10 Aug 14th- Aug 20th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | MAGA Takeover County schools chief put far-right ally on Phoenix school board. BY MORGAN FISCHER I n late April, embattled local elemen- tary school board president Jessica Bueno quit. For weeks, Bueno had resisted public pressure to step down following a Phoenix New Times report that she’d bailed out a now-convicted sex offender when he was caught in an underage sex sting. Parents — including Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes — packed meetings of the Phoenix Elementary School District governing board to rail against her. When Bueno announced her resignation, they finally got what they wanted. But, as they say, be careful what you wish for. Bueno’s absence left PESD’s five-person governing board one member short, and candidates quickly began applying with the Maricopa County School Superintendent to fill the vacancy. District parent Allison Gullick submitted an appli- cation two days after Bueno resigned. The next day, former Phoenix Union High School and Laveen Elementary School District board member Randy Schiller threw his hat in the ring. Adrianne Speas, another district parent and fixture at board meetings, applied. Also in the running were an Arizona State University professor with a kid in the district, a veteran school guidance counselor and the president and CEO of the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. County school superintendent Shelli Boggs picked none of them. After Boggs began interviewing candidates in late May — and promising them a decision by June — she finally tapped a replacement on Aug. 4. In a press release, Boggs announced she’d be installing Suanne Edmiston, a MAGA political operative and relative Arizona newcomer, until the next school board election in November 2026. In her announcement, Boggs praised Edmiston’s “proven leadership, strong commitment to accountability and dedica- tion to fiscal responsibility.” In an email to New Times, her office called Edmiston, who is currently Arizona state director for the hyper-conservative State Freedom Caucus Network, the “most qualified candidate.” Edmiston is also the only candidate who shares Boggs’ Trumpian views. Observers noticed that Boggs, who won election in 2024 on an arch-conservative platform, sat on the board opening for weeks until Edmiston applied on July 1, nearly 70 days after Bueno resigned. Several applicants for the vacancy told New Times that Boggs grilled them with politically-tinged ques- tions about their views on diversity, equity and inclusion and their voter registration. To them, it appeared as if Boggs was content to leave the spot unfilled until a far-right candidate miraculously popped up for the nonpartisan, unpaid board seat. “She’s been notorious for doing this,” Gullick said of Boggs. “(Edmiston) is the only MAGA. And it seems like their whole point is to put in a MAGA person everywhere.” ‘MAGA is winning’ By picking Edmiston, it doesn’t appear Boggs did anything she’s not allowed to do. Under Arizona law, county school superintendents can appoint district governing board members when there is an opening. That appointee serves until the next governing board Suanne Edmiston, a MAGA-aligned political operative, was appointed to an empty seat on the Phoenix Elementary School District governing board. (Phoenix Elementary School District Facebook Page) >> p 12 | NEWS |
