Somerton councilman to seek high school board seat

BAJO EL SOL

SOMERTON –– Carlos Gonzalez, a Somerton city councilman who also sits on the city’s elementary school district governing board, says he’s seeking a seat on the board of the Yuma Union High School District board.

“I want to serve and work for (the betterment) of education for all students in Yuma County,” he said. “My experience and knowledge can help me provide leadership and build a vision that we can all share in the high school district.

“I want to help build a school district where students, parents, teachers and staff all feel welcomed.”

Gonzalez, 64, has served on the council for six years and has been a member of the Somerton Elementary School District’s governing board since 2015. If elected to the high school board, he said, he will resign from the elementary school board.

He previously had a career of his own in education, as a teacher and assistant principal in the Gadsden Elementary School District in Somerton and as a teacher’s assistant in the Somerton district. He also served as a coach at Kofa High School and at Yuma Catholic High School.

One of his goals as a high school board member, he said, would be to follow through on construction of a high school campus in Somerton. A $79 million bond issue approved by voters in the high school district includes funds for the school. At present, Somerton teens travel to Yuma to attend Kofa or Cibola high schools.

Gonzalez will compete for one of three seats that will be open in the November general election.