shortly, after I left the building changed its name and branding, becoming the music hall known today as the Marquee Theatre.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

I am running to strengthen collaboration amongst each individual site, further develop community partnerships, better prepare students for after high school be it employment, workforce training or higher education. I believe the job of a board member is to review existing policy, question what is not working, and strengthen policy to improve outcomes.

Who are your constituents?

My constituents are the shareholders: the students, parents, teachers and staff. My constituents will have access to contact me, connect with me, and be heard when they have a question or want to have a conversation. It is important to me to know and find commonalities and connections with every constituents I connect with. It is imperative I listen to the voices within the community I serve. My constituents are my access to what the community needs.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

Meeting the needs of the community takes getting to know the different needs within the district, the different communities within each neighboring campus, the diverse needs of learners in all classrooms. Listening and learning, being hands on in the improvements that shape the very core behind why I am running to have a voice and place on the board. We have a diverse population of students and we have teachers not prepared with the tools and resources to meet the needs of all these learners. It is time to reimagine, reenergize, and improve on the way we connect to our students, our families, our educators and our community members and stakeholders.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Tempe Union High School District, At-large

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram