Josh Chilton
From Ballotpedia
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Josh Chilton ran for election for an at-large seat of the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board in Arizona. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Chilton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Josh Chilton's career experience includes working in community outreach. He earned a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 2003. Chilton has been affiliated with The American Heart Association.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Mesa Public Schools, Arizona, elections (2024)
General election
General election for Mesa Public Schools Governing Board At-large (3 seats)
Sharon Benson, incumbent Courtney Davis, and Lacy Halm Chaffee defeated Josh Chilton and Ed Steele in the general election for Mesa Public Schools Governing Board At-large on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sharon Benson (Nonpartisan)  | 21.2 | 86,393 | |
| ✔ |  | Courtney Davis (Nonpartisan) | 21.1 | 85,863 |
| ✔ |  | Lacy Halm Chaffee (Nonpartisan) | 20.2 | 82,377 |
 | Josh Chilton (Nonpartisan) | 19.1 | 77,783 | |
 | Ed Steele (Nonpartisan) | 18.1 | 73,499 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 1,235 | ||
| Total votes: 407,150 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Danny Zachary (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Chilton in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Josh Chilton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chilton's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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My name is Josh Chilton and I am a candidate for the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board. I've lived in the Dobson Ranch area since 2010 with my wife (Kerrin) and my daughter (Parker), who currently attends school in the district. Because of her, I have a vested interest in wanting to support students and teachers in Mesa - but it goes beyond that. Improving public education has been my passion since 2018 when I joined the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office as the Community Outreach Coordinator. My role has been to meet with teachers, families and leaders in ALL 58 local school districts in the county and hear their concerns. I then bring those concerns to the Superintendent and lead projects to address them. Among my key focus areas have been teacher retention, career readiness for students, and to provide donated materials to classrooms.
I have certification as a Project Management Professional, which allows me to execute programs that have not been done before. For example, I launched the STEM Resource Center in partnership with Amazon to provide donated materials to teachers which can be repurposed in classroom makerspaces. I've also launched 25 Electric Vehicle Clubs in schools to inspire future engineers. It’s experiences like this - building community partnerships to support students – that differentiates me from other candidates. As a member of the Mesa School Board, I look forward to continuing this work on behalf of our students.
- As an MPS parent, I have a vested interest in public education and will work to ensure our children are prepared for life after graduation - whether that is in college, career or community.
- I am the only candidate who has actively worked to support schools and educators on a daily basis. My efforts have taken me to every local school district in Maricopa County, and has given me unique perspective of the challenges facing teacher, students, families, and school staff.
- The skills that students need to succeed after high school go beyond the usual "reading, writing and 'rithmatic". While these will always be essential, the modern workplace now expects students to be skilled in creative problem solving, collaboration and customer service. By partnering with local industry leaders, Mesa Public Schools can give students the opportunity to discover their career interests and develop the skills they'll need. Having already facilitated such partnerships with Intel, APS, Boeing, and others, I have the unique experience to support those efforts in Mesa.
I believe that school is a time for students to find their interests and hone the skills they will need after graduation. As a school district, we must be financially responsible while also providing as many unique opportunities for students as possible. This includes educational opportunities that support students of every ability - such as special education, ELL, the IB program, the Franklin Academies, and career technical education. It also includes extracurricular activities like the arts, athletics, engineering, and other clubs. Being fiscally responsible does not mean removing funding - it means spending funds wisely to make the most impact. As board member, I will work to find this balance to benefit both our students and community.
I look up to my grandfather who was a volunteer firefighter in a small town in upstate New York for more than 60 years. Even into his eighties, he would still attend fires to assist victims. His life was spent serving his community, and he made the lives of those around him better. I can only hope to do the same.
Honesty, integrity and a commitment to put the interests of the community above their own. An elected official must have the humility to recognize that they may not always have all the answers, and the willingness to listen to other perspectives.
Anyone who serves on a school board must always have the interests of public school students, families, teachers, and staff at heart. They must make decisions with the intention of improving and/or maintaining educational opportunities while being financially responsible to the community.
I was the cashier at a family-owned Chinese fast food restaurant for a summer.
To work with the superintendent to set goals and adopt policies in Mesa Public Schools so that every student has the resources, opportunities and abilitities to succeed after graduation.
Because career readiness is a passion of mine, I will work to build strong relationships with industry partners in Mesa. Local companies can provide valuable experience, guidance and opportunities to help students reach their career goals.
I would like to expand the opportunities for students to learn about career pathways well before high school. This could be as simple as connecting classroom units to real-world situations, or inviting guest professionals to lead hands-on activities. By demonstrating how concepts can be used in real-world scenarios, students become more engaged in the learning process. I would work to build relationships between MPS and industry partners to create these opportunities. My goal would be for EVERY high school senior to have a stated plan for their next three years towards college, career or community before they graduate.
When does a joke become a dad joke? It just becomes apparent.
I would like to review the district's communications strategy to ensure that parents are being effectively notified before any changes are made that directly impact their child's educational routine.
The Mesa Chamber of Commerce, The Mesa Education Association, Save Our Schools Arizona, The National Organization of Women, Stand for Children Arizona
The ideal learning environment for students is one free of harmful distractions such as violence, drugs, bullying and harassment.
Relationships with district parents begin with communication. As a parent, I've been disappointed at times when MPS has made decisions that affect my daughter's school and I didn't feel that we were included in the process. In 2023, my daughter's school moved to a new site that required us to bus her, and we did not have an opportunity to give our input until the decision was made. MPS must do better as a district to make communication with parents a priority before significant changes are finalized in order to rebuild trust with families.
My colleagues have done a lot of research on teacher satisfaction and retention, so I have a lot of knowledge in this area. But to summarize, we must create cultures on campus that empower and support educators. This begins with quality leaders who respond to faculty needs and nurture their growth. Studies have shown that teachers are more likely to stay at schools where they trust in the principal and the culture they instill on campus. I support strategies that focus on improving leadership, because that is the first step in recruiting and retaining skilled educators.
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
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Mesa Public Schools Governing Board At-large |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 1, 2024
