Jennifer Eckstrom swayed on the El Casino Ballroom dance floor Tuesday night.
Her husband, Tony, and her daughter came in for hugs and then a tap on the shoulder was followed by a big squeeze from Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva.
All those positive signs pointed to Eckstrom likely earning a second four-year term on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board. Early results had Eckstrom up big among the five candidates running for two seats on the board.
She had 31% of early votes according to unofficial results from Pima County elections.
The rest of the race was tight: The other incumbent, Val Romero, a businessman, was at 17.59% in the first results released Tuesday night. Challengers include Pilar Acosta Ruiz, a civic leader with a background in bookkeeping and non-profit work (18.49%), University of Arizona student Tre’Davon Rhodes (17.60%), and educator Skye Fernandez (15.19%).
“I’m just really happy. Now, we’re right back to work. The school closures, consolidations. The work doesn’t stop,” Eckstrom told Arizona Luminaria in South Tucson Tuesday night. “We really have to focus on our students, our families. I have four more years. People can count on me.”
Southern Arizona’s largest school district faces school closures, consolidations, a state financial-risk label as this election looms. The new terms will begin in January.
TUSD
Unofficial results as of 9:40 p.m.
Jennifer Eckstrom – 50,738 – 31.12%
Pilar Acosta Ruiz – 30,143 – 18.49%
Tre’Davon Rhodes – 28,698 – 17.60%
Val Romero – 28,673 – 17.59%
Skye Fernandez – 24,769 – 15.19%
Amphitheater 2-year term
In the Amphitheater Public Schools, five candidates ran for three seats on the Governing Board.
For two four-year terms, Elizabeth Slater, the Chief Executive Officer of Youth on Their Own, a non-profit dropout prevention organization, was in the early lead with 36.4%, followed by Nina Godlewski a retired teacher (34.6%) and retired teacher John Fife (28.9%).
The Amphi board will continue to navigate right-sizing the district, which closed four schools last spring. It will also vote next year on a new superintendent, as Todd Jaeger is set to retire at the end of this school year.
In early results for the two-year term, Michael Gemma led 52.7% to Kimberly Outlaw Ryan’s 47.2%.
Both candidates were up for the seat a year ago when it was vacated because of a death on the board. Former Canyon del Oro High School principal Gemma was appointed in 2025. Ryan, is the deputy general counsel of the Tucson Airport Authority.
The Amphi district runs from north Tucson through Pima County, Oro Valley, and Catalina.
Pima JTED – District 2
In Pima’s Joint Technical Education District’s one open seat, early results show incumbent Cindy Rankin, a physiology professor at the University of Arizona who has served nearly 12 years on the JTED board with 49.2% and challenger Beth Lehr, an educator for over 20 years and most recently the assistant principal at Sahuarita High School, with 50.73%.
Sahuarita Unified School District
In the Sahuarita Unified School District, three candidates ran for two governing board seats. Incumbent John Sparks is the president of the board and seeks his fourth term. Early votes show him with 50.4% He is a mental health nurse practitioner. Incumbent Raul Rodriguez, a Pima County corrections officer, seeks his second term and early votes show him with 49.5%.
Tanque Verde Unified School District
The Tanque Verde Unified School District had four candidates vying for two seats. Incumbent Beth Peterson is a software engineer who won her seat in 2022. She led early votes with 40.3%, followed by Thomas Trask, an Air Force veteran, educator and clerk of the Tanque Verde governing board at 30.1%, and Piper Jordan, a former Tanque Verde teacher with 29.4%.
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